"Effectiveness" of Taekwondo in street setting?

Question

Recently I have gotten in a few fights and was hoping to learn a martial art. I have taken interest in taekwondo, however upon doing some research I have come to find that many people have stated that taekwondo is not an effective martial art in terms of self defence as it is a tournament sport.

I would like to hear some opinions on this from some black belt taekwondo masters if possible. I am fairly sure this is incorrect since it must have been an effective form of self defense, otherwise it would not have been invented in korea thousands of years ago. Your opinions are greatly appreciated! =D

Answer 1

Taekwondo is not thousands of years old. The system dates back to the 1950s. Even if it was thousands of years old, that doesn't mean it is effective. For thousands of years people thought that bleeding the sick with leeches was healthy. They were wrong.

Taekwondo is also not primarily a self-defense system.  It is primarily a sport, and generally taught as such, even in Korea.  In fact, it is the national sport of Korea.  That doesn't mean it is useless for self defense. After all, boxing is a sport, but a trained boxer could beat most people in a street fight.

However, certain characteristics of taekwondo make it less useful than many other martial arts for self defense. First, taekwondo sparring is basically point sparring, rather than continuous sparring, which is better for self defense training. Second, taekwondo does not really train for ground fighting or even the clinch. Street fights often begin with a surprise grab or tackle, so tkd wouldn't help much in those situations. Finally, tkd emphasizes kicking over punching (the standard line you hear is 70/30, kicks to punches). The theory is that since your leg is your longest and strongest weapon, you should use it in a fight.  However, many self defense situations begin with a tackle or grab, or even with your attacker closing the distance and throwing punches. In other words, you might not get a chance to kick.  In addition, in a street fight you would be wearing shoes and pants that are probably tighter than your tkd uniform, which would slow down your kicks. You also would not be warmed up or stretched out, which would slow down your kicks even more.

All that being said, any martial art is better than no training, and it will help you at least somewhat in a self defense situation. However, if self defense is your main reason for learning martial arts, you might want to explore other styles.  

Answer 2

I don't do tae kwon do, but the people who say it has no effect at all are idiots.

Answer 3

Yes, it's effective on the street.  

James

Answer 4

In short, it's decent on the street.  There are some effective self defense moves that can be used from the discipline.  The roundhouse kick is also great for a street fight.

TKD is probably not the most effective art on the street because flashy kicks are too heavily emphasized and there is no serious ground training.  Many street fights do go to the ground, so that is the most glaring flaw of TKD.

Answer 5

Some of the better fighters I've fought have been primarily TKD.

Its a very athletic fast paced style that is great at controlling distance.

There's also a great deal of pride in TKD practitioners, at least the Korean ones. It makes them fight harder.

Answer 6

unfortunately most tae kwon do that we see in north america is so watered down. im sure if you were training in korea you would get some good self defense. but the fact is when you make stupid rules like no kicking to the legs, or no take downs, it REALLY effects your skill to fight on the street. plus while i was learning tkd i found the patterns showed techniques that were never ever explained or used during sparring or fighting at all and was basically ignored other then "pattern time". techniques are taught for a reason, and shouldn't be ignored. if a technique isn't working for you then you are doing it wrong and if your instructor cant explain it properly then you are in a mcdojo.

tae kwon do means the way of the hand and foot, but usually people forget all about the hand part, because kicking scores more points in a tournament.

too often fighters today that are learning a traditional martial art, resort back to kick boxing and brawling. it just shows how little they have learned.

Answer 7

It REALLY REALLY REALLY depends on whether or not you are taking it from a McDojo.

Taekwondo's inherent system does have many weaknesses, but so does every art. The real flaw with it is the fact that it has become more of a franchise rather then an actual martial art.

I wrestle and have been involved with Tang Soo Do for almost 10 years now. I do not doubt that there are some TKD guys out there would the same experience that would mop the floor with me. But only the ones that come from a good gym. And by good gym I mean a gym that does realistic contact sparring and not that point sparring c**p. If I ever get beat by a McDojo kid I might as well jump off a bridge.

Answer 8

Hi,

There are two types of TKD: WTF which is the sports side, and ITF which is the traditional version.  I do ITF TKD and I think it is effective for self-defense.  The techniques are easy and powerful, and can be used as reflex actions e.g. front snap kick, which is taught to beginners can end a fight immediately because you can easily aim for the crotch.  Side kick is also easy, and will be most useful for keeping attackers at a distance from you.

A good TKD school will teach specific self-defense techniques.  For example, I learnt a sweet take-down for when someone tries to hit you on the head e.g. with a glass bottle.  Make sure you go to a good TKD school and not one where the instructor is just in it for the money.

Answer 9

Well Im no blackbelt, but I can say that all fighting in this day and age takes skills in more than just one art ie "mixed martial arts" Taekwondo is a good base for learning striking but dont limit yourself to just that I would also suggest a crash course in Muai Thai as well for striking. But you will also need some form of a grappling technique. BJJ or brazilian jiu jitsu is really popular right now and very effective. However wrestling and judo are also great for grappling skills. My advice to you is to seek out a gym that teaches MMA and not to limit yourself to a single art. Todays fighting is not like when our parents were growing up. Its a little more than just throwing a few punches. Fighters are alot more skilled and well rounded today than they were 10 or 20 years ago. At any rate good luck. Keep your hands up and your chin tucked in :)

Answer 10

First Cody B has no business answering this question. Obviously he doesn't even train and is a UFC nutgrabber, and watching it on TV is the extent of his experience with martial arts.he is the new breed that does not realize the difference between a street fight and self defense. According to him anyone who attacks you for no reason is going to be a highly trained fighter and quite honestly nothing could be further from the truth. Generally the poeple who will attack you for no reason or to take something from you have little or no training. A trained fighter will generally have more discipline and respect for themselves and others then that. Realize that I am talking about self defense here, and not street fighting. So do you want to listen to someones asvice that knows what they read on here or watches on tv in the UFC?

A street fight is a clash of ego's that takes two willing participants. 99% of the time it can be avoided if one person can de escelate the situation or backs away and refuses to fight. Self defense is the 1% where you have to get physical, and generally these attacks will happen without warning, as opposed to someone posturing up to you.

Realize that traditinal martial arts are not designed for street fighting. they are designed to let you do what you need to do to get away from the confrontation. Part of self defense is being able to de escelate the situation or give you the courage to walk away. A major part of self defense is just carrying yourself better because of training, and walking like you are not a victim.

TKD can be a very effective art for self defense, the key is finding a good school. Many schools today do teach it as a sport, but many teach it for self defense and some teach it for both. Do a search on here on finding a good dojo/dojang/school. There are many excellent answers about what to look fo and what to avoid.

good luck an have fun.

Answer 11

all martial arts have some self defence some more than others. but it depends what you consider self defence if you think self defence is being able block punch and kick then tae kwon do is fine if you want more getting out of holds and things like that then it might not be as good as some others. but i consider it a decent self defence as long as you go learn at a decent dojo.