Tae Kwon do!

[Wolf Nightshade]

Get a heavy bag and practice your kicks and stretch daily and you will be more flexible and strong. Kicking a heavy bag will eventually increase shin strength. Hitting a solid object with your kick makes the bone flex a bit and causes it to break down and grow stronger.

I did Tae Kwon Do for awhile then we spared and I kicked the crap out of an advanced student was told everything I did was illegal and I left. I disliked how sport based it was I took little from it I think you would be better off with Muay Thai. A lot of the Tae Kwon Do techniques are to flashy and seem to send you off balance. I have been to watch tournaments and I dislike how many keep their hands down and end up falling and stumbling around after trying to throw a barrage of kicks. Tae Kwon Do has some of the fastest kicks I have ever seen but I prefer to use my hands more. It's just my opinion but I feel punching is your biggest or top weapon to train then your kicks. It's been my experience that kicking above the waist increase your chances of being knocked to the ground. Low kicks are more combat effective. Ground fighting is comparable to both it's necessary but shouldn't be your main focus especially if your geared to self defense. I myself have never had a fight in real life go to the ground even against wrestlers. Against multiple attacker or in certain places going to the ground could get you killed. I prefer Southern Chinese styles and currently train Wing Chun. Generally Southern styles use more punching I like Chinese arts because I like how they move and the history behind it all.

[Fernis06]

Just a whole lot of dedication goes a long way

[l Omie-Gosh l]

Wolf Nightshade

I did Tae Kwon Do for awhile then we sparred and I kicked the crap out of an advanced student was told everything I did was illegal and I left. I disliked how sport based it was and I dislike how many keep their hands down and end up falling and stumbling around after trying to throw a barrage of kicks. It's been my experience that kicking above the waist increase your chances of being knocked to the ground.

I trained in a few arts and it's funny that both my tai chi and tang soo do instructors have the same opinion about TKD. They said it's better used for scoring points in a tournament than used for self-defense. My tang soo do instructor also revealed that there's a rivalry between tang soo and TKD practitioners. One of his students entered a tournament and when the judges, most of whom had TKD backgrounds, learned that his student studied tang soo do they favored the opponent even though his student was the better contender.

[Wolf Nightshade]

l Omie-Gosh l

Wolf Nightshade

I did Tae Kwon Do for awhile then we sparred and I kicked the crap out of an advanced student was told everything I did was illegal and I left. I disliked how sport based it was and I dislike how many keep their hands down and end up falling and stumbling around after trying to throw a barrage of kicks. It's been my experience that kicking above the waist increase your chances of being knocked to the ground.

I trained in a few arts and it's funny that both my tai chi and tang soo do instructors have the same opinion about TKD. They said it's better used for scoring points in a tournament than used for self-defense. My tang soo do instructor also revealed that there's a rivalry between tang soo and TKD practitioners. One of his students entered a tournament and when the judges, most of whom had TKD backgrounds, learned that his student studied tang soo do they favored the opponent even though his student was the better contender.

I believe the issue with TKD is that they don't teach it as a fighting art anymore it's become to much of a sport and has lead to bad habits that don't work in real fighting. I was watching a women's TKD match the other day. One was hopping around the other was not I never did all that bouncing around but have seen many who do. I think it's unnecessary and by my schools way of thinking it's wasted energy. Both these women had their hands down most of the time. I understand kicks are worth more points but the hands should at least be up. I have been to watch many tournaments and all the sparring I see are basically games of tag with little defensive skill being used.

Many time TKD matches I watch are just people trading kick for kick over and over with no defense. In my Wing Chun class I am about the only person who uses or knows how to kick to the head. I use high kicks to help my students learn to watch for them. At this point I damn near can't use them. About 90% of the time with my more advanced people I can't get to them. My main 2 buddies will knock me on my a** if I am not careful. However kicks to the lower body are way more effective and harder to defend against. If a TKD person focused more on kicking low and using their hands I think it would be more effective. It's not a bad art it's just I haven't seen any schools that know how to use it well in real fighting. I learned more from 1 Wing Chun class then all my time in TKD.

[antaine]

Wolf Nightshade

l Omie-Gosh l

Wolf Nightshade

I did Tae Kwon Do for awhile then we sparred and I kicked the crap out of an advanced student was told everything I did was illegal and I left. I disliked how sport based it was and I dislike how many keep their hands down and end up falling and stumbling around after trying to throw a barrage of kicks. It's been my experience that kicking above the waist increase your chances of being knocked to the ground.

I trained in a few arts and it's funny that both my tai chi and tang soo do instructors have the same opinion about TKD. They said it's better used for scoring points in a tournament than used for self-defense. My tang soo do instructor also revealed that there's a rivalry between tang soo and TKD practitioners. One of his students entered a tournament and when the judges, most of whom had TKD backgrounds, learned that his student studied tang soo do they favored the opponent even though his student was the better contender.

I believe the issue with TKD is that they don't teach it as a fighting art anymore it's become to much of a sport and has lead to bad habits that don't work in real fighting. I was watching a women's TKD match the other day. One was hopping around the other was not I never did all that bouncing around but have seen many who do. I think it's unnecessary and by my schools way of thinking it's wasted energy. Both these women had their hands down most of the time. I understand kicks are worth more points but the hands should at least be up. I have been to watch many tournaments and all the sparring I see are basically games of tag with little defensive skill being used.

Many time TKD matches I watch are just people trading kick for kick over and over with no defense. In my Wing Chun class I am about the only person who uses or knows how to kick to the head. I use high kicks to help my students learn to watch for them. At this point I damn near can't use them. About 90% of the time with my more advanced people I can't get to them. My main 2 buddies will knock me on my a** if I am not careful. However kicks to the lower body are way more effective and harder to defend against. If a TKD person focused more on kicking low and using their hands I think it would be more effective. It's not a bad art it's just I haven't seen any schools that know how to use it well in real fighting. I learned more from 1 Wing Chun class then all my time in TKD.

]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjqjTyG_p90

In fairness to the two of you, watching a tournament is hardly representive of what an art teaches are regards self defense. Combat sports are not the same thing as self defense scenarios.

Now if you want to make the argument that the sporting aspects of certain arts can lead to instilling bad habits when it comes to self defense situations then I am certainly in agreement. However different schools are going to have different focuses. There are some schools that happen to be very into the sport aspect, some that practice it as a traditional art, and those with a strong self-defense focus. A sporting focus isn't a bad thing in and of itself, so long as the practictioners arn't being sold the idea that their sparring skills are representitive of their ability to handle themselves on the street.
The split focus is additionally compounded in tae kwon do due to the various schisms that have happened throughout the art's history.

[Wolf Nightshade]

antaine

Wolf Nightshade

l Omie-Gosh l

Wolf Nightshade

I did Tae Kwon Do for awhile then we sparred and I kicked the crap out of an advanced student was told everything I did was illegal and I left. I disliked how sport based it was and I dislike how many keep their hands down and end up falling and stumbling around after trying to throw a barrage of kicks. It's been my experience that kicking above the waist increase your chances of being knocked to the ground.

I trained in a few arts and it's funny that both my tai chi and tang soo do instructors have the same opinion about TKD. They said it's better used for scoring points in a tournament than used for self-defense. My tang soo do instructor also revealed that there's a rivalry between tang soo and TKD practitioners. One of his students entered a tournament and when the judges, most of whom had TKD backgrounds, learned that his student studied tang soo do they favored the opponent even though his student was the better contender.

I believe the issue with TKD is that they don't teach it as a fighting art anymore it's become to much of a sport and has lead to bad habits that don't work in real fighting. I was watching a women's TKD match the other day. One was hopping around the other was not I never did all that bouncing around but have seen many who do. I think it's unnecessary and by my schools way of thinking it's wasted energy. Both these women had their hands down most of the time. I understand kicks are worth more points but the hands should at least be up. I have been to watch many tournaments and all the sparring I see are basically games of tag with little defensive skill being used.

Many time TKD matches I watch are just people trading kick for kick over and over with no defense. In my Wing Chun class I am about the only person who uses or knows how to kick to the head. I use high kicks to help my students learn to watch for them. At this point I damn near can't use them. About 90% of the time with my more advanced people I can't get to them. My main 2 buddies will knock me on my a** if I am not careful. However kicks to the lower body are way more effective and harder to defend against. If a TKD person focused more on kicking low and using their hands I think it would be more effective. It's not a bad art it's just I haven't seen any schools that know how to use it well in real fighting. I learned more from 1 Wing Chun class then all my time in TKD.

]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjqjTyG_p90

In fairness to the two of you, watching a tournament is hardly representive of what an art teaches are regards self defense. Combat sports are not the same thing as self defense scenarios.

Now if you want to make the argument that the sporting aspects of certain arts can lead to instilling bad habits when it comes to self defense situations then I am certainly in agreement. However different schools are going to have different focuses. There are some schools that happen to be very into the sport aspect, some that practice it as a traditional art, and those with a strong self-defense focus. A sporting focus isn't a bad thing in and of itself, so long as the practictioners arn't being sold the idea that their sparring skills are representitive of their ability to handle themselves on the street.
The split focus is additionally compounded in tae kwon do due to the various schisms that have happened throughout the art's history.

I am speaking mainly from my experience in TKD I didn't like what I got from it. We did many exercises in the air as a class about the only thing we did with a partner was stretching. Granted I didn't stay long. I took the class just before my 5th grade year at our local college with a friend. He quit half way through and I stuck it out. We would stretch every day then do some drills and then run in the gym. Later close to the end we got to spar this was the first time we as far as I can remember ever really used the techniques we had been learning. Everyone there was older than I and I got paired up with this black belt. In a few seconds I had this black belt against a wall kicking and kneeing the hell out of him.I was shocked then I was told that my techniques were illegal it was never explained what the rules were. I didn't understand the point system and crap and the whole thing disgusted me I never went back. My father knowing how into martial arts I was took me to many tournaments around Southwest Kansas.

I met many Karateka and TKD people many of the schools were heavily sports based and did things that made me cringe. Out of most of the tournaments I went to I hardly ever seen any sort of blocking being used just 2 people kicking wildly at each other for a few seconds and then walking back. I seen tons of Karateka flipping about gym rooms twirling weapons and screaming but few ever demonstrating knowledge of self defense applications. From my experience watching and talking to other martial artists I am seeing few traditional arts are teaching martial arts just sport and gymnastics. Even the MMA guys we meet seem shocked about the skills we train.