taekwondo vs karate

PhotonGuy

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They're quite similar and Tae Kwon Do is sometimes in fact referred to as Korean Karate but some of the main differences would be how you stand. With Tae Kwon Do, the kind I've trained in, you stand more sideways with your kicking leg forward whereas with Karate you stand more squared off against your opponent with your stronger leg behind. Also Tae Kwon Do tends to focus more on kicking techniques while Karate focuses more on hand strikes and in Tae Kwon Do they put more of an emphases on high kicking and on ariel techniques.
 

JowGaWolf

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TKD is one of those martial arts that we should specify if we are talking about the sports version or the self-defense version. Same with karate.
 

Ironbear24

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Depending on the dojang there could be zero difference or tons of difference.
 

PhotonGuy

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TKD is one of those martial arts that we should specify if we are talking about the sports version or the self-defense version. Same with karate.
The techniques in sport versions can be modified to be more effective for self defense and vice versa although whether a school teaches a sport version or a self defense version does make a difference. Although some schools teach both.
 

Tez3

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They're quite similar and Tae Kwon Do is sometimes in fact referred to as Korean Karate but some of the main differences would be how you stand. With Tae Kwon Do, the kind I've trained in, you stand more sideways with your kicking leg forward whereas with Karate you stand more squared off against your opponent with your stronger leg behind. Also Tae Kwon Do tends to focus more on kicking techniques while Karate focuses more on hand strikes and in Tae Kwon Do they put more of an emphases on high kicking and on ariel techniques.


It's quite simple, you are incorrect. Disagree as much as you like but you are confused. Karate btw is a generic name, perhaps you would like to actually specify which type of karate you think just focuses on hand techniques? I can tell you it's not mine Wado Ryu, we do everything equally, we like to be well rounded as does Shotokan. All the TKD I've seen outside the Olympic stuff also does techniques equally.
 

PhotonGuy

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It's quite simple, you are incorrect. Disagree as much as you like but you are confused. Karate btw is a generic name, perhaps you would like to actually specify which type of karate you think just focuses on hand techniques? I can tell you it's not mine Wado Ryu, we do everything equally, we like to be well rounded as does Shotokan. All the TKD I've seen outside the Olympic stuff also does techniques equally.

Karate is a generic term and often used to refer to all sorts of martial arts that are primarily striking but to be specific and correct karate and tae kwon do are two different arts and are from different geographical areas of origin. The main style I've trained in, Shito-Ryu Karate, is about half/half in terms of hand techniques vs kicking techniques or at least in my dojo that's how its done, except for the katas which involve mostly hand techniques. The first three katas you learn don't have any kicks and the more advanced katas don't have much kicks either. I would say that the katas that use the most kicks are about 25% kicks and 75% hand techniques.

I've done some tae kwon do as well and from my experience there is more of an emphasis on kicking with tae kwon do than there are with hand strikes. The main school at which I learned tae kwon do did incorporate quite a bit of hand techniques and many of the punching techniques from western boxing was included but it was still mostly kicks that was taught. I've spoken to people who've gone to other tae kwon do schools and some of them have said that if they threw two hand techniques during a class that would be too many. Also tae kwon do places a good emphasis on jumping kicks and areal techniques. The karate I train in occasionally does use jumping techniques but very rarely and you don't start learning those until you get very advanced whereas at this tae kwon do school I went to you start learning them as a white belt. So if you're going to respond to my post by saying no perhaps you should explain why. To just say no without an explanation you probably won't be taken seriously.
 

Tez3

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Karate is a generic term and often used to refer to all sorts of martial arts that are primarily striking

By whom?

The main style I've trained in, Shito-Ryu Karate, is about half/half in terms of hand techniques vs kicking techniques or at least in my dojo that's how its done,

So why are you saying 'karate' focuses mostly on hand techniques then if it's 50/50?

So if you're going to respond to my post by saying no perhaps you should explain why. To just say no without an explanation you probably won't be taken seriously.

However you are wrong, and if I put more I will be Captain Obvious. There isn't anything else to be said, you have it wrong. You don't know enough TKD to know what they do and you admit you do 50/50 hand and leg strikes, you have proved yourself wrong so again I didn't need to say anything.
 

PhotonGuy

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By the general public.


So why are you saying 'karate' focuses mostly on hand techniques then if it's 50/50?

My particular style is 50/50 only when you don't include the katas. When you include the katas its mostly hand techniques and katas make up a big portion of it.

OTE="Tez3, post: 1771477, member: 10553"]However you are wrong, and if I put more I will be Captain Obvious. There isn't anything else to be said, you have it wrong. You don't know enough TKD to know what they do and you admit you do 50/50 hand and leg strikes, you have proved yourself wrong so again I didn't need to say anything.[/QUOTE]

Do you know enough TKD to know what they do? I know enough to know they place more of an emphasis on kicking at least where I've learned it. What is your background in TKD?
 

EvanWinther

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Tae Kwon do:
Korean
Poomsae/Taeguk
Sparring focuses on landing kicks

Karate:
Japanese
Kata (?)
Sparring focuses on both kicking and punching

Also they both have different traditions ie. Bowing to sibbum at start of class etc.
 

Tez3

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By the general public.

No, you don't get to do that. This is a martial arts site with martial artists, you don't get to cite the general public as experts. Even the general public can tell the difference between arts such as Judo and karate.

We have kicks in our kata so all karate doesn't focus on hand techniques. Our second kata onwards has kicks in it. The TKD equivalent has many hand techniques if you are going to regard kata as the sole component to judge a style by which of course it's not, many styles don't use kata at all.

I have actually graded in TKD, not a high grade but I train with a friend of mine every so often just for fun and of course he's an invaluable source of information if I need to know anything about TKD. I spar with his students, they use as many hand techniques as I do, I use as many kicks ( if not more actually my style has a wide repertoire of kicks) as they do.

Bowing to sibbum at start of class etc.

Karate classes bow to the instructor at the start of class,
 
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senseiblackbelt

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No, you don't get to do that. This is a martial arts site with martial artists, you don't get to cite the general public as experts. Even the general public can tell the difference between arts such as Judo and karate.

We have kicks in our kata so all karate doesn't focus on hand techniques. Our second kata onwards has kicks in it. The TKD equivalent has many hand techniques if you are going to regard kata as the sole component to judge a style by which of course it's not, many styles don't use kata at all.

I have actually graded in TKD, not a high grade but I train with a friend of mine every so often just for fun and of course he's an invaluable source of information if I need to know anything about TKD. I spar with his students, they use as many hand techniques as I do, I use as many kicks ( if not more actually my style has a wide repertoire of kicks) as they do.



Karate classes bow to the instructor at the start of class,

not at the one i go to....
 
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senseiblackbelt

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That's random, not what at where you go to do what?

i get u know.. someone said in karate schools we bow down to our instructor in the beginnning but i was saying @ d 1 i go 2 we dont do tht.
 

Tez3

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i get u know.. someone said in karate schools we bow down to our instructor in the beginnning but i was saying @ d 1 i go 2 we dont do tht.

Er... which language are you posting in?
 

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