VR and gaming are adding a kick to taekwondo

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — When Vietnamese athlete Nguyen Thanh Hien Linh stepped into her first virtual taekwondo competition in Singapore in 2024, she had little idea what she was doing.

“I was just kicking into the air,” recalled the 21-year-old. Despite her background as an elite national taekwondo champion, she struggled in the virtual arena with no clue on strategy, skills or how the technology worked.

Two years later, she won a gold medal at a recent virtual taekwondo competition in Malaysia and was part of a growing community of the gamified combat sport across Southeast Asia.

Once unfamiliar and experimental, virtual taekwondo is now emerging as a structured competitive discipline. Co-developed by World Taekwondo and Singapore-based technology company Refract Technologies, it combines virtual reality technology with traditional taekwondo techniques to woo tech-savvy young athletes.

Competitors wear VR headsets that transport them into a digital 3D arena, and strap motion-tracking sensors on their spine, thighs and shins. They use their bodies to control digital avatars in noncontact virtual matches, where every fast and well-timed strike depletes the opponent’s virtual health bar.

Unlike conventional taekwondo where competitors are separated by age, weight and gender, virtual taekwondo places everyone in the same digital arena.

It was showcased at Singapore’s Olympic Esports Week in 2023 and held its first World Championships in Singapore in 2024. This year, the sport will make its debut at the Asian Games in Japan, and it is expected to be included in the 2027 Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia.

A physically demanding sport without injury risk

During last month’s Malaysian competition, athletes and coaches described how the discipline is reshaping perceptions of both martial arts and gaming.

Singapore national athlete Brian Peh, 46, said he was not into gaming but joined the 2024 championship with his son out of curiosity. Both won gold and have since participated in many other local and regional games.

Peh now also trains students in virtual taekwondo in his dojang, or training hall.

“I always tell parents: your kids love games. Do you want them using their hands to play, or using their legs?” he said. “When they put on the headset and start to fight, wow, their energy is so high. They can play and play and they love it.”

Cambodian coach Vandy Yiv said more children and parents in his country are showing interest due to the low risk of injury. In a local tournament earlier this year, he said there were more participants for virtual taekwondo than traditional segments.

Many initially thought it was a video game but quickly realized it was a physically grueling combat sport. “Your whole body is moving. There is action, but no injury,” he said. Vandy said he hopes virtual taekwondo can become a medal event in the Olympic Games in the near future.

Some athletes described their initial experiences as disorienting, reporting dizziness before they adjusted to the virtual environment. Many teen players, however, were immediately attracted to the gamified experience. Matches consist of intense and fast-paced rounds, only a minute for each bout, and requires continuous offensive pressure.

For Nguyen, success came after she learned that virtual taekwondo requires far more than simply throwing kicks. “You have to guess first where your opponent is and move” before they do, she said.

Athletes need excellent spatial awareness

While matches take place in an immersive arena, coaches say success depends on physical conditioning as much as technical ability. Athletes still execute front kicks, turning kicks and spinning techniques, with success hinging on speed of execution rather than impact force.

“So our training is first stamina, muscle endurance, flexibility. Then we go toward the skills, the strategies, how to fight,” Malaysian coach Henry Lee said during a recent training session at a club. “Strength … is about how fast your leg can lift and strike. Speed becomes your power.”

Lee, who is also an elite national taekwondo athlete, said he scouts for players with a strong physique and a good “game sense” — the ability to read movement and make split-second decisions inside the virtual environment.

One of his students, Victoria Siow, 12, said the challenge lies in judging space she cannot physically see.

“You have to work on your mind — when to kick, how far to move,” she said during a training session. “It feels like a game and like a dream at the same time.”

For Raja Mardiah Idris, 45, who trains at the same club, virtual taekwondo has opened doors that traditional sparring no longer could. It allows older athletes and women to compete safely and on equal footing, she said Her young daughter has also embraced the sport, in a healthy alternative to digital device.

“When you wear the VR, everybody is the same,” said Raja, a member of a state royal family. “You win through your technique, your strategy and your fitness.”

Raja said she plans to quit full-contact kyorugi sparring to focus on virtual taekwondo. She runs and trains in the gym to stay strong, and hopes to represent Malaysia in virtual taekwondo in the SEA Games next year.

Malaysia’s national virtual taekwondo coach Tony Lee, said the sport is still in its infancy. While equipment cost is high and access may be limited in the region, he said growing interest will push clubs to invest. Malaysia has national programs and coaching certification courses now in place.

“Virtual taekwondo is our future because young people like gaming,” he added.