How effective if TKD against other arts?

[Azzazzin]

For some reason, everyone I talk to says "TKD sucks".

I used to take TKD, and personally I like it, but could someone who has only learned TKD fight a person who has studied something like Mauy Thai Boxing?

TKD is very focused on forms, and these forms are not realistic in a real life fight situation. For example, it is not natural to punch with your fists at your hips, but still, this is the form.

If one practiced TKD without those use of form, and focused on free movement, would TKD be effective?

 

[Disco]

I will explain. Most TKD schools, operative word "most", focus on the sport aspect of training. For the average person who does not have the high athletic ability to transfer the sparring traits to self defense, what they are learning is nothing more than a good cardio workout. To a large extent, even the best of those athletic people wind up getting hurt in real life.

A good TKD school and there are such things, will have a strong mix of Hapkido or something akin, within the self defense curriculum. If you feel that the school you go to now is lacking or does not focus on self defense, I would strongly suggest to find another school. Medals and trophies are nice, but if you can't hit somebody with them if your being attacked, there worthless.

Just my humble opinion:asian:

 

[Marginal]

Originally posted by Azzazzin
For some reason, everyone I talk to says "TKD sucks".

I used to take TKD, and personally I like it, but could someone who has only learned TKD fight a person who has studied something like Mauy Thai Boxing?

TKD is very focused on forms, and these forms are not realistic in a real life fight situation. For example, it is not natural to punch with your fists at your hips, but still, this is the form.

The forms don't really reflect how you fight as it is. You'll never see someone on the street chamber their punch at the hip. You'll never see it in sparring either, so why insist that's how TKD teaches one how to punch?

On average the TKD student would lose to the MT student for one major reason. TKD doesn't typically focus on conditioning, MT is heavy on conditioning. In any case where you have a person trained to hit hard and be hit hard in return against someone who's not used to taking solid hits etc, they're going to be at a disadvantage. That's not really a question of the techniques in the style, just the training methods.

 

[Kempojujutsu]

Originally posted by Marginal
The forms don't really reflect how you fight as it is. You'll never see someone on the street chamber their punch at the hip. You'll never see it in sparring either, so why insist that's how TKD teaches one how to punch?

Most karate and TKD schools don't teach or show what the chamber hand at the hip means. Most of the time they tell you. It allows you to punch harder. You are not going to start in that type of stance to fight from. Unless you want an *** kicking. The chamber hands is

1. a wrist or finger lock

2. point to strike or grab at.

3. pull your opponents arm to your hip.

I have use all of these in self defense scenario's

Bob :asian:

 

[Zepp]

Originally posted by Marginal
On average the TKD student would lose to the MT student for one major reason. TKD doesn't typically focus on conditioning, MT is heavy on conditioning.

For that reason, most martial artists would lose versus an equally well-trained Thai boxer. It's kinda hard to incapacitate a person quickly if they're used to abosrbing bone-crunching blows. (Notice I did say "equally well trained.")

A better question to ask might be, how well does TKD size up against something like Tang Soo Do, Silat, Karate, or against grappling arts? I think the answer to that depends on whether the TKD you practice is sport-oriented or self-defense oriented (and of course, it depends on how well trained each of the theoretical combatants are).

In answer to your questions about forms: They're supposed to be used as method of improving your agility, speed and coordination (and a few are good for muscle tone too). Forms are meant to teach you how your muscles work, and how to generate power from those weird positions. You're not supposed to spar or fight in exactly the same way.

 

[karatekid1975]

Most TKD schools teach sport. But I was lucky enough to find a school that teaches self defense (joint locks, throws, ect). We are not big into the sport thing, except when the GM's tourny comes around.

 

[don bohrer]

My friend and his family would have something to say about those terrible rumors concerning TKDs effectiveness. I too had a bad impression of TKD based on local schools but that changed after I visited where my friend trains. I rate that school highly for anyone wishing to train in Loveland Colorado.

 

[Chuck]

Our school is primarily focused on Olympic Style, but only for the younger group. The older folks, like mysefl at 51, focus on fitness and self-defense. It's TKD, but we are exploring the Hapkido and Han Mu Do as well. I have brought in the CaneMasters school.

The only problem we have is coordinating time to include the more esoteric self-defense arts.

I studied Okinawin GoJu under Teruo Chinen in Spokane. Our TKD school feels much like this. In Spokane, the first thing we learned was a Judo ukemi. In Denver the first thing we learned was a foot sweep.

"The student is the needle. The teacher is the thread." Buddhsit proverb.

 

[Azzazzin]

Ok, let's say you have a TKD guy who was just as conditioned as a MT guy, shins with no nerves, etc...

How would the STYLE do against other arts?

Would you use an axe kick in a real life situation?

Like when you play an arcade game like Tekken, there is some character that features TKD, and can really kick some ***...

Is it possible to be like that?

*BTW I am currently training Systema, I just wanna know this questions out of interest, I don't wanna learn TKD again to kick someones *** *

 

[Zepp]

The axe kick is one of the hallmarks of sport TKD. You could use it in a real fight, but it certainly wouldn't be my first choice attacks.

Assuming everything about your hypothetical combatants is equal, then the Tae Kwon Doist's odds are 50/50. An art is as effective as its practitioners make it. Maybe that sounds hokey, but its the most honest answer anyone here can give you.

Is it possible to be like any video fighting game character? If it is, I wanna be like Blanka! No wait, Akuma! No, better, Blanka and Akuma!

 

[Langdow]

TKD is very focused on forms, and these forms are not realistic in a real life fight situation. For example, it is not natural to punch with your fists at your hips, but still, this is the form.

For me this is the first step to a progression of training in self defense. You do the forms, learn the techniques and understand what they are for first off.

Then you can progress to step sparring and use some of these techniques with a partner. Move to different attacks and then add resistance from your partner. You'll figure out what works and what doesn't for yourself.

Then move on to more free fighting. Lots of resistance from your partner, no basic rules, just try not to hurt each other to much cause he gets a crack at you next.

 

[don bohrer]

My friends wife would axe kick the top of your thigh if you tried to kick against her.

 

[celtic bhoy]

I have seen an ITF black belt battered senseless by a boxer. I have saw pictures of TKD exponents beaten by karate, wing chun and even Tai Chi people. Also TKD exponents have beaten other styles.

I am an ITF 5th kup, my Grandmaster is Rhee Ki Ha (the father of european TKD),who was acclaimed by Gen Choi as the greatest exponent of TKD in the world. My grandmaster will be the first to tell you that patterns have no relation to real situations. The purpose of a pattern is to get in the habit of using a wider variety of techniques against an imaginery opponent, not a real one. It is basically designed to tune the brain to use the tools available. I am speaking from an ITF point of view of course.

We do a lot of conditioning, but like most martial arts we condition to give punishment and not take it. Thats the difference between Thai boxers and martial artists. Thai boxers train their bodies just as hard to take punishment as to give it.

A Thai boxing promoter said he'd matched men of many styles of martial arts against his thai boxers and they had all lost. The martial artists were all winning on poinst due to their wider repetoire of techniques,but all lost in the end due to fact they couldn't take the punishment.

TKD is as effective as the next style,if executed properly. But against a thai boxer you would have be at the peak of your powers,and then some.

 

[ThuNder_FoOt]

As it has been stated many times over on this site and many others:

An art is only as good as its practicioner.

:asian: