Retrospective Analysis of the Development of Taekwondo WTF and the Structure of Technical and Tactical Practice of Highly Qualified Taekwondo Athletes

Purpose: to conduct a retrospective analysis of the development of Taekwondo as a national martial art and an Olympic sport, and to examine the impact of historical aspects on the formation of the modern technical and tactical arsenal based on scientific and methodological literature. Material and Methods. Theoretical research methods were employed to achieve the goals of this stage of the study. Besides the analysis and synthesis of literary sources and documentary materials, information retrieved from the Internet, the method of systematic analysis, the chronological method, the historical-logical method and the descriptive method were also used. Results: based on an analysis of foreign scientific and methodological literature, the main historical stages of the formation of modern Taekwondo were identified, including the emergence of new schools (kwans), organizations, the adoption of various names, and the introduction of new training and competition methods. These changes contributed to the development of the technical and tactical arsenal. A review of scientific articles by both domestic and foreign authors indicates an insufficient amount of theoretical material on the history of Taekwondo as a martial art, as well as on the analysis of the evolution of the technical and tactical arsenal of Olympic WTF Taekwondo influenced by new protective equipment and rule changes. Conclusions. The study examined the historical aspects of the creation and development of modern Korean national martial art Taekwondo, its transformation into a sport and an Olympic discipline, WTF Taekwondo which includes Olympic programs like sparring (kyorugi) and non-Olympic programs such as traditional forms (poomsae) and freestyle routines performed to music based on varying technical and tactical levels of preparation. It was established that under the influence of rule changes in sparring competitions and the implementation of protective electronic systems (PSS), the technical and tactical arsenal continuously evolves. This has led to the conditional division of technical and tactical preparedness into «old style» and «new style».