taekwondo is a self defence art not a fighting art

teakwondo as far as im concerned is a self defence art not a fighting art.its technigues and patterns and delivery are from a self defence view.not from a toe to toe fighting point of view.forget the sports side when i say this.i mean the art side.if you dont do the art side your missing LOADS.
also i feel taekwondo should not be known for its kicking but for its power.the reason you do a technique the way you do is to get power.the whole thing is based on getting power.
AND the things about where this came from and who influenced what i kind of dont bother with because at some point in history most countrys have been ruled over and therefore influenced so its all mingled anyway.

Care to elaborate on what you mean by calling Tae Kwon Do a self-defence art and not a fighting art?
As far as I can tell, you mean to say that TKD is for defending yourself in modern areas, not for ancient war-like battles.

i mean its not for contest fighting,like two people fighting continously toe to toe.for example muay thai is for fighting .
no its not ancient ,its only 50 odd years old.it takes from some ancient korean martial arts a bit.as far as i know.

I fail to see how it is possible to defend yourself if you can't go toe to toe with someone. Surely all fighting arts can be used for self defense, and all self defense arts can be used for fighting.

Besides, Tae Kwon DO has just as many offensive leading techniques as any other MA. It can be used as an offensive art just as much as a defensive art.

Hi matxtx
It is interesting to note that you cite yourself as a 1st Dan ITF and a Yellow Belt Kickboxing.
How old are you? Were you still a child when you got your 1st Dan?
Your message smacks of someone who is still experimenting with his personal style of fighting.

i got my black belt at 25,just this year .still training.
yellow belt about month and a half ago.
correct im still experimenting though not to fight.to defend myself if i had to or my family and friends.(as well as all the other ace benifits like confidence and such)
Taekwondo wont help me as much to fight but will to defend myself for my life.that how i feel.

Matxtx I have no idea what your trying to say here...your argument dosnt make any sence at all. A martial art being an offensive or defensive art is all dependant on how the person uses it, not how one percieves the curriculum.

Matxtx, I am saddened to hear that as a 1st Dan, how little you seem to think about TKD. ("Taekwondo wont help me as much to fight ...")
I am curious, and am not going to subscribe to Association Bashing here, but what Association of TKD do you study under?

i dont think little of TKD.Its my main thing,ill be doing it for as long as i can.i train about 3 to 4 times a week ,more if i can.im confused you think im putting it down.
if i do a 45 sport kick and speed sidekick while defending myself im going to be in troublee .id have to use footwork to get there faints etc....i could punch but iv got to be accurate so to get there need footwork again.sport side stuff.
if im confronted and theres distance i run .ie if i had to do footwork to get to someone it means there is distance between us...so i can run.if my backs to the wall with no choice im using tradition techniques ...open hand ..knife hand strikes ...turning kicks(low)proper side kicks(low)hammer fists...etc..all tradition taekwondo(theres loads more)..found in patterns,moves taken from patters and put in a realistic context. etc.
i get what i mean anyway even if im causing confusion.
i suppose my point is seeing if anyone agrees (not it seems lol)and to stand up for TKD
there just seems to be alot of 'im doing this to fight....check me im a bad boy'..not'im doing this move as though my life depends on it'

i reckon ill go go with questions not opinions and be more thought out in my future posts lol.though controversy is good.

now.......does anyone know the best Sun Ra album to get..theres so many.(well thought question)

Taekwon do can be a highly effective component of a comprehensive self defense strategy. It certainly has its strengths and is not given the credit which I think it deserves. However, it is not complete (very few arts are) and as such should be trained to cover a portion of a SD strategy, not as a "self defensive art" per se. I would think you'd be hard pressed to call any art a comprehensive "self defensive art", although some, such as Hapkido and Jujutsu come close.

Imho, there is no such thing as a complete self defensive art, the art does not dictate how it is used, the indiviual may train any art to defend themselves. Imho, as long as they are trained correctly, the more the merrier.

Quote:

---

Taekwon do can be a highly effective component of a comprehensive self defense strategy. It certainly has its strengths and is not given the credit which I think it deserves. However, it is not complete (very few arts are) and as such should be trained to cover a portion of a SD strategy, not as a "self defensive art" per se. I would think you'd be hard pressed to call any art a comprehensive "self defensive art", although some, such as Hapkido and Jujutsu come close.

Imho, there is no such thing as a complete self defensive art, the art does not dictate how it is used, the indiviual may train any art to defend themselves. Imho, as long as they are trained correctly, the more the merrier.

---

I agree, your art is what you make it.