Olympic Tae Kwon Do SUX!

[osopardo]

I've been watching the pathetic, laughable spectacle of Olympic TKD on tv and as a WTF TKD practitioner I'm embarrassed and infuriated. To paraphrase a respected forum member; "This is NOT the crap I practice!"
Those guys look like pathetic little Irish dancers from "Riverdance" with their arms held stiffly down at their sides and their flicky little kicks with no power. Not even a decent "ki-hap"! Even the men sound like a bunch of squealing little girls at a sleep-over! Now, I have to go around explaining and justifying to people, "No, that's not really what my martial art is like..."
ARGHHHHH!!!!! It makes me want to take an airplane to the Olympic village and just walk up to each and every one of those pansies and axe kick them into a coma!

[Thai Bri]

Haw haw haw! Yep, it looks pretty appalling. Take some comfort from the fact that the average human being sees all the flicky kicky high kicks and is actually impressed.

But it looks pretty dire to me. What a bunch of nerds.

[Studiobuddy]

I have to agree as well. Watched it in school today, I swear I've seen better at local tournaments then what I saw on the T.V. It was just crap. I was like omg I would already dominate lol.

[osopardo]

... I swear I've seen better at local tournaments...

That's exactly what I mean; my personal experience in TKD has been spirited competitor's who roar like lions (even in the lower weight classes), fight like their lives depended on it and still used their brains and all they've been taught, not just mid-range roundhouse kicks to the opponents back!

Strong hand techniques, combinations, set-ups, aggressive follow-throughs, proper guards - all missing!

And this is supposedly the best each country has to offer!!

[MADDOG]

The Olympic TKD is not a fair representation of the types of TKD that are offered in the USA.

For the public, who watches Olympic TKD, this will be their first impression of what TRK is all about.

For the rest of the TKD community – it will takes months for us to undue this travesty of misrepresentation that is taking place.

Olympic TKD is only one type of TKD – it is a sport that its participants play by the rules in order to be proficient. Old school TKD was no different. We played with our TKD by our rules in order to be proficient. It just so happen that our TKD had NO RULES in order for us to be proficient –and- proficiency was define as being martial.

Today it is hard to find a martial TKD and in return TKD deserves its reputation.

I love TKD. I trained in many different styles and it just happens that American TKD MDK works for me. All styles have merit and it is fantastic that we as martial artist have such a variety to choose from to find our home.

It is this love for TKD that many students/ instructors have not and will not abandon it in spite of the attempts by a certain part of our community to water it down – soccer mom it – franchise it – or destroy it. We as TKD students/ instructors are obligated to preserve and advance TKD, not only for this generation but also for the next!!!!!!

So the next time you engage in a sparring contest with a Olympic TKD person, watch out they do kick hard, but just punch them in the face and say keep your hands up!!!!!!!!!!!

Regardless of your MA style – let’s all attempt to keep the MA alive!

Ed Barton
An Old American TKD MDK

[Andrew WA]

Or instead of just puncing them in the face move in when they kick and sweep them hard and give them a knee lock or ankle lock. Make them tap out.

[SamuraiGuy]

They fight like that in the olympics because thats how they are supposed to fight... I'm sure they are all much better fighters then that competition allows them to show... and I'm sure they could hand you your ass in a TKD competition... especially since that is what they are training for... a TKD competition... not a fight... the only thing you have to remember is ... if you are better hten them all at TKD (NOT FIGHTING) but tkd... why dont u have a gold medal right now? makes sense to me.... if you were the best at TKD youd have been there winning ur gold medal... not talking about it on a forum...

[eXcessiveForce]

olympic TKD is a variation of the TKD , a rather skewed version dictacted by a rule set that is not consistent with mainstream TKD.

Blocking is not outlawed by olympic TKD, but they don't do it.
The no longer throw hand techniques because judges won't score them.
The whole body jarring contact thing.

It's sad. it's also so corrupt that very good fighters have not been able to get in.

[osopardo]

I'm well aware of the notion of "rules sets". These guys are performing skills adapted to the best of their abilities within a certain framework to achieve specific results. We would be shocked if somebody threw a kick during a boxing competition or a punch during a wrestling match.

But boxing is boxing and wrestling is wrestling and TKD,... well, TKD seems to be whatever some fool wants it to be... Originally a very effective fighting system which has gradually de-evolved into what we've recently seen in the Olympics, some weak, pathetic, watered-down, meaningless jig.

By this reasoning I could conceivably open a dojang, teach people to insult each other verbally or go at each other with bullwhips, hold tournaments and various media events and call it TKD!

It just ain't right!

[Tom Yum]

TKD seems to be whatever some fool wants it to be...

Can i make a TKD into a cake or something?

[osopardo]

and another thing...

I'm also aware that boxing and wrestling developed into "sports" with specific rule sets from more brutal forms of fighting; techniques and tactics which were common a hundred years ago are no longer allowed in consideration of the safety of the participants. What has remained, however, can not really be considered "ineffective" or "weak". Wrestling or boxing remain as good a base as any for any martial artist, Olympic TKD is not. Olympic TKD can develop in the participant some very stupid, dangerous habits.

Look, if you want to dance Irish jigs and squeal like a little girl, fine, go right ahead. Just don't call it fighting!

[osopardo]

Can i make a TKD into a cake or something?

Yes, you can.

























Fool!

[El Mastero]

Heres a clip of moon Dae Song's KO. Enjoy!

http://users.tpg.com.au/adsl833x/ttt.wmv

[SamuraiGuy]

after watching that clip...
urge to take TKD rising... urge to take TKD rising...

common sense kicks in....
Urge to take TKD lowering .. lowering.... gone.

[Tom Yum]

TKD is a pretty good sport. The higher level TKD guys can kick really fast and hard from the waist up. Even their lead leg snap roundhouse kick will rock you if it lands on your head; if it hits your body you can feel it but it won't make you double over like a lead leg Thai cut kick.