in children go against good sportsmanship, saying, “If the idea
is to prepare our children for combat, this places winning
above children’s safety” (as cited in ABC News, para. 11).
With the increased number of head kicks that athletes deal
and receive during a match, due to the rule changes made in
2003, the number of closed head injuries among sparring
competitors has increased dramatically. A study by Fife,
O’Sullivan, and Pieter (2013) on the biomechanics of head
injury in Taekwondo sparring shows that while Taekwondo
has a low amount of head contact compared to other full
contact sports, with an average of only 1.22 head blows per
minute, “the resultant effect of one blow may amount to a
severe head injury” (Fife, p. 6). They continue on to talk about
how the high rate of concussions among athletes in Taekwondo
has been caused by, “sequelae of chronic traumatic
encephalopathy” (Fife, 2013, p. 6). This means that even
though an individual strike to the head may not be life
threatening, repeated trauma to the head will lead to
concussions and other severe closed head injuries.
The danger of the repeated head kicks can be seen in a nineyear-long study of the injuries reported during elite
Taekwondo sparring competitions. Kazemi, Mohsen,