Taekwondo & World Martial Arts

From ancient survival to modern self-mastery, this book reveals how martial arts evolved across cultures—and how Taekwondo, in the hands of a 70-year master, points the way to its future.

Before the formation of the state, fighting was a means of survival, but after the formation of the state, it was developed as a way to strengthen military power. The development of various weapons dampened the momentum of fighting as a means of combat, but today it has evolved into a variety of martial arts and has become a place for hobbies, health promotion, self-defense, and character education.

There are many traditional martial arts around the world, each reflecting its own culture and history. Every martial art has been shaped and developed into its current form by encountering martial arts from neighboring countries. Even today, martial arts are constantly evolving as they interact with each other through international sporting events. This book shows how certain martial arts have become what they are today and how the people who practice them are working to keep their traditions alive.

The Taekwondo section, written by an author who has practiced the art for nearly 70 years, covers the history, philosophy, techniques, and training methods of Taekwondo, as well as the differences between Taekwondo as a mudo (martial art) and Taekwondo as a sport, which you won’t find in other books on Taekwondo.

By understanding other martial arts, we learn about ourselves—how far we’ve come and where we are now. Most importantly, it can be a guide to where we want to go in the future. By learning the past and present of martial arts introduced in this book, we will be able to develop Taekwondo and other martial arts in a better direction and present a new vision for the future.