TKD vs Boxing: Not art vs art discussion!!!

[tkd_person89]

As a taekwondo practitioner, what would be some strategies that would be needed agaisnt a boxer?

Out of ten fights, who would win more, boxing or TKD? On the japanese forum some have advised that aikido doesn't have what it takes to even consider fighting boxing. Does TKD? Strategies? Suggestiosn?

[JkD187]

9.5 out of 10 the boxer will win.....TKD would have to keep the fight on the outside range....which would be hard to do against a boxer who is looking to come foward and will do it from angles...they throw a kick(s) all a boxer has to do is either back away or move in on an angle and once hes inside he will stay there.If a Boxer was to simply back away and stand there...it would be a stalemate.....some one would have to come in.I said 9.5 because anything can happen but i believe Boxing will win....unless the TKD person lands a quick KO which is very unlikely...hence the 9.5....cuz you just never know.

[bigred389]

If you've learned TKD with some basic boxing moves incorporated, you can defend pretty easily.

Will you keep the rules and keep the kicks below the waist? Boxers extend their legs/stances for the non-jab punches, you can take a leg out pretty easily if you watch it.

Gloves or no gloves? If he has gloves, it makes getting hit a lot less painful for both, if you defend right. He needs to nail a chin or nose for it to really really hurt. Protect the ribs and temple too.

On the other side of the coin...a boxer's guard neutralizes most kicks. You can bash him around, but you have to figure out a way to break that guard. That's why I'd go for the legs when I sparred with friends who were boxers. And eventually they'd start to drop the guard after enough brusining of the legs. Then you feint low, and whip one across the face.

But still, fighting a boxer is tough b/c he's conditioned for hits, but you should be doing the same really.

[Piston]

Bigred is right, I've sparred with a boxer on a number of occaisions, and I find its best to keep them at range by keeping up a furious assualt - its hard but works wonders for your leg endurance and technique.

When you want to make the kicks count, use plenty of dummy kicks to keep him guessing, and really capitalise if they make an attempt to counter-attack. Leg kicks are also good because it forces him to back away or to crouch, which can leave the back/top of the head exposed, capitalise on this with a quick axe kick of some sort.

If the above simply doesn't appeal to you, pound that guard of his with powerful side and revers kicks, if he does drop it eventually make him regret it.

[kuk sool won]

theo. speaking the TKD fighter should win, you're forgetting TKD fighters can use punches aswell. The low kick is espeically effective, boxers are trained to take strikes to the legs and the very nature of thier fighting style is to leave the legs fully exposed. Iv'e seen many boxing orientated fighters defeated in early stages just by low kicks. Then there is the matter of using things like elbows, you can't really say without giving us the rules - is it a big ring? gloves or no gloves? full contact? etc.

[bigred389]

Low dummy kicks also work great for anybody of any style who, knowing you do TKD, wants to grab your leg. Throw a low one, they'll instinctively chase to grab, putting their face forward, hands down...BAD combination.

<Insert evil laugh here>

[Tom Yum]

theo. speaking the TKD fighter should win, you're forgetting TKD fighters can use punches aswell. The low kick is espeically effective, boxers are trained to take strikes to the legs and the very nature of thier fighting style is to leave the legs fully exposed. Iv'e seen many boxing orientated fighters defeated in early stages just by low kicks. Then there is the matter of using things like elbows, you can't really say without giving us the rules - is it a big ring? gloves or no gloves? full contact? etc.

Yes, theoretically speaking.

It depends on if both fighters have cross trained. A boxer who attends muay thai classes now and then will know better as would a TKD fighter who does the same in boxing.

[pstevens]

Okay.... Obviously, we've got A LOT of dreamers on this forum.

A couple of things.

A TKD stylist's hands are nowhere near the level of a boxer, unless he actually cross trains in boxing. If we're to assume it's strictly TKD vs Boxing, then there's no way TKD comes out on top.

Bigred is right, I've sparred with a boxer on a number of occaisions, and I find its best to keep them at range by keeping up a furious assualt - its hard but works wonders for your leg endurance and technique.

When you want to make the kicks count, use plenty of dummy kicks to keep him guessing, and really capitalise if they make an attempt to counter-attack. Leg kicks are also good because it forces him to back away or to crouch, which can leave the back/top of the head exposed, capitalise on this with a quick axe kick of some sort.

If the above simply doesn't appeal to you, pound that guard of his with powerful side and revers kicks, if he does drop it eventually make him regret it.

Please wake up to reality now... A furious assualt of kicks will do nothing other than tire yourself out. Leg kicks, unless they are thrown repeatedly and provided you can keep the boxer away with YOUR boxing skills, are useless... Case in point: Inoki used devastating leg kicks to Ali to keep him at bay. Had Inoki remained standing, Ali would have laid him out.

theo. speaking the TKD fighter should win, you're forgetting TKD fighters can use punches aswell. The low kick is espeically effective, boxers are trained to take strikes to the legs and the very nature of thier fighting style is to leave the legs fully exposed. Iv'e seen many boxing orientated fighters defeated in early stages just by low kicks. Then there is the matter of using things like elbows, you can't really say without giving us the rules - is it a big ring? gloves or no gloves? full contact? etc.

Puahahaha... Where did you get this from, a cereal box?!... Punching is more economical, accurate and much, much easier to land than kicking. In the time and distance it takes to land a truly effective kick, the boxer who is trained to hit with devastating force, will have landed more power shots than you can imagine. This idea of yours is ridiculous.

If you've learned TKD with some basic boxing moves incorporated, you can defend pretty easily.

I beg to differ and I’ve never seen this before, having done TKD, boxed for nearly 10 years and competed in MMA tournaments.

Gloves or no gloves? If he has gloves, it makes getting hit a lot less painful for both, if you defend right. He needs to nail a chin or nose for it to really really hurt. Protect the ribs and temple too.

This statement proves it all... You know nothing about boxing and your statements are absurd. Gloves allow a boxer to hit harder, without the fear of breaking his hand. A boxer does not need to land a chin shot to be effective. There are plenty of tricks in boxing to get the other guy to open up.

On the other side of the coin...a boxer's guard neutralizes most kicks. You can bash him around, but you have to figure out a way to break that guard. That's why I'd go for the legs when I sparred with friends who were boxers. And eventually they'd start to drop the guard after enough brusining of the legs. Then you feint low, and whip one across the face.

Rubbish... A low kick may surprise a boxer initially, but after he figures out the range and timing, you are toast. Watch K-1 and see how the fighters set up their low kicks. Done incorrectly, a low kick will get you clocked.

Boxer's have better mobility and understanding of footwork, range and ring presence, than TKD guys... Unless you've ACTUALLY sparred with a boxer who trains regulary at a boxing gym, you woudn't understand this. Punches are so much harder to evade and see than kicks, and yet boxers, when they're fresh, can avoid most of them. You want proof? Watch any kickboxing venue... It's very hard to land a solid kick. The reason those guys can land those kicks is because they set it up with their boxing skills. Without that, it's a one-sided affair in favor of boxing. The best kickboxers are great boxers.

It's ridiculous to assume that a little boxing will help you against a trained boxer. That's like saying learning some groundwork will save you from a seasoned grappler. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. To defeat a boxer, you understand boxing. I mean more than knowing a jab, hook and cross, which is what most TKD guys know and think they're doing boxing. There are too many nuances in boxing to assume knowing a few tricks will save you.

[eXcessiveForce]

As a long time TKD person, I have sparred boxers and find them very quick. And will admit that my boxing is no where near where I want it to be. However I have found that when you flurry a boxer many tend to bend down to cover their head, A upward knee or front kick is very effective at this point.

Depending on your level of foot work and size of the space/ring it is possible to keep them at bay. However once they get inside you better know your knees and elbows.

Against a good and fully trained person it should even out. However I find most people lacking in their training.

[tntma]

i think tkd could be quite effective against a boxer. Using flurries and leg kicks and body kicks especially front kick to the body could be effective for opening up the boxer to land better shots. I just think you would need to keep hime outside and utilize angles with the boxer.

[Piston]

Please wake up to reality now... A furious assualt of kicks will do nothing other than tire yourself out. Leg kicks, unless they are thrown repeatedly and provided you can keep the boxer away with YOUR boxing skills, are useless... Case in point: Inoki used devastating leg kicks to Ali to keep him at bay. Had Inoki remained standing, Ali would have laid him out.


Boxer's have better mobility and understanding of footwork, range and ring presence, than TKD guys... Unless you've ACTUALLY sparred with a boxer who trains regulary at a boxing gym, you woudn't understand this. Punches are so much harder to evade and see than kicks, and yet boxers, when they're fresh, can avoid most of them. You want proof? Watch any kickboxing venue... It's very hard to land a solid kick. The reason those guys can land those kicks is because they set it up with their boxing skills. Without that, it's a one-sided affair in favor of boxing. The best kickboxers are great boxers.

Thats brilliant how you compare the footwork of an art that only ever punches to that of one where you're mostly fighting with kicks. Simply brilliant. You say that a boxer has better range than a TKD kicker, thats funny last time I checked my arms are shorter than my legs, are you perhaps some form of troglodyte who's situation is the opposite . If so than the mistake and the rest of that post is entirely understandable. "It's very hard to land a solid kick", uhh ok, I understand you've stopped doing you're TKD since you were 9 years old yes? This might be why.

You might be asking, how I can say all this and my answer is simply this. I do spar with a boxer on a frequent basis so I do have an understanding of how a fight like this might work. Obviously there are a lot of factors in any fight that can alter the outcome, but the most important one in this particular art vs. art situation would be range. Keeping him and those lightning fists ineffective is you're number 1 priority, range is your man here. All to often I've let my boxing friend close the gap, and he takes complete advantage that my fist fighting simply doesn't measure up, but there are a few tricks that help me sometimes. One is to go for simple punch counters like grabbing his wrist and shoulder and applying a side kick or knee, and yes this is bloody hard soetimes in very close due to his fist speed and my closeness but not by any means impossible. Another is to knock away an incoming blow with a block coming out wards or inwards, to throw off his balance and proceed from there. Again this is hard because boxers don't step into their punches, minimalising the chance of being off balance. Elbows and other such short range attacks are also a good way of making him put up a guard giving you chance to get your distance with a retreating kick or some such.

One thing my boxing bud does hate is an axe kick, as in first rising then striking down. To hims when we first started sparring that translated as an uppercut, so he swayed back, dodging that first hit, and then back in again, so that me heel and the top of his head had a rendezvous. Another useful tactic is bringing your front leg into a high chamber because that cuts his options dramatically.

[kuk sool won]

hard to land a kick? last time i checked it was a hell of a lot easier to kick someone in the legs than punch them, the boxing block doesn't incorp. ANY low defenses leaving them totally exposed, at least a TKD has experience being attacked about the waste.

you are seriously telling me a boxers footwork is better than a TKD's?!?! Thats just silly.

Tell me this who would be the better fighter? A fighter or can punch or a fighter who can punch and kick? Im in no way comparing the hand skills of a TKD fighter to a Boxer but they are still there and can still be used to great effect, again a boxers has NO leg techniques including knees, a kick generates roughly 5 times more power than a punch does and a knee on the inside is an incredibly dangerous technique to have in your posession.

We aren't talking about kickboxers here we are talking about a boxer and a TKD practioner, its a totally diffeent senario, a lot of kick boxing doesn't allow low kicks anyway but they are still trained to defend again them, boxers are not.

[pstevens]

Thats brilliant how you compare the footwork of an art that only ever punches to that of one where you're mostly fighting with kicks. Simply brilliant. You say that a boxer has better range than a TKD kicker, thats funny last time I checked my arms are shorter than my legs, are you perhaps some form of troglodyte who's situation is the opposite . If so than the mistake and the rest of that post is entirely understandable. "It's very hard to land a solid kick", uhh ok, I understand you've stopped doing you're TKD since you were 9 years old yes? This might be why.

The dreaming continues... Okay, since you have a problem with reading and comprehension, let me say this again... Boxers have a better “understanding” of range than TKD guys. I DID NOT say they had more range. It’s too different ideas. The reason is simple. Boxers train to have ring awareness. They need to understand where they are in relationship to their surrounding to avoid trouble.

Boxing is a full-contact sport. The ultimate goal is to knock your opponent out. Hence, boxers have learned tried and true methods of avoiding dangerous blows. TKD guys engage in point fighting. Occassionally, some guys get knocked out. But the objective and training is nowhere on the same level.

You might be asking, how I can say all this and my answer is simply this. I do spar with a boxer on a frequent basis so I do have an understanding of how a fight like this might work. Obviously there are a lot of factors in any fight that can alter the outcome, but the most important one in this particular art vs. art situation would be range. Keeping him and those lightning fists ineffective is you're number 1 priority, range is your man here. All to often I've let my boxing friend close the gap, and he takes complete advantage that my fist fighting simply doesn't measure up, but there are a few tricks that help me sometimes. One is to go for simple punch counters like grabbing his wrist and shoulder and applying a side kick or knee, and yes this is bloody hard soetimes in very close due to his fist speed and my closeness but not by any means impossible. Another is to knock away an incoming blow with a block coming out wards or inwards, to throw off his balance and proceed from there. Again this is hard because boxers don't step into their punches, minimalising the chance of being off balance. Elbows and other such short range attacks are also a good way of making him put up a guard giving you chance to get your distance with a retreating kick or some such.

Your friend is not a boxer... Just some bum who thinks he is. If he was clinching you, he’d be fighting for position to open you up, not simply standing there while you grab his wrist... No way you deliver a side kick from a boxer’s clinch... Not even a knee. The boxer’s clinch is much different from the Muay Thai clinch. The Thai clinch is designed to allow you the room to throw a knee. You are not chest to chest. More ridiculous BS on your part.

One thing my boxing bud does hate is an axe kick, as in first rising then striking down. To hims when we first started sparring that translated as an uppercut, so he swayed back, dodging that first hit, and then back in again, so that me heel and the top of his head had a rendezvous. Another useful tactic is bringing your front leg into a high chamber because that cuts his options dramatically.

Axe kicks are the easiest to spot and avoid. They also take the longest amount of time to execute of all the major TKD kicks.... I rest my case, you’re sparring with a pro man dummy, not a boxer.

[Piston]

Your friend is not a boxer... Just some bum who thinks he is. If he was clinching you, he’d be fighting for position to open you up, not simply standing there while you grab his wrist... No way you deliver a side kick from a boxer’s clinch... Not even a knee. The boxer’s clinch is much different from the Muay Thai clinch. The Thai clinch is designed to allow you the room to throw a knee. You are not chest to chest. More ridiculous BS on your part.

I don't think I used the word clinch once, you're reading into it, I said "close the distance", which is not the same as clinching. And I never said grabbing that wrist was easy,I said it was hard.... Problems with your reading and comprehension then?

Axe kicks are the easiest to spot and avoid. They also take the longest amount of time to execute of all the major TKD kicks.... I rest my case, you’re sparring with a pro man dummy, not a boxer.

Not if you're a boxer who's only just started sparring outside of boxing as I said "when we first started sparring", he has since gotten wise. And i don't know how you pull your axe kicks fella but mine are quite quick. Granted it does come off the back foot in a long arc, so in order to make it effective one has to make it unexpected as you would with most moves.

[pstevens]

hard to land a kick? last time i checked it was a hell of a lot easier to kick someone in the legs than punch them, the boxing block doesn't incorp. ANY low defenses leaving them totally exposed, at least a TKD has experience being attacked about the waste.

Yeah, and when was the last time a TKD leg kick knocked anyone out? NEVER... Seriously, most people can withstand leg kicks to a degree. Check out any fighting venue, MMA, kickboxing, MT... Guys will absorb leg kicks and go for the takedown, clinch or knockout.

Like I said before... Leg kicks are meant to wear down your opponent, provided you can keep them at bay with your clinch and boxing skills. TKD guys have neither clinch or boxing skills.

you are seriously telling me a boxers footwork is better than a TKD's?!?! Thats just silly.

No it's silly to believe prancing around like TKD is footwork... It isn't.. There's no set training or standard of footwork in TKD... You simply learn a few switches here and there and make up the rest on your own.

A boxer's footwork is very purposeful. It may not look fancy, but it is objective. In the beginning of your training, footwork is stressed at all times. It's the difference between developing power to avoiding a bad situation.

It's people who have never boxed that think boxers simply step here and there at leisure... Not so.

Tell me this who would be the better fighter? A fighter or can punch or a fighter who can punch and kick? Im in no way comparing the hand skills of a TKD fighter to a Boxer but they are still there and can still be used to great effect, again a boxers has NO leg techniques including knees, a kick generates roughly 5 times more power than a punch does and a knee on the inside is an incredibly dangerous technique to have in your posession.

A fighter who understandings punching will win almost every time against a kicker who can punch. This has been proven by countless encounters. In MMA, fighters with great kicks hardly throw them because they leave you open for a rear cross. Check out the early MMA fights when people still tried to use kicks... Most of them got knocked out. Nog fought a Japanese guy known for his kicking (it's in his highlight reel). The guy kicked him square in the ribs and Nog just stepped in and knocked the guy out with a cross. The same thing has happened too many times to mention.

We aren't talking about kickboxers here we are talking about a boxer and a TKD practioner, its a totally diffeent senario, a lot of kick boxing doesn't allow low kicks anyway but they are still trained to defend again them, boxers are not.

Yeah... Kickboxers would waste most TKD guys, so the fact that the best kick boxers are good punches says it all. Honestly, you're dreaming if you think a TKD guy can get in the ring with the likes of kickboxers.

Anyway your logic is flawed. Boxers are trained to avoid strikes, so adjusting to a kick, which is slower, is much easier. If a boxer cannot avoid kicks, as your logic implies, then how does a TKD guy avoid punches? I'm not talking about TKD-style punches here, I'm talking REAL boxing combos...

I've competed and seen TKD on a national level and there's nothing to suggest any TKD person can deal with boxing combinations. When two TKD guys get too close, they more often than not, simply try to push away to get more kicking room. That would be a mistake against a boxer.

Also, where have you been? There's hardly any kickboxing out there that doesn't allow kicking to the legs. In FACT, everyone does low kicks in kickboxing today.