Taekwon-do is a Korean martial art, formed from an amalgamation of a number of other martial arts by General Choi Hong-Hi in 1955.
The words “Taekwon-do” in Korean, literally mean “kicking and punching art”. The style was created as a combat discipline for use by the Korean army. The modern formation of the art and its subsequent biophysical and ergonomic correctness have made it one of the most popular and fastest growing of all the martial arts which have spread to the western world today.
Teaching today is still in an eastern “watch, try and learn” manner, but tempered with intelligence and understanding of the unusual body movements required, making Taekwon-do safe and low on personal injuries, even though, it is a “hard” ( or powerful ) style.
Taekwon-do may be practised on many levels - purely for exercise ( a major workout ), for self-defence, or as a competitive sport.
These qualities make taekwon-do ideal for practitioners of all ages, shapes and sizes.
Traditional Cyprus taekwondo training focus on the martial art as it was established in the 1950s and 1960s in the South Korean military, and in various civilian organizations, including schools and universities. Sport taekwondo in the other hand has a somewhat different focus. Sport taekwondo training focus only in sparring.