Your opinion on Taekwondo?

Question

I have been studying Taekwondo since I was four years old. I am 19 now and hold a 3rd degree black belt in WTF Taekwondo. Next year i will be traveling to Korea to test for my 4th degree. I run a school at my college. I have done other martial arts but I would like to know the general consensus of Taekwondo.

I have been studying Taekwondo since I was four years old. I am 19 now and hold a 3rd degree black belt in WTF Taekwondo. Next year i will be traveling to Korea to test for my 4th degree. I run a school at my college. I have done other martial arts but I would like to know what people think abou it. I am just curious i support TKD 110 percent.

Answer 1

Sadly, a lot of people are ignorant on the actual MARTIAL art of TKD. Who can blame them, though? Most only have exposure to schools that train for sport, fitness, or the Olympics. My friends and I have running jokes that TKD is the bastardization of martial arts and sport, or even that there are soccer moms and TKD moms! This is not to discount the system as a whole, though.

In fact, I studied TKD for approximately 8 years, and obtained my 2nd degree black belt. Luckily, I trained with a teacher that taught for application and actual self defense. Granted, we had high kicks that I have yet to use in a real situation, but we did get gritty. I have had the opportunity to utilize what I learned in both high school fights and from being jumped on the streets.

My general opinion is that TKD is great at its core, but good luck finding a respectable school that doesn't have "Every Kid's a Winner" painted on the walls! A rapidly deteriorating system, chock full of charlatans and businessmen.

Answer 2

Bushido, that was a very childish response.

My opinion on TKD is generaly negative. I tend to rank styles by combative effectiveness. No, I don't have a list. I dislike TKD because I find it to increase your chances of being seriously hurt during a fight. Having someone kick at your head is a street fighters prayer come true, and that goes for many other styles of martial arts as well. Try to kick my head and I guarentee I'll drop you on yours.

That said, I realize that a style cannot be accountable for the tendencies of its practitioners. Its the student that matters more than the style, and I hope as someone who has studied TKD for years you see its weaknesses. All styles have them, they shouldn't be ignored or minimized; they should be fully explored. I respect TKD as training some of the best all-around athletes. In that respect it is very good. It is also great for teaching striking technique on an abstract level, I just disagree with its application.

Also, TKD has a bad reputation for being too commercial and promoting people too fast in order to make more money. This obviously does not apply to the style itsself, but rather to the dojo. Since you have been studying 15 years, I think this is not the case for you. I'd say from what little I know of you you are probably well qualified. I myself have only been studying (mostly karate) for 10 years, having started at 14.

Answer 3

Tough Question.

I have to look at the individual school to make an educated opinion, but let me tell you what I immediately think of when someone says TKD.

Olympic competition - Laughable. The techniques were sloppy, the focus is on points. So much so that hand techniques are almost totally ignored. In a real fight could get someone really hurt.

Franchising - TKS has taken this to the max. There are so many of them in my area it is almost ridiculous. Saturdays there are kids coming out of the woodwork. Not a bad thing in itself, but I have a problem with the attitude that some of these kids have.

Young Black Belts - Sorry, but I just don't agree with having 8 year old black belts. I've met and talked with some of the young 10 to 12 black belts and they can't even tell me what style they are learning. I asked one about what forms or kata he knew and I got a blank stare. I even demonstrated a TKD kata (Not hard for any student of Okinawan or Japanese karate styles) and he didn't have a clue what I was doing! Leaves a bad impression on most martial arts groups.

Proliferation of Schools - There are so many schools in so many places being run by high degree black belts, that it has given rise to much speculation, such as, "Land on the west coast of the US from Korea and you are automatically promoted." or "Cross the Mississippi and it is a double promotion." or even "Open a school and get promoted automatically."

Cost - I keep hearing of people paying anywhere from $500 to $1000 to take their black belt test. Geez, my bar exam to practice law didn't cost that much! It appears that anyone paying their dues is going to get promoted. And you have to buy all of your gear through them, at a mark-up, of course.

History - The reliance on 'fake' history. The Forms done in TKD can be traced pretty easily through Japan to Okinawa where many were of them were created in the early 1900's, but many instructors will insist that they are ancient Korean forms that have been around for centuries.

There are schools that continue to teach in the traditional way, focusing on the martial art and not the martial sport. If you have one of these, there is much to learn and respect. But the large numbers of others that have come through have undermined the good instructors.

Answer 4

It's a great sport and thats about it. I have wasted 5 years in ITF and WTF trying to find the "martial" side to the art. It just isnt there. Sure you will get great basics in form and flexibility, but in a real confrontation, TKD gets left behind. Any school that punches to "Taekwon" "Taekwon" "Taekwondo" will "Takeyourdough". Thats about it. The one step sparring "things" are worthless. The tap dance sparring is for sport ONLY not real life (I have seen some ugly examples of why). TKD is great for the average person who wants to learn a little more about body control and self confidence.

DO NOT MISTAKE THIS ART FOR A SELF DEFENSE ART. I would challenge anyone here who thinks that TKD is effective against anything but Kung Fu... and even _ing _ung guys could whoop on TKD.

I have practiced Enshin Karate and Ju Jitsu for long enough now to realize I wasted valuable time in TKD... but not because its totally worthless... just because I didn't need a "Jazzersize" class. I needed a self defense and martial arts class. Any art that allows 9 year old black belts and pays for belt testing fees and has huge contracts..... thats a SPORT kids.... Taekwondo IS A SPORT....

Answer 5

I'm not going to say whether or not it's a bad or good discipline, since ALL Martial Arts disciplines have their strengths and weaknesses and that it all comes down to the individual and how he or she uses what they've learned to their advantage.

I would have to say that Tae Kwon Do as a classic Martial Art is a fairly useful and formidable discipline in the right hands (meaning someone who has stuck with it and continually strives to improve themselves and has been PROPERLY TRAINED instead of herded along like a sheep in a "belt factory").

and you're always gonna hear more of the negative aspects than the positive because of people who just don't like the discipline in general just because they're tired of hearing about it.

as a sport it has it's fair share of accolades and pitfalls, but it's just received a very unfair stigma over the years due to whatever reasons that the detractors want to give their bitter answer about it (mostly because I believe that it just didn't work for them personally so they dismiss it as ineffective.) And the fact of it's induction into the Olympics in the 80's hasn't helped to stem the problem.

Answer 6

Taekwondo is so popular now and taken up as a sport martial art, that many feel it has lost its traditional aspect over the years. Your style (wtf) is the sport olympics aspect and (itf) style has been generally considered more traditional with less aspect in training for points. Nothing wrong with the sport, many just look at that and think thats all Taekwondo is, a sport. If you do some history, many of the masters in the 1950's, were in Shotokan Karate, and combined that with Taekyon, Subbak and other korean arts and called it Taekwondo. Originally they were calling it "korean karate" untill the name was formed. For people that always ridicule tkd, it is in the practitioner and not the style. Many of them only watch the sport aspect and don't know that there are many many schools that are just a derivative of their beloved Karate schools, only that we have more kicks and kick above the waist. (haha).

Answer 7

many people will bash TKD (and i am guilty of it too) but in all honesty, its all about the application of it. Historically, the high kicks from TKD came from ancient war time where koreans would run along the backs of other men and leap over them to directly attack soldiers on horseback. these days, like many traditional martial arts, it has become much more about show and flash. but i believe that it is all in your application of the art and what you aim to get out of it. it can be an effective fighting style, clearly it was when it needed to be hundreds of years ago. is it as good as muay thai or karate or brazilian jiu jitsu? depends on the fighter. furthermore, in a sports environment like the ufc, there are rules. in a self defense situation there are none so worrying about a wrestler shooting on you is a possibility, but so is crushing his testicles or gouging his eyes out. so to sum it up, its all about the fighter and how you apply it. plus if you love to do it, why change it? learn more about different styles but keeping doing what you love.

Answer 8

I think its alot of crap. I took Taekwondo for 8 years, moving to place to place, trying the different styles that they have. It's pointless. Some people say that it calms them. I say it angers me. Some people say its helpful in self defense, truely its just all about showing off. Doing a flying summersault in the middle of a fight. I seriously you are going to be able to do that unless you are the one starting it, in which would defy the teachings of Self Control. It is a pointless Martial Arts and should only be taken if you are a complete Selfish JOCK! I dis-approve 110% of this style of MA.

Answer 9

first of all to all you non tkd people taekwondo is great defence if you have the right additude and right heart. if you play tkd you will lose but if you truly study you can will win.i been studing for 21 years and have only lost in the ring. never on the street.
look at what taekwondo means
tae=foot
kwon=hand
do=way or method
meaning it not all about fighting but if you need to fight you will WIN

Answer 10

TKD is an awesome sport, and it is the best martial art.
Of course tecnically I can't say that because it is the only martial art I have do unless you count fencing as a martial art.
my friends think that tkd is awesome.
Maybe you should try ITF TKD for a little bit that way you see both sides of TKD.