Tae Kwan Do in the Olympics....soooo crap

[Superbabe]

Skeeter, no one is saying that these people did not bust their backsides...and I dissagreww, Tae Kwan Do is something that has become a sport. You may have competed for many years and been in good shape but Tae Kwan Do does have hand techniquesand none were demonstrated in the Olympics...which I seem to have discovered is my real point of contention. When can it be said that you have removed so much from something that it ceases to be that thing?

Oh, almost toally agree on the boxing thing...but one thing at a time or we'll have to look at every farcical corruption in the Olympics and I'm not that well read.

 

[Skeeter1]

Superbabe, Ive been training since i was 5yrs old and i'm 42 now and i know that Taekwondo is a martial art. I was referring to the context of the post where Taewondo is practiced and was referred to as a sport, as such kicking is much more effective in both getting points from the refs and/or getting a knockout. My point was that many of us (on this board) are athletes and should be the last to judge another style or sport, as it takes hard work and dedication to excell at the olympic level. Also, I watched the telivised matches and they were very dissapointing as they did not represent TKD well at all. BTW it is spelled Tae kwon do.

 

[absolute hardgainer]

With regards to TKD being a martial art or a sport. I think we should remember that Olympic TKD is most definitely practiced as a sport. But at the same time there are still many serious TKD practitioners inside and outside the WTF who practice their TKD as a martial art.

hardgainer (2cents again)

 

[X-Plode]

I'm pretty sure the lack of hand technique in competitive TKD is due to TKD wanting to differentiate itself from boring point scoring Karate. I just wish TKD was shown on T.V. more. The best KO's I've ever seen were on tapes of The World Games my former roommate (3rd Dan) had. I'm not formally trained (no official belt), but can hold my own after a couple years of his tutoring. He gave up his school due to the BS politics of the WTF. Too bad because TKD lost a gem.

X

 

[Skeeter1]

xplode, what is your roomates name ? WTF TKD is way different that point Karate in that in point, if you clock someone with a spinning hook(or whatever)and knock them out you get disquailified, in TKD you win amen though on the politics.

 

[Superfoot]

Well let me jump in and flap my gums for a minute...

To start out, let me say that I've been practicing TKD for about 20 years (started young). I've competed on and off for the entire time and I'm getting into Kickboxing.

Now it's a bold statement to say that TKD has lost it's dicipline for the sole reason that every school is different (in some cases - drastically). Also, how do you judge the dicipline by watching some televised point-fighting competition? Now I will definitely agree that the Olympic TKD should have used another name and I also believe that the fighters were not necessarily the best out there. My problem is with the rules of the competition (not that they'll ever change). Whenever you're playing tag, it doesn't matter if you go off balance and leave yourself open, as long as you can get a cheesy grazing shot in. To me, that takes the entire strategy out of it. People are so afraid to get touched that they'll run away and you'll never have a good exchange. Some of the best fighters I know don't do well in this style of competition.

Now there will always be a jackass out there to say "TKD isn't practical try a real martial art like..(insert obscure art that nobody's heard of here)." I've gotten used to just blowing it off but when you see a crappy televised TKD event or even a Van Damme movie (Shotokan? Karate) where he gets the crap beat out of him then comes back with some fancy 360 you can't help but think it's all gone to sh!t.

However, if you take a good look, at almost every shool of any style you'll find one or two people that are extraordinary. As was said in an earlier post, it's not the art, it's the person. It's just too bad that crappy point competitions and cheesy movies is all most people see before making their judgement.

 

[absolute hardgainer]

Superfoot, just a question out of interest:

Are you a fan or student of Bill Wallace by any chance?

hardgainer (just asking)

 

[X-Plode]

Skeeter, I don't use my real name here so I don't think I'll mention my buddy's either.

Superfoot, question about the tag thing. I hardly saw more than 2 minutes of TKD from Sydney, but I thought (maybe things have changed in the last few years) that in order for a point to count it had to move (hard), do some damage to or KO an opponent. Is that not the case anymore?

X

 

[Superfoot]

First of all, AH, I am a fan of Bill Wallace. Every year (for about 8yrs) I go to a training/convention-type-thing and take his class. He's a smart fighter and a cool guy.

X, I'm not sure about the rules in Sydney, but that wasn't the case in most of the tournaments I've been to. Many of those wouldn't allow punching to the head and with the nature of the point system, speed was the name of the game.

You saw a few hard shots but when one of our black belts knocked someone out he got disqualified. It wasn't malicious or anything, the other guy was trying to duck and weave and headbutted a foot on its ways up.

I call it tag because it has an entirely different strategy than fighting nonstop. It's a sport and it's fine if that's what you think of it as. It certainly requires a great deal of skill and speed but personally I prefer fighting "running time". When you do this, if somebody clips you on the cheek and you get in a great combo, it's a lot more obvious who won the match (though politics are inescapable). I just love the type of strategy that goes into that type of fighting.

 

[Skeeter1]

and because your location is "inside your head" I wouldnt know where either. I just know some competitors out there, and thought maybe i knew him.I guess anonymity is is important because of the secret kumite thats coming up, huh

to score a ligit point in WTF compitition you must deliver a "shocking tremer" to your Opponent, another reason kicks are favord since there is no face contact with the hands.