About Taekwondo
"Taekwondo is one of the most systematic and scientific Korean traditional martial arts, that teaches more than physical fighting skills. It is a discipline that shows ways of enhancing our spirit and life through training our body and mind. Today, it has become a global sport that has gained an international reputation, and stands among the official games in the Olympics. "
- Official website of the Pan American Taekwondo Union
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Sparring is the most popular of the five areas of pursuit/ training in Taekwondo. It is a full contact dominant feature in the Sporting aspects of Taekwondo.
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Poomsae, or pattern of defense and attack motions, is another area of pursuit/ training. It tends to retain the core of the Art of Taekwondo and has also developed into another popular feature in the Sporting aspect of Taekwondo.
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Kyukpah (or Breaking) is the aspect of training in Taekwondo which deals with focusing to channel one's energy into a limb in order to penetrate a hard object or set of objects (such as wood, bricks, ice, etc.)
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Whilst everything in training Taekwondo supports self-defense, this aspect of training is concerned with situational self-defense such as responding appropriately to being attacked with a weapon, utilizing submission holds, throws, etc.
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Traditional view posits the training in Taekwondo to develop one's limbs to become weapons.
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