Is this the most popular art in the US?

[Joab]

While searching in the phonebook and the internet today, I noticed that about 95% of the schools where I live are TKD. Is this the same all over the US? Is TKD the most popular art in the US? Why or why not?

Jason

I was told way back in 1981 by my Tae-Kwon-Do teacher that Tae-Kwon-Do is the most popular martial art in the country. A friend told me that Chuck Norris had a lot to do with it, a Wing Chun Sifu told me it was because Tae-Kwon-Do had done a lot of effective mass marketing and because "it is flashy", the Sifu's words not mine.

I have taken both full contact Tae-Kwon-Do and Traditional (non contact) Tae-Kwon-Do. The full contact was at my college and I took it because it was the only one offered. The second was non contact, and most of the students said they took it to get in shape, and were into the beauty of the forms, and indeed, there is fine exercise in Tae-Kwon-Do and the forms are beautiful.

 

[padre]

I'm in the South East (Jackson, MS metro area), and just cracked open the yellow pages.

25 listings under "Martial Arts Instruction"

8 of those either contain TKD in the name of the school or are known by me to be TKD schools (because I study there under the all-Korean staff).

Others include Okinawan, Japanese, Kung Fu, Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, Ninjutsu, Hapkido, MMA, etc.

So I'd say we have a healthy variety of offerings around here.

 

[Steve]

It's all cyclical, and really a mixed blessing. Judo, Karate, TKD and now BJJ or MMA... in 10 years maybe something else. I don't know about elsewhere, but in my area, the TKD schools are all basically after school daycare. There's one school in my neighborhood that actually has a van and picks the kids up after school like KinderCare.

 

[padre]

My TKD school does have classes for kids of various ages, although preschoolers aren't exactly learning hook kicks. I don't have kids, but I used to work with 4- and 5-year-olds, and I honestly like what they're doing.

But I go to class several days a week and work hard in adult classes and feel really good about the instruction I'm getting.

I was watching a class with a couple of other guys the other day while we waited for our own class to start. The other guys wondered out loud why a certain instructor isn't so smiling & cheerful when he's working with us.

"Because those are three-year-olds," I pointed out. :rofl:

 

[Steve]

Padre, I'm sure that there are some great TKD schools around. A few of the guys who post here run, I'm sure, really good schools. I"m talking about the schools where the adult class is the adjunct to the business. If the kids are the cash cow and the adults are an afterthought, that's bad. And, as I said, in this area, there are many schools where the kids classes are the bulk of the business.

Or said another way, at a BJJ school, it's not uncommon to find a great kids' program. But the kids' program is the add on, and the adult's drive the business. If the school has more kids enrolled than adults, be suspicious.

 

[padre]

Yeah, I didn't take your comment the wrong way. In fact, it was kind of an amusing image.

 

[Steve]

Yeah, I didn't take your comment the wrong way. In fact, it was kind of an amusing image.

Glad to hear it.

TBH, it could be funny if it weren't so sad.

 

[Earl Weiss]

A friend told me that Chuck Norris had a lot to do with it, .

Depends on your point of view. Norris did many great things, but if you read his first books he said he did Tang Soo Do. Only in the recent books does he call it TKD.

Classic example of adopting a common name.

 

[Earl Weiss]

I wonder what everyone's definition of TKD is here on Martial Talk. Given that the name was coined way back during the kwan unification talks, it seems that the term TKD would and should be broad indeed. KKW, the ITF, ATA, all the non-org folks... etc. It's probably not too far off the mark to say that anything that involved a Korean kicking and punching is tae kwon do. The name tae kwon do was designed to be a new representative name, after all, of the Koreans' national martial art, formed by the contributions of the various major schools at the time. It's supposed to be inclusive.

You have 2 basic schools of thought. The all inclusive any Korean Kicking and punching lineage one and the more restrictive style specific.

As far as contributions from various schools goes, this is worded in a technicaly correct fashion. However, the early contributions were made primarily in one place, under one person and refined and codified by that person.
In the 1950's while submitting te name for acceptance , Choi Hong Hi created the Oh Do Kwan military gym, recruited top martial artists for that gym, many of who were Chung Do Kwan luminaries, and used the contributions from those people t create the first new system to be called TKD. This needed to be done to teach and spread the system. The plan was not unlike Kano's or Funakoshi's. The military resources were then used to dispatch Oh Do Kwan members to demonstrate and teach. He also recruited and converted instructors like Jhoon Rhee to adopt he name and system. Therewas probably more resistance to this than acceptance, UNTIL 2 things happened. 1. The name became so widely popular, other Koreans decided to capitalize on the popularity by adopting it for other system, and 2. Choi Hong Hi became persona non grata almost 20 years after he created the name and spread TKD and theKorean government decided they wantedto be in control adopting their name and applying their resources. I suggest you read "A Kiliing Art" which details this history.

IMNSHO if you approach the issue logicaly, you have to decide what is more logical. 1. Creating a name and single system to teach more easily on an international scale like Funakoshi and Kano etc. or 2. The need for a single name to encomapss a smorgasbord of different systems, many of which were simply Japanese systems that had been given Korean names.

 

[celtic_crippler]

I was told way back in 1981 by my Tae-Kwon-Do teacher that Tae-Kwon-Do is the most popular martial art in the country. A friend told me that Chuck Norris had a lot to do with it, a Wing Chun Sifu told me it was because Tae-Kwon-Do had done a lot of effective mass marketing and because "it is flashy", the Sifu's words not mine.

I have taken both full contact Tae-Kwon-Do and Traditional (non contact) Tae-Kwon-Do. The full contact was at my college and I took it because it was the only one offered. The second was non contact, and most of the students said they took it to get in shape, and were into the beauty of the forms, and indeed, there is fine exercise in Tae-Kwon-Do and the forms are beautiful.

Depends on your point of view. Norris did many great things, but if you read his first books he said he did Tang Soo Do. Only in the recent books does he call it TKD.

Classic example of adopting a common name.

Yeah...I was about to say "Huh?" I thought Chuck was a Tang-Soo-Do guy before creating Chun-Kuk-Do.

 

[DMcHenry]

I din't start training unitl the mid '70s, and the school I started with had big sign "Tae Kwon Do - Kung Fu" and "Korean Karate". Most didn't know what TKD was, Kung Fu was popular on TV, but everyone knew what Karate was. It was an old style TKD dojang only.

Later, seemed to me there was quite a few Japanese Karate dojos everywhere, but that may have been because they were more open in their tournaments. I still see a variety, but there does seem to be a dominance of TKD dojangs around, I assume due to the Olympics and a now recognizable name.

 

[stoneheart]

Depends on your point of view. Norris did many great things, but if you read his first books he said he did Tang Soo Do. Only in the recent books does he call it TKD.

Classic example of adopting a common name.

Yes, I remember Norris using the TSD name myself, but having seen his Chun Kuk Do system in person, it's much like any other American tae kwon do system out there. Sport free sparring, one and three steps, some throws (heavy judo influence from what I can tell) and self-defense, and shotokan-influenced forms. I've got no problems with him calling his stuff tae kwon do.

 

[stoneheart]

You have 2 basic schools of thought. The all inclusive any Korean Kicking and punching lineage one and the more restrictive style specific.

As far as contributions from various schools goes, this is worded in a technicaly correct fashion. However, the early contributions were made primarily in one place, under one person and refined and codified by that person.
In the 1950's while submitting te name for acceptance , Choi Hong Hi created the Oh Do Kwan military gym, recruited top martial artists for that gym, many of who were Chung Do Kwan luminaries, and used the contributions from those people t create the first new system to be called TKD. This needed to be done to teach and spread the system. The plan was not unlike Kano's or Funakoshi's. The military resources were then used to dispatch Oh Do Kwan members to demonstrate and teach. He also recruited and converted instructors like Jhoon Rhee to adopt he name and system. Therewas probably more resistance to this than acceptance, UNTIL 2 things happened. 1. The name became so widely popular, other Koreans decided to capitalize on the popularity by adopting it for other system, and 2. Choi Hong Hi became persona non grata almost 20 years after he created the name and spread TKD and theKorean government decided they wantedto be in control adopting their name and applying their resources. I suggest you read "A Kiliing Art" which details this history.

IMNSHO if you approach the issue logicaly, you have to decide what is more logical. 1. Creating a name and single system to teach more easily on an international scale like Funakoshi and Kano etc. or 2. The need for a single name to encomapss a smorgasbord of different systems, many of which were simply Japanese systems that had been given Korean names.

I'll buy the book at first opportunity. I take it you recommend it and you believe the research to be generally accurate?

As for the current state of things, I think events have lead to #2 as the current reality. Lots of systems call themselves TKD today. Given this proliferation, I'd rather use TKD as an umbrella name such as karate is and then just append a more style-specific name as needed. So, ATA TKD for example, compared to wado-ryu or shito-ryu karate.

 

[Earl Weiss]

I'll buy the book at first opportunity. I take it you recommend it and you believe the research to be generally accurate?

I think the guy did a great job with substantiating his facts with footnotes (I think there were 300 footnotes) and references. I did quible with some of his perceptions and conclusions.

 

[sadantkd]

Why should you beware if the kids are the bulk of the business? Most taekwondo schools offer some sort of family membership. Most of the families coming to my school have at least two children who take class. A lot of times, one or both parents either have no interest in learning, or just aren't able to for whatever reason. Also, there is far greater marketing potential when going after the children.

By the way, we have an after school program that works great. The kids learn everything Taekwondo has to offer, and we earn money to keep the lights on, pay for top rate facilities, and ensure that quality instructors are able to make a living doing what they love. It's been done in Korea for a very long time, just so you know.

 

[Miles]

I kind of doubt that TKD is the most popular art in the US right now-in our school the MMA program is doing the best in terms of new enrollment....

 

[padre]

This brings up something I've pondered for a while now: whether or not MMA is becoming its own art, and to what extent the term "mixed martial arts" remains meaningful.

I figure it's not a straight "black or white" question.

 

[Earl Weiss]

This brings up something I've pondered for a while now: whether or not MMA is becoming its own art, and to what extent the term "mixed martial arts" remains meaningful.

I figure it's not a straight "black or white" question.

If you think it may be toughto agree on a definition try to get an agreement on "What is a martial art?"

See: http://www.geocities.com/ustfregion5/What.html

IMNSHO I would not consider anything it's own art or an art at all unless or until the parameters of it's system are codified. Then again you have the "Way of no way".

 

[jks9199]

Various TKD programs are the most commercially visible, at least in my area, and probably across the country. As a group, they've done a great job of marketing and adapting to be a commercial success.

Most practiced? Who knows? How do you capture my students, since it's not a commercial school? What about "hidden" styles that are still being passed down in some families? (They are out there; they're not common, and often are kept within the family or to close friends... but they do exist!) How do you differentiate between the kid or family who's "doing" TKD (or some other art) the same way others might bowl or go fishing from the one who's training and hoping to go to the Olympics or make a name for themselves in the MMA leagues?

 

[arnisador]

Yup, TKD and its variants are at the top in the States. They got the marketing thing down first, before the other groups did.