IntroductionOne of the most popular sports currently is Taekwondo. In Korean it is loosely defined as "the way of the foot and the fist". It comes from the word "Tae", meaning "foot", "Kwon" for "fist" and "Do" for "the way or method". (Southwick, 1998) Therefore, taekwondo is a free combat sport that uses bare hands and feet to fight off an opponent. (Lee, 1995) It requires the correct and skillful execution of techniques such as punches, kicks, jumps, blocks, dodges, blocking actions with hands and feet. Taekwondo is a sport that uses the entire body as a weapon to attack and strike the opponent with the hands, feet, elbows, knees or any part of his body. A person who knows Taekwondo should be able to resist any opponent, but its code prohibits unjust aggression or unnecessary use of force. (Lee, 1995) This essay will define the history of Taekwondo, its intended learning outcomes, and how it is used as a means of self-defense.HistoryThe origins of Taekwondo come from the Koguryo, Baekchae, and Silla dynasties of ancient Korea (Marinoy, Iordanov, & Tzvetkova , 1998). Wall paintings from royal tombs at Muyongchong and Kakchuchong were found during the Koguryo Dynasty (Lee, 1995). Lee further explained that in the Muyongchong wall paintings there was a drawing of two men facing each other in a Taekwondo practice. While in the Kakchuchong royal tombs, there was a painting of two men who were fighting a fight or as one of the traditional forms of Korean wrestling, cireum. A Japanese historian named Tatashi Saito said in his “Study of Culture in Ancient Korea” (quoted in Lee, 1995, p. 14): “The painting shows us that the person buried in the tomb practiced Taekwondo while he was alive or says that people practiced it, along with...... middle of paper ......ondo: The five principles of taekwondo. Taekwondo(pp.19-23) . London: Amber Books Ltd.3. Lee, K. M. (1995). The history of Taekwondo: the Koguryo dynasty. Dynamic Taekwondo (pp.13-14). United States of America: Hollym International Corp.4. Lee, K. (1995). Overview and History: Introduction to Taekwondo. Dynamic Taekwondo (pp.2-5).United States of America: Hollym International Corp.5. Marinov M., Iordanov S. and Tzvetkova P. (1998) History. Oracle Think Quest. Retrieved November 7, 2011, from http://library.thinkquest.org/16082/history/index.html6. Southwick, R. (1998). A brief history of Taekwondo. Retrieved October 23, 2011, from https://www.msu.edu/~spock/history.html7. World Taekwondo Federation. (2009) Ancient Timers. World Taekwondo Federation. Retrieved November 7, 2011, from http://www.wtf.org/wtf_eng/site/about_taekwondo/ancient_timers.html