The history of Tae Kwon Do as a form of self defense dates back thousands of year to Korea.  Loosely translated  to the art of kicking and punching.  As far as practicality in a street fight, like anything else, it comes down to the competence of the user.  Just like a gun in an untrained hand is dangerous, so is someone with minimal Tae Kwon Do skills attempting a spinning hook kick against a real opponent.

I just finished reading the below article describing TaeKwonDo, it’s history and evolution. My family and I participate in TaeKwonDo together and I enjoy the art form of it.  I’ve participated in several different forms of martial arts, and find the high, spinning kicks of Tae Kwon Do challenging. They require balance, coordination and a great deal of focus.  All things I excel at, but the real challenge to me is flexibility.

If you’ve ever considered martial arts, or would like to learn more about Tae Kwon Do, the below article does a pretty good job of providing an overview.  For more information, check out a few studios (or Dojang’s as they’re called) in your area.

“Much of the human population cannot help but see the environment of Asian martial arts from beyond the limited vision of Jackie Chan or past the restricted objective of The Karate Kid. But this creative sector of defense breaks into many separate versions of a somewhat broader art form. The first of the many sectors of martial arts is the commonly known Taekwondo.” (…rest of article)