The Difference Between Karate and Tae Kwon Do
Clint Leung
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).
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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