One of the major discussions that people have is whether they should pick Korean Taekwondo or Japanese Karate? After all, they are considered the most popular fighting styles in North America. Well, It depends. Your choice should depend on what you feel more comfortable with.
Japanese karate evolved on the island of Okinawa from the Chinese martial arts, and actually cover a wide variety of disciplines now, and most of these disciplines are considered to be of Japanese origin. Modern Korean Taekwondo evolved from Japanese karate when the Japanese occupied Korea before and during the Second World War. There are currently two styles of Taekwondo known, one is with the International Federation and one is with the World Federation. Taekwondo gained in popularity after it was included as a sport in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul.
Since we’ve established that Karate and Taekwondo both tend to have similar colored uniforms and a belt system derived from Judo in the 1800s, we have to ask ourselves: What are the main differences?
For one thing, one major difference is in the proportions of punches and kicks. Karate tends to focus more on being able to hit someone with your fist, and anywhere from 60-75% of your attacks come from being able to hit someone with your fists of rage, or blocking. Whereas in Taekwondo, the focus is more on your kicking style. Indeed the majority of your attacks will instead be from kicking. One bonus of this is that you will burn off more calories in Taekwondo, because moving your legs requires more action than moving your arms. Taekwondo also emphasises kicks to the head more than karate, and jumping kicks are more common, but often the forms used in Korean forms are simpler and shorter.
Both Karate and Taekwondo have a colored belt system that progresses from white (beginner) to black (instructor level). Generally both have white uniforms. The Korean uniforms are more of a V-Neck and in Korea, they may add black trim for black belts. Americanized schools have actual colored uniforms, including black, blue and red. The straight answer to the question of which one you should take is that both have their pros and cons. Many black belts of varying degrees actually study both disciplines, in order to get the best results from both of these disciplines.
So in conclusion, think about what you want to study and don’t exclude the other discipline entirely, then pursue your passion and take what you learn. Martial arts is about improvement, and both of these styles will make you a better person in the long run.
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