Difference Between Taekwondo and Karate

Edited by Diffzy | Updated on: April 30, 2023

       

Difference Between Taekwondo and Karate

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Introduction

Martial arts are good for your physical and mental wellness in addition to self-defense. Martial arts training may help you tone up, get better balance, and work out your entire body aerobically. Karate and Taekwondo are two of the most well-known and practiced martial arts. Many individuals believe that taekwondo and karate are interchangeable. However, these two martial styles have unique characteristics.

Taekwondo vs Karate

The key distinction between Taekwondo and karate is that the former places greater emphasis on fighting with the legs, with the use of hands serving as a supplementary technique. Karate, on the other hand, emphasizes the hand, where using your hands to fight is regarded as main and using your legs to kick is considered secondary.

One of the most methodical and scientific martial arts, Taekwondo has its roots in Korea. Taekwondo places a lot of emphasis on using your legs to kick when fighting. Several Korean martial artists created this martial art throughout the 1940s and 1950s by fusing Korean traditional fighting systems with foreign martial arts including Chinese martial arts and karate.

Another well-liked and exciting martial art that has its roots in Japan is karate. Karate uses all of the body's elements to execute dynamic defensive and attacking techniques. Karate practitioners who have received training are better able to synchronize their body and mind, releasing tremendous physical strength. Gichin Funakoshi, who is regarded as the father of contemporary karate, initially introduced it to Japan in 1917.

Difference Between Taekwondo and Karate in Tabular Form

Parameters of Comparison Taekwondo Karate
Origin In Korea, taekwondo first appeared.    Japan is where karate first emerged.
Movements The major emphasis of taekwondo is on kicking skills, which must be both elegant and powerful. Taekwondo places less emphasis on using the hands during combat.  With its kicking, punching, open-handed, and elbow/knee techniques, karate is a striking art.
Features Kicking is the main component of Taekwondo art. The martial art of taekwondo is one of the swiftest.    Blocks, takedowns, punches, and kicks are among karate's main fighting techniques.
Bow Style Taekwondo's bow technique involves joining the arms or the hands.   In karate, the bow is executed by lowering the torso, maintaining the arms straight against the body, and focusing on the adversaries.
Clothing Dobok is the name of taekwondo's uniform.     Gi is the term for karate's uniform.

What is Taekwondo?

Taekwondo is the name of a Korean empty-handed martial art style. The terms "the," "Kwon," and "do," which respectively denote kicks, punches, and other fist and hand blows as well as a method of action, are the root words of taekwondo. Its sweeping kicks, forceful punches, and great speed set it apart from other martial arts.

The Korean Taekwondo Association, or KTA, is said to be the sport's founding organization. The nine founding Korean martial arts schools, or kwans, came together to create this organization in 1959. Taekwondo's worldwide regulatory organization, the International Taekwon-Do Federation, was established in 1966 by General Choi Hong Hi.

Two athletes square off against one another over a mat surface in taekwondo matches. By assigning points for the execution style and delivered strikes by the contestants, the referees scored the competition. Each kick to the side or front of the opponent's head and each punch to the opponent's body or head earns a point. Dobok is the name of taekwondo's uniform. White loose-fitting pants and a jacket are known as do bok. The color of the belt indicates the level of taekwondo proficiency. Each taekwondo skill level is represented by a different color of the belt.

An emphasis is placed on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and quick kicking techniques in the Korean martial art known as Taekwondo, Tae Kwon Do, or Taekwon-Do. The exact translations of "kicking," "punching," and "the art or way of" are all used to describe tae kwon do. They are a type of martial arts in which one occasionally uses weapons along with hands and feet to strike or protect at any time or place. Taekwondo physical training has a purpose and encourages mental fortitude through mental fortification.

Taekwondo practitioners dress in a dobok or uniform. It is a fighting sport that was created in the 1940s and 1950s by Korean martial artists with training in Taekkyon, Subak, and Gwonbeop, as well as Chinese martial arts and traditional Korean martial arts. The Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA), founded in 1959 by members from the country's founding nine kwans, or martial arts schools, is the sport's oldest regulating organization. The International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF), established by Choi Hong-hi in 1966, and the partnership of the Kukkiwon and World Taekwondo (WT, formerly World Taekwondo Federation or WTF), established by the Korea Taekwondo Association in 1972 and 1973, respectively, are currently the two main international organizations for Taekwondo. Since 2000, the Olympic sport of gyeorugi, or full-contact sparring, has been held. World Taekwondo is the authority that oversees Taekwondo competitions in the Olympics and Paralympics.

Soon after the end of World War II and the Japanese Occupation, new martial arts schools known as kwans started popping up in Seoul starting in 1945. Korean martial artists with training in Chinese and Japanese martial arts founded these schools. Due to years of decline and suppression by the Japanese colonial administration, indigenous disciplines (like Taekkyeon) were at the time all but forgotten. Although the title "Taekwondo" had not yet been developed at that time, each Kwan (school) was practicing its distinctive fighting style. Typically, the phrase "traditional Taekwondo" refers to the martial arts performed by the kwans throughout the 1940s and 1950s.

The 29th Infantry Division ROK Army commanders Choi Hong-hi and Nam Tae-hi performed a martial arts display in front of South Korean president Syngman Rhee in 1952. He incorrectly identified the shown skill as Taekkyeon and pushed the army to adopt martial arts under a single system. The chiefs of the kwans started seriously debating the idea of forming one Korean martial art in 1955. Up until that point, Korean karate was referred to as Tang Soo Do and was written using the Korean hanja version of the Japanese kanji. Another term for the unified form of Korean martial arts was Tae Soo Do. This name is made up of the hanja characters su "hand," do "way," and the "to stomp, trample."

Choi Hong-hi promoted the usage of the name Tae Kwon Do, substituting the Chinese word for "martial arts" Kwon (Revised Romanization: gwon; McCune-Reischauer: kkwn) for su (hand). According to the president, the name was also the one that sounded the most like Taekkyeon. The Kwan leaders took a little while to warm up to the new moniker. Taekwondo's acceptance by the South Korean military during this period also contributed to its rise in popularity among martial arts schools that serve the general public.

What is Karate?

Another well-known combat art that has its roots in Japan is karate. The term is made up of the syllables "kara" and "te," which respectively mean "empty" and "hand." Karate is a term for unarmed combat that is conducted with an empty hand. The entire body is utilized to both protect oneself and an adversary in karate.

Due to the prohibition on firearms at the time, karate developed over several centuries into a methodical martial art that was widely used as self-defense in Japan in the 17th century. It was taught widely in Japan following the Taisho era. Movies about martial arts were quite popular all around the world in the 1960s and 1970s.

Karate emphasizes full-body motions together with blocking, blows, punches, and kicks as counterattacks. Instead of using kicks, it mostly emphasizes hand movement. Karate is practiced for sport, fitness, and self-defense. Karate is a form of exercise that improves balance, flexibility, coordination, strength, and cardiovascular fitness.

The three main components of karate training are kumita, or sparring, kata, or forms, and kihon, or fundamentals. These three components are interdependent and frequently overlap. This martial art's major objective is to develop a flawless character. Karate is thought to aid in a person's character and spiritual development.

Karate (Japanese: "empty hand") is a kind of unarmed martial art that emphasizes kicking, punching, and defensive blocking using the arms and legs. The goal is to focus as much of the body's force as possible at the point and instant of impact. The forearm, knee, elbow, ball, and heel of the foot are all striking surfaces, as well as the hands (particularly the knuckles and the outer edge). All of them become tougher with practice hits on wood or cushioned surfaces. A skilled person may use their bare hands or foot to shatter pine planks that are several inches thick. On the other side, timing, strategy, and spirit are all seen as being just as important as physical tenacity. We shall cover every aspect of this traditional sport, karate, today.

In sports karate and sparring (Kumite) in training, blows and kicks are halted quickly, ideally within an inch of contact. Sports competitions typically last three minutes until a decision if, in the judges' judgment, neither competitor has acquired a definite "killing" point. Individual competitors engage in form (kata) competitions where they put on a show of emotions that mimic their opponents' attacks and defenses. A panel of judges evaluates performances, the same as in gymnastics.

Learn the Karate Sport Basics

Now that you've learned the basics, you should know how karate works. Keep in mind that this is a fighting art in which two opponents face off. They will try to get points by delivering kicks and punches, but different blows will result in different scores. The competitor with the most points at the end of the competition will be crowned the winner. A karate practitioner improves in the belt ranking system and obtains a new color as they improve (the best being black). During competitions, competitors must show respect for one another because karate is viewed as a mental and physical activity that demands a positive outlook.

A Brief History of Karate Sport

Through the decades, karate evolved throughout East Asia. It was finally systematized in Okinawa in the 17th century, perhaps by people who were not permitted to carry guns. It was imported to Japan in the 1920s. There were several systems and schools that each had their own set of training techniques and strategies. Like other Asian martial arts, karate places a strong emphasis on mental attitude, etiquette drills, costumes, and a challenging ranking system (by the color of the belt). The various fighting systems have some technological commonality.

Main Differences Between Taekwondo and Karate in Points

  • In Korea, taekwondo first appeared. Karate, on the other hand, has its roots in Japan.
  • The major emphasis of taekwondo is on kicking skills, which must be both elegant and powerful. Taekwondo places less emphasis on using the hands during combat. With its kicking, punching, open-handed, and elbow/knee techniques, karate is a striking art.
  • Kicking is the main component of Taekwondo art. The martial art of taekwondo is one of the swiftest. Blocks, takedowns, punches, and kicks are among karate's main fighting techniques.
  • Taekwondo's bow technique involves joining the arms or the hands. In karate, the bow is executed by lowering the torso, maintaining the arms straight against the body, and focusing on the adversaries.
  • Dobok is the name of taekwondo's uniform. Gi is the term for karate's uniform.

Conclusion

Both taekwondo and karate are regarded as common and well-liked martial art styles. Both these two martial arts are Olympic sports and are quite well-liked as sports. These combat sports develop character while instilling discipline and patience. These two martial disciplines do differ in some ways, though.

In taekwondo, the use of the hands is less important than the use of the legs and kicking during combat. Karate, on the other hand, primarily emphasizes the use of hands through punching and hitting during combat; the use of legs during combat is secondary. Taekwondo, which mostly concentrates on leg motions, is not the best choice if you want to use your entire body while fighting. Instead, you should consider karate.

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"Difference Between Taekwondo and Karate." Diffzy.com, 2024. Wed. 27 Mar. 2024. <https://www.diffzy.com/article/difference-between-taekwondo-and-karate-828>.



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