What are the basic movements of Taekwondo?

　　Taekwondo is world-famous for its unpredictable, graceful and elegant kicks, and is known as the art of kicking. This is an important feature that distinguishes Taekwondo from other fighting arts.

　　In actual Taekwondo, the parts generally used when kicking and attacking include the forefoot, toes, instep, foot blade, heel, and back of the foot (bottom of the heel). These parts can be used to perform different forms of kicking attacks such as standing kicks, jumping kicks, running kicks, turning kicks and flying kicks, and each kicking method hits different parts. In actual combat, when using kicks, different kicking methods should be selected according to the specific situation, such as the opponent's position, exposed parts, defensive posture and the distance between the two parties. When kicking, you must use footwork to maintain body balance and effectively approach the opponent to make kicking movements. Pay attention to the defense of both arms. After the kick is completed, you immediately return to the ready position to prepare for the next attack and defense. The return movement of the legs should be quick to avoid being caught or hugged by the opponent. The practice method of kicking is mainly to use various kicking methods to hit hanging sandbags. After repeated practice, the power, speed and height of kicking can be improved.

　　(1) Front kick: Start with the basic postures of actual combat postures. Push your right foot off the ground, rotate your hip joint to the left, and place your hands into fists by your side. ； At the same time, bend the right leg with the hip joint as the axis and lift the knee up. When the thigh is raised to level or slightly higher, the joint is pushed forward and pushed forward. The calf is quickly kicked forward and upward with the knee joint as the axis, with the force reaching the tip of the leg, and the whole leg is kicked straight. After kicking, quickly relax, bounce your right leg along its original path, and place your right foot in front of your left foot, still in a combat position. Action essentials: Clamp the knee joints, relax the calves, and be flexible ； Send forward, send upward when kicking high ； The calf recovery is as fast as the front kick. The main attack areas are the face, chin, abdomen, and crotch. The front kick can also be used defensively. When the force-generating part of the front kick is changed from the toe to the heel, the front kicking action becomes a front kicking action. The key points of the action method are the same, but the shape of the foot has changed.

　　(2) Side kick: Start with basic postures for actual combat； Push the right foot on the ground, bend the knee and lift the right leg with the hip joint as the axis, make fists with both hands and place them by the side of the body ； Immediately, the left foot externally rotates 180 degrees with the forefoot as the axis, the hip joint rotates to the left, the right leg stretches forward with the knee joint as the axis, and the right foot quickly kicks out in a straight line forward and upward to the right, with the point of force at the heel. After exerting force, retract the legs without taking the leg route, relax, drop the center of gravity (either to the original position or forward), and return to the actual combat position again. Action essentials: When raising your legs, raise your legs and clamp your knee joints ； When kicking, keep your head, shoulders, waist, hips, knees, legs and ankles in a straight line ； The big and small legs are kicked out in a straight line and retracted along the original route. The main attack parts of the side kick are the knees, abdomen, ribs, chest and head and face.

　　(3) Back kick: Starting from the actual combat position, turn around and retreat your back legs to face the opponent. Move your center of gravity to your left foot, push your right foot on the ground, bend your knees and lift them up, put your right foot close to your left thigh, make fists with both hands in front of your chest ； Then push your left foot straight on the ground, and kick your right foot straight back from the inside of your left thigh, reaching the heel. After kicking, quickly retract your right foot along the original route into a combat posture. Action essentials: After lifting the legs, fold and tighten the upper body and thighs ； When kicking back, the extension of the action should be long and the extension should be strong. ； Turn around, lift your legs, and take out your feet all at once without pausing. ； Hit the target directly behind and to the right. The main attack parts of the back kick are the knees, abdomen, crotch, chest and head and face.

　　(4) Down chop: The actual combat posture begins. Push your right foot off the ground and shift your weight forward to your left foot. At the same time, bend the right leg with the hip joint as the axis and lift the knee up, making fists with both hands in front of the chest ； Then fully extend the hips, lift the knee joint to the chest, straighten the right calf upward with the knee joint as the axis, straighten the right leg in front of the body, and lift the right foot overhead. Then relax and use your right heel (or sole) as the force point to strike down, all the way to the ground, into an actual combat posture. Action essentials: Lift your legs as high as possible, lift your head back, send your hips upward, and raise your center of gravity ； Relax your feet and fall forward. Landing should be controlled. ； Get up quickly and decisively ； The ankle joints should be relaxed. The main attack areas for splitting are the top of the head, face and collarbone.

　　(5) Hook kick: The actual combat posture begins. Push the right foot forward and move the center of gravity forward, bend the right leg with the hip joint as the axis and lift the knee up, make fists with both hands and place them by the side of the body ； The left foot is externally rotated 180 degrees with the forefoot as the axis. The right leg is extended forward and upward with the knee joint as the axis. Use the force of the right foot to bend the knee to the right and whip it. Following the whipping force, the upper body turns to the right. The right leg bends the knee and retracts. The right foot falls back to the original position, forming a combat posture. Action essentials: Lift your knees, straighten them, and bend your knees on the right side. The whipping movements should be consistent and fast, without pauses. ； The hitting point is on the right side in front of the body, with the soles of the feet as the hitting point. ； The left foot is rotated and supported to maintain balance, and the leg is quickly retracted after kicking. The main parts of the swing kick attack are the head, face, abdomen and chest.

　　(6) Back spin kick: The actual combat posture begins. Both feet are internally rotated about 180 degrees with the soles of the feet as the axis, and the body is turned to the right about 90 degrees, with both fists placed in front of the chest. Turn your upper body to the right and twist your legs at a certain angle. Kick off the right foot to combine the power of pushing off the ground with the power of twisting the upper body. The right leg continues to rotate back to the right and whip. At the same time, the upper body turns to the right, driving the right leg to swing to the right side of the body in an arc. The right leg bends the knee and recovers. ； The right foot falls to the right back into a combat position. Essentials of movements: Turn around, rotate, and kick in succession, all in one go, without any pause in between. ； The hitting point should be directly in front, in a horizontal arc ； The rotation speed of bending the knees and raising the legs should be faster ； The center of gravity rotates 360 degrees on the spot. The main parts of the back spin kick attack are the face and chest.

　　(7) Pushing and kicking: The actual combat posture begins. Push your right foot on the ground, move your center of gravity forward, use your hip joint as the axis to lift your knee and push forward, use the sole of your right foot to push forward, with the force point on the sole of your foot, and push forward. Action essentials: Tighten the knee joint as much as possible after lifting the knee ； Move the center of gravity forward, using the weight and strength of the body ； When pushing, extend your legs forward and lift your hips ； The push route is horizontal and forward. The main target of the push kick is the abdomen.

　　(8) Horizontal kick: The actual combat posture begins. Push your right foot off the ground, move your center of gravity forward to your left foot, bend your right foot and lift it up, place your fists on your chest ； The forefoot of the left foot grinds into the ground and internally rotates, the hip joint turns to the left, and the left knee buckles inwards. ； Then the left foot continues to internally rotate to 180 degrees, the knee joint of the right leg is raised forward to a horizontal state, and the calf is quickly kicked forward and to the left. ； After hitting the target, quickly relax and retract your calves. The right leg falls back to the original position into the actual combat position. Action essentials: Clamp your knee joints, bring your knees forward, and try to walk in a straight line ； Support foot externally rotated 180 degrees ； The hip joints are forward and the body is in a straight line with the upper and lower legs. ； Strictly pay attention to the point of force of the hit on the instep ； The ankle joint is relaxed, and the feeling of hitting is "dough" and "whip tip". The main parts of the cross kick attack are the head, chest, abdomen and ribs.

　　（9) Jump kick: Refers to the attack technique of jumping up first to make the body in the air, and then completing various kicks in the air. Jump kicks include whirlwind kicks, double flying kicks, flying back kicks, flying splits, flying back spin kicks, jumping cross kicks and other methods. They are difficult technical movements in Taekwondo. In the following teaching chapters, we will specifically break down the teaching and introduce the practice methods.

　　(10) Single-leg kick: Perform more than two consecutive attacks on the same leg. This technique is also a difficult technical movement in Taekwondo and will be discussed specifically in the following teaching chapter.

　　(11) Double leg kick: Two more attacks in a row with both legs. This technique is also a difficult technical movement in Taekwondo and will be discussed specifically in the following teaching chapter.

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