Differences Between Karate & Taekwondo, A Crucial In-Depth Discussion

A must-read if you have to pick either of these martial arts for your child

Martial arts have become a favourite choice of parents for the physical training of their kids. The reason is simple! Apart from physical fitness, martial arts help children become more confident while making them agile, disciplined, and attentive. What more could a parent ask for? 

However, while trying to decide whether Karate classes online are better for their kids or that of Taekwondo, parents often get confused and they end up asking two questions:

• Which form of martial arts is more suitable for my child? 

• What is the difference between Karate and Taekwondo? 

In this blog, we are going to address the second question so that you can draw a clear line of difference between the two. 

To understand the difference between Karate and Taekwondo clearly, let us first discuss these martial arts separately:

Karate

The term “Karate” signifies “fighting with bare hands”. It originated as a martial art by the peasants in Okinawa. These peasants were not allowed to carry weapons so they devised the practice of Karate as a form of self-defense. It reached Japan in 1922 where it became very popular as a self-defense technique.

There are vigorous blocking and offensive moves that basically depend on the hands, and the Karateka (Karate practitioner) also has to undergo rigorous training drills known as Kata and Kumite. These drills are also commenced through live Karate classes. 

There are four different styles of Karate:

• Shotokan

• Goju-ryu

• Shito-ryu

• Wado-ryu

All these styles are derivative forms of original Karate, but each one has a different approach when it comes to the type of movements, practice drills, and stances. 

Taekwondo

Taekwondo is a hard martial art that originated in ancient Korea and the Korean meaning of Taekwondo is "the way of the foot and the fist". However, its official recognition as a martial art didn't happen until 1955 and it appeared as an Olympic sport in 2000. 

The practice of Taekwondo is known as "Poomse". Taekwondo focuses more on kicks but it is a combat technique that also involves punches and helps in developing strength and agility. As it is a hard martial art, it propagates the use of force to counter force. For example: if the opponent tries to punch, you will first block the punch and then will make an offensive move.

How is Karate different from Taekwondo? 

On the fundamental level, there is not much difference between whether children learn Karate online or Taekwondo. You can opt for either of these for your child. However, there are some key differences that you should know of, to make an informed choice. Let us have a look at them:

• Both the martial arts incorporate kicks and punches but there is a slight difference:

• Karate focuses more on hand strikes instead of kicks

• Taekwondo gives more emphasis to kicks instead of punches 

• Karate originated in Japan, but due to its early introduction, you will find that the Karate classes for kids have native Indians teaching this martial art. Whereas Taekwondo originated in Korea, and due to its late recognition as a martial art, you will find Korean immigrants teaching this fine martial art. 

• There is a lot of difference in the terminology of both these combat techniques. For example, the School is known as ‘Dojo’ in Karate but ‘Dojang’ in Taekwondo whereas the Uniform is referred to as ‘Dobok’ in Taekwondo but ‘Gi’ in Karate.

Which of the two is better for your Child? 

To be honest, only you can find the answer to this question. Both these self defense classes offer almost the same benefits and could be a career option for your child as both Karate and Taekwondo are Olympic sports. The only way to find which one is better for your child is by considering the interest and preference of your munchkin. 

You can do this by taking trial classes of both. This will help you to clearly assess whether the inclination of your child is towards Karate or Taekwondo. 

Once you make a choice, just enroll your child in self-defence classes for kids on PiggyRide.