Taewondo

Taekwondo It is a Korean martial art and the national sport ofSouth Korea. In Korean, tae (태, 跆) means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon (권, 拳) means "to strike or break with fist"; and do (도,道) means "way", "method", or "path". Thus, taekwondo may be loosely translated as "the way of the hand and the foot." The name taekwondo is also written as taekwon-do, tae kwon-do, or tae kwon do by various organizations, based on historical, philosophical, or political reasons.

It combines combat techniques, selfdefense, sport, exercise, and in some cases meditation and philosophy. In 1989 There are two main branches of taekwondo development, which are not necessarily mutually exclusive: 

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"Traditional taekwondo" typically refers to the martial art as it was established in the 1950s and 1960s in the South Korean military, and in various civilian organisations, including schools and universities. In particular, the names and symbolism of the traditional patterns often refer to elements of Korean history, culture and religious philosophy. Today, the Kukkiwon, or World Taekwondo Headquarters is the traditional center for Taekwondo in Korea.

"Sport taekwondo" has developed in the decades since the 1950s and may have a

somewhat different focus, especially in terms of its emphasis on speed and competition. Sport taekwondo is in turn subdivided into two main styles; one derives from Kukkiwon, the source of the sparring system sihap gyeorugi which is now an event at the summer Olympic Gamesand which is governed by the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF).

The other comes from the International Taekwon-Do Federation(ITF) Rules: 

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Hand and foot attacks to the head are allowed.

The scoring system is: 

1 Point for: Punches to the head or body.

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2 Points for: Kicks to the body.

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3 Points for: kicks to the head.