Emphasis on punches?

[Mr. President]

The constant point of criticism about TKD is that it neglects hand work, and hardly any punches are used. Many say they supplement TKD with kickboxing, so they'll have good hands as well.

In your experience, how true is that? Does your school neglect it as well? Do traditional, no-sport, pure self defense TKD schools also neglect this?

 

[Rumy73]

Tkd by design emphasizes kicking. Kicks are the core of the art. I supplemented my hand techniques with outside arts. You know, people are going to try to argue against your statement, but that's the reality. If a person really wants to be a well round MA, he or she should investigate different styles.

 

[RTKDCMB]

The constant point of criticism about TKD is that it neglects hand work, and hardly any punches are used. Many say they supplement TKD with kickboxing, so they'll have good hands as well.

In your experience, how true is that? Does your school neglect it as well? Do traditional, no-sport, pure self defense TKD schools also neglect this?

As member of a no-sport, pure self defense TKD school that's an emphatic no, and there's no need to supplement it from other arts to have good hands as there is a multitude of hand techniques in the original art that are practiced in every class.

 

[Drose427]

In my school our hand/ foot ratio is probably around 50/50. Yes, we are known for our kicks, it's TKD. But I wouldnt say we neglect our hands at all. In self-defense, we're introduced to a multitude of hand techs, occasionally, we'll do hand tech combinations on the bags. Even in sparring, punches are an asset for combinations, scoring, etc.

 

[TKDTony2179]

In my experience the open hand techniques are usually taught in a one-step and don't reflect true application. Closed hand techinques are taught but mostly the jab and reverse punch is the only thing I see in sparring. To teach a kickboxing would be teaching full contact karate. So I will say do we working on hand tecs that look like boxing combos? Not as much as we need to but they do get taught.

 

[SJON]

Hello.

The version of TKD that I teach has practically zero kicks, just a very occasional low front kick or side kick.

To be more precise, I teach a self-defence-oriented derivative of what I consider to be “traditional” TKD, although I tend not to use the name TKD because it looks nothing like conventional modern TKD (it includes none of the sport or exhibition elements). I mainly teach it as a complementary “module” within the syllabus of a conventional TKD school, but it can be taught as a full-time stand-alone system.

So anyway, my whole emphasis is on not just punches but “hand technique” in general, including open hand strikes, takedowns and a very few joint locks. The legs are very active, (mobility, power generation, involvement in takedowns) just not for kicking. As far as I am aware, I do not supplement the TKD technique set with any “imports” from other arts.

Best regards,

Simon

 

[sopraisso]

The great majority of techniques of karate styles like shotokan or kyokushinkai are present in taekwondo (almost identical or similar techniques, despite the small formal differences). I don't think those karate styles need importing from other systems to have good hand techniques, so why would taekwondo? The problem is not with the system, but with how it is practiced.

But if the person doesn't have a clue on practical and effective applications for most non-punch hand/arm techniques of taekwondo, such techniques will obviously be useless - as well as they would be in karate. By the way, taekwondo is not only techniques - there's also principles, strategies and tactics.

The reality, in my opinion, is that most practitioners don't really have a clue about a big part of how karate works - and that extends to traditional taekwondo due to the similarities of the arts.

I teach a small group in the school where I train, in a specific schedule, and we use predominantly hand/arm techniques (not only punches, absolutely). When it comes to self-defense fighting I don't think we need anything from outside of taekwondo - we just need to understand what we already have.

[Edit: have re-read the op and changed the final part of my response to fit better the subject.]

Enviado de meu GT-I9300 usando o Tapatalk 2

 

[Mauthos]

I am not a TKDer as due to my amazing lack of flexibility kicking has never been my strong point. However, I have trained at a couple of clubs and with some very accomplished TKD fighters and instructors.

Sure there can be a heavy emphasis on kicking within TKD, after all that is what they are known for. However, all the clubs I have trained with only seemed to concentrate on teaching more kicks over hand techniques when preparing for a competition and in a rule set that scores higher for landing a good, clean technically thrown kick, I can't say I blame them.

Outside of those particular times, all the clubs I trained at dedicated as much time to hand techniques as well as kicking, alongside some throws and joint locks etc.

TKD is a relatively balanced style and one that is constantly under estimated and criticised because of what is shown to the general public.

I for one am just as wary of a TKDer's hands as I am of their kicking ability when sparring against them as in my opinion it is only a fool who thinks they can't punch effectively, just because you haven't seen them throw that many hand strikes in competition, doesn't mean they don't utilise them or know how to use them.

Just my 2 pence.

 

[Manny]

In dojnag we practice much more kicks than hand techs, we must remeber TKD emphatizes on kicking. Doin kyorugy we do much more kicks than punches but.... in one steps,three steps and self defense we use more hand techs than kicks.

Manny

 

[chrispillertkd]

The constant point of criticism about TKD is that it neglects hand work, and hardly any punches are used. Many say they supplement TKD with kickboxing, so they'll have good hands as well.

In your experience, how true is that? Does your school neglect it as well? Do traditional, no-sport, pure self defense TKD schools also neglect this?

In my experience this isn't true at all.

Hand techniques in Taekwon-Do out number foot techniques. In the ITF you can use any hand technique in competitive sparring, as long as it's covered by the hand gear (so knife-hands are fine, but you couldn't use, for example, an elbow since it's not covered by protective equipment). You will often see ITF competitors use a mix of hand and foot techniques, as well as rely on hand techniques once they have closed in range to good effect.

Hand techniques are also widely used in pre-arranged sparring (3-, 2-, and 1-step sparring), semi-free sparring, free sparring, and self-defense. For pre-arranged sparring you may use any hand technique, not just the stereotypical punch from a walking stance. Self-defense is often done against not just a wrist grab but an attack using a wide variety of attacks.

The reason why people think Taekwon-Do neglects hand techniques is because the WTF has spent about 40+ years or so promulgating a sparring rule set that does neglect hand techniques and they (and the KKW) are the most visible Taekwon-Do organization out there. People have recently said that with the advent of electronic hogu punches are now scored more often (when I trained at a WTF/KKW club in college the instructor was an International Referee for the WTF and told us that he had seen a total of 6 punches score in international competition after many years of experience so really they had no where to go but up). But the rules still only allow punches with the fore fist, as far as I am aware so even with the increase in punches scored you're still going to get a much lower number of hand techniques allowed.

The WTF will continue to use their rule set and so people will continue to view Taekwon-Do as neglecting hand techniques (rightly or wrongly, depending on what organization you belong to, IMO).

Pax,

Chris

 

[Xue Sheng]

The constant point of criticism about TKD is that it neglects hand work, and hardly any punches are used. Many say they supplement TKD with kickboxing, so they'll have good hands as well.

In your experience, how true is that? Does your school neglect it as well? Do traditional, no-sport, pure self defense TKD schools also neglect this?

Years ago when I trained TKD, pre-olympic, it had kicks, punches, joint locks and takedown, don't know much about it these days

 

[Rumy73]

In my experience this isn't true at all.

Hand techniques in Taekwon-Do out number foot techniques. In the ITF you can use any hand technique in competitive sparring, as long as it's covered by the hand gear (so knife-hands are fine, but you couldn't use, for example, an elbow since it's not covered by protective equipment). You will often see ITF competitors use a mix of hand and foot techniques, as well as rely on hand techniques once they have closed in range to good effect.

Hand techniques are also widely used in pre-arranged sparring (3-, 2-, and 1-step sparring), semi-free sparring, free sparring, and self-defense. For pre-arranged sparring you may use any hand technique, not just the stereotypical punch from a walking stance. Self-defense is often done against not just a wrist grab but an attack using a wide variety of attacks.

The reason why people think Taekwon-Do neglects hand techniques is because the WTF has spent about 40+ years or so promulgating a sparring rule set that does neglect hand techniques and they (and the KKW) are the most visible Taekwon-Do organization out there. People have recently said that with the advent of electronic hogu punches are now scored more often (when I trained at a WTF/KKW club in college the instructor was an International Referee for the WTF and told us that he had seen a total of 6 punches score in international competition after many years of experience so really they had no where to go but up). But the rules still only allow punches with the fore fist, as far as I am aware so even with the increase in punches scored you're still going to get a much lower number of hand techniques allowed.

The WTF will continue to use their rule set and so people will continue to view Taekwon-Do as neglecting hand techniques (rightly or wrongly, depending on what organization you belong to, IMO).

Pax,

Chris

I agree. Here is the main issue, the growth of WTF far outpaces all other iterations of TKD combined. While there is still much diversity in Tkd, a significant number non-wtf is unlikely to last in the coming decades. Sure the odd holdouts will exist, but those masters are nearing retirement age and the kukkiwan is an instructor factory. The Olympics has been huge for wtf recognition; when people outside MA think of TKD, you can bet they are thinking of WTF. As a result, parents are sending kids to WTF schools. Even if they have no concept of WTF, statistically the chances are greater that little Johnny will be enrolled in a WTF school. Other strains of TKD are fighting a losing battle. Calling their method something other than TKD might help.

 

[RTKDCMB]

Calling their method something other than TKD might help.

We will never surrender.

 

[Rumy73]

We will never surrender.

I do not think you should.