TKD is not your pokemon

[Beorn]

You're welcome to give it a shot.

So a recent thread by the illustrious poster jason123 got me thinking about both my experiences with TKD and what I saw as being wrong both with the style and with the practitioners of the style. Then for some reason I was inspired to remember the only thing I have ever agreed with hedge on, and it was his metaphor for how people treat bjj, learning new moves with little to no understanding of the principles and fundamentals behind them, and expecting to be able to pull them out of no where like a pokemon selecting from a moves list. I believe that this becomes even more applicable to TKD, especially with TKD as it is not supposed to be taught.

The first and most egregious versions of the "pokemon" attitude is the way promotions are handled. Its not that there is a specific techniques list per say, its more in the way the the emphasis shifts totally in between promotions to those techniques and nothing else. Its like "Oh, you already know side kick, why would we keep practicing it?" They treat knowledge of the basics like its some static thing that once you have you will never lose. Its not like that, a roundhouse kick is not thundershock. A side kick is not tackle. If you don't practice them often YOU WILL LOSE THEM!

Furthermore, these techniques are taught in a vacuum, devoid of any context as to when to use them or how they are set up. Again, this isn't pokemon, you don't get to trade attacks one for one. Things need to be set up. Timing, distancing, and feinting all come into play. The general lack of any knowledge in this area is probably the thing that gets more TKD'ers hurt than anything else. I even had one of my former students come up and tell me he was thinking of competing in MMA with just his TKD striking and some BJJ from a tape. He was convinced that because "those MMA guys just punch" he would be able to quickly dispatch them with his longer legs. Fortunately I dissuaded him, but it is a prevailing thought amongst TKD practitioners.

In conclusion; Thank you jason123, without your rabid nut hugging, I would have never been able to verbalize exactly what my problem is with an art that I legitimately believe has a lot to offer the striking world if taught correctly.

P.S. I know that many people will say this applies to alot of mcdojo-esque arts and that may be true, the difference is that I have experience with TKD and care about TKD. If the discussion gets big enough I am sure the mods will move it accordingly

this:911flag: and a smiley because bullshido said my message was too short

[DerAuslander]

this:911flag: and a smiley because bullshido said my message was too short

Yeah, I pretty much consideered all of that to be bullshit having to do with whatever crap-assed schools you studied at, & having jack all to do with TKD itself.

[Beorn]

Yeah, I pretty much consideered all of that to be bullshit having to do with whatever crap-assed schools you studied at, & having jack all to do with TKD itself.

Fine, if you want to say prevailing attitude in TKD in america instead of TKD as a whole, that's fine. But I have trained at many schools with varying levels of competitiveness, and I have only ever been in one that I thought treated techniques to be set up and used in sparring, not stand alone things demonstrated in Kata. I would respectfully say that this is a serious problem with the most people who practice TKD, and is a problem with TKD culture. If you want to say that this is different from the essence of TKD that is fine, but we both know what I say is correct without you needing to insult my school.

[Lv1Sierpinski]

Beorn, I still can't agree that TKD at large treats techniques that way. I completely agree (as mentioned previously) that this approach prevails with respect to self defense, but I've always found a big disconnect between the forms and sparring...i.e. using situational-dependent combos, feints, setting up strikes...to be fair most TKD I've encountered has as it's sparring goal scoring points, but that's not the issue.

I'm not saying you're not spot-on in your assessment of the schools you've been to, but that my experience doesn't jive with yours.

[DerAuslander]

Fine, if you want to say prevailing attitude in TKD in america instead of TKD as a whole, that's fine.

America?

Really?

You've travelled all across this country to train at schools in every state to be able to make this claim?

But I have trained at many schools with varying levels of competitiveness, and I have only ever been in one that I thought treated techniques to be set up and used in sparring, not stand alone things demonstrated in Kata.

How many schools?

What levels of competitiveness?

I would respectfully say that this is a serious problem with the most people who practice TKD, and is a problem with TKD culture. If you want to say that this is different from the essence of TKD that is fine, but we both know what I say is correct without you needing to insult my school.

Dude, shut the **** up.

If you want to describe crap-ass training at a school you trained at, you actually don't expect people to call it crap-ass?

You do realize this is not MartialTalk, right?