Student Training
It is known that the ancient Koreans were proud, courageous and adventerous and enjoyed horseback-riding and archery contests. The origins of Taekkyeon stem from Gojoseon, but it developed as a martial art similar to today’s Taekkyeon in Goguryeo Kingdom (more than 2,000 years ago) where the martial art was the most prolific among the three Kingdoms.
We can find traces of Taekkyeon in wall paintings on various tombs from 4～5 C. (A.D). There are many historical books concerning Taekkyeon such as Goryeosa, Joseonwangjosilok, Dongkugyejiseungnam, Jaemulbo, Joseonsanggosa and so on. In particular, Goryeosa states that in Goryeo Kingdom a solider’s promotion depended on how good he was at Taekkyeon. According to Joseonsanggosa written by Shin Chae-Ho, Taekkyeon was exported to China and transformed into Gwonbeob (Chinese boxing) and it was also introduced into Yudo in Japan.
Although Taekkyeon was a very common oriental martial art, the importance of it disappeared gradually because martial arts were neglected in Joseon Dynasty. But it became a national holiday sport by the 1920s.
The original form of Taekkyeon was verified and systemized by the late Song Deok-Gi and the late Shin Han-Seung who were human cultural assets to Taekkyeon.
At present, Taekkyeon is practiced by a number of people under Grandmaster Jeong Gyeong-hwa, also a human cultural asset. In 1997, the city of Chungju established the Taekkyeon Training Center in Hoam-dong, Chungju, an area where the martial art has been handed down for generation. The Chungju Municipal Taekkyeon Corps, which was launched in 2011, is dedicated to preserving and promoting this unique martial art.
In November 2011, Taekkyeon became the first martial art to be registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, in recognition of its cultural diversity and creativity.
Students Review
In solo training a player should practice three kinds of basic skills alone.
In practical training, a player should experience the process of practical training with a partner for the purpose of learning the skills of attack and defence.
In applied training, a player should compete with an opponent like in a real contest, using all kinds of applied techniques.
Taekkyeon, as an Important Cultural Asset, consists of Seogi Taekkyeon which is a defence-oriented version for the purpose of sport or competition and Gyeollyeon Taekkyeon, which is an attack-oriented version with only 12 basic techniques for lethal attacks.
Taekkyeon is a Korean traditional martial art which is based on various techniques such as moving arms playfully and proudly in a circular motion, swaying easily with the body and tripping with the feet, especially using specific steps, which are called Pumbalgi in Korean.
In particular, it has various characteristics such as flexible movements of the hands and feet for attack and defence. Such skills as Pumbalgi (graceful steps), Hwalgaejit (a circular motion with the arms) and Balchagi (an act of kicking) cause an opponent to be confused and lessen his or her attack.
A fighter can also protect himself from an opponent's attack by decreasing the force of impact using basic graceful movements similar to that of a bird spreading and flapping its wings.
Unlike other martial arts in which 'Dan' or 'Geup' is used to show a hierarchical degree, they use ‘Jjae’ or ‘Dong’ in Taekkyeon.
Taekkyeon: When Tradition meets Modern Times
Copyright ©Taekkyeon-eu.com 2026 All Rights Reserved. | Powered by gewrgios.com