drawbacks of TKD

[mantis]

Hi all,

I understand all martial arts do have some drawbacks, and im trying to make a decision whether i should continue with my kung fu which focuses a lot on stances, hooks, elbows and so forth, vs. my tkd which is mostly kicks and has less stability in terms of stances.

I would like you to tell me about drawbacks you found in TKD so i can make a clearer decision

thanks in advance,

[karatekid1975]

mantis, welcome to KF

Well, I would say it depends on the school itself, not the org or what have you. Two schools can be part of the same org and be totally different. So it's best to visit several schools to check them out.

As far as my school goes (I do WTF TKD), it's pretty good. I like the fact that we make use of boxing type of punches, elbows, knees (just not in sparring), ect. We even do take-downs.

The drawbacks that this school has is there is no ground defenses, except for two, and no grappling. And I don't think the "take-downs" are taught properly (eventhough some pick it up later), and breakfalls should be taught way more than it is now. They do have some joint locks, but I believe they should add more.

But there's nothing wrong with cross-training

[mantis]

hehe

i went to like 5 different masters since u posted ur reply here and i asked them in details about what exactly they teach... most of them invited me to try the class to see if they're missing something!!

actually one of them said if i dont find enough locks, and throw downs then i shouldnt join!!

thanks

[karatekid1975]

I'm glad I helped a bit. Good luck in your search. Let me know how it goes.

[frightmaster]

Just for the record. The instructor does make a HUGE difference in class. Example being that the school I go to is a little different, but noticably, then a schoool owned by the same group. I would say TALK with the instructer and use that also to judge if it is a school for you or not.

[yamesu]

I agree with above posters.

Its down to schools, instructors, and even students.

The only drawback in TKD that I can think of is mandatory high kicks for gradings.

Some peoples may not be able to do some of the kicks in the syllabus.

But hey, my knowledge on the subject is very limited. Some TKD schools may not focus on, or have mandatory high kicks.

[pegasi]

My instructor focuses more on do what you can do, as best you can, not making arbitrary standards to pass a test.

He's one of the best instructors I've seen with kids, especially those with focus/concentration issues. He has done a lot with some of the really shy kids too, getting them to be a bit more engaged in the activity.

I have a physical disability which prevents me from doing any of the jump kicks, and I know I'll never do a flying side kick, for example, and even attempting a jump front kick has unwelcome results for me.

My instructor teaches me substitution techniques to use in situations like one step sparring, where I cannot physically perform the usual technique.

[karatekid1975]

pegasi, my instructor is pretty much the same way. Some of the older adults can't kick very high, or they can't jump. But he knows what they CAN do. We even had a wheelchair bound student at one time. He had her replace kicks with hand techniques. I learned her forms her way so I could help her. BUT she knew what a kick should look like, technique-wise, and she picked on me a lot. But it helped me a great deal. For those that can do all the usual stuff, like me for example, he is really tough on (He picks on me a lot LOL).

[mantis]

Unfortunately masters here do not actually teach.. they use their names for marketing only, but the actual master with the 7 or 8 dans never shows up.. who teaches are confused blackbelts... until ur confused at their level...

[yamesu]

Thats a shame.

But I dont think Masters teach regularly in any given style???

Just seminars, and the odd lessons for advanced students.

If instructors are confused at 2nd dan, and then still confused when they're 5th dan, and also teaching others and passing on their confusion, it creates a bad cycle I think.

IMO, The only real way to rectify this is to get proper tuition from a 7th-8th dan master.