Taekkyon becomes UNESCO Heritage

**Oonjuk** · Posted On: 12/04/2011 11:27pm

http://www.mudokwan.at/index.php?id=503&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=408&tx_ttnews[backPid]=445&cHash=67a7aa843e

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/...112801027.html

(no translation)

Taekkyon is the first martial art to become a UNESCO heritage, and as a Taekkyon practitioner, I just wanted to share the news :D

I hope Taekkyon gains more publicity from this so that there can be more Taekkyon practitioners in US. Then I'll actually have people to Taekkyon kick each other and get hellishly bruised shins with.
:happy:
And here's some awesome Taekkyon competition final from last year for those who doesn't know what Taekkyon is.

**Miguksaram** · Posted On: 12/05/2011 10:55am

While I am very happy to hear about this news, I fear you will see many schools pop up out of nowhere claiming they teach this art or better yet, you will see many TKD schools claim that they teach this art. Let's just hope for the best.

**Oonjuk** · Posted On: 12/05/2011 11:16am

If those guys troll taekkyon, I'll seriously go around shin stomping every single one of them and make their shins look like they are wearing blue-black socks.

**Miguksaram** · Posted On: 12/05/2011 12:19pm

Originally Posted by Oonjuk

If those guys troll taekkyon, I'll seriously go around shin stomping every single one of them and make their shins look like they are wearing blue-black socks.

Well I suppose the first step is that Taekkyon has to be come some what popular in the US. Right now it is barely known to some of the Korean communities much less mainstream. So I guess you will have time to prepare for you shin stomping. :)

**PointyShinyBurn** · Posted On: 12/05/2011 12:43pm

Could you explain the rules a bit, Oonjuk? Presumably kicks to the body are allowed (given you're allowed to kick the head), but just extremely unwise given that a take-down ends the match? Can you chop a guy down with kicks to the legs or is there a contact limiting rule of some sort? Looks lots of fun regardless.

**Oonjuk** · Posted On: 12/05/2011 3:52pm

PointyShinyBurn: Basic winning conditions are 1. Takedown or 2. Kick to the head.
But here is a breakdown of the competition rules in detail.
-No kicks to the body. Kicks allowed from waist down and to the head. I believe you can push kick (not strike kick) your opponent around the chest area but this is almost never used by anyone due to takedown that usually follows.
-No hand strikes but you can push people with your palm.
-Very limited contact time during a takedown or a throw. I usually feel like the ref calls for something like 'matte' in Judo if takedown or a throw doesn't happen in about 5 seconds.
-You can kick the guy off balance but you are not allowed to stomp down on the opponent's knee caps.
-Double leg takedown not allowed. Single leg is fine.
-Takedown has to happen within the boundary. You don't get the win if the guy is out of bound.
-You can get a warning for playing too defensively, doing things that are mentioned above, or kicking people in the groin area (which is one of the commonest form of accident in taekkyon). 3 warnings=loss

**WayOfLife** · Posted On: 12/13/2011 8:27pm

Really, no kicking to the body? I can't point figures though. I've always thought Taekkyon looked cool.
Like Miguksaram said, Taekkyon isn't very well known. Even after studying Taekwondo (which claims to stem from Taekkyon, but lets not get into that) for years, I didn't hear about it until I began trying to learn more about martial arts outside of my own.
It would be cool to see legit Taekkyon schools pop up and it become more of a mainstream art, but not too much. Part of its coolness is it not being mainstream.

**Oonjuk** · Posted On: 12/14/2011 11:17pm

Hm... I do enjoy the situations when some UFC fanboys comment on how I am kicking the bag in a wrong way, and I get to shut them up after demo-ing shin stomps... these fanboys dont really train anyway. I am close with my MT and Boxing bros though, they help me out a lot with my shitty hand work. One thing I have trouble with practicing lowkey MA like taekkyon is that I dont have partners whom I can work taekkyon specific skills or calle out on shitty technique. I can already feel myself becoming a takedown type taekkyunkkun due to judo influence and getting dulled with taekkyon kicks.

**babo78** · Posted On: 12/15/2011 3:20pm

I'm 8th degree black belt Taekkyon master teaching out of Brooklyn. Please contact me if you wish to learn the secret art of Korean martial arts that dates back to Silla days where it was taught to Hwarang corps and first to ever become UNESCO heritage.

You guys mean claims like that right :aintthatsomeshit: