Explainer | Chinese sanda vs Korean taekwondo: Asian martial arts both built on ancient styles
- Both relatively young martial arts also emphasise the importance of respect and honour, but their techniques are quite different
Asian martial arts are as diverse and varied as the region itself, from Shaolin kung fu (China) and judo (Japan) to taekwondo (Korea) and Muay Thai (Thailand), to name but a few.
While these all involve different styles of fighting and self-defence, they share one thing in common: all are deeply rooted in traditions and have evolved and improved over many decades.
Here, we look at the similarities and differences between Chinese sanda and Korean taekwondo, including the techniques involved and how both stem from their country’s martial arts traditions.
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Sanda
Sanda is a Chinese self-defence system and combat sport. Created in 1979 by the Chinese government’s General Administration of Sport, it is a relatively young fighting system that is based on both traditional Chinese martial arts and modern combat techniques.
