tkd_person89

Is TKD a sport or a MA?

Is it both at the same time?

Which one of it is more of?

World TKD Federation...

blitz

I think it was a MA but it has changed over the years into a sport, thats why lots of people see it as useless.

chopsueytkd123

i agree with blitz. it was originally used by the Korean military as an effective way to subdue enemies in hand to hand combat, but now a days its just used as a sport. i regret ever starting training in it.

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tkd_person89

My opinion though is that

the martial part is still there. it hasn't really gone away

the martial aspect is only gone in Mcdojangs and poor instructors in my opinion

Piston

It seems very strange to me that no one except an enlightened few know this but here goes:

WTF (World Tae Kwon Do Federation) TKD is indeed far more sports-orientated and as such is considered an olympic event.This is the most widely taught/whored form across America.

ITF (International Tae Kwon Do Federation) TKD is far closer if not exactly what the General taught and is a martial art. This is taught in most of Europe and some parts of Asia. I've explained the difference in the styles too many times on these forums to be bothered explaining here.

tkd_person89

WTF is sports oriented but it also has retaine dthe martial arts aspect.

perhaps you don't know that

or you are biased because you are ITF

It's actually more important to choose a good "kwan" than to differentiate between ITF and WTF.

Usually, JiDoKwan is known as being sporty. While Chung Do Kwan is quite traditional and known for its fast, powerful kicks.

The Munster

Sport or MA?

Depends on the federation/kwan affiliation as well as where the focus is with your school/instructor/self.

Personally, I train in TKD for real combat and real self-defense. Not for sport or tournaments. That being said, I study other arts as well to fill in areas that TKD falls short in.

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Yu Law

i wouldnt call it useless, i mean it is used in a lot of movies whether they are martial arts movies or not. Personally though, i feel the same way as u guys and i feel that the next great martial art that will be exposed in the media through movies will be a an art that is both flashy and practical whereas b4 it was and still is all flash (Besides Bruce Lee).

As for the sport or M.A. i think that it can be both.

tkd_person89

Well i believe that it's perfectly effective.. just as good as any other martial art

my opinion that it is both sport AND MA. but so are other martial arts


but i guess one can say that TKD is more sport than say... goju ryu or wing chun or something

Ironfist1989

Tae Kwon Do is both in my opinon, it depends on what organisation of Tae Kwon Do you belong and train in: BTW i train in ITF Tae Kwon Do in the UK

WTF: Is pronounced Taekwondo and is an OLYMPIC SPORT, it takes the aspect of the kicks from the martial art but it is mainly competition based and in my view not a true showing of the benefits of traditional (ITF) Tae Kwon Do

ITF: Pronounced Tae Kwon Do the more traditional based art, with Semi to Full contact sparring in training, patterns playing an important role in the progress of a student who does ITF Tae Kwon Do, considered by many and including myself the more "True" form of Tae Kwon Do

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Andrew WA

I have seen a fare share of CRAPPY HORRIBLE ITF schools so dont go saying WTF is the only bad one. Seriously almost all TKD all over the world sucks. But also almost every karate or any other MA school or kung fu is totally stupid as well. Its all fake stuff used to get money.

Anyway someone said that kidokwan is sports and chung do kwan is traditional. Thats not true all the kwons came together and every single one practices the exact same forms and same type of training unless you have a good teacher who isnt full of it. I started at a kidokwan school and it was a lot of sports but also we learned a lot of self defense as well, then I moved and went to a chungdo kwan school and we did the exact same forms and the same type of sparring with rules. It was the same thing!

Do the kwons exist in the ITF as well? Are there jidokwan ITF schools or anything?

I think Jidokwon is my favorite because I started in it and the schools philosphy being wisdom way school and having the indomidable spirit highly stressed it a good thing. But that was back in the day when this type of stuff was actually tuaght. Before I was born...in Korea....

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Piston

Don't get me wrong I do think that WTF does have practical applications, but it *is* the more sporty of the two, it is part of the Olympics which I think does give it a more sporty status dont you think?

Andrew WA

It is more sporty big time. but the ITF schools ussually are too busy talking crap about WTF and not even training in anything worthwhile except their "special" chanhyung forms. The forms are great and their idea of self defense is great but they are all talk most of the time and focus on karate point fighting.

So either way your screwed if you go to each school. At least in WTF rules the fighting is continuous and its not a point stop action and then reset fight.

But I did visit an an ITF school where the master had pretty crappy technique in his forms but he know a lot about self defense and let us spar with absolutely no rules which was great!


Another thing is I think TKD's forms are going to be something completely different then what the original creators made up because no application is tuaght and also people suck so bad at technique and they ruin the forms and teach techniques that arnt even in the forms originally and also do original techniques so bad it looks like something else. Then people just make up their own interpretations of application and have no clue what the truth is. So that sucks too.

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Piston

Perhaps what you're experiencing is due to the general level of teaching MA's in the USA. In Europe, well at least as far as I know in the case of the U.K, teachers are thoroughly revised by the governing board of ITF TKD, the T.A.G.B (phew thats a lotta acronyms) in order to keep standards high, the idea being that their level of teaching and skill in TKD is reflected in their class(who are observed in public situations like gradings and tournaments) . If something is not up to scratch then a teacher will be informed, and I believe if things deteriorate the teacher in question has his/her licence to teach TKD revoked. Does the TKD in America have its own governing board or comittee etc. ?

pstevens

WTF or ITF... Sport or not, as long as you can kick some @ss - that's all that matters. People who need the art to teach them specifically "how to fight" will not get anywhere. If you hope to be good, take the tools and learn how to appy them... There's no miracle pill out there, so stop wasting your time and everyone else's.