Why people chose TKD for a style

[pnoy_kickfighter]

This is just a thread to see why people chose TKD for their style. Maybe you are fascinated by the high kicks or maybe you want a martial art backround for joining in a police force or just want to join TKD to join the competitions. Discuss your story here

 

[Shu2jack]

When I was 11 I wanted to "do Karate" like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and other action people/cartoons. So for Chirstmas my mom looked for a martial art school around the same area that my sisters did gymnastics. I tried it out, liked it, and I have been training there ever sense with the same school and instructor.

The reason I have stuck with TKD changed over the years, but at the time I kept at it because I liked it. Looking back, I don't know why. I must've been a masochist or something.

 

[Marginal]

Back in middle school, I took karate for a while, but stopped after about 6 months as there didn't seem to be any way to progress. (Hadn't learned more than half the white belt kata etc) Missed it, but I went on with my life.

Then in college, I started having trouble keeping awake. Tried more caffiene, less, none (this accomplished nothing), more/less sleep... Anyway, nothing really helped. I thought if I started exercising on a regular basis, maybe that'd kickstart my wakeful state. I looked back on those karate classes, and I remembered them being fairly intense, and I thought the structure of a MA would keep me coming back and actively training more than my past dalliances with jogging etc had held up. So I looked into the campus MA club scene. I had it in mind to look up the Arnis club, but I was a year too late. They'd folded. My only option was the TKD club. Given TKD's reputation, I wasn't too exicted, but I contacted the instrctor anyway 'cause I needed something to do.

The first class, it really reminded me of that karate class I'd been in during middle school. Similar traditional structure. So I figured TKD, Shudokan, eh. Long as it feels the same, this is exactly what I'm looking for. Haven't had cause to look back since. It's also a large part of my minimal desire to train in other arts. (Studying them... That's another story.) Going from one art to the next, and finding little difference (just picked up better kicks), never get that "grass is greener" feeling...

 

[ajs1976]

I wanted to get into better shape and I felt studying a martial art wound be more interesting then a gym. Because I travel around the city a lot I needed to find a place close to my house. At the time, I could only find 3 TKD dojangs and 1 Karate/Judo dojo. For personal reasons, the Karate/Judo place was eliminated as a choice, so that limited my choice of an art.

Since starting I have found 2 more TKD, another Karate, an Aikido, and a Kung Fu.

 

[Eldritch Knight]

My reason was the same as Shu2jack's. I was 10, told my parents that I wanted to do Karate, and they put me in the local school. There' s not much else to say; none of us knew anything about martial arts at the time.

 

[Jim Tindell]

My parents asked me if I wanted to start Taekwondo when I turned 7. I'm not sure why they wanted me to, but I was all about it, mostly because of Power Rangers and TMNT. So the day I turned 7, my dad took me to the dojang (local fitness center), and 11 years later, I'm now the instructor of that same class.

When I was a red belt, though, I "quit" for about 1.5 years, just because I grew tired of doing the same things in class every day. But my mom convinced me to go back, seeing how I was so close to my 1st Poom at the time. So I decided to go back just to get that, and I've stuck with it ever since.

 

[rupton]

I don't study TKD now but I did when I was younger up to ildan then switched to Kung-Fu and then Karate where I am today. Like others I wanted to do "Karate" when I was kid, but unlike others this was well before Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers. It was even before the Karate Kid but not by much . I think my biggest motivation was not TV but my grandma who was a nidan in Goju-ryu, but I digress. I really liked TKD when I started, first because it was the only choice in my proximity and second, it was very traditional and deep rooted (as much as TKD can be) but as time went on it started growing more and more commercial and political so I stopped. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking a school taking a more comercial attitude for various reasons it's just that I prefer a more traditional non-commercial approach.

 

[pnoy_kickfighter]

But for self defense puposes, why would you choose TKD

 

[Moogong]

My college schedule changed and I could no longer go the karate class I was taking. A friend introduced me excellent TKD and HKD school. I loved the instructor and master so I have never left the style. I cross train in BJJ and it makes me enjoy TKD even more.

 

[FearlessFreep]

I choose TKD simply because I was looking for an activity for my children to get into that they could all do together, my wife and I knew someone who recommended the class her husband and son were in, and I got dragged into t he class one night while dropping off the kids.

However, the style of TKD I do is mostly for self-defense

 

[TigerWoman]

But for self defense puposes, why would you choose TKD

Self-defense isn't the primary reason for joining TKD as a child for most people. But I joined because I was dragged to it by my teenage daughter.

Why did you join TKD-PNoy? We all found something that we liked. The structure, discipline, hard physical regimen, the fact that it is 90% kicking with alot of diversity and for some organizations includes upperbody strikes like punching, uppercuts, hooks etc. The breaking is fun and a way to learn about oneself. I like learning form, poomse, as a self-exploratory ladder of steps into the depth of TKD. We train upper body, abs, legs, speed, strength, flexibility, balance, agility. Why are we so strong? We do thousands of kicks each class. Our emphasis is on the physical.

Our self-defense is adequate. It is for self-defense-not looking for a fight. My interest doesn't lie there so much but still would like to know more and as a black belt am getting into more complex technique. TKD is not just about self-defense. But for those who strive for more, go deeper into the art, very much can defend themselves. I see TKD as a way of life, literally, to keep active, flexible, strong in mind and body. TW

 

[TX_BB]

But for self defense puposes, why would you choose TKD

If your athletic, long legged, and explosive TKD is an excellent method of SD.

 

[47MartialMan]

I had done TKD after a residential change, it was the closest thing available way back then during my pre-teens.

 

[terryl965]

TKD is effective for self defense if the person is willing to put the time and learn all aspect of TKD not just the sport. The problem is when people think TKD they say sport programmed by the masses. I do relize there are other Arts around that put the majority into SD, And yes I have looked elsewhere for some training like wrestling that was what it was called back then.If you as a person put the time and effort into any Art some SD will come from it, even if you bring it to the table yourself in time.

Now back to the question when I moved to California I was looking for a hard Dojo to train in, like they way my father trained us and I came across a gentleman that fit the bill and he tought TKD and was not that much of a change from Karate and it was very fullfilling for me over the year I just fell in Love with the5 Art itself and stayed.
Terry

 

[Laborn]

well my school is a tournament school, im a black belt candidate and we're just now starting to do self defense like stuff....real fighting..you know?

I joined taekwondo because i've always enjoyed kicking rather then punching

Laborn

 

[47MartialMan]

well my school is a tournament school, im a black belt candidate and we're just now starting to do self defense like stuff....real fighting..you know?

I joined taekwondo because i've always enjoyed kicking rather then punching

Laborn

Yes, TKD is certainly noted for its kicks. The kicking drills are quite the work out. At least the ones I had.

 

[pnoy_kickfighter]

Self-defense isn't the primary reason for joining TKD as a child for most people. But I joined because I was dragged to it by my teenage daughter.

Why did you join TKD-PNoy? We all found something that we liked. The structure, discipline, hard physical regimen, the fact that it is 90% kicking with alot of diversity and for some organizations includes upperbody strikes like punching, uppercuts, hooks etc. The breaking is fun and a way to learn about oneself. I like learning form, poomse, as a self-exploratory ladder of steps into the depth of TKD. We train upper body, abs, legs, speed, strength, flexibility, balance, agility. Why are we so strong? We do thousands of kicks each class. Our emphasis is on the physical.

Our self-defense is adequate. It is for self-defense-not looking for a fight. My interest doesn't lie there so much but still would like to know more and as a black belt am getting into more complex technique. TKD is not just about self-defense. But for those who strive for more, go deeper into the art, very much can defend themselves. I see TKD as a way of life, literally, to keep active, flexible, strong in mind and body. TW

I always liked the marital arts. Before I joined I researched in the computer some of the styles and even though that TKD was less than a fighting art I liked the way the kicks are how graceful and how correct but then it hits you it hurts. I liked the style, the forms , the kicks , the drills also how we bowed at the end to show respect to the flag and how we spoke the korean terminology to say "Thank You" or " Good Night". Also even though its more of a sport I've always had this little hope that I could train in a way to bring back its combative side. Maybe the way that the art was meant to be used

 

[Drac]

I think it's because there ALWAYS seems to be a TKD school around..

 

[47MartialMan]

I think it's because there ALWAYS seems to be a TKD school around..

That is because, according to my observation and source, in the 70's, the Korean Gov' sent many TKD (Korean Instructors) out with Gov. funding to promote (open) it.

 

[arnisador]

I think it's because there ALWAYS seems to be a TKD school around..

Every style I ever chose was not taught where I next moved. I should've used similar reasoning!