Metropolis Japan

November 11, 2010

All-Japan Full-Contact Taekwondo Championships

Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on November 2010 If K-1 and MMA events are a little too glitzy for you, there’s an alternative—what might be called “real” martial arts. Taekwondo is one of the most popular fighting styles in the world, and has been an Olympic sport since 2000. Even its non-contact form can be dangerous, […]

By Metropolis

Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on November 2010

If K-1 and MMA events are a little too glitzy for you, there’s an alternative—what might be called “real” martial arts. Taekwondo is one of the most popular fighting styles in the world, and has been an Olympic sport since 2000. Even its non-contact form can be dangerous, but the full-contact version is spectacular, and you should expect plenty of impressive moves at the All-Japan Full-Contact Taekwondo Championships. A week earlier, you can watch some homegrown martial arts at the All-Japan Open Karate Championships. Both taekwondo and karate have divided world governing bodies, so you may see other championships around, but don’t let that put you off going to watch some seriously scary athletes.