Are TKD kicks the same as karate kicks? if not, which set of kicks are better?

Question

all answers are appreciated

Answer 1

well. only two kicks.the round kick and spinning side kick

Answer 2

TKD actually has a wider variety of kicks, however they have many the same as Karate, just slightly diiferent.In actuality it all depends on the school it is taught at, the style of karate and whether it is taught traditional or as a sport.

Okinawin karate kicks tend to be lower then the japanese styles, and much lower then many TKD kicks that are taught for sport. I do know of TKD schools that do not kick above the solar plex, so it's kind of hard to say for sure.

most okinawin styles do not have spinning and jumping kicks, with the one exception being the jump front kick.

So basicly thy are similiar but different, depending on how they are taught.

Answer 3

some are, but tkd is renowned and unique for it's kicking techniques. some martial historians think karate and tkd kicks came from shaolin kicks, shaolin were the first high-kickers and urban trickers.

Answer 4

They are not exactly the same, but they are not so different that one has a distinct advantage over the other.

The style of karate also makes a big difference, arts like Goju, Kenpo and Kyokushin have very dynamic kicks like TKD, whereas some other types of karate have a smaller variety of kicks.  

James

Answer 5

I will speak for ITF TKD since WTF might slightly differ and don’t know it enough to state a valid opinion.

The founder of ITF, General Choi was a 2nd Dan in Karate Shotokan when he invented Taekwon-do. He admitted himself that ITF is heavily based on Shotokan. However, there are many differences.

Like the principles of power have been created based on Newton Laws. And of course, there are many new move and let’s not forget the 24 (25 with Kodang) patterns (t’eul) that are completely different.

And regarding your questions, there are many more kicks, especially in the flying and jumping kicks.

Now many are similar in its finality, but not necessary in the mechanism of its execution. For instance, the side kick in each martial art will hit with the sword foot and come from the side but the way that Karate and ITF will arm the kick and execute it will be slightly different. Shotokan will be more static and ITF will move the hip at the end by rotating the standing foot, opening thus the hip.

Another popular kick, the turning kick, are close to both martial art, except again about the hip movement at the end.

You have in ITF the concept of defensive kicks: Checking, hooking, crescent kicks, etc…

Then many kicks can be executed in different manner: smashing, piercing, pressing, sweeping (yes sweeping…), grasping, etc…

Why most of people don’t know them? Like the sweeping and grasping kicks technique? Because they just care about the minimum and many of them are taught only in the higher Dan.

Answer 6

No and their approach to kicking is much different than Japanese/Okawan styles which is what karate falls under.  Japanese/Oknawan sytles emphasize using and extending the hip in their basic kicks to add to the power of the technique while TKD does not emphasize this near as much except with the side kick.  For their side kick they pivot and project the hip more than nintey degrees to the target while in karate you only go to nintey degrees.  Also in karate kicking with the ball of the foot on round-house kicks is emphasized more than it is in TKD.  TKD also has a great deal more jumping and spinning kicks than karate and in karate they don't really emphasize much in kicking to the head but rather to the body and lower.

It is really not so much which one is better although there is a little higher incidence of knee injuries in kicking in TKD but rather how good you can use your kicks.  That is where many martial artists fall short in regards to kicking.  If you look at Cung Le in who is a Muai Thai and mixed martial arts fighter that is an example of someone that has developed those skills to a very high level and knows how to use them.  He does everything from traditional Muay Thai kicks, to other types of kicks like traditional round house and side kicks as well as jump spinning kicks.  He lands them on target a high percentage of the time, with speed and power and can use them in combination with his hands extremely well.  Even though his background is Muay Thai his kicking ability is effective and helps dictate a lot of his fights and that is what I mean by being able to use your kicks; irreguardless of what style you are or a particular kick in your arsnal might be from.

Answer 7

TKD kicks are generally more varied and "athletic" kicks than Karate kicks.  Tae Kwon Do is widely considered a sport art, so there are some kicks that are impractical in "street" combat situations.  Karate is a more rounded art balancing punches, kicks, and in many cases grappling.  Karate kicks rely for the most part on direct, linear attacks pounding through the defense of the opponent to make contact.  They are very powerful and destructive. Some examples are: Straight kick, roundhouse kick, side kick.  These 3 kicks are common to most martial arts - karate included.  Both arts use foot stomps, rakes, and sweeps, and have varied approaches to utilizing them, but are similar in many regards.

Tae Kwon Do uses a 70/30 balance formula regarding stance (commonly, but not always) - 70 percent of the person's weight is on the rear leg, 30 percent on the other leg.  This allows greater mobility and speed with the front leg and stability with the rear.

Tae Kwon Do kicks utilize some of these direct kicks for power but also some unusual angled kicks - some examples -

"crescent kick" - this is a round kick moving the leg across the body of the attacker to the opposite side of the defender with an outward striking motion (aka - reverse round kick)

"axe kick" - dropping the heel on the head of the opponent - this is slow and requires great reach and flexibility

"close roundhouse" - the kicker should be able to kick his opponent in the face from a face-to-face position.  This is more of a show kick, but can be used to surprise the victim.

double-kicks - these are used like jabs - typically a "flicking" roundhouse kick

spinning kicks - like the name says - there are kicks that spin the attacker up to 720 degrees before the kick is thrown, but most are combination kicks.  These are more distraction techniques (spin) followed by the kick.

combination kicks - Tae Kwon Do relys on many combination kicks of various heights, speeds, and levels of power to break through an opponents defenses.  Many other arts tend to use a kick as a "finishing" blow or as an entry to punches or clinch situations.

Also most "karate" are considered "shoeless arts" so the kicks are thrown with consideration to the unprotected foot.  Tae Kwon Do is considered a "shoe" art, so the kicks consider the foot to be protected in some way.  Many TKD tournaments allow the competitors to wear light shoes or foot protection.

That's a broad overview - please understand that there are execptions, especially with the blending of arts - so your instructor may have other ideas.  But this is a pretty safe way of looking at things in general.

Answer 8

Emory you don't know karate.

TWD is based off of Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan karate that was created by Hwang Kee.

Ugh, people need to learn their stuff. Francios TWD has nothing to do with shotokan karate. TWD is a collection of the second generation -kwans that were art forms created in korea.

One of the principle art forms used as a base was soo bahk do karate (korean karate). That is why TWD has the same hip movements that Soo Bahk Do has.