What is the difference between Taekwondo and Karate?

Karate is Japanese in origin, and Taekwondo is from Korea. The colored belt classifies the rank and skill of the karate practitioner. Taekwondo developed in Korea and absorbed much of the Japanese influence, mostly during World War II. Taekwondo is a sport that is even played at the Olympic events. Taekwondo also adapted the colored belt system. Kicking is always higher and aimed at the opponent’s head in Taekwondo, and Taekwondo is noted for its various kicking techniques. The forms are shorter and more intense in this practice.

On the other hand, students of Karate will throw powerful reverse punches, use back fists, deep stances, and low sweep moves. In this practice, the fighting style involves using arms and hands to strike and block, and legs are utilized for kicking. Karate is known for being very regimented.

That is why it is often used for study, like in the movie, “The Karate Kid.” The main character learns valuable lessons through his teacher, and these were things he thought he would never use, which demonstrates that Karate is very much a discipline. Both sports hold separate competitions.

One of the ways to differentiate between Taekwondo and Karate is by comparing the origin of the two martial arts. While Taekwondo is a Korean martial art, karate is one of the most popular martial arts that started in Japan. Karate shares certain similarities with some Chinese martial arts due to the influences of the Chinese. On the other hand, taekwondo is similar to some Japanese martial arts. The reason for this is because of the influence of the Japanese, most especially during the Second World War, when some Japanese occupied Korea. Karate is a martial art involving the use of hands, arms, and legs for punching, kicking, and blocking. Fighters use their arms and hands majorly for blocking and punching and use their legs for kicking. On the other hand, taekwondo focuses more on the use of legs for kicking, while the arms and hands are for striking and blocking.

There are different people who would like to try different types of martial arts, but they are not sure what type of martial art they should choose. Two of the martial arts that are considered to be popular are karate and taekwondo.

Taekwondo is going to come with more kicking as compared to karate, which would also need to use hands from time to time. Just remember that for karate, you only need to use your hands as a backup. In Karate, you can expect that while you are making your moves, your feet will stay on the ground.

For taekwondo, you can expect that you would do a lot of jumping, kicking, and also spinning. Both types of martial arts are essential for a lot of people because they can definitely teach discipline.