Taekwondo
Korean striking art defined by fast, high, spinning kicks — Olympic sport since 2000 with electronic-scored sparring.
What is Taekwondo?
Taekwondo (태권도, literally 'the way of the foot and fist') is a Korean striking martial art and Olympic combat sport. The name was coined in 1955 by General Choi Hong-hi, who synthesised earlier Korean karate-derived styles (Tang Soo Do, Kwon Bop) with traditional taekkyeon into a distinctly Korean discipline. Two major branches co-exist: the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF, 1966, more traditional) and World Taekwondo (WT, formerly WTF, 1973), the Olympic body. WT competition is defined by long, fast, spinning kicks — roughly 80% of scoring — worn by electronic protector scoring systems (PSS). Taekwondo debuted as an Olympic medal sport at Sydney 2000.
Quick facts
Category
Combat Sports
Type
Individual
Players
2–2
Duration
~6 min
Where played
indoor
Field / court
field-of-play (octagon)
Country of origin
🇰🇷 South Korea
Estimated origin
Name coined 1955; ITF founded 1966; WT founded 1973 (as WTF)
Olympic
Yes
Popularity
global
How it works
Objective
Score more points than the opponent via clean, controlled kicks and punches to the electronic hogu and head guard, winning the majority of the three 2-minute rounds.
Match structure
Competitors bow, enter the ring, and touch feet (WT rules changed in 2022 to a best-of-three-rounds format). Each round is 2 minutes; the athlete who scores more points wins the round. The best of three rounds wins the bout. Tied rounds are broken by golden-point overtime.
Rules
Basic rules
Legal targets
Front and sides of the electronic hogu (trunk protector); the electronic head guard's front and sides. Below the belt is illegal.
Legal techniques
Kicks with the foot below the ankle bone; punches with the front of the closed fist. Only hand strikes to the body count; punches to the head are illegal in WT.
Scoring
Punch to body: 1. Body kick: 2. Body spinning kick: 4. Head kick: 3. Head spinning kick: 5. Points-gap ends the round at a 12-point lead (2020 rule).
Electronic Protector Scoring System (PSS)
Sensors in the hogu and head-guard trigger the score automatically. Since 2009 all WT senior events use PSS.
Video review
Coach may request one instant-replay review per round — successful reviews are retained; unsuccessful ones forfeit the request.
Advanced rules
Kyong-go (warning)
Minor foul — e.g. crossing the boundary line, grabbing, falling. Two kyong-go = 1 point to opponent.
Gam-jeom (deduction)
Major foul — 1 point directly to opponent (e.g. deliberate blow to the face, throwing, punching the head).
Golden point
If rounds are tied, sudden-death overtime — first score wins. Body kick weighted higher than punch for tiebreaker.
Point gap
Round ends immediately if a competitor leads by 12 points.
Scoring
Points scored electronically. Best of three 2-min rounds wins the bout.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Punch to body | 1 |
| Kick to body | 2 |
| Spinning kick to body | 4 |
| Kick to head | 3 |
| Spinning kick to head | 5 |
| Gam-jeom penalty to opponent | 1 |
Win condition · Best of three rounds; 12-point gap in a single round; opponent disqualification; retirement; or golden-point overtime.
Playing area
Called
field-of-play (octagon)
Dimensions
Octagonal contest area — 8 m across (WT senior). Older square 8 m × 8 m ring still used at some events.
Padded matting — chung (blue) versus hong (red). Competitors wear electronic body protectors (hogu) and head guards (WT senior since 2009).
Equipment
Dobok
White uniform with V-neck top (WT) or open-jacket top (ITF), tied with a coloured belt.
Belt (ti)
Coloured belt showing kup rank (10 → 1) or black-belt dan degree (1 → 9).
Body protector (hogu)
Electronic vest scoring valid trunk kicks — blue for chung, red for hong.
Head guard
Electronic head guard scoring head kicks — mandatory in WT senior since 2009.
Forearm and shin guards
Padded protection under the dobok.
Mouth guard, groin guard, hand guards, foot socks
Additional mandatory WT competition kit.
Officiating
The centre referee starts, stops and monitors the bout; the electronic PSS auto-scores kicks/punches, and judges verify head kicks and technical points from ringside.
- Centre referee
- Three or four judges (electronic scoring corroborates)
- Review jury
Penalties & fouls
Penalties
Kyong-go (warning)
Two = 1 point to opponent — for crossing boundary line, grabbing, falling, avoiding combat.
Gam-jeom (deduction)
Direct 1 point to opponent — for deliberate face punch, spine attack, or dangerous behaviour.
Disqualification
Ten cumulative penalties in a bout, or a serious safety violation.
Strategies
Long-range kicking
Use the reach advantage of the leg to score from beyond punching distance.
Cut kick / push kick
Interrupt opponent's forward motion with a straight push-kick to control range.
Head-kick baiting
Draw the opponent to attack, then counter with a rewarding 3- or 5-point head kick.
Point management
In the lead? Circle the perimeter — modern PSS scoring rewards leg speed, not aggression.
Terminology
- Dobok
- The white uniform.
- Ti
- The coloured belt tied around the dobok.
- Kup / Dan
- Coloured-belt rank (10 → 1) then black-belt degree (1 → 9).
- Poomsae
- Prearranged forms — patterns of movement demonstrating fundamental techniques.
- Kyorugi
- Sparring — the Olympic competition discipline.
- Kyekpa
- Breaking — striking wood/tile boards to demonstrate power.
- Chagi
- Kick — e.g. dollyo-chagi (roundhouse), yop-chagi (side kick), naeryo-chagi (axe kick).
- Jireugi
- Punch (Korean term).
- Hogu
- The electronic body protector — scores kicks by pressure sensor.
- Kihap
- The vocal shout accompanying a technique — Korean equivalent of kiai.
Major competitions
Summer Olympic Games
quadrennial · worldwide · since 2000
Full medal sport since Sydney 2000.
World Taekwondo Championships
biennial · worldwide · since 1973
World Taekwondo Grand Prix
annual · worldwide · since 2013
Asian Games
quadrennial · Asia · since 1986
Where it is played
Governing bodies
World TaekwondoWT
Founded 1973 · Seoul, South Korea
Official site ↗International Taekwon-Do FederationITF
Founded 1966 · Vienna, Austria (currently split into three ITFs after 2002)
Kukkiwon (World Taekwondo Headquarters)
Founded 1972 · Seoul, South Korea
Official site ↗
Famous names & records
Famous athletes
- Choi Hong-hi (ITF founder)
- Hadi Saei
- Steven Lopez
- Chen Zhong
- Jade Jones
- Servet Tazegül
- Lee Dae-hoon
- Milica Mandić
- Panipak Wongpattanakit
Records
Most Olympic taekwondo golds (male)
Hadi Saei (IRI) — 2 (2004, 2008) + bronze (2008)
Most World Championship golds
Lee Dae-hoon (KOR) — 4 (2019)
Learn this sport
beginner
- 1
Stance and guard
Ap-seogi (walking stance), joochoom-seogi (horse stance), guarding position.
- 2
Basic kicks
Ap-chagi (front kick), dollyo-chagi (roundhouse), yop-chagi (side kick), dwi-chagi (back kick).
- 3
First poomsae
Taegeuk Il Jang — the 18-move white-belt form.
- 4
Basic hand techniques
Ap-jireugi (front punch), momtong makki (middle block), arae-makki (low block).
intermediate
- 1
Spinning kicks
Bandal-chagi, dwi-huryeo-chagi (spinning hook), 540-degree kicks.
- 2
Advanced poomsae
Taegeuk 4-8 Jang; move to the black-belt Palgwae or Yudanja series.
- 3
Sparring drills
One-step sparring, three-step sparring, then continuous free sparring (kyorugi).
advanced
- 1
Competition strategy
Ring craft, feint-and-score, head-kick reads under PSS scoring.
- 2
Breaking (kyekpa)
Aerial and multi-board breaking for demonstrations and dan gradings.
- 3
Dan grading
Poomsae, breaking, sparring and knowledge examination for 1st-4th dan; teaching qualification for higher grades.
Frequently asked
Taekwondo vs karate — what's the difference?+
Taekwondo is Korean, kick-heavy (80%+ of scoring) with dramatic aerial and spinning kicks. Karate is Japanese/Okinawan, more even between hands and kicks with a stronger emphasis on kata and short-range strikes.
WT vs ITF — which should I train?+
WT (World Taekwondo) is the Olympic body — if you want to compete at Olympics or major international events, train WT. ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) preserves the traditional Choi Hong-hi style with more hand techniques and closer contact.
How many weight classes at the Olympics?+
Eight — four for men (-58, -68, -80, +80 kg) and four for women (-49, -57, -67, +67 kg). Non-Olympic events use eight weight classes per gender.
Is taekwondo effective for self-defence?+
Elite taekwondoin have devastating kicks but limited hand and grappling training in Olympic-style competition. Many practitioners cross-train boxing/BJJ for a more complete self-defence base.
Sources & provenance
- Wikipedia — Taekwondo— Wikipedia
- World Taekwondo — Competition Rules— World Taekwondo
- Kukkiwon — Poomsae Standards— Kukkiwon