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Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. It is the world's most popular martial art in terms of number of practitioners. Gyeorugi, or sparring, is an official Olympic sporting event. In Korean, tae means "to
strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way"/"art"/"method"; so Taekwondo is loosely translated as "the way of the foot and fist" but some translate it as, "the art of kicking and punching," although the
meaning of the Korean word "do" does not correspond to the meaning of the English word "art". Taekwondo's popularity has resulted in the varied evolution of the martial art into several domains: as with many other arts, it combines combat techniques,
self-defense, sport, exercise, meditation and philosophy. Taekwondo is also used by the South Korean military as part of its training. Traditional Taekwondo is typically not competition-oriented but stems from military roots with great emphasis on
offense. Modern Taekwondo, on the other hand, tends to emphasize control and self-defense. Formally, there are two main styles of Taekwondo. One comes from the Kukkiwon, the source of the sparring system sihap gyeorugi which is now an event at the summer
Olympic Games and which is governed by the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF). The other comes from the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF). There is also a more recent form called Songham Taekwondo or the American Taekwondo Association (ATA) and other
variations of it such as STF (Songham Taekwondo federation) and WTTU (World Traditional Taekwondo Union). Although there are doctrinal and technical differences between the two main styles and among the various organizations, the art in general emphasizes
kicks thrown from a mobile stance, employing the leg's greater reach and power (compared to the arm). Taekwondo training generally includes a system of blocks, kicks, punches, and open-handed strikes and may also include various take-downs or sweeps,
throws, and joint locks.
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