Do you think TKD is impractical?

Question

So I sparred with a extremely good TKD guy last week, and he was one of the best at his dojo.

I use BJJ and wrestling, and the fight was about one sided as it can get.

His speed was impressive and kicks flashy, but once i ducked under one i was basically over.

I think martial arts like TKD and any sort of kung-fu like martial art is useless in the real world.

Do you agree?

Answer 1

Not really, although i know my answer is probably going to sound really biased. But many taekwondo pratitioners aren't good at ground game, that is a weakness many have. However while it lacks in ground game, it has very good stand-up fighting with hard kicks and strong blocks that you can use in the real world. In fact taekwondo is used by the korean army, which means if thousands of soldiers are willing to trust TKD with there lives it has to be worth while.

Answer 2

It's all in how you train. If you train in an alive manner and do hard sparring, you'll be able to use your techniques. If you don't do much alive (non-compliant) training, you'll hardly be any better than somebody who's untrained.

So is TKD and Kung Fu useless? Not if you train it correctly.

1Edge3, I'm sure you'd rather trade with a wrestler or BJJ guy than a boxer, as they don't usually know how to hit. HOWEVER, they're not gonna trade with you. They'll take you down and destroy you.

That's just like saying "I'd rather wrestle a boxer than a BJJ guy." No c**p, 'cause a boxer won't know how to grapple. But if he was standing, he'd rearrange your face.

Duh.

FN Scar, TKD kicks aren't any more powerful than Karate or Muay Thai kicks. In fact, most schools (the bad ones) dont even have you put any hip into your kicks, which makes them weaker than MT or Karate ones.

BuRnDriVe, you're absolutely full of c**p. You're definitely not a master of anything, except making lofty claims on an internet forum. Real masters don't go around telling everybody. In fact, even competent martial artists dont go around yelling to the masses "check me out, I'm a competent martial artist!"

But even if you were a TKD or Kung Fu master, you wouldn't defeat a groundfighter ON THE GROUND, similar to how he wouldn't beat you standing.

Duh.

Answer 3

any form of Martial art works if you know what you are doing I'm a master in taekwondo and Kungfu if you tried that move on me wrestling me to the ground I would of paralized you all even crushed one of your joints depends on which why I ended up, Taekwondo is more of a sport in this generation belive me You wouldnt want to fight the old school masters as even today there are some I wouldnt want to mess with, students with black belts have lot to learn they make Martial art pittyful and useless it takes years of pratice to become martial artist learn the meaning first not the fighting skills any1 can fight.

Answer 4

RX8 I couldn't have said it better my self bro.  Pureist arts suck!! I'll take Mixed Martial Arts any day and in the truest form too... MMA is way under estimated Street MMA was around long before the cage was too man.  People forget that it was us MMA practitioners that brought about slapping both ears, the palm strike to the nose, striking the throat, striking the collar bone area, etc. on the streets.  T.V. put our styles in a cage, but it was around long before any cage.  People think that MMA is an art it's self, but they're eerrrr wrong!!  Mixed Martial Arts is simply what ever a MMA practitioner finds scientific and useful from all aspects of the different martial arts out there.  Mixed Martial Arts is a science not just some art form to make some school instructor rich with.  Nothing tops MMA...NOTHING that's why Jeet Kun Do gets its *** beat in the cage every time it steps in against MMA.  Where are all these pureists at in the cage man? no where to be found....the proof speaks for its self.

Answer 5

Once you become good enough at TKD, any kick will devestate an opponant. My instrcutors could easily kil someone with a kick to the head. Also, in TKD you can learn very effective blocks.

Answer 6

You have the same mentality as most wrestlers I've met. Know who is the hardest person to fight in the 'real world'? Boxers. By far I'd rather trade with a wrestler or BJJ guy than a plain old boxer. Even untrained, there's lots of places on the body you can use to hurt someone, so long as you can catch them. Wrestlers make that condition easy.

Where TKD comes in handy is if three dudes jump you. I'm pretty sure they won't wait their turn while you lock a kimora on their buddy.

Answer 7

tkd isnt all flashy kicks and neither is kung fu.. a devestating accurate kick to the groin can make anyones day absolutely horrible. however no art is complete without a good ground game in the same way that no art is complete without good stand up. if you can kick someone in the head without getting taken down then you should do it.. but i make it a point to not raise my leg above the groin with a grappler.. this doesnt neccesarily rule out head kicks though ;p.. the same is that i wont stand and trade blows with someone who is better than me  on their feet.. eg muay thai, tkd, boxing.... so basically if you can get away with using both effectivily you will have an awful lot more options in the real world.

Answer 8

yes you are right TKD is impractical in real life situation as well as kung fu. but also remeber bjj isnt a real life martial arts it is mostly used in sport and in the ring.say if i were to have a gun or a knife on me what would you have done with you bjj?

Answer 9

This is my personal opinion. I think that TKD is an offensive art more than a defensive art. I think that it does have good defensive qualities but that if  applied in an offensive manor the practitioners would have much higher win to loose ratio than many think.

With that said;

I think its more up to the practitioner of the art than the art itself. "Never underestimate anyone" is a good rule to live by. The next TKD practitioner may just clean your clock.

Good luck.