Head kicks

[Manny]

With the big emphasis in kicking high to the head seeking 3 points instead of 1 for single kicks to the torso, do you think this will make TKD a more kicking head martial art? The head is a very small target and always moving thus is not easy to conect eficiently with a kick trying to get a ko to end a fight quickly.

How will afect this to the traditional martial art of TKD?

Manny

 

[miguksaram]

With the big emphasis in kicking high to the head seeking 3 points instead of 1 for single kicks to the torso, do you think this will make TKD a more kicking head martial art? The head is a very small target and always moving thus is not easy to conect eficiently with a kick trying to get a ko to end a fight quickly.

How will afect this to the traditional martial art of TKD?

Manny

Without getting into same drawn out lecture on how there is no traditional vs sport TKD and that it is all one, let me just say that then new rule will, in my opinoin will not have a huge impact. Head kicks has have always exisited in TKD and I did not see any more head kick attempts this year than I have seen in previously. It seemed more people were keeping with the body shots as it was easier to score than the head. If they saw the opening then they went for a head shot. So nothing different in my opinoin. Keep training you way you train in your regular TKD classes. When you are training for tournaments then train yourself for a bit more flexibility so you can execute the head kicks when needed.

 

[Jaeimseu]

With the big emphasis in kicking high to the head seeking 3 points instead of 1 for single kicks to the torso, do you think this will make TKD a more kicking head martial art? The head is a very small target and always moving thus is not easy to conect eficiently with a kick trying to get a ko to end a fight quickly.

How will afect this to the traditional martial art of TKD?

Manny

I can only speak for myself, but I've never kicked to the head with the thought of KOing the other guy. I always figure that if I execute the kick correctly and make good contact that KOs will take care of themselves. I've heard lots of baseball players say similar things about hitting homeruns. When I was a competitor, I was just trying to execute my gameplan. Of course, I never won a gold medal at the national or international level, so the super duper elite players may have a different mindset.

I do think people will kick more to the head now, especially since any contact will result in points. It's worth the risk of the body shot counter. I think I'd give the other guy 1 point to get 3 or 4.

 

[ATC]

I can only speak for myself, but I've never kicked to the head with the thought of KOing the other guy. I always figure that if I execute the kick correctly and make good contact that KOs will take care of themselves. I've heard lots of baseball players say similar things about hitting homeruns. When I was a competitor, I was just trying to execute my gameplan. Of course, I never won a gold medal at the national or international level, so the super duper elite players may have a different mindset.

I do think people will kick more to the head now, especially since any contact will result in points. It's worth the risk of the body shot counter. I think I'd give the other guy 1 point to get 3 or 4.

Good points and exactly how you should train for the sport even before the rules changes. Many I know do think that they need to go to the head more and attempt to do so. However my philosophy is to stick to a solid well rounded game plan and take what is open or what opening you create. If you only try for the head and the head is not open then you open yourself up for easy counters.

The game is an easy one if you stick to creating shots rather than trying to force or take what is not there. If you open up the body then take the body. Any your point about give one to take 3 is spot on. This does not mean however that every one you give up will give you 3. You have to set this up as well.

Yes more people are trying for the head only but you should always take what is given and create your points.

 

[Jaeimseu]

Good points and exactly how you should train for the sport even before the rules changes. Many I know do think that they need to go to the head more and attempt to do so. However my philosophy is to stick to a solid well rounded game plan and take what is open or what opening you create. If you only try for the head and the head is not open then you open yourself up for easy counters.

The game is an easy one if you stick to creating shots rather than trying to force or take what is not there. If you open up the body then take the body. Any your point about give one to take 3 is spot on. This does not mean however that every one you give up will give you 3. You have to set this up as well.

Yes more people are trying for the head only but you should always take what is given and create your points.

I'm a big University of Alabama football fan (not looking to start a fight). Like him or hate him, Nick Saban is a winner, and he's always saying something similar to what you're talking about, and basically what I was saying before. Basically, he always talks about the "process." If you execute your process (training and game plan) to the best of your ability every day, then results will take care of themselves.

 

[Markku P]

I think you can see already in competitions much more head kicks and I think that't a good thing. But our normal Taekwondo classes? It's still same as before.
Taekwondo is still Taekwondo

 

[Manny]

I do think people will kick more to the head now, especially since any contact will result in points. It's worth the risk of the body shot counter. I think I'd give the other guy 1 point to get 3 or 4.

I think the same.

Manny

 

[ralphmcpherson]

For the sport and competitive side things may change. For the average bloke in his typical tkd class nothing will change. My instructor after 30 or 40 years of training had his first real look at olympic style sparring ever during the olympics. He asked me the other day to explain the rules to him, which I did. So considering my instructor didnt even know the rules prior to any changes I doubt it will affect my training.

 

[bugatabugata]

I happen to think it's a good thing, since head kicks have more of the "razzle-dazzle" to them than your run of the mill roundhouse, for example. And MAs live and die, (or at least go up and down in popularity), by their visual appeal. If the scoring change gets more kids interested in TKD that can only be a good thing for the future of both the spot and the art. (I'm thinking of that one Athens Olympics fight between the Korean and the Greek.)

 

[Jaeimseu]

I happen to think it's a good thing, since head kicks have more of the "razzle-dazzle" to them than your run of the mill roundhouse, for example. And MAs live and die, (or at least go up and down in popularity), by their visual appeal. If the scoring change gets more kids interested in TKD that can only be a good thing for the future of both the spot and the art. (I'm thinking of that one Athens Olympics fight between the Korean and the Greek.)

While I agree that "razzed dazzle" can be a good thing, I'm afraid that those aren't the type of head kicks we'll see the most of. I imagine people will tend to stick to lower risk kicks like fast kick (front leg roundhouse), which won't be "razzle dazzle" at all. Watching two guys stand on one leg trying to repeatedly kick each other in the head isn't any more interesting (to me, at least) than watching two guys bounce and posture.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I think you can see already in competitions much more head kicks and I think that't a good thing. But our normal Taekwondo classes? It's still same as before.
Taekwondo is still Taekwondo

This. Absolutely.

 

[SPX]

Without getting into same drawn out lecture on how there is no traditional vs sport TKD and that it is all one

On paper perhaps, but real-world observations make it abundantly clear that there's a difference.

 

[StudentCarl]

With the big emphasis in kicking high to the head seeking 3 points instead of 1 for single kicks to the torso, do you think this will make TKD a more kicking head martial art? The head is a very small target and always moving thus is not easy to conect eficiently with a kick trying to get a ko to end a fight quickly.

How will afect this to the traditional martial art of TKD?

Manny

I don't think it will, because taekwondo already values the ability to kick above the belt; this is not new. Forms competition also values high section kicks, and that is not new either. Kicking the head is more difficult in many ways than kicking to the knee or torso, and shows both flexibility and the ability to set it up, so the difference in value is logical. I think the changes in rules are intended to encourage more dynamic matches at the international level. The most common kicks, based on all the high level fight video I watch, are still fast kick and round kick to torso. They expose the kicker the least to counters. The rule change encourages athletes to do more than play it safe for the 1-0 victory on a single fast kick. The high level game, from what I see, is as much about good defense as it is about scoring. So IMO, the rule change will encourage sparring athletes to develop those skills more because of the payoff. Non-sparring athletes?... I believe that masters will continue to develop their students as well-rounded Taekwondoin. Developing the ability to kick higher is one ability, but not the only one. I see only one taekwondo--not traditional vs. sport. In that one taekwondo, you learn to develop all the tools you can to be well-rounded. Even if you only do forms and self-defense, flexibility increases reach and kicking higher refines balance. Why would you not want to improve your ability to kick higher with skill?

Carl