karate/ taekwondo differences

[Em MacIntosh]

I would vouch for doing a little wrestling and boxing though as well. Just the basics of both. Karate isn't really know for it's groundfighting (can't speak for TKD...) so it's good to roll around on the mat a bit, so if you do happen to go down, you're in familiar territory. Boxing might help you loosen up your karate, something I still have trouble with. It's good to practice rolling with the punches, taking a hit, bobbing and weaving. Great for footwork too. If you want to stick with a more traditional aproach, jiu jitsu and karate or judo and karate go together like flies on rice. You might be able to ask your sensei to teach you some karate groundfighting that I've never heard of though. Bring your concerns about your art's perceived weaknesses to you sensei's attention (respectfully and tactfully) andhear his/her opinion. Don't try to disprove your sensei though. It's more like asking an expert. He/she might be able to reccommend another art to supplement those possible weaknesses.

 

[Logan]

It's not the art it's the artist....blah blah blah

I would keep it simple. Observe classes in each and see which one appeals to you best for whatever reason. Then, you are more likely to stick with it and train well.

Karate and Taekwondo are very similar and the differences are often down to the individual teacher. They are (generally speaking) external striking arts.

 

[chinto]

Hi all

I'm thinking about taking up martial arts and was wondering if anyone could help. There are two schools near me - karate and taekwondo. I know that the quality of the teaching is obviously a factor, but I'd like to know more about the differences between the two styles. Could anyone help by outlining them?


Many thanks.

It does depend on the instructor to a poin, but also the style to a point as well.

I would say as far as Self Defence more then any other thing that style and instructor in that factor. I study Shobyashi Shorin Ryu myself and the emphisis is defenently on self defence and combat and not on sport. I would say that from what I personaly have seen that karate, especialy shobayashi shorin ryu is more suited to self defence then what I have seen offerd as teakwan do . this is not to say that there are not Taikwan do instructors out there that do not teach good self defence. I understand that meany of the ROK armed forces train in and use TKD for hand to hand combat training and are respected for their skills. Just what I have seen tought as TKD as Oposed to what is normaly tought as Karate in the main shorin ryu styles.

 

[009abz]

look i do tkd and karate but when people ask me wat style is better or would be more effective in a street fight i tell them like ill say about any martial art their both da same because you dnt know wats going to happen in a street fight also like ppl have said it depends on the instructor for example my tkd instructor only teachs us kicks and boxing punches for tkd or karate punches dont do **** in a street fight,also i would like to add it depends on the way u train.




to fight you got to be strong but to win you got to be smart

 

[Yeti]

look i do tkd and karate but when people ask me wat style is better or would be more effective in a street fight i tell them like ill say about any martial art their both da same because you dnt know wats going to happen in a street fight also like ppl have said it depends on the instructor for example my tkd instructor only teachs us kicks and boxing punches for tkd or karate punches dont do **** in a street fight,also i would like to add it depends on the way u train.


to fight you got to be strong but to win you got to be smart

Well, first off, welcome to MT.
After reading your post, I will say this...If your TKD instructor doesn't teach you TKD punches because "tkd or karate punches don't do **** in a street fight" - that tells me you should probably go find another instructor.

 

[FieldDiscipline]

Well, first off, welcome to MT.
After reading your post, I will say this...If your TKD instructor doesn't teach you TKD punches because "tkd or karate punches don't do **** in a street fight" - that tells me you should probably go find another instructor.

With you on that Yeti.

And I can assure you, 009, that they do.

Just remind me, the art of kicking and ummm.. punching! What do you do for forms?

 

[009abz]

a boxers punch is faster and stronger and better all up then a tkd or karate punch ecpecally in a street fight and you said i have to go find a notheir instructer well ill tell you this he has done at least 5 martial arts and he was the youngest tkd instructor to reach his 5 dan in australia so he would know a million times more than you when it comes to tkd also everyone ive ask have showen me a told me how boxing punches are better than tkd and you said tkd stands for the art of kicking and punching well thats true but every martial art has it weakness and punching or hand combat is tkds weakness and all my instructor is doing is giving us better hand skills then the normal tkd person and we still learn tkd punches and hand movements for gradding and patterns.......

I love to see my name where everyone can read it. Someday I'm gonna see it in bright, bright lights

 

[009abz]

Well, first off, welcome to MT.
After reading your post, I will say this...If your TKD instructor doesn't teach you TKD punches because "tkd or karate punches don't do **** in a street fight" - that tells me you should probably go find another instructor.

a boxers punch is faster and stronger and better all up then a tkd or karate punch ecpecally in a street fight and you said i have to go find a notheir instructer well ill tell you this he has done at least 5 martial arts and he was the youngest tkd instructor to reach his 5 dan in australia so he would know a million times more than you when it comes to tkd also everyone ive ask have showen me a told me how boxing punches are better than tkd and you said tkd stands for the art of kicking and punching well thats true but every martial art has it weakness and punching or hand combat is tkds weakness and all my instructor is doing is giving us better hand skills then the normal tkd person and we still learn tkd punches and hand movements for gradding and patterns.......

I love to see my name where everyone can read it. Someday I'm gonna see it in bright, bright lights

 

[chinto]

Well, first off, welcome to MT.
After reading your post, I will say this...If your TKD instructor doesn't teach you TKD punches because "tkd or karate punches don't do **** in a street fight" - that tells me you should probably go find another instructor.

I would tend to agree to a point to say the least. I would say the very least I would have some very very tough questions for the instructor.. and I can tell you that karate punches are very effective in combat. Please remember that karateka trained with out exception till recently for combat and survival. the sport aplications and trianing is something that is relitivly new. On Okinawa at least the normal way you figured out who won a street altercation was by who was still breathing. Fights then, and Now for that matter, so any fight on the street in self defence has your life at stake.

 

[chinto]

a boxers punch is faster and stronger and better all up then a tkd or karate punch ecpecally in a street fight and you said i have to go find a notheir instructer well ill tell you this he has done at least 5 martial arts and he was the youngest tkd instructor to reach his 5 dan in australia so he would know a million times more than you when it comes to tkd also everyone ive ask have showen me a told me how boxing punches are better than tkd and you said tkd stands for the art of kicking and punching well thats true but every martial art has it weakness and punching or hand combat is tkds weakness and all my instructor is doing is giving us better hand skills then the normal tkd person and we still learn tkd punches and hand movements for gradding and patterns.......

I love to see my name where everyone can read it. Someday I'm gonna see it in bright, bright lights

hmmm well it is said that no one hits harder then a boxer. That being said, Boxing has become a sport and has been one for a long time. they took out the most effective techniques so as to prolong the fight for 'sporting fans'. Karate is optimized for self defence when tought properly. I understand that the ROK Marines and Amy units use TKD for hand to hand combat as well. so to some how think that a sport derived from pugilisum is more effective in a combat situation then some art that is more focoused on combat and self defence seems unlikely. if boxing was so much better dont you think that it would have dominated every other combat system a long time ago for self defence? after all boxing was a sport in china and asia, the indian sub-continent and midle east as well as the amaricas and austraila .. in short world wide by 1850... why would the other systems have survived? After all, if its about staying alive, you will go with what is effective and efficent at keeping you alive.

 

[chinto]

a boxers punch is faster and stronger and better all up then a tkd or karate punch ecpecally in a street fight and you said i have to go find a notheir instructer well ill tell you this he has done at least 5 martial arts and he was the youngest tkd instructor to reach his 5 dan in australia so he would know a million times more than you when it comes to tkd also everyone ive ask have showen me a told me how boxing punches are better than tkd and you said tkd stands for the art of kicking and punching well thats true but every martial art has it weakness and punching or hand combat is tkds weakness and all my instructor is doing is giving us better hand skills then the normal tkd person and we still learn tkd punches and hand movements for gradding and patterns.......

I love to see my name where everyone can read it. Someday I'm gonna see it in bright, bright lights

hmmm well it is said that no one hits harder then a boxer. That being said, Boxing has become a sport and has been one for a long time. they took out the most effective techniques so as to prolong the fight for 'sporting fans'. Karate is optimized for self defence when tought properly. I understand that the ROK Marines and Amy units use TKD for hand to hand combat as well. so to some how think that a sport derived from pugilisum is more effective in a combat situation then some art that is more focoused on combat and self defence seems unlikely. if boxing was so much better dont you think that it would have dominated every other combat system a long time ago for self defence? after all boxing was a sport in china and asia, the indian sub-continent and midle east as well as the amaricas and austraila .. in short world wide by 1850... why would the other systems have survived? After all, if its about staying alive, you will go with what is effective and efficent at keeping you alive.

 

[chinto]

a boxers punch is faster and stronger and better all up then a tkd or karate punch ecpecally in a street fight and you said i have to go find a notheir instructer well ill tell you this he has done at least 5 martial arts and he was the youngest tkd instructor to reach his 5 dan in australia so he would know a million times more than you when it comes to tkd also everyone ive ask have showen me a told me how boxing punches are better than tkd and you said tkd stands for the art of kicking and punching well thats true but every martial art has it weakness and punching or hand combat is tkds weakness and all my instructor is doing is giving us better hand skills then the normal tkd person and we still learn tkd punches and hand movements for gradding and patterns.......

I love to see my name where everyone can read it. Someday I'm gonna see it in bright, bright lights

hmmm well it is said that no one hits harder then a boxer. That being said, Boxing has become a sport and has been one for a long time. they took out the most effective techniques so as to prolong the fight for 'sporting fans'. Karate is optimized for self defence when tought properly. I understand that the ROK Marines and Amy units use TKD for hand to hand combat as well. so to some how think that a sport derived from pugilisum is more effective in a combat situation then some art that is more focoused on combat and self defence seems unlikely. if boxing was so much better dont you think that it would have dominated every other combat system a long time ago for self defence? after all boxing was a sport in china and asia, the indian sub-continent and midle east as well as the amaricas and austraila .. in short world wide by 1850... why would the other systems have survived? After all, if its about staying alive, you will go with what is effective and efficent at keeping you alive.

 

[chinto]

a boxers punch is faster and stronger and better all up then a tkd or karate punch ecpecally in a street fight and you said i have to go find a notheir instructer well ill tell you this he has done at least 5 martial arts and he was the youngest tkd instructor to reach his 5 dan in australia so he would know a million times more than you when it comes to tkd also everyone ive ask have showen me a told me how boxing punches are better than tkd and you said tkd stands for the art of kicking and punching well thats true but every martial art has it weakness and punching or hand combat is tkds weakness and all my instructor is doing is giving us better hand skills then the normal tkd person and we still learn tkd punches and hand movements for gradding and patterns.......

I love to see my name where everyone can read it. Someday I'm gonna see it in bright, bright lights

hmmm well it is said that no one hits harder then a boxer. That being said, Boxing has become a sport and has been one for a long time. they took out the most effective techniques so as to prolong the fight for 'sporting fans'. Karate is optimized for self defence when tought properly. I understand that the ROK Marines and Amy units use TKD for hand to hand combat as well. so to some how think that a sport derived from pugilisum is more effective in a combat situation then some art that is more focoused on combat and self defence seems unlikely.

If boxing was so much better dont you think that it would have dominated every other combat system a long time ago for self defence? After all boxing was a sport in china and asia, the indian sub-continent and midle east as well as the amaricas and austraila .. in short world wide by 1850... Why would the other systems have survived? After all, if its about staying alive, you will go with what is effective and efficent at keeping you alive.

So I guess the long and short of it is that I do Not buy your argument that some how boxing is so superior to other styles with their hands. They do a good job with combinations and they hit hard, but so do other arts and styles.

 

[Axe_KO]

hmmm well it is said that no one hits harder then a boxer. That being said, Boxing has become a sport and has been one for a long time. they took out the most effective techniques so as to prolong the fight for 'sporting fans'. Karate is optimized for self defence when tought properly. I understand that the ROK Marines and Amy units use TKD for hand to hand combat as well. so to some how think that a sport derived from pugilisum is more effective in a combat situation then some art that is more focoused on combat and self defence seems unlikely.

If boxing was so much better dont you think that it would have dominated every other combat system a long time ago for self defence? After all boxing was a sport in china and asia, the indian sub-continent and midle east as well as the amaricas and austraila .. in short world wide by 1850... Why would the other systems have survived? After all, if its about staying alive, you will go with what is effective and efficent at keeping you alive.

So I guess the long and short of it is that I do Not buy your argument that some how boxing is so superior to other styles with their hands. They do a good job with combinations and they hit hard, but so do other arts and styles.

Well said my friend, but you have to realise that every sport has its advantages/disadvantages, yet, think about the outcome of two great sports combining the hand techniques of boxing and Kicking of TKD, what kind of force will it have. That is the point being stressed by my frind 009abz, about our instructor combining the 2 for us to have the most effective punch style as well as kicks in a tournomant/street fight.

Thank you.

"To fight you gotta be strong, To win you gotta be smart"

 

[Yeti]

a boxers punch is faster and stronger and better all up then a tkd or karate punch ecpecally in a street fight

I never said a boxer's punch wasn't a good thing and to supplement your TKD training with boxing is one thing. But to flat out state that your instructor doesn't teach TKD punches because (paraphrasing) they are ineffective, is another, and I stand by my earlier statement. Again, to combine the two arts is one thing but for your TKD instructor to get away from TKD's handwork....why? It works. See my point? Supplementation and abandonment are two very different things. Perhaps you didn't mean to say what you said earlier?...

and you said i have to go find a notheir instructer well ill tell you this he has done at least 5 martial arts and he was the youngest tkd instructor to reach his 5 dan in australia so he would know a million times more than you when it comes to tkd

Being youngest to 5th Dan in Australia doesn't mean much to me. That is NOT to take anything away from your instructor or your instructor's skills. It is to state, in my opinion, that rank isn't always what it's cracked up to be. All depends on what you want out of your training.

I love to see my name where everyone can read it. Someday I'm gonna see it in bright, bright lights

Good for you! I hope you attain your goals. BTW...should I look for the name '009abz' in lights or do you go by another? :wink2:

 

[FieldDiscipline]

We are very much on the same page Yeti.

 

[chinto]

Well said my friend, but you have to realise that every sport has its advantages/disadvantages, yet, think about the outcome of two great sports combining the hand techniques of boxing and Kicking of TKD, what kind of force will it have. That is the point being stressed by my frind 009abz, about our instructor combining the 2 for us to have the most effective punch style as well as kicks in a tournomant/street fight.

Thank you.

no I dont buy that you can take 2 styles, and especialy if both some how have been modified to be more sport orianted ( IE as in less likely to permenently injure or kill one or the other of the combatents) and just combine them and some how come up with somthing that is some how superior to systems that have been refined for centurys with the sole purpouse of saving your life in an altercation. So Sorry but that just does not wash.

 

[chinto]

yep, I agree with you Yeti! I also very much on the same page on this.

 

[Last Fearner]

I'm guessing that shotokan might be more effective from a defence point of view, given than TKD might be limited if somebody gets in close. Would that be a fair comment?

This a myth, and a complete falsehood. Taekwondo is not limited in anyway in close quarters combat. Only those who are not trained in Taekwondo (or their training is incomplete) make that assumption based on appearances and reputation of TKD kicking. They think that kicks can not be used when close to an opponent (false), and that Taekwondo does not contain devastating hand strikes, joint locks, pressure points, etc. (and that would be false as well).

If it's self defence your after then your best bet is Karate. Because you might be only lucky enough to find Tkd instructor who concentrates self defence, where as in Karate it's usually compulsory.

This would be an incorrect notion to suggest that Karate would be better for self defense than Taekwondo. Either one would work fine provided you get proper training, and put forth the effort to learn the art correctly. The only smidgen of truth to this quote is that there are so many "look-alike" TKD schools that don't really know what they are teaching (McDojangs as some call them), and those that are specifically sport oriented. If you are looking for self defense, simply be sure that the instructor is qualified, and that the school's curriculum has a fair balance of self defense training.

Make no mistake, TKD is built around not only the same technical toolkit but the same strategic agenda as karate: the intention is, every move either sets up the finish or is itself the finish.

I agree. Although I would say the "toolkit" is slightly different in some cases, the core substance of the two are very similar.

Sure, kicking practice is emphasized, but that doesn't mean that kicking is more important than—or even as important as—hand techs.

Exile is correct here as well. TKD places the emphasis on kicking because of the unique philosophy of TKD which says that it is better to use the longer reach of the legs (when applicable) in order to be able to strike first and keep your opponent at a safe distance where they have difficulty striking you. Also the strength and power of the legs over the arms is evident (try bench pressing as much with your arms as you do with your legs). The mistake is made when anyone, in Taekwondo or not, believes that this favored technique of kicking should replace hand strikes, or grappling completely, thus reducing or eliminating sufficient training time in the other areas.

The idea in TKD practice is that kicking is harder than hand techniques,
... it's also harder for most of us to control the force/angle/impact surface of a kick, because we use kicks much less in ordinary life than we do hand/arm movements which have martial content. So kicking requires more practice.

This is true, and a point that I have heard Bill 'Superfoot' Wallace make several times in his seminars. We are much more adept, coordinated, and skilled with our hands than our feet. If we are going to make a useful weapon out of our feet, then we need to put a lot more time in training them, but other areas of training should not suffer for it.

But if you look at TKD hyungs,.... you'll find that there are usually four or five times as many hand techs as leg techs.

This is a good point that many people, who claim TKD is all kicks, often overlook. I know what a Taekwondo class typically consists of, and it is not just kicking from start to finish.

I would say that from what I personaly have seen that karate, especialy shobayashi shorin ryu is more suited to self defence then what I have seen offerd as teakwan do . this is not to say that there are not Taikwan do instructors out there that do not teach good self defence.

First of all, it is "Taekwondo" (or Tae Kwon Do, or Taekwon-do). By your post, you have admitted that your opinion is based on what you have personally seen of TKD and Karate. It is apparent that you have seen some good Karate schools, and some not so good TKD schools. That is, of course, not a reflection of the art itself, just the sampling of schools and instructors you have observed.

my tkd instructor only teachs us kicks and boxing punches for tkd or karate punches dont do **** in a street fight,

009abz, your post started off with a good point, and ended with a good point, but this part in the middle is an absolute falsehood, and misinformed assessment. Both Taekwondo and Karate contain hand strikes and punches that are very fast, very powerful, and very effective in the street (first hand experience speaking here). I don't know if this statement is your own opinion, or if you are just parroting what your instructor tells you, but before you just blindly accept a sweeping statement like that, I suggest you do some research and ask a variety of experts. Many would be more than happy to give you (or your instructor) a demonstration of why that statement is incorrect.

a boxers punch is faster and stronger and better all up then a tkd or karate punch ecpecally in a street fight

No disrespect intended to your instructor, but I believe I could match my age, years of training, experience, and rank in Taekwondo (among other certification in other variations), but that would do little good. What is important is the proof of a statement. Let's start with "a boxer's punch is faster... than a tkd or karate punch." Where is the scientific proof of that? Who conducted the tests and who were the participants? I would contend that many Taekwondoists (such as myself) have just as fast of a hand strike as any boxer.

Next statement, "a boxer's punch is stronger than a tkd or karate punch." Again, where is the proof of this? Boxers tend to fight with gloves on and angle their punches for a specific type of knock-out. While I can duplicate that, it is not typically the aim of a Taekwondoist (or in Karate) to jolt the brain and cause cerebral hemorrhaging. TKD is designed to destroy the target, and pinpoint specific vulnerable spots for maximum effect. I break multiple boards with my bare handed punches (as well as other hand strikes) - - something that I rarely see a boxer be able to duplicate without breaking the bones in their hand. Unless they have trained in the Martial Art (such as Muhammad Ali who studied Taekwondo), they are taught to punch differently for different effect, but I have never seen a study that proves their punch is "stronger."

Finally, the allegation that a Boxer's punch is better in a street fight is absolutely an unfounded opinion. Better in what way? When a TKD or Karate expert punches an opponent in the street, the opponent is injured, damaged, even downed from one strike. Boxer's might match that, but you can not get "better" than that. Besides, you should know that the internal mechanics, muscle contractions, and reactionary forces of a Martial Art strike is very different from that of a Boxer. We are different for a reason, and there is no sense in my stepping backwards in the evolutionary development to train the way a boxer punches, and abandon the way I punch since my punches are just as fast, powerful, and effective (if not more-so), and for all the right reasons of physical mechanics and fight strategy for self defense in the street - - not in the ring.

hmmm well it is said that no one hits harder then a boxer.

Here again, I would simply ask, "who has said that, and where is the proof?"

think about the outcome of two great sports combining the hand techniques of boxing and Kicking of TKD, what kind of force will it have.

No need to combine boxing hand skills with TKD since we already have the force we need the way we do it. Yes, it would advantage a boxer to know the kicking power of TKD, but the trade-off you suggest is of no benefit to Taekwondo. I study, watch and learn how boxers punch and fight so that I know how to counter their movements, just like when Buster Douglas beat the unstoppable Mike Tyson. Not that he used Taekwondo, but you have to study a fighter to find their weak points, but that does not mean that you fight like them. I have no intention of fighting like a boxer. Not to be disrespectful, or boasting, but my training is beyond that point.

 

[exile]

Taekwondo is not limited in anyway in close quarters combat. Only those who are not trained in Taekwondo (or their training is incomplete) make that assumption based on appearances and reputation of TKD kicking...

...009abz, your post started off with a good point, and ended with a good point, but this part in the middle is an absolute falsehood, and misinformed assessment. Both Taekwondo and Karate contain hand strikes and punches that are very fast, very powerful, and very effective in the street (first hand experience speaking here).

Right on target, LF. I wish that these completely correct points would finally register with more people in the MA community, many of whom don't seem to understand that the kwon in Taekwondo really does mean `fist (strike)'! Taekwondo = `foot-fist-way'... it's a bit frustrating when the very name of the art tells you, yes, we do both kicking and hand techniques, and you still have people with this serious misconception that TKDists only kick.

A lot of it probably comes from the way WTF tournament scoring has affected strategy and tactics during sparring matches, but again, one would hope people would know better. Imagine basing your view of skiing solely on the downhill event, where long, straight schusses at very high speeds are occasionally punctuated by relatively long turns, and coming to the conclusion as a result that skiing simply involves going very fast straight down a hill and that very short-radius turns aren't part of the technical competence of skiers. Nothing could be further from the truth...

No disrespect intended to your instructor, but I believe I could match my age, years of training, experience, and rank in Taekwondo (among other certification in other variations), but that would do little good. What is important is the proof of a statement. Let's start with "a boxer's punch is faster... than a tkd or karate punch." Where is the scientific proof of that? Who conducted the tests and who were the participants? I would contend that many Taekwondoists (such as myself) have just as fast of a hand strike as any boxer.

Next statement, "a boxer's punch is stronger than a tkd or karate punch." Again, where is the proof of this?

Yes, I've wondered myself about this kind of statement, which is far from uncommon, comparing boxing punches to TKD/Karate punches. I have seen four-board stacks, 1" per board and no separators, blasted apart by experienced TKD and Karate breakers at tournaments, using a punch delivered while the stack was being held by two assistants, as vs. resting on concrete blocks... that is incredibly hard punching, don't let anyone tell you differently, and I myself wonder how many boxers, punching barehanded, would be able to do the same breaks. I've seen individual boards broken by speed breaks—no one is holding the board: it stands on edge and the force delivery of the punch is so accurate and efficient that the board breaks even though it can move freely. Again, I wonder how many boxers would be able to do that without specific training. Please note, I'm not saying that a gifted boxer wouldn't be unable to do that; I don't know enough to say that in advance, but even those who happily compare boxing to TKD/Karate punches to the latter's detriment should be willing to admit that it's a real question whether such a boxer could do these kinds of breaks without serious training and preparation.

And is breaking relevant to actual SD applications? We've had a number of thread discussions on this, and I think one important point which has emerged is that board breaking is a way of both quantifying effective force delivery and also training one's strikes to improve that force delivey (just as lifting free weights both measures one's current strength and helps one gain the muscle mass needed to increase that strength). Breaking also requires accurate placement of the strike. Surely accuracy in judging the placement of the strike, and efficiency in deliverying force to the target, are going to be relevant to SD use of MAs, no?

Boxers tend to fight with gloves on and angle their punches for a specific type of knock-out. While I can duplicate that, it is not typically the aim of a Taekwondoist (or in Karate) to jolt the brain and cause cerebral hemorrhaging. TKD is designed to destroy the target, and pinpoint specific vulnerable spots for maximum effect. I break multiple boards with my bare handed punches (as well as other hand strikes) - - something that I rarely see a boxer be able to duplicate without breaking the bones in their hand. Unless they have trained in the Martial Art (such as Muhammad Ali who studied Taekwondo), they are taught to punch differently for different effect, but I have never seen a study that proves their punch is "stronger."

Yes, exactly.

Finally, the allegation that a Boxer's punch is better in a street fight is absolutely an unfounded opinion. Better in what way? When a TKD or Karate expert punches an opponent in the street, the opponent is injured, damaged, even downed from one strike. Boxer's might match that, but you can not get "better" than that. Besides, you should know that the internal mechanics, muscle contractions, and reactionary forces of a Martial Art strike is very different from that of a Boxer. We are different for a reason, and there is no sense in my stepping backwards in the evolutionary development to train the way a boxer punches, and abandon the way I punch since my punches are just as fast, powerful, and effective (if not more-so), and for all the right reasons of physical mechanics and fight strategy for self defense in the street - - not in the ring.


Here again, I would simply ask, "who has said that, and where is the proof?"

Always, this is the question, and this boxers-punch-harder/faster/better-than-MAists statement is one that you never see any answers for based on actual measurements. Again, I'm not saying that such measurements haven't been made; sports physiologists do all kinds of experiments, and there are a huge number of journals in which results of punching comparisons under controlled conditions might be published. But I can say that I've never seen the superiority of boxers' punching supported in any thread discussion, or magazine article, where it's been asserted as self-evident fact.

No need to combine boxing hand skills with TKD since we already have the force we need the way we do it. Yes, it would advantage a boxer to know the kicking power of TKD, but the trade-off you suggest is of no benefit to Taekwondo. I study, watch and learn how boxers punch and fight so that I know how to counter their movements, just like when Buster Douglas beat the unstoppable Mike Tyson. Not that he used Taekwondo, but you have to study a fighter to find their weak points, but that does not mean that you fight like them. I have no intention of fighting like a boxer. Not to be disrespectful, or boasting, but my training is beyond that point.

Great response, LF.