Tim, it is tought at our dojo, a matter of fact they are belt requirements to know the take downs from a front, round, side and back kick. I don't feel like typing a book on all these techniques but they are extremely effective. A matter of fact there are three basic take downs we teach just from the round kick. Most of the take downs end up on the ground with some type of ankle or leg lock as well....I love it, fun stuff!!!

this is only an idea if somebody can try it or something please tell me if it works or tell me why it wouldnt or doesnt work. if somebody catches your kick bend your knee to get close enough to the person that the are in arm range or closer. the try to grab a hold of their kidney areas (under the rib and above the hip on side of the body) and squeeze hard. this causes immense amounts of pain if squeezed hard enough and most likely they will let go. again this is only an idea if somebody can try it or tell me if it would work or not please do.

As far as a kick grab counter that is both indigenous to TKD and functional/ reliable? Good luck.

A waste of time trying to describe the tactic to non grapplers, but any decent wrestling coach can show you counters to a single leg takedown which is very similar to the kick catch that will be easlily integrated into your standup game. They involve the Whizzer and a judicious amount of sprawling.

When i first encounted this question myself i asked my instructor. He told me from a front kick lean forwards and stomp your foot down while striking the face and this does work.
I have since then done some training with other people and if someone holds your leg from the side they can quite easily control your body by putting pressure on a joint of choise.
If you cannot instantly get close to them to put all your weight on the leg they're holding and strike your best bet it to go to ground.
I will not waste your time as i have seen many other explainations of what to do at this point and all i will say is practice and see what you can do.
All untrained people will either let go, try to put the boot in, or jump on you though, which is why i train for grappling as well.

I actually got caught in a leg catch yesterday. I was doing some light sparring with a Southern kung fu stylist..I had the upper hand for most of the brief session because he wasn't used to reading kicks; a guy watching us said I got a couple good headshots with some turning kicks (well, at least they would have been good, we weren't wearing any gear so I was being real careful not to actually hit, or at least hit hard).

Eventually though, I got sloppy and he caught my leg after staying on the defensive the whole time. However, in doing so, he dropped his defense and he had caught my leg, not my foot, so I was close in and he exposed his back. I immediately grabbed his neck from behind while he took my leg..we stopped as he started applying pressure to my trapped leg and I started choking him for obvious safety hazards. The next thing for him to do would have been to fall backwards and try to smash me into the concrete, which admittedly would have hurt..but if he didn't take me out then I think I would have had him because I would have been in a BJJ backmount on him.

So, in essence I guess, I couldn't figure out anything to do that was really indigenous to TKD. Though, the way he caught my leg, I could have tried striking him at the distance we were at, esp. since he was holding my leg with both hands, but I was worried he would throw me so I went for the backchoke. Though I might not have dared do that if he was a dedicated grappler, but I had the feeling that he wasn't really a much better grappler than me so I decided to risk it.

hmmm I have never really seen the leg catch in action...however strange this might sound though, I have done it lol. Maybe I'm weird...but if you're going to catch a roundhouse you sort of move with it, redirect the energy flow, and place your foot beside their other one...and they'll go crashing down..and at that moment..you can take it to the ground...woohoo! I need to see that in action in UFC though lol.

one way to stop a roundhouse is to dodge the kick but grab their foot and push it in the way they are going. that way they would over rotate and be open.
another jeet kune do move i learned is to grab the leg and kick the back of the thigh then the groin. definately not a tkd move, but i really think its super effective

One thing I can say if your leg is caught chances are you will hit the floor. Stay calm. I have found that I can still fight back if I remain agressive and let my miond go. Let me explain. I have had my leg caught and I used my opponent to be my base in which to thow a back kick to the gut. I landed on the floor, if this had been a real fight my opponent would have benn hurt. I am not saying that you should only do this when caught, but allow yourself the freedom to fight back.

You got to be careful not to kick too much. They are a good weapon to have, and TKD makes use of them well. However, its a lot of energy. After so many times your movement gets slower and you get caught. Thats why they always tell you to quick fast and never past the belt. It isnt because head kicks dont work but because the wear and tear on your energy. Also, if the opponent has good footwork then it is easy to catch. Nearly every kick can be caught with a quick enough step backwards. By judging the level of the knee, you already have a good idea of where its going. Its just a matter of stepping back and getting your gaurd to the proper position.

why not just punch them in the face?