Introduction To Taekwondo Demonstrations
Taekwondo demonstrations can be used for a variety of purposes such as attracting and encouraging new students to enroll for classes or for sporting purposes. Martial arts associations or other taekwondo clubs may incorporate taekwondo demonstrations so as to attract new students. The demonstrations can be performed in a variety of places such as at university fairs, schools or at a carnival. Some clubs have been known to perform a variety of demonstrations in open places such as the city centre or the middle of town in order to grab people's attention and hopefully, get them to sign up for classes. A demonstration is considered to be successful when new students enroll for classes. This means that the demonstrations have to be appealing to the target audience. This means that each demonstration has to be tailored to exclusively meet each audience. For instance, what may suit university students may not suit kids who are in their early school going years.
History Of Taekwondo As A Demonstration Sport
On the other hand, it has also been used as a demonstration sport especially in the Olympics. It debuted in the South Korea Olympics in 1998. It was welcomed by spectators because of its fancy techniques. During the time that taekwondo was allowed into the Olympics was also the same time in which women were allowed to participate in Judo.
Taekwondo was recognized as an official sport in 2000 during the Sydney Olympics in Australia. Korea recognizes W.T.F as the official governing body for taekwondo in the Olympics. In the 1998 Olympic demonstrations, they included 16 different weight classes. The Olympic committee however limited the number of contestants by including only four categories of weights: fly, light, middle and heavy.
Taekwondo demonstrations in the Olympics are largely composed of point sparring techniques. In 2012, out of the 345 contestants that entered the Olympics, only 24 qualified. The 345 contestants competed in Azerbaijan where four members from the UK were automatically put forward to take part in the Olympic Games. Most demonstrations consist of Korean commands that the competitors have to be aware of. The commands are taught in taekwondo schools and the pronunciation may vary. Other than in the Olympics, taekwondo was also accepted as a sport in the Common Wealth Games in 2010.
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