The Best Type of Martial Arts? Taekwondo?

Question

I know the answers to this question probably varies and each martial arts might be unique. But I'm thinking of taking a martial arts class, and I'm actually thinking of Taekwondo (TKD), deathly kicks :P. But is it worth it? What does Taekwondo do for you that wushu or aikido doesn't do? What are the disadvantages of TKD compared to other kungfu or other martial arts?

and Lastly...What's this hype with this new Mixed Martial Arts?

Answer 1

Taekwondo (태권도; IPA: /tɛkwɒndoʊ/) is a Korean martial art. Taekwondo is the national sport of South Korea. It is also regarded as the world's most popular martial art in terms of number of practitioners,[1] and sparring, or kyeorugi, is an official Olympic sporting event. In Korean, tae 태 跆 means "to trample with the foot"; kwon 권 拳 means "fist"; and do 도 道 means "way"; so taekwondo is loosely translated as "the way of the foot and fist".

Taekwondo's popularity has resulted in the varied evolution of the martial art into several domains: as with many other arts, it combines combat techniques, self-defense, sport, exercise, meditation and philosophy.

There are two main systems of taekwondo as well as traditional tae-kwon-do, which is cot competition oriented and focusses only on the self-defence and traditional value of the art. One comes from the Kukkiwon, the source of the sparring system "Shihap Kyorugi" which is an event at the summer Olympics and which is governed by the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF); the other comes from the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF), which was founded by General Choi Hong Hi, the father of taekwondo. Although there are doctrinal and technical differences among the two taekwondo styles and the various organizations, the art in general emphasizes kicks thrown from a mobile stance, employing the leg's greater reach and power (compared to the arm). Circular motions that generate power are of central importance. Also important to the generation of power is the movement of the hips while performing a punch or a block. Taekwondo training generally includes a system of blocks, punches, and open-handed strikes and may also include various take-downs or sweeps, throws, and joint locks.

Kung fu and wushu are popular terms that have become synonymous with Chinese martial arts. However the Chinese terms kung fu (Chinese: 功夫 pinyin: gōngfū) and wushu (traditional Chinese: 武術; simplified Chinese: 武术; pinyin: wǔshù) have very different meanings. Wushu can describe greatly varying martial arts traditions. Kung fu can be used in a context without any martial arts whatsoever. Colloquially, kung fu (or gung fu) alludes to any individual accomplishment or cultivated skill obtained by long and hard work. In contrast, wushu is a more precise term that refers to general martial activities. The term wushu has also become the name for a modern sport similar to gymnastics involving the performance of adapted Chinese bare-handed and weapons forms (tàolù 套路) judged to a set of contemporary aesthetic criteria for points.

The origins of Chinese martial arts are traced to self-defense needs, hunting activities and military training in ancient China. Hand to hand combat and weapons practice were important components in the training of Chinese soldiers. From this beginning, Chinese martial arts proceeded to different philosophies and ideas into its practice - expanding its purpose from self-defense to health and finally as method of self cultivation. In return, influence of martial arts ideals can be found in poetry, fiction and film. Chinese martial arts are now an integral element of Chinese culture. According to legend, the reign of the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi, traditional date of ascension to the throne, 2698 BC) introduced the earliest forms of martial arts to China. The Yellow Emperor is described as a famous general who, before becoming China’s leader, wrote lengthy treatises on medicine, astrology and the martial arts. He allegedly developed the practice of jiao di or horn-butting and utilized it in war.

Shǒubó (手搏) kung fu, practiced during the Shang dynasty (1766-1066 BC), and Xiang Bo (similar to Sanda) from the 600s BC, are just two examples of ancient Chinese kung fu. In 509 BC, Confucius suggested to Duke Ding of Lu that people practice the literary arts as well as the martial arts thus, kung fu was practiced external to the military and religious sects by ordinary citizens; (pre-dating Shaolin by over 1,000 years). A combat wrestling system called juélì or jiǎolì (角力) is mentioned in the Classic of Rites (1st c. BC). This combat system included techniques such as strikes, throws, joint manipulation, and pressure point attacks. Jiao li became a sport during the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BCE). The Han History Bibliographies record that, by the Former Han (206 BCE – 8 CE), there was a distinction between no-holds-barred weaponless fighting, which it calls shǒubó (手搏), for which "how-to" manuals had already been written, and sportive wrestling, then known as juélì or jiǎolì (角力). Wrestling is also documented in the Shǐ Jì, Records of the Grand Historian, written by Sima Qian (ca. 100 BC).

A hand-to-hand combat theory, including the integration of notions of "hard" and "soft" techniques, is expounded in the story of the Maiden of Yue in the Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue (5th c. BC).

In the Tang Dynasty, descriptions of sword dances were immortalized in poems by Li Bai. In the Song and Yuan dynasties, xiangpu (the earliest form of sumo) contests were sponsored by the imperial courts. The modern concepts of wushu were fully developed by the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Martial arts are also mentioned in Chinese philosophy. Passages in the Zhuangzi (庄子), a Daoist text, pertain to the psychology and practice of martial arts. Zhuangzi, its eponymous author, is believed to have lived in the 4th century BCE. The Tao Te Ching, often credited to Lao Zi, is another Daoist text that contains principles applicable to martial arts. According to one of the classic texts of Confucianism, Zhou Li (周禮/周礼), Archery and charioteering were part of the "six arts" (traditional Chinese: 六藝; simplified Chinese: 六艺; pinyin: liu yi, including rites, music, calligraphy and mathematics) of the Zhou Dynasty (1122-256 BCE). The Art of War ( 孫子兵法), written during the 6th century BCE by Sun Tzu ( 孫子), deals directly with military warfare but contains ideas that are used in the Chinese martial arts. Those examples shows that over time, the ideas associated with Chinese martial arts changed with the evolving Chinese society and over time acquired philosophical basis.

Taoist practitioners have been practicing Tao Yin, physical exercises similar to Qigong that was one of the progenitors to Tai Chi Chuan, at least as early as 500 BCE. In 39-92 CE, "Six Chapters of Hand Fighting", were included in the Han Shu (history of the Former Han Dynasty) written by Pan Ku. Also, the noted physician, Hua Tuo, composed the "Five Animals Play" - tiger, deer, monkey, bear, and bird, around 220 BCE. Taoist philosophy and their approach to health and exercise might have influenced to certain extent the Chinese martial arts.



A sparring form of Shaolinquan, an external style of Chinese martial arts, being demonstrated at Daxiangguo Monastery in Kaifeng, Henan.With regards to the Shaolin style of martial arts, the oldest evidence of Shaolin participation in combat is a style from 728 CE that attests to two occasions: a defense of the Shaolin Monastery from bandits around 610 CE, and their subsequent role in the defeat of Wang Shichong at the Battle of Hulao in 621 CE From the 8th to the 15th centuries, there are no extant documents that provide evidence of Shaolin participation in combat. However, between the 16th and 17th centuries there are at least forty extant sources which provided evidence that, not only did monks of Shaolin practice martial arts, but martial practice had become such an integral element of Shaolin monastic life that the monks felt the need to justify it by creating new Buddhist lore. References of martial arts practice in Shaolin appear in various literary genres of the late Ming: the epitaphs of Shaolin warrior monks, martial-arts manuals, military encyclopedias, historical writings, travelogues, fiction, and even poetry. However these sources do not point out to any specific style originated in Shaolin. These sources, in contrast to those from the Tang period, refer to Shaolin methods of armed combat. This include the forte of Shaolin monks and for which they had become famous — the staff (Gun, pronounced as juen); General Qi Jiquan included these techniques in his book, Treatise of Effective Discipline. Despite the fact that others criticized the techniques, Ming General Yu Dayou visited the Temple and was not impressed with what he saw, he recruited three monks who he would train for few years after which they returned to the temple to train his fellow monks.

The fighting styles that are practiced today were developed over the centuries, after having incorporated forms that came into existence later. Some of these include Bagua, Drunken Boxing, Eagle Claw, Five Animals, Hsing I, Hung Gar, Lau Gar, Monkey, Tiger, Bak Mei Pai, Praying Mantis, Fujian White Crane, Wing Chun and Tai Chi Chuan.

The present view of Chinese martial arts are strongly influenced by the events of the Republican Period (1912-1949). In the transition period between the fall of the Qing Dynasty as well as the turmoils of the Japanese invasion and the Chinese Civil War, Chinese martial arts became more accessible to the general public as many martial artists were encouraged to openly teach their art. At that time, some considered martial arts as a means to promote national pride and build a strong nation. As a result, many martial arts training manuals (拳普) were published, a training academy was created, 2 National examinations were organized as well as demonstration teams travelled overseas  and numerous martial arts associations were formed throughout China and in various oversea Chinese communities. The Central Guoshu Academy (Zhongyang Guoshuguan, 中央國術館/中央国

Answer 2

Depend on what you're looking for, if you just want to work out than any style is good enough, you'll get your heart rate up, you'll build muscle etc, but to tell you the truth a tae kwon do guy is no threat to me coz the art is rather flawed. The moves are too drmatic, they telegraph kicks and depend too much on them. Any one good at ground fighting can take em down and they are screwed.

I like Krav Maga, its self defense rather than martial arts. abd I think its even better coz every thing you learn can be used in real life unlike ALL other martial arts.

Krav Maga is the Israeli form of self defense. It was invented by a hungarian jew Imi Lichtenfeld in the 30s to help jews defend them self aggainst the n***s. Later on after formation of Israel, Lichtenfeld actually master numerous martial arts and took the most effective techniques from then (boxing, mui tai, tae kwon do, wing chun etc).

Heres what Krav does. You wont have to learn over the top hard techniques, you wont learn show stances or show moves. you WILL learn how to incapacitate a person in as little time and with as little effort as possible. ITs all real life scenario training, i.e. escaping abduction, parking lot attacks, sexual assult, rape etc. There are NO rules. You will hit people in the testicles, eyes, neck, solar plex and all. You will learn how to defend against choke holds, bear hugs, will learn to fight from the ground etc. EVERY THING you learn CAN be used in real life and you will fight against bigger and stronger people and learn to easily destroy them. Plus they have a lot of other classes like, pump (aerobics), KO (kick boxing), kettle bell (built, tone muscle and core), yoga, pallates etc. It is a lil expenssive but its like learning 3 years of self defense in 1. Plus its fun. Lemme know if you have any questions

Answer 3

Usually, I'm more of a nice guy when answering these questions for younger aspiring Martial Artists, but here's me being in a bad mood and brutally honest after seeing this exact question for the thousandth time this year:

Want to be flashy and probably not learn anything that would help you in a real fight? Want to work your balls off just to be able to potentially use it in a real fight? Hate to get hit during sparring? Like sticking your head in the sand?

Take TKD, Wushu, or Aikido. The results are all the same, just with different association by country. Also, you tend to get better abs and legs with a good TKD school, which is nice.

Want to learn how to fight quickly? Don't mind not having years of pseudo-philosophy and BS stories in your to make you seem like more of a badass? Don't mind being in highly homo-erotic positions in exchange for learning how to defend yourself when a situation completely freaking hits the fan? Don't mind being sore and bruised?

Go take MMA. Or Crosstrain. Whatever.

Hope I didn't offend you too much, but seriously. Come on.

Answer 4

tkd is a good choice....how ever it lacks ground techniques that other arts have and mma is a combination of arts it really depends

Answer 5

--   I would do MMA.

Explaining the ups and downs on the ones you listed.

-- MMA is mixed martial arts. Like is says its a mix of martial arts. It will give you almost every thing: grappling, striking, and a grappling on the ground. There is a down side to it, i don't think it will teach you how to fight multiple opponents, I COULD BE WRONG (If I'm wrong, some one correct me). Its like are you really going to take it to the ground in a fight when the other guy has his buddys around him? MMA is a one on one combat sport, so will it teach you how to fight a group of people?

-- Tae Kwon Do-- In a WTF (World Tae Kwon Do Federation) school they will focus on kicks and Olympic style sparring, which i don't really like, but its okay. They will teach you some self defense techniques, but i feel that one needs to sparr close to how one would fight in a street fight. Its like you could do one drills for ever, but how will you react in the real thing? There are other organizations that will focus more on hand, but i went to a school that was  a part of the WTF.i cant talk all that much about the other organizations, so I'll let some one else take over for me.

                                   ------NEW-----

I have seen some ITF tae kwon do on youtube, it looked like kick boxing. Dont really what people would expect form a Tae Kwon Do place. Like the MMA guys say, it looked like a practical martial art (at least in the video i saw).

NEWER

this is a link from a tae kwon do question i asked. i hope it helps

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Answer 6

Taekwondo is a kicking-based martial art from Korea. Taekwondo, while having many flashy moves is still very good for self-defense if your trained properly.  If you join the right school it will be more than worth it you'll gain confidence, flexibility, strength, and a lot more. Taekwondo is no better and no worse than akido or any other martial arts out there.

One of the main disadvantages of taekwondo compared to other martial arts, is the fact that hand techniques aren't used often, meaning you gain a lot of lower body strength but not much upper body strength. Mixed Martial Arts or MMA isn't a martial art all on it's own, it's a mixture of any martial arts you feel like mixing, so it could be a mixture of hapkido and boxing or judo and Kung Fu.