tae kwon do, Korean art of unarmed combat that is based on the earlier form of Koreanself-defense known astae kyon and onkarate. The nametae kwon do was officially adopted for this martial art in 1955 after that name had been submitted by the South Korean generalChoi Hong-Hi, the principal founder of tae kwon do.

Tae kwon do ischaracterized by the extensive use of high standing and jump kicks as well as punches and is practiced for sport, self-defense, and spiritual development. Training in tae kwon do is carried out by learning individual techniques of kicking, punching, and blocking, which are practiced in combined series of techniques in traditional sets known ashyung. (Proficiency in the graded series ofhyung determines rank in the lower grades.) Students also practice basic sparring combinations (id-bo tueryon, “one-step sparring”); these are short, set sequences of attack and counter practiced between partners, after which the students may practice free sparring as opponents. In sparring, blows are stopped just short of contact. Tae kwon do is practiced as a sport by awarding points to correctly executed techniques during free sparring or by judging the quality of performedhyung. Tae kwon do became an Olympic medal sport at the2000 Sydney Games.See alsomartial art.