When you’re choosing martial arts classes for yourself or your child, you’ll soon find yourself comparing two of the most popular options: karate and taekwondo. Both are great at developing physical and mental skills. However, they’re also very different in some important ways that you should understand before you commit to either one.
Here’s what you need to know.
• Style of Movement:
Karate and taekwondo are both martial arts that require high discipline and can lend well to competition or self-defense. However, they have very different styles of movement. Karate is mainly about hand technique. You’ll be encouraged to focus on your form, or the way you achieve a specific motion, more than power. Movements don’t count for points unless you get the form right, so you’ll be encouraged to pull your punches.
Taekwondo takes a different approach to movement. You’ll learn more skills with your feet. There’s more emphasis on jumping and kicking. Form is important but, especially in competition, it’s secondary to results. It will teach you the best, fastest kicks and improve your cardio and explosiveness.
• History:
Taekwondo and karate have very different histories. Karate is a Japanese martial art which is inspired by many different Chinese martial arts. There are four subclasses that have developed over time from it: Goju-ryu, Shotokan, Wado-ryun, and Shito-ryu.
Taekwondo is a South Korean martial art that’s much more modern. It’s practical and used by the Korean military for self-defense. There are three types, each with its own governing organization: International Taekwondo Federation (ITF), World Taekwondo Federation (WF), and the American Taekwondo Association (ATA).
• How They Are Similar:
While they’re called different names, both martial arts use similar uniforms and have a similar practice of learning specific physical movements outside of competition. In taekwondo these are called poomsae. Both are Olympic sports, and both are part of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA.) You can achieve great things with either, but some prefer taekwondo for its rich competitive history and focus on all four limbs, while others prefer karate for traditional reasons.
Choose Martial Arts Classes in Kitchener
5 Rings Taekwondo offers classes in Kitchener. Train with us to develop self-defense skills, compete at the highest levels, or just improve your physical and mental health. Contact us today to sign up for a class or a camp. Give us a call at (647) 578-8020.