2. Historical Origin

(1) The Development of Fighting Skills in World History

The origin of fighting skill has stemmed from the beginning of humankind's history. Fighting skills as such can be seen as self-defending, instinctive, and human-inborn characteristics which are needed to cope with the hardship of Grand Nature and to live in accordance with the cosmic principles.

In the early age, primitive men were required to protect themselves and their families from dangers of nature and to supply themselves with food by hunting wild animals. This was the life-style of the primitives. But as time goes on, the way of living changed gradually form hunting to cultivating. And as the Agricultural Age dawned, Family societies had altered to Tribe societies through conflicts, reconciliations. struggles and conquests among them.

Men were likely to fight each other employing their hands, fists and feet, since those were the easiest means that could react instantly from the instinct and counter-action to protect their own bodies. And there is no doubt that as such kind of activities have developed in sophisticated and various ways and the human culture has become collective and socialized, the forms and contents of those activities have been systematized and have taken more and more concrete shape to become present ones. Therefore, fighting skills began and developed together with the origin of mankind whether it be occidental or oriental.

In the course of transition, the primitive fighting skills have developed into distinctly and differently in accordance with the national and cultural circumstances, which is confirmed by the historical fact that there have existed various fighting skills not only in the East such as India and China but also in the ancient West.

In India, relics were found that can prove the presence of highly developed fighting skills in India around B.C 5-6. Recently, Indians have unearthed and developed their own traditional fighting skills, Kalapayatoo, which had been almost obliterated in colonial period by England. Kalapayatoo trainees practice fiercely fighting with bare hands and weapons like swords and spears.

In China, about 1,500 years ago(A.D. 470), in the ruling period of Mooje of the Yang Dynasty, the great Buddhist priest, Dalma from India, wrote books for training body and spirit named Yokunkyong and Sesukyong. People trained with them, and also trained people with tangsu named Sypalnahansoo. They might have even affected Taekwondo in the course of its development. Nevertheless, we could not possibly have taken them as the origins of Taekwondo.