Joe Rogans Accomplishments and USTU/USTA events?

Drose427

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First, I'd like to preface this by saying I was not around then, nor do I know I have the full history of how USTU/USTA events are held.

Everyone one has heard of Joe Rogan being a TKD champion and winning the US Open. However, I've met a few fellow TKDoers who dispute it, saying it wasn't the USTU US. Open. I also know that dang near every open style tournament calls itself The U.S. Open. Although the current weight classes do not line up with his account and there is currently no title of Grand Champion, I was not competing then and have very little experience with the USTU/USTA, so to my knowledge the organization could have ran events that way in the past. This whol debate sparked a couple questions in my head.

1. How much have USTA events changed in the last 30 years and what actually changed? (I assume a great deal)

2. Was anyone here training or competing around that time (1985-87ish) that could clear that up? To me it sounds he was winning a smaller organizations tournament, but I simply do not know enough about the USTA and their past events and I'm wary to believe folks with a bias against Rogan because of his tendency to dismiss TMA's.
 

terryl965

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It was the A.A.U. prior to U.S.T.U and now U.S.A.T. I can say without a doubt Joe Rogan has never won the real U.S. Open held by the N.G.B. which stands for the National Governing Body for Olympic Tae Kwon Do. Joe Rogan won on the smaller stage and was doing point style sparring versus Olympic style. He was a good fighter but nothing on the great side of taekwondo. Hope that helps some what for you.
 

Brian R. VanCise

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There we have it. Probably small to medium sized tournament and nothing more. Certainly not Olympic level competition!
 

Buka

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I have never met Joe Rogan. (I saw him a many times when he was a kid in my buddy's class, but he was just a kid in class and I was an adult and who the hell pays attention to kids if you aren't teaching them?) But I know some folks who've trained with him over the last twenty years in grappling. Joe knows the fight game, I don't think anyone can dispute that. And I know he can kick like a son of a *****.
He is skilled in grappling, very skilled and he has a long background in striking arts. I have no idea what he did or did not win in whatever striking competitions he was in and don't much care.

The one thing that folks tell me who've trained with him a lot, besides being very skilled, is that he's wicked strong. That weired kind of monkey strength that some people have that's just different from the rest of us.

I like Joe Rogan. I wish he was the color commentator on every single MMA fight that's on TV.
 
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Drose427

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I have never met Joe Rogan. (I saw him a many times when he was a kid in my buddy's class, but he was just a kid in class and I was an adult and who the hell pays attention to kids if you aren't teaching them?) But I know some folks who've trained with him over the last twenty years in grappling. Joe knows the fight game, I don't think anyone can dispute that. And I know he can kick like a son of a *****.
He is skilled in grappling, very skilled and he has a long background in striking arts. I have no idea what he did or did not win in whatever striking competitions he was in and don't much care.

The one thing that folks tell me who've trained with him a lot, besides being very skilled, is that he's wicked strong. That weired kind of monkey strength that some people have that's just different from the rest of us.

I like Joe Rogan. I wish he was the color commentator on every single MMA fight that's on TV.
There we have it. Probably small to medium sized tournament and nothing more. Certainly not Olympic level competition!
It was the A.A.U. prior to U.S.T.U and now U.S.A.T. I can say without a doubt Joe Rogan has never won the real U.S. Open held by the N.G.B. which stands for the National Governing Body for Olympic Tae Kwon Do. Joe Rogan won on the smaller stage and was doing point style sparring versus Olympic style. He was a good fighter but nothing on the great side of taekwondo. Hope that helps some what for you.


Buka, without a doubt the guy is still an accomplished Martial Artist! He's put in many, many hours of BJJ and Muay Thai long after he quit TKD

And thanks everyone for the answers!
 

Buka

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Buka, without a doubt the guy is still an accomplished Martial Artist! He's put in many, many hours of BJJ and Muay Thai long after he quit TKD

And thanks everyone for the answers!

Joe Rogan's first training in Martial Arts was in Kenpo, at Joe Esposito's school in Newton Mass when we was a little kid. He trained there for a few years.

At the weigh in at the UFC 118 in Boston in 2010, Rogan made a big deal and yelled to everyone, "This is the guy who started me in Martial Arts!" (Joe Esposito was one of the MMA commissioners in Mass at the time) It was really classy and Rogan was very excited to tell everyone. I always liked him for that.
 

Thousand Kicks

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I have seen videos of Joe Rogan and there's no doubt that he is a talented martial artist.

My issue with him stems from an interview I saw where he claims after spending a lot of time training in sport style TKD he came to realize 2 things

1. There isn't a lot of money in TKD
2. After training with some kickoxers he realized his TKD training had not prepared him to defend his whole body

These are both valid points, but how is it he only came to realize this after years in TKD? There have been many threads on this board that say there's nothing wrong with sport TKD as long as you realize what you're getting into. Nobody should bash an art and call it useless or stupid because they can't do an honest self assessment.
 

Gwai Lo Dan

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2. After training with some kickoxers he realized his TKD training had not prepared him to defend his whole body

These are both valid points, but how is it he only came to realize this after years in TKD? There have been many threads on this board that say there's nothing wrong with sport TKD as long as you realize what you're getting into. Nobody should bash an art and call it useless or stupid because they can't do an honest self assessment.
I never saw him as bashing the art per se, but saying that a whole lot of suboptimal techniques are pushed over the more basic,effective techniques. The suboptimal techniques may have a place, but they should be taught after the more effective basics.

I saw a clip where he talked about being criticized about his view of traditional martial arts. Someone said, "What? You don't think a tiger claw to the face would hurt?", and he replied, "Of course it would, but so would an overhead right punch! I'm just saying the tiger claw isn't the best choice".

My critiique of KKW TKD is that all the kids don't realise the suitability of the drills / techniques. Why do we put hands on the chest during poomsae for instance? Why do the basic poomsae (taegueks 1-8) have all sorts of hand techniques, but no 1-2 punches (jab/cross) which is arguably the single most effective combination in all martial arts? I love KKW TKD, but I think the part that is missing from most of the instruction is the bridge to reality.
 

Gwai Lo Dan

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Why do the basic poomsae (taegueks 1-8) have all sorts of hand techniques, but no 1-2 punches (jab/cross) which is arguably the single most effective combination in all martial arts?
I may have to take that part back - taegeuk pal jang (8) has a right/left punch after a kick & block, which is getting close to a jab /cross.
 

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I may have to take that part back - taegeuk pal jang (8) has a right/left punch after a kick & block, which is getting close to a jab /cross.
Sam Jang, Sa Jang, and Pal Jang all have double punches, some lead leg first, some back leg first.
 

Gwai Lo Dan

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Sam Jang, Sa Jang, and Pal Jang all have double punches, some lead leg first, some back leg first.
True. I forgot about the double punches in taegeuks 4&5, although I was thinking of taegeuk 4 when I posted, wondering, "when would I ever do a knife hand to the stomach as opposed to a punch?".
 

TrueJim

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True. I forgot about the double punches in taegeuks 4&5, although I was thinking of taegeuk 4 when I posted, wondering, "when would I ever do a knife hand to the stomach as opposed to a punch?".

You mean the spearhand thrust at the beginning? Yah...I'm confused by the "to the stomach" part too. I'm told the theory of the spearhand is that well...gosh darn-it...sometimes you just need 3-4 more inches of reach to strike to the target...which for a very-soft target like the throat could theoretically make sense, I suppose.
 

Gnarlie

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You might use it if you had trained it...

Just because it's defined as momtong doesn't necessarily mean the target has to be the solar plexus. Other targets might happen to find themselves at that height, or the strike height can be adjusted to find an eyeball / trachea / under the jawline cavity. Hmm I wonder what the supposed pressing block that precedes the fingertip strike might be doing? Perhaps manipulating a nice soft target into position.


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TrueJim

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You might use it if you had trained it...
Just because it's defined as momtong doesn't necessarily mean the target has to be the solar plexus. Other targets might happen to find themselves at that height, or the strike height can be adjusted to find an eyeball / trachea / under the jawline cavity. Hmm I wonder what the supposed pressing block that precedes the fingertip strike might be doing? Perhaps manipulating a nice soft target into position.

Lee Kyu Hyung's ability to break using a spearhand is one of my favorite things to see on video. He is amazing.
 

Laplace_demon

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I have seen videos of Joe Rogan and there's no doubt that he is a talented martial artist.

My issue with him stems from an interview I saw where he claims after spending a lot of time training in sport style TKD he came to realize 2 things

Joe Rogan did not bash "sport TKD". It's reported that Rogan was ITF trained by GM Jae H. Kim in Boston. That's what he ultimately bashed. And yes he has repeatedly done so. Questioning why anybody would train it anymore when a UFC fighter with TKD background enters, for instance, someone said he commented that.
 

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It's reported that Rogan was ITF trained by GM Jae H. Kim in Boston.

The fact that Joe Rogan has said he was 'trying to get into the Olympics' and that he was his states full contact TKD champ (and you've claimed that ITF doesn't do full contact...) would argue against your statement being correct.
Do you have some support for your claim?
 

Laplace_demon

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The fact that Joe Rogan has said he was 'trying to get into the Olympics' and that he was his states full contact TKD champ (and you've claimed that ITF doesn't do full contact...) would argue against your statement being correct.
Do you have some support for your claim?

He was brought up ITF, then tried to get into the olympics. To your other question: Those were not ITF competitions that he fought. It was American Taekwondo Federations, and yes they were indeed full contact.
 
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Dirty Dog

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He was brought up ITF, then tried to get into the olympics. To your other question: Those were not ITF competitions that he fought. It was American Taekwondo Federations, and yes they were indeed full contact.

You've not shown yourself to be a particularly reliable source, so I'm going to ask - again - for some support for your claims about his training, since you claim to know details.
 

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