A Primer on Taekwondo

How many times must I tell you, good form! Good form! Hold your riding stances! Now, left hand and left leg, throw a middle punch.

— Feather Mountain's guildmaster.

Now presenting, Atroxia Lion with a demonstration of taekwondo through the Kings' Formations!

— Announcer at Sancai MMA Guild.

History

Prior to the 20th century, martial arts weren't as unified or well-known outside of the old world's Sinosphere, namely China, Korea, and Japan. The masters and guilds did not travel very far to the New World.

In 1955, General Choi modified the previous syllabus of Korean martial art into what would be then known as taekwondo. He wanted a way for foot soldiers to defend themselves should they ever be cornered without weaponry.

Today, martial arts guilds are prevalent in the Sinosphere, and most of these guilds offer taekwondo as a main subject. As for within Luoyang, the population of splendoro adds a supercharged edge to the sport.

Execution

Classes generally take one and an half hours, with the first half hour for warmups, and the remaining hour for training.
Training entails revising the stances, attacks, and blocks for each grade.
Trainees then occasionally go for tournaments, of which there are two main types: Sparring and formation.

During a sparring match, the rules are as follows:

• 3 minutes for each round, and 3 rounds max per fighter.

• Blows cannot be aimed at the head unless the head is armored, nor towards the groin.

• No weapons except one's own body can be used.

• Referees have the authority to bodily separate fighters who get stuck in a scuffle.

For a formation match, the rules are as follows:

• All competitors must follow a set routine which is announced in advance, usually from the list of Kings' Formations.

• Competitors must hold good form, namely by using the proper stances, blows, and blocks during the routine.

• Cheating such as spying on video or attempting to copy another contestant will result in a penalty or foul.

• Penalties reduce contest marks, fouls invalidate marks for the formation one was cheating on.

Components and tools

During classes, white canvas-polyester uniforms are used, tied off with colored belts.
The current standard belt colors and symbolism are as follows:

• White - A beginner who knows little about the theory of taekwondo

• Yellow - The foundations have been laid for good form.

• Green - Good form and strength have taken root.

• Blue - The student can look up and reach for higher achievement.

• Red - The martial knowledge has become as natural as one's blood.

• Black - The final stage, where one absorbs martial knowledge like a black hole.

Those who have achieved black belt ranking will wear canvas uniforms with black collars and belts.

While training, these are the items used for each part:

• Mini punch-bags - These small bags can be held, and are used as kicking and punching targets. They are flat with a little wooden handle at the end.

• Large punch-bags - These are heavy and are as large as a bolster, they are used to simulate fighting another person.

• Quilted armor - Worn on the body, they are used in sparring matches. Modern versions are reversible with a different team color on each side, which is usually red or blue.

Participants

Taekwondo guilds consist of a group of tutors known as masters, and as many students as signed up for the guild.

Observance

Classes are held as often as a guild can afford to host, based on the tutors' schedules. The most common number of classes is three times a week.

Primary Related Location

New Luoyang