By Master Milad
The short answer
- Both are real martial arts. Taekwondo is Korean and known for its kicks. Karate comes from Okinawa, Japan, and leans more on hand strikes.
- Taekwondo is an Olympic sport.
- For your kid, the school and the instructors matter more than the name on the sign.
- Your first class is free. Book it
A lot of parents use the two words like they mean the same thing. Fair enough. From the parking lot they look alike: white uniforms, coloured belts, kids yelling. Here’s what’s actually different.
Where they come from
Karate grew up in Okinawa and spread through Japan. Taekwondo is Korean; it took its name in 1955. Our students train under Kukkiwon, the world headquarters of taekwondo, and World Taekwondo, the sport’s Olympic governing body.
Kicks versus hands
Taekwondo is the kicking art. Kids learn high kicks, jumping kicks and spinning kicks, and in sparring a kick to the head scores more than a punch. Karate kicks too, but it leans more on hand strikes and close-range work.
That’s why taekwondo kids get so flexible. You can’t kick head height without it.
Patterns
Both arts have set routines. Karate calls them kata. In taekwondo they’re patterns, or poomsae. Every belt has its own. (Competition patterns: what are they? and My kid says patterns are boring.)
Sparring
Olympic taekwondo uses electronic scoring in the chest protector and headgear, so a clean kick counts and a wild one doesn’t. Karate has its own point system. At our schools, sparring starts at green belt, with full gear. (Why sparring builds courage)
The Olympics
Taekwondo has been an Olympic medal sport since Sydney 2000. Karate appeared once, at Tokyo 2020. For some kids, knowing the sport goes all the way to the Olympics is a big deal.
So which is better for my kid?
Honest answer: the school. A great karate school beats a bad taekwondo school every time, and the other way round. Watch a class. Are the instructors teaching, or just counting? Are the kids working hard and still smiling? (How do I choose a martial arts school? and Taekwondo or MMA?)
Then try a class. Kids know pretty fast where they want to be.
About the author. Master Milad Bahrami opened Endurance in Port Moody in 2014, and today it’s three schools: Port Moody, Burnaby and Port Coquitlam. Read his story
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