Taekwondo
The name Taekwondo is derived from the Korean word "Tae" meaning foot, "Kwon" meaning fist and "Do" meaning way of.
So, literally Taekwondo means "the way of the foot and fist". The name Taekwondo, however, has only been used since
1955 while the arts' roots began 2,300 years ago in Korea. Known as a martial art and way of life, the evolution of
Taekwondo was a direct result of the happenings in Korea long ago, and knowledge of the history is an important step
in understanding Taekwondo.
Early Korea:
Korean history began when in 2333 B.C. the legendary national founder, Tangun, founded "Old Korea" at Asadal. As in the histories of other nations, communal life was gradually transformed into tribal communities, and then tribal leagues and finally took the form of a state. Although no written history of the fighting systems of this time remains it is known that the people of this time were hunters and had some means of protection as well as livelihood.
The Three Kingdoms:
During the 6th century A.D. what we now call the Korean peninsula was divided into three kingdoms; Koguryo, Paekje and Silla.
