1) You fight the way you train
2) It's a waste of time to train things that you will not use
3) It's likely that most of the people in your class haven't been in many or any real fights
4) Hick's Law: the more options that your brain has, the longer it will take to decide on one
Quote:
|
Someone trained in Hapkido could do all the kicks that someone trained in Thai boxing could do...and more.
|
They wouldn't do them nearly as well as the Thai boxer. I know a karateka that spends quite a lot of time on kicking--lots of kicking, lots of kicks. I don't spend very much time with kicking. I can throw a harder low roundhouse and a quicker, less telegraphic, more powerful push kick than he can. Why? I only train about 3 kicks.
A hapkidoist can train 'hapkido punching' all they want, but they will not punch better than a boxer who spends all of his time on hands.
Quote:
|
Thats true, but thats not Hapkido.
|
Actually, it is. Unless all of the Hapkido schools that I have been to are so radically different than yours.
Quote:
|
I guess wanting to defend yourself and wanting to fight are two very different things.
|
They are, but there is a significant amount of overlap between the physical skills. Most traditional martial artists don't have the skills necessary for either. Sorry if that comes as a shock, but it's true. Combat sports aren't the best way to train for self-defense, but I'd bet on a boxer, grappler, or Thai fighter against just about any trad martial artist. Why? Combat sport practitioners focus on things that work within the bounds of their rules. Most traditional disciplines teach methods that don't work under any set of rules or lack thereof. Also, the things that separate the skill sets of self-defense and fighting are generally more mental than physical.