TKD and why it does/doesn't work

[blackmonk]

The judgements were preset in your questions. You're approaching the subject from a preconceived point of view.

I'm legitimately confused as to what these preconceived notions could be.

Are you talking about the almost-unnecessary splitting-of-hairs between street vs sport? The distinction is valid, but there isn't an ideological or practical gulf between the two, as most ppl seem to believe.

This is based on experiences of my own, of course. There really isn't such thing as a clean slate or naked public square... everyone operates from basic ideological notions.

[Rene "Zendokan" Gysenbergs]

I had a conversation about karate and TKD with some folks last night, and I was curious what people on here thought... While I realize the ridiculousness of stuff like point karate or Olympic TKD, what is it about those martial arts, and others like it, that people find so silly and ineffectual? There has to be some benefit to it, especially since they spar and compete quite a bit.

I ask because I have sparred with a number of really good karate and TKD guys, and they are difficult opponents... They hit hard, accurate, defend well, and have lots of live experience. In fact, the hardest I have ever been kicked in the head was by a TKD guy. Of course, some of the stuff they do has its weaknesses (ie completely sideways stance, hands low, snapping kicks with the foot, etc.), but I could say the same thing about some aspects of BJJ and judo, as well.

I want specifics. Be as vitriolic as you want.

WTF Taekwondo works perfectly in WTF Taekwondo competitions, just as
Muay Thai works perfectly in Muay Thai competitions and
La Boxe Francaise-Savate works perfectly in La Boxe Francaise-Savate competitions.
And this is also the case with Judo in Judo competitions and BJJ in BJJ competitions.

The competition ruleset determence how the Combat Sport evolves.
If you are going to place a TKDka in a Muay Thai competition without training for that ruleset, gues what, the TKDka will lose, but that's also is true when you put a Muay Thaier in a TKD competition.
You can substitude TKD with Judo and Muay Thai with BJJ and the above statement will still be true.

So without knowing the ruleset that you have in mind on which you base your assumption, I can't really say if WTF Taekwondo (which is full-contact btw) is effective or not, yet if a TKDka would know this ruleset, you can be sure that he/she would crosstrain for that ruleset...just as the Muay Thaier, Savateur, Judoka and BJJer would do.

I'm not touching the "street vs sport" with a 50 foot pole.