Surely everyone with an interest in Korea has heard of Taekwondo. There is a Korean martial art with a far longer tradition. It’s called Taekkyeon (태껸).

No one is precisely sure when it began, but you can see drawings that appear to be men doing Taekkyeo in Goguryeo period wall printings. So it it likely to have existed since that time and it continues today.

It is designated one of Korea’s “intangible cultural properties.” Watching it, you might think you are looking at someone dancing or someone who is drunk instead of practicing a martial art. Those movements, however, are a way of making sure your opponent doesn’t see your weaknesses.

Unlike is the case in other martial arts, in Taekkyeon you try to hide your weaknesses and discover your opponents’ and instead of being offensive, you try to use your opponent’s strength against him by making him fall.

Many suggest you can think of Taekwondo as something ‘straight’ and Taekkyeon as something ‘curved’. Taekkyeon, however, places the utmost importance on quick, momentary uses of strength and so helps one builds strength hidden behind soft and flexible body movements. There are a lot of people learning Taekkyeon to maintain their health. If you are looking for an activity to stay healthy, how about learning Taekkyeon?

Source From: Arirang