Engineers who practice the Korean martial art tae kwon do used a mechanical leg and videotapes of sparring sessions to conclude that currently accepted protective gear is inadequate.
The study found that a tae kwon do kick can carry the same energy as a major league fastball racing at 90 mph and can cave in a person's chest by as much as 2 inches, creating a high risk of internal injuries.The study was conducted by University of California, Berkeley, mechanical engineering professor Dennis Lieu, who twice needed hospital attention after keeling over from tae kwon do blows even though he was wearing protective gear. His co-author was engineering student and 1989 National Collegiate tae kwon do champion Elaine Serina.
Tae kwon do originally was taught for warfare, self-defense and fitness. It has gained wide popularity as a competitive sport and was introduced as a demonstration event at the 1988 Olympics in South Korea.
Lieu and Serina used high-speed videotape to record a sparring session between them, then analyzed the tapes at slow speed.
"I remember asking her to kick me so we could have it on tape," Lieu recalled. "She did, and I bent over in pain and wound up on the floor."
The engineers then developed a mechanical leg to recreate tae kwon do kicks under laboratory conditions, using torso models similar to those used in automobile crash experiments.
They concluded existing protective gear is much too soft, and needs to be more rigid in critical areas to adequately protect against internal injuries.