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The Difference Between Karate and Tae Kwon Do
The two most common martial arts practiced in North America are
karate and tae kwon do. Many wonder what the difference between
these two martial arts is. This is especially the case for those
who are just starting to look around for a martial arts studio.
After all, most practitioners in both karate and tae kwon do
seem to wear the same type of white gi uniforms with various
colored belts.
Modern traditional karate was developed in the islands of
Okinawa in Japan after some influences from Chinese martial
arts. There are actually different styles of karate but they are
all commonly considered as Japanese martial arts today. The
colored belt system was developed to show the various ranks of
karate practitioners with white depicting novices and black
belts (with various degrees) representing instructor levels and
higher. There is a whole range of other different colors in
between. Modern tae kwon do was developed in Korea after much
influence from Japanese karate during the occupation by Japan.
Indeed, tae kwon do is sometimes referred to as Korean karate.
The Koreans adopted similar white uniforms along with a colored
belt ranking system for tae kwon do. Today, there are two main
styles of tae kwon do, one under the International Tae Kwon Do
Federation and the other under the World Tae Kwon Do Federation.
Many tae kwon do schools have added a black lining to their
white uniforms for black belt levels. A V-neck top is often seen
in schools affiliated with the World Tae Kwon Do Federation.
There are also older Korean styles including tang soo do and moo
duk kwan. Some of the more Americanized karate and tae kwon do
schools also use uniforms with other colors such as red, black
and blue in addition to the traditional white.
It can be generalized that in karate, one would use their arms
or hands for 60% of the time for strikes or blocks while the use
of legs for kicking will be about 40%. This breakdown is seen in
the many forms or katas of karate which are set routines
which
simulate fighting against imaginary opponents using martial arts
techniques. The forms from tae kwon do would have the opposite
percentage breakdown with 40% hands and 60% legs. In tae kwon
do, there is also more emphasis on higher kicks to the head
level than in karate. Tae kwon do practitioners also utilize
more jumping or flying kicks where one is airborne while
executing kicking techniques. The tae kwon do forms or patterns
are generally a bit shorter and less complex than the karate
forms. Some tae kwon do schools have been known to use the odd
karate form in its curriculum as well.
In North America as well as other parts of the world, there are
separate traditional competitions for karate and tae kwon do.
However, the open martial arts tournaments in North America
often have competitors from both karate and tae kwon do
competing together. Some of the larger open martial arts
competition events will have separate forms divisions for
Japanese karate and Korean tae kwon do competitors but the
fighting or sparring divisions will usually be combined. Many
black belts in tae kwon do end up studying karate as well and
the opposite has been true too. Tae kwon do has received more
publicity in recent years since its introduction as an Olympic
sport. The style and rules used for the Olympic version of tae
kwon do fighting comes from the World Tae Kwon Do Federation
(WTF). Both karate and tae kwon do are considered as hard style
martial arts in North America today (as opposed to soft styles
such as the many versions of Chinese kung fu).
About the author:
Clint Leung is a lifelong martial artist with over 32 years of
training experience in kung fu, tae kwon do, karate, kickboxing
and martial arts weaponry. He has won Canadian and world
championship titles (NASKA, NBL and WSKF). He is also owner of
Free Spirit Activewear (http://www.FreeSpiritActivewear.com) ,
an online retailer and designer of premium martial arts
activewear. Free Spirit Activewear has martial arts info
articles.
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