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What’s the Difference Between Judo, Karate and Taekwondo?

Olympics: Taekwondo

The Tokyo Summer Olympic Games has a wide variety of events including three different martial arts: Judo, Karate and Taekwondo. Each event is made up of a diverse variety of striking and blocking moves, but what's makes each of these martial arts different? Here's a brief refresher, per Olympic.ca.

Origins

While Judo and Karate were developed in Japan, Taekwondo was developed in Korea.

Points, Rounds and Time

Each martial art has a point-based system based on the various strikes an opponent land, but each one is structured differently. A Judo match lasts four minutes. In Karate, a men's bout is three minutes, while a women's match is two minutes. In Taekwondo, a match is made up of three, two-minute rounds.

Attire

According to Olympic.ca, "In judo, judoka wear white or blue judogi. In karate, karateka dawn a white gi with a blue or red belt and matching gloves. Combatants in taekwondo wear a white dobok. There are also required protectors on their chest and heads, guards on their groins, forearms and shins, as well as gloves, a mouthguard, and even sensing socks for the electronic scoring system."

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Erica Banas is a news blogger who's been covering the rock/classic rock world since 2014. The coolest event she's ever covered in person was the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Sir Paul McCartney inducting Foo Fighters? C'mon now!) She's also well-versed in etiquette and extraordinarily nice. #TransRightsAreHumanRights