The two
most
common forms of martial arts practiced in North America are karate and
tae kwon
do. Many people do not know what the difference between these two
martial arts is.
This is can be especially the case for those who are just
starting to look
around for a martial
arts school. After all, most practitioners in both karate and
tae kwon do seem to wear the same type of white uniforms with
various colored belts.
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).
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