Tae Kwon Do also emphasizes breaking power, such as splitting wood, smashing bricks, or destroying tiles with the bare hands and feet. Training consists of a variety of punching, kicking, dodging, jumping, parrying, and blocking techniques. It also includes sparring and learning formalized pattern of movements called poomse.
The beginnings of Tae Kwon Do are obscure. (See the History page) Historians believe it originated in a martial arts form called t'aekyon more than 1,000 years ago. Beginning about 1910, Chinese and Japanese techniques were introduced, transforming the older art into its current form. Like most martial arts, Tae Kwon Do underwent changes in the late 1900's, when it was practiced increasingly as a combat sport.