The great thing about TKD is...........

[IcemanSK]

Hi All,

I've noticed that we often talk about the things we wish we could change about our beloved Art. What are it's good points from your perspective? I'm not talkin' "TKD is better than" or "my style of TKD is better than X TKD style." Jusy wanna know what you love about it. Put as many things into a post as you want.

 

[terryl965]

The actual art side to it, when done properly it is fantastic to watch. This is always what I say.

 

[Twin Fist]

it's like learning shotokan without all the pretenciousness......LOL

i kid, i kid

seriously though, i like the complexity within the simplicity

 

[IcemanSK]

I want to continue with what Terry said. When done well, be it forms, or hoshinsul, it is absolutely a thing of beauty: In addition to being very deadly.

A well executed side kick is beautiful. I watch GM Lee Kyu Hyung perform Han Soo

& I nearly cry it's so nice.

 

[terryl965]

Yes Iceman that is a thing of beauty.

 

[Windsinger]

Count me in on that. Shortly before I started taking TKD, I was watching my son in class. In the second classroom at the dojang, I saw my Sabum Nym and his wife practising a tul together. Perfect synchronization, totally fluid, absolutely amazing. I missed the next few minutes of class because I was totally transfixed. Absolutely beautiful!

 

[Kacey]

I love TKD because when I first started, something "clicked" - 21 years later I'm still not quite sure what - but something in those first 2 or 3 classes filled a void I didn't know was there. I do know that if, for some reason, TKD was gone from my life, the void would return, but larger for knowing what had filled it.

 

[cbjr5]

I like the physical fitness from the workouts, the flexibility I've gain and the people I've met. I also agree doing the forms is challenging, but looks good when a group can do them in unison.

 

[StuartA]

...its is much deeper than it looks and really takes a lifetime of discovery to reveal much of the deeper side of the art!

Stuart

 

[YoungMan]

When it is done well, it possesses a power, grace, fluidity, speed, and positive philosophy I seldom see elsewhere.

When it is done well, it is well rounded and leads to an extremely effective development of physical and mental technique.

And finally, when done well, it emphasizes practical application as well as aesthetic beauty of technique.

 

[FearlessFreep]

Zombie Defense???


(ok, sorry...I'll give a serious reply in a bit)

 

[terryl965]

Well for me being 5'8" tal and wieghing around 250 lbs. it has to be all those flying kicks you know 540 and 720 and backflips man I can se me know exicuting those with ease. OK on the serious side here all the power behind those simplicity of kicks in any S.D. type of stituation.

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

...its is much deeper than it looks and really takes a lifetime of discovery to reveal much of the deeper side of the art!

Stuart

I agree! Easy to learn, difficult to master.

As for my response to the OP, it just clicked with me. After several years of fencing and kendo and a love of swords that borders on mild insanity, taekwondo clicks with me more than any other martial art that I've been exposed to. I've begun hapkido recently and I do enjoy it, but taekwondo really syncs with me.

I love the elegant simplicity of it, the power of the techniques, and the fact that, as Stuart said, it is much deeper than it looks. Saint Augustine once said of Christianity that 'a mouse can wade in it and an elephant can swim in it'. Not to start a religious discussion, but I feel that that statement can apply equally to taekwondo. A child can learn it, but a master can spend his or her lifetime in truly mastering it to its fullest degree.

Daniel

 

[Manny]

What I like: The martial aspect of the art, the self defense, the pommse,the sparring in that order. We must start in the point that TKD is a martial art oriented to self dense so everithing that leads thay way I liked.

What I dislike.-Politics,olimpics, sure I dislike the way olimpics as influented the martial art of TKD were in the ring (combat zone) on or two kicks and then the holding (embrace of the fighters) in this point I like the most the sparring used in ITF.

I like a self defense orineted martial arts/sport and I thing TKD has lost this point so importatnt to me.

Manny

 

[K31]

What I like is that except for the "ground game" it can be whatever you want.

- Self Defense
- A good exercise routine
- A "Classic" asian martial art (with traditions, discipline, philosophy)
- A competitive sport
- An artistic sport/endeavor

Actually I'm happy it doesn't have a "ground game" or attract those who think an "MA" must have a "ground game".

 

[igillman]

I like the lack of a ground game too. I do not roll or fall very well and whenever we have done a bit of rolling I have always ended up at 90 degrees to everybody else.

I like the workout we get for the warmup and stretching as well as the way we are encouraged to jump, turn and kick at the same time. I will always strive towards the tornado kick with not much hope of ever reaching it.

TKD pushes me to do things that I am not naturally very good at (like jumping and high kicking). As long as it keeps pushing me I will keep showing up.

 

[GlassJaw]

What I like: The martial aspect of the art, the self defense, the pommse,the sparring in that order.

For me, I really enjoy working on forms, so I put that slightly above the SD. I would add physical fitness into there somewhere; I would probably be a total couch potato were it not for my passion for TKD (not that I don't do active things outside of TKD, just that I would be a lot less likely to if I wasn't regularly working out for TKD). I do enjoy sparring, but I'm not passionate about it.

What I dislike.-Politics,olimpics, sure I dislike the way olimpics as influented the martial art of TKD were in the ring

Hear, hear! Politics (especially internal) has done so much damage to the advancement of TKD. And, while I have nothing against anyone who has Olympic aspirations for their TKD, I find it rather embarrassing that Olympic TKD should become the popular face of TKD worldwide. It's too disconnected from the art I enjoy.

Dan