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Khun Kao · 03-25-2003, 09:57 AM

Its really odd that I often find myself defending TKD to people. I am *NOT* a fan of TKD, but I have been TAUGHT to respect it... the HARD WAY!

Seriously, I started training in Martial Arts in 1988-89. I started my training with Tang Soo Do, then moved onto Ninjitsu, then I discovered Muay Thai. Up until 1994, I had experience with TKD that most likely mirrored the experiences that most of you have had. A bunch of people wearing white pajamas throwing around little sloppy, flippy kicks that had nothing behind them.

However, my instructor was given the opportunity to teach out of a TKD school. This school was NO JOKE! Master Robert Owens was a former Army Sargeant, who learned TKD in Korea while still in the military. Because his school was literally located right outside of a military base, he had predominantly military families as students. He ran his school like Boot Camp! I was suddenly finding myself witnessing a TKD that I didn't know existed!

I had the opportunity to spar against some of his students. I will not mince words about this. The individual kicks were solid, but didn't particularly hurt. My Muay Thai training had conditioned me to take worse. However, it was often so difficult to land a shot against these guys that I have actually gone entire sparring matches without landing a single strike!

The few instances where this happened, my TKD sparring partner used his Side Kicks with dynamic footwork. He would dance around right outside of my longest reach, then would hit me with a Side Kick, then immediately move again. Any time I would try to close the gap to land my own shots, I would eat a fast Side Kick. No, they didn't particularly damage me, but they stopped me in my tracks.

I also have spoken with some Muay Thai instructors who are actually from Thailand. They agree that TKD is a good art, though they feel its use is limited. They all agree that the Side Kick is TKD's best weapon and that a good TKD'ist can hold a Thai boxer at bay with a smart fight strategy centered around dynamic footwork and side kicks.

Khun Kao

03-25-2003, 09:57 AM	#6 (permalink)
Khun Kao Registered User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Alexandria, VA Posts: 847 Groans: 0 Groaned at 0 Times in 0 Posts	Its really odd that I often find myself defending TKD to people. I am NOT a fan of TKD, but I have been TAUGHT to respect it... the HARD WAY! Seriously, I started training in Martial Arts in 1988-89. I started my training with Tang Soo Do, then moved onto Ninjitsu, then I discovered Muay Thai. Up until 1994, I had experience with TKD that most likely mirrored the experiences that most of you have had. A bunch of people wearing white pajamas throwing around little sloppy, flippy kicks that had nothing behind them. However, my instructor was given the opportunity to teach out of a TKD school. This school was NO JOKE! Master Robert Owens was a former Army Sargeant, who learned TKD in Korea while still in the military. Because his school was literally located right outside of a military base, he had predominantly military families as students. He ran his school like Boot Camp! I was suddenly finding myself witnessing a TKD that I didn't know existed! I had the opportunity to spar against some of his students. I will not mince words about this. The individual kicks were solid, but didn't particularly hurt. My Muay Thai training had conditioned me to take worse. However, it was often so difficult to land a shot against these guys that I have actually gone entire sparring matches without landing a single strike! The few instances where this happened, my TKD sparring partner used his Side Kicks with dynamic footwork. He would dance around right outside of my longest reach, then would hit me with a Side Kick, then immediately move again. Any time I would try to close the gap to land my own shots, I would eat a fast Side Kick. No, they didn't particularly damage me, but they stopped me in my tracks. I also have spoken with some Muay Thai instructors who are actually from Thailand. They agree that TKD is a good art, though they feel its use is limited. They all agree that the Side Kick is TKD's best weapon and that a good TKD'ist can hold a Thai boxer at bay with a smart fight strategy centered around dynamic footwork and side kicks. Khun Kao __________________ Kru Brooks C. Miller GCA MuayThai Board of Advisors USMTA Director of DC, MD, and VA http://khunkao.com/