Someone point the way?

[red5angel]

To a good TKD forum? Something has been bugging me and I would like to get into some discussion with some guys who know it well.

[Chinwoo-er]

*Points North*

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

this is the ultimate forum.

there is no other.

[rogue]

What's your question. I'm not doing TKD much these days but I might be able to answer.

[Meat Shake]

I do TKD. She really knows how to ride.
:eek:

[ZhouJiaQuan]

the way that can be pointed is not the True Way...

[Goldenmane]

There's a few knowledgeable TKDer's over on my forum:

forums.about.com/ab-martialarts/messages

Let me know if you come over and have any trouble getting in.. the signup has been screwing some folk around recently.

[apoweyn]

Did taekwondo for 6 years. Not guaranteeing that makes me knowledgeable. But I'll take a crack if you want to chat about something.

[Water Dragon]

www.mma.tv

Ask for ferox

[red5angel]

Basically I am tryingt to discover it's combatitive origins. TKD seems to have a legacy of respect in some areas of the world and I am curious about it's history, what was changed and if it is possible today to train it and make it effective for actual self defense or combat.

It sounds like it might be easy to answer since my theory is that if you were to study it and had a solid understanding of the basic principles behind hand to hand combat, that you could easily begin to turn it into something effective.
I'd like to find some people who are, in theory, trying to train it to people as a "real" combatitive art and not just a sport. Mostly this is all just curiosity, since it seems to come up a lot, and with all the ridiculous arguing about what is and what is not effective.

[apoweyn]

Ah. Well, I won't bother sharing my insight on taekwondo history. I don't know much of it. And what I do know is probably mostly bollocks anyway.

Believe it or not, if you want a really good perspective on taekwondo history (well written and sans bullsh*t) you should probably try and track down the two articles written by Herb Perez (ex-Olympic taekwondo champ) for Black Belt magazine. Perez is surprisingly straight forward.

I'm trying to track down the articles I'm talking about for you.


Stuart B.

[KC Elbows]

I know there's a couple guys at the history section of bullshido.com that are korean ma history buffs. I believe there's already a thread covering what they know of this. I'll see if I can find it.

[red5angel]

is this it Ap?

http://www.blackbeltmag.com/archives/blackbelt/1999/jan99/sta.html

Looks like he has written a few for BB Magazine.....

[apoweyn]

No, unfortunately. I came across that one searching their archives. But unfortunately, they seem to have archived his columns rather than actual articles.

Perez did a big two-part article on taekwondo "history" (in which he freely acknowledged that it's comparatively not very old).

Excellent read. Wonder if I still have it somewhere.


Stuart B.

[rogue]

OK Red, I've gone some distance down that path. Here's what I've gathered from my TKD Master (came up through the ranks in the mid 60's - mid 80's. Learned from 1st generation TKD instructors while in Vietnam and Korea), Choi's encyclopedia and various other sources. And I'm talking mostly about TKD as taught in the US.


Basically I am tryingt to discover it's combatitive origins. Plain and simple, the majority of early TKD was Shotokan. To see TKD's combative origins one place you have to look at is where was Shotokan at combatively at that time. Considering that many Shotokan stylists were in the Japanese army and many killed during WWII that may be hard to do. What my master learned back in the 1960's was pretty nasty stuff.


TKD seems to have a legacy of respect in some areas of the world and I am curious about it's history, what was changedWhat changed is that it became on one hand a combat sport like wrestling and boxing, and on the other a way of self improvement. So we have some people working on techniques for the ring and others working to perfect techniques for their own sake.


and if it is possible today to train it and make it effective for actual self defense or combat. For self defense being able to kick fast and hard or being able to punch through several inches of wood can't hurt, but the average TKD(wtf or itf) school isn't putting out people schooled in combatives. And they don't mean to.

It sounds like it might be easy to answer since my theory is that if you were to study it and had a solid understanding of the basic principles behind hand to hand combat, that you could easily begin to turn it into something effective. Sure you could, but like I'm finding out get ready to toss much of it out the window and change other things.

I'd like to find some people who are, in theory, trying to train it to people as a "real" combatitive art and not just a sport. Mostly this is all just curiosity, since it seems to come up a lot, and with all the ridiculous arguing about what is and what is not effective. I was trying to do exactly that. I've found that trying to mix combatives into a non-combative art is tough. Most people taking TKD don't want to throw a kick and have their sparring partner break their foot. :) In my opinion it's best to enjoy an art like TKD for what it is.