In an interview with the creator of Tae Bo, Billy Blanks in philly.com, it is stated that "In the late '80s, quite by accident, Blanks invented Tae Bo when he combined music, dance moves and Tae Kwon Do. He demonstrated it for his wife, who encouraged him to polish it up and take it to the marketplace".
It is common knowledge that Tae Bo is the invention of Blanks. However, the idea to combine taekwondo/karate with music and dance/aerobic moves was not new. It is believed that John Graden (of MATA - Martial Arts Teachers Association) is the one to come up with that idea.
Blanks is also mentioning that "(...) what I wanted to do was to get women involved with self-defense and karate".
Blanks managed to create a fantastic fitness product, as well as a solid business. However, some are lead to believe that they are doing self-defense while "dancing around" to music. And that is a dangerous misconception!
Tae Bo has nothing to do with martial arts or self-defense. It is simply a great tool for fitness, fun, coordination, endurance, strength and flexibility.
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