When was kicking created in Tae Kwon Do?

Answer 1

The kicking utilized in Taekwondo was an ancient form of fighting in use among the early Korean people some time during the 1st Century BC to the 1st Century AD. This integral part of Korean culture and history had persevered until the early 19th Century when Korea came under Japanese colonial rule and was annexed by Japan.

There were many Korean people who had knowledge of their native kicking techniques, but only one system of a structured curriculum is known to have survived the occupation during World War II. The several Korean men who were permitted to study any Martial Art openly during the Japanese occupation had some knowledge of Tae Kkyeon (kicking method), and also attended either Chinese Martial Art schools in China, hand fighting in Okinawa, and such systems of Judo, Aikido, and Karate.

In 1944, Professor Won-Kuk Lee opened the first Korean run school of Martial Art which he called the Chung Do Kwan. His blend of Kicking and punching was passed on to several Black Belt students who later helped to unify Korea's Martial Art, and place the traditional Kicking at the forefront as the primary weapon of self defense, making Taekwondo a unique system of balance between striking, throwing and grappling that focused on the native Korean Kicking.

The kicking skills had been around in Korea for centuries, but the name Taekwondo was first used in 1955, and the Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA) unified the new art in the first national organization in 1961. Since that time, the methods and advanced skills of kicking has been growing and developing with research, training, and the challenging of top athletes to focus on kicks for Taekwondo tournaments, World Championships, and Olympic Games.