Kung-Fu vs. Taekwondo
By Santanu Rahman
In the martial arts world, there are many different styles, and sometimes, it is hard to know the difference between one and the other. Two very popular arts are Kung Fu and Taekwondo. These arts are very different from each other, and this article will explain specifically what some of those differences are.
There are vast differences between Kung-Fu and Taekwondo in the technical and curricular realm, which will be the focus of this article. It is important to note that the country of origin has a profound effect on the development, similar to how European classical music is vastly different from Indian classical music. The country of origin for Kung Fu is China and started in 2800 BC. The country of origin for Taekwondo is Korea and developed in the 1950s.
There are 5 main differences to know about. Those 5 are Emphasis, Structure, Combat Ranges, Weapons, and Film. There are always exceptions to the rule, but the focus will be more on very general terms.
EMPHASIS
In Kung-Fu, the focus is more on usage of the hands. That is what is seen on a very surface level, is that Kung-Fu has very quick and varied hand techniques. There are many kicks in Kung-Fu, and some styles of Kung-Fu have even more kicks than Taekwondo. But in a very general sense, the way you will be able to distinguish Kung-Fu is that there are a lot of unique and sometimes exotic looking hand techniques.
Taekwondo is very much centered around kicking techniques. That is not to say they do not have hand techniques, but the focus is much more on the kicks. They have some kicks that are similar to the kicks in Kung-Fu, and they have some unique ones as well. Both Taekwondo and Kung-Fu have jumping and spinning kicks, but again, Taekwondo has more of an emphasis on it.
STRUCTURE
The structure of Kung-Fu movements are more circular and flowing. This is perhaps one of the biggest distinguishing features. There is a softness with the power, almost like a swinging mace. Kung-Fu can sometimes look almost dance-like with the fluidity, continuity, and circularity of its motions. That is not to say there are not hard linear motions, but the overwhelming feel of Kung-Fu is that of circular flow.
The structure of Taekwondo movements are more linear, hard, and choppy. That is not to say there are not circular movements, there indeed are, but the overall feel of the techniques are more locked, tense, and linear. This is more indicative of the forms, or pre-choreographed traditional sequences.
SPARRING
Kung-Fu sparring, referred to as San Shou involves 4 key ranges – Kicking, Punching, Throwing, and Locking. So in a Kung-Fu sparring match, leg kicks are allowed, grappling and throwing is allowed, as well as straight line punches to the face.
Taekwondo sparring generally focuses on kicking. There are some hand techniques used, but the majority of a sparring match will involve kicks, generally to the abdomen and above. That is not to say Taekwondo does not have throws and joint locks. It does, but they are not frequently used in sparring matches.
WEAPONS
Kung-Fu has many different weapons that are part of any standard curriculum. There are many types of weapons. There are long, short, sharp, blunt, hidden, flexible, projectile, and exotic weapons. There are 18 weapons in Kung Fu. They are the Rope Dart, Double Tiger Hook Swords, Double Hammers, Battle Axe, Snake Halbred, Kwan Dao, Twin Broadswords, Double Edged Sword, Spear, Chain Whip, Double Daggers, Double Crutches, Monk Spade, Staff, Tiger Fork, Rattan Shield, Butterfly Sword, and 3-Section Staff. Some of the unique and unorthodox weapons are the Fan, Horse Bench, Umbrella, and 9-Dragon Trident.
Taekwondo traditionally does not have weapons in the curriculum, however, many teachers have added some basic weapon skills, mostly of Japanese/Okinawan influence, such as the Tonfa, Nunchaku, and Bo Staff.
FILMS
In China and Hong Kong, Kung Fu has been such an integral part of the literary, theater, and film narrative, that fictional series are literally called Kung-Fu Novels, and the films are called Kung-Fu Movies. There is also the Beijing Opera Company, which specializes in martial arts for the theater. Many famous martial arts movie stars are very well known for being practitioners of Kung-Fu and star in very popular Kung-Fu movies. These stars include Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, Stephen Chow, and Sammo Hung. Because of the circular and fluid nature of Kung-Fu, it has a high performance art value. Kung-Fu films have had a profound affect on American culture and cinematography. Directors like Quentin Tarantino are very influenced by the Kung Fu film industry, and have helped made Kung Fu movies more mainstream in America.
Taekwondo is not known for producing an internationally acclaimed film industry based purely on Taekwondo. That said, many famous martial artists have used techniques from Taekwondo to make their action look better. Techniques from Taekwondo like the Spinning Hook Kick and Jumping Spinning Hook Kick have been used quite effectively by the major Kung-Fu movie stars listed above. Korea has a pretty vibrant action film community (which is largely influenced by Kung Fu films). But it is not likely to hear about a Taekwondo movie industry, or a Taekwondo novel.
This article is not necessarily to prove one better than the other, but more to be able to identify some pretty general differences between the two arts. There are many more commercial Taekwondo schools than there are Kung Fu schools, because the Taekwondo curriculum has been very popular with children. Kung Fu has a larger and more complex curriculum and generally takes longer to get through. Recently, Kung-Fu schools have adopted a curriculum delivery model similar to Taekwondo schools to make it more accessible to the public.
A quick way to summarize how Kung-Fu is different from Taekwondo is to remember that Kung-Fu is a Chinese martial art that has more hand techniques, is more fluid and circular, does grappling, uses weapons, and is seen in the movies a lot more.
By Santanu Rahman
In the martial arts world, there are many different styles, and sometimes, it is hard to know the difference between one and the other. Two very popular arts are Kung Fu and Taekwondo. These arts are very different from each other, and this article will explain specifically what some of those differences are.
There are vast differences between Kung-Fu and Taekwondo in the technical and curricular realm, which will be the focus of this article. It is important to note that the country of origin has a profound effect on the development, similar to how European classical music is vastly different from Indian classical music. The country of origin for Kung Fu is China and started in 2800 BC. The country of origin for Taekwondo is Korea and developed in the 1950s.
There are 5 main differences to know about. Those 5 are Emphasis, Structure, Combat Ranges, Weapons, and Film. There are always exceptions to the rule, but the focus will be more on very general terms.
EMPHASIS
In Kung-Fu, the focus is more on usage of the hands. That is what is seen on a very surface level, is that Kung-Fu has very quick and varied hand techniques. There are many kicks in Kung-Fu, and some styles of Kung-Fu have even more kicks than Taekwondo. But in a very general sense, the way you will be able to distinguish Kung-Fu is that there are a lot of unique and sometimes exotic looking hand techniques.
Taekwondo is very much centered around kicking techniques. That is not to say they do not have hand techniques, but the focus is much more on the kicks. They have some kicks that are similar to the kicks in Kung-Fu, and they have some unique ones as well. Both Taekwondo and Kung-Fu have jumping and spinning kicks, but again, Taekwondo has more of an emphasis on it.
STRUCTURE
The structure of Kung-Fu movements are more circular and flowing. This is perhaps one of the biggest distinguishing features. There is a softness with the power, almost like a swinging mace. Kung-Fu can sometimes look almost dance-like with the fluidity, continuity, and circularity of its motions. That is not to say there are not hard linear motions, but the overwhelming feel of Kung-Fu is that of circular flow.
The structure of Taekwondo movements are more linear, hard, and choppy. That is not to say there are not circular movements, there indeed are, but the overall feel of the techniques are more locked, tense, and linear. This is more indicative of the forms, or pre-choreographed traditional sequences.
SPARRING
Kung-Fu sparring, referred to as San Shou involves 4 key ranges – Kicking, Punching, Throwing, and Locking. So in a Kung-Fu sparring match, leg kicks are allowed, grappling and throwing is allowed, as well as straight line punches to the face.
Taekwondo sparring generally focuses on kicking. There are some hand techniques used, but the majority of a sparring match will involve kicks, generally to the abdomen and above. That is not to say Taekwondo does not have throws and joint locks. It does, but they are not frequently used in sparring matches.
WEAPONS
Kung-Fu has many different weapons that are part of any standard curriculum. There are many types of weapons. There are long, short, sharp, blunt, hidden, flexible, projectile, and exotic weapons. There are 18 weapons in Kung Fu. They are the Rope Dart, Double Tiger Hook Swords, Double Hammers, Battle Axe, Snake Halbred, Kwan Dao, Twin Broadswords, Double Edged Sword, Spear, Chain Whip, Double Daggers, Double Crutches, Monk Spade, Staff, Tiger Fork, Rattan Shield, Butterfly Sword, and 3-Section Staff. Some of the unique and unorthodox weapons are the Fan, Horse Bench, Umbrella, and 9-Dragon Trident.
Taekwondo traditionally does not have weapons in the curriculum, however, many teachers have added some basic weapon skills, mostly of Japanese/Okinawan influence, such as the Tonfa, Nunchaku, and Bo Staff.
FILMS
In China and Hong Kong, Kung Fu has been such an integral part of the literary, theater, and film narrative, that fictional series are literally called Kung-Fu Novels, and the films are called Kung-Fu Movies. There is also the Beijing Opera Company, which specializes in martial arts for the theater. Many famous martial arts movie stars are very well known for being practitioners of Kung-Fu and star in very popular Kung-Fu movies. These stars include Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, Stephen Chow, and Sammo Hung. Because of the circular and fluid nature of Kung-Fu, it has a high performance art value. Kung-Fu films have had a profound affect on American culture and cinematography. Directors like Quentin Tarantino are very influenced by the Kung Fu film industry, and have helped made Kung Fu movies more mainstream in America.
Taekwondo is not known for producing an internationally acclaimed film industry based purely on Taekwondo. That said, many famous martial artists have used techniques from Taekwondo to make their action look better. Techniques from Taekwondo like the Spinning Hook Kick and Jumping Spinning Hook Kick have been used quite effectively by the major Kung-Fu movie stars listed above. Korea has a pretty vibrant action film community (which is largely influenced by Kung Fu films). But it is not likely to hear about a Taekwondo movie industry, or a Taekwondo novel.
This article is not necessarily to prove one better than the other, but more to be able to identify some pretty general differences between the two arts. There are many more commercial Taekwondo schools than there are Kung Fu schools, because the Taekwondo curriculum has been very popular with children. Kung Fu has a larger and more complex curriculum and generally takes longer to get through. Recently, Kung-Fu schools have adopted a curriculum delivery model similar to Taekwondo schools to make it more accessible to the public.
A quick way to summarize how Kung-Fu is different from Taekwondo is to remember that Kung-Fu is a Chinese martial art that has more hand techniques, is more fluid and circular, does grappling, uses weapons, and is seen in the movies a lot more.
Thank you for providing valuable information about kung Fu and taekwondo. I wanted to enrol my son who’s eight in a self defense program which also teaches discipline and so I wanted to find out the basic difference between kung Fu and taekwondo. Your article was very helpful!