Posted by: Leo_E_49
WTF Sparring Knockout - 06/21/05 05:19 AM
Why is it that people think that WTF TKD tournaments are "tappy"?
I have personally been winded, bruised (through padding), knocked out, floored and generally put through a large amount of pain in TKD sparring. So I personally can't imagine where this image of full contact TKD being "tappy" came from.
How did I manage to lose by KO in a "point sparring" match? In fact, to be honest, I'd have preferred if it weren't full contact that time so I'd not have been put through all that trauma.
Do the WTF TKD people here find that they experience the same as me or is my experience unique? Are your tournaments "tappy"? Has anyone else here personally been KOed by a TKD style kick? Have you personally been put on your back by a side kick to the solar plexus?
I'm sure that the rules of WTF and Olympic sparring don't prohibit win by KO, so how come people give the impression that KO doesn't happen in TKD?
It's perplexing and also continually used as an argument against the "effectiveness" of TKD (whatever that means) .
I'm open to comment from people who have real life experience. No theoretical power analysis please, I went into a non-WTF dojang once where they said TKD had the most powerful kicks but they didn't let me use any power during sparring there. The proof is in the eating of the pudding, if you've not kicked someone with the intention of KOing them or been in that situation yourself, please say so before you post your statement, for my education.
I have personally been winded, bruised (through padding), knocked out, floored and generally put through a large amount of pain in TKD sparring. So I personally can't imagine where this image of full contact TKD being "tappy" came from.
How did I manage to lose by KO in a "point sparring" match? In fact, to be honest, I'd have preferred if it weren't full contact that time so I'd not have been put through all that trauma.
Do the WTF TKD people here find that they experience the same as me or is my experience unique? Are your tournaments "tappy"? Has anyone else here personally been KOed by a TKD style kick? Have you personally been put on your back by a side kick to the solar plexus?
I'm sure that the rules of WTF and Olympic sparring don't prohibit win by KO, so how come people give the impression that KO doesn't happen in TKD?
It's perplexing and also continually used as an argument against the "effectiveness" of TKD (whatever that means) .
I'm open to comment from people who have real life experience. No theoretical power analysis please, I went into a non-WTF dojang once where they said TKD had the most powerful kicks but they didn't let me use any power during sparring there. The proof is in the eating of the pudding, if you've not kicked someone with the intention of KOing them or been in that situation yourself, please say so before you post your statement, for my education.