Martial arts Style Taeggyon (Tae Kyun, Tae Kyon, Taek Kyon)

(aka. Tae Kyun, Tae Kyon, Taek Kyon)

Intro: A traditional martial art of Korea.

Origin: Korea.

History:

T'aeggyon has been designated as a national treasure of Korea. Originating
around the start of the nineteenth century, T'aeggyon is often described as
a parent art of the more famous t'aegwondo (aka. Tae Kwon Do, T'aekwondo,
Taekwon-Do). T'aeggyon, as a traditional Korean martial art, was illegal
during the Japanese Occupation of Korea (1910-1945) and only two masters
were still active at the end of that era.

The most famous of these was Duk-Ki Song(1893-1987), who repopularized t'aeggyon in the late 1950s. Renewed interest in t'aeggyon influenced the development of t'aegwondo, which until
then had closely mirrored its Japanese antecedent of Shotokan karate-do.

Description:

T'aeggyon is a game that serves to bridge the striking arts and the grappling
arts. The person who gets the first point wins the bout. You can earn a
point by:

1. Kicking the opponent in the head.
2. Throwing or sweeping the opponent to the floor.

Training:

Students learn crescent kicks, roundhouse kicks, and sweeps, as well as
some throws reminiscent of yudo (aka. judo). Open palm pushes are the
most common hand technique. Falling is also an important part of
training, including dive rolls, etc. Students are divided into lower ranks
(ma-dang) and upper ranks (pum).

Sub-styles:

Practitioners in Pusan apparently allow front thrust kick during sparring.
The Seoul branch (at least those under Ki-Hyun Do) do not allow any thrust
kicks (ie. no front kicks or side kicks). The Seoul branch also does not
teach any closed fist techniques or pressure point strikes. Videos of
the Pusan style are available from Robert Young at his Korean Martial
Arts Resource (KMAR) web page.