Back to my roots...

[KwicKixJ1]

hi guys. haven't posted in forever.

well... i'm glad to say that after dabbling in grappling, praying mantis kung fu, open style, and traditional taekwondo... i'm now officially back training strictly olympic style tkd.

at first i cross trained so that i could answer stupid questions like "well... what are you gonna do if someone shoots for your legs? taekwondo won't help you then?" or "you don't know how to use your hands, you do taekwondo" got sick of it. so i trained other systems.

but... i couldn't stay away anymore. regardless of what works and what doesn't on the street, i enjoy myself the most doing this style.

i just hope i can still get back into the shape i was back in the day.

thanks for listening. you guys rock.

[sk0t]

Congrats on your return fully to TKD. It is a great art/sport (exclusively either/or)...

It is always good to cross train just to familiarize yourself with everything...even having the knowledge to answer those questions are always better than not having an answer.

[coralreefer_1]

Hello. I am new to this forum, but I decided to skip putting the introduction on the "newcomers forum'. This Korean Martial Arts group will be my new home, so it just makes more sense to me to introduce myself to you guys.

I am 27 years old, and from Raleigh, North Carolina. I am currently living in Daegu, South Korea. I was given a scholarship to come here, to a small college, and practice taekwondo. I have been here for 9 months. I have been involved with martial arts all my life, but never began formal training until I was 15. Being here with a scholarship, I dont have to do anything but practice martial arts all day long. I listed the martial arts I currently study, but I also take classses here in Judo and Kendo, as well as the one listed in my profile. WTF TKD is my base art, and I will fly back to America to test for 2nd Dan in October. I will also test for 1st Dan in Hapkido in late December. I have been fortunate to come here and experience some of the things I have, things I can relay over time and posts. I am a humble man. I dont claim to know anything, I dont tell people I study martial arts, and when the students of this college see my taekwondo and say."ohh..your taekwondo is good" I deny it, and respond with a no, because I know my taekwondo can ALWAYS be better!!! And now that you know a little about me, on with the post.

I remember being back in the alt.martialarts.taekwondo groups on usenet years ago. I had such fun in those days. I can see from your post, and some of the others I have read, that the same old tired debate is still going on out there. People have been saying it for years.."TKD sucks, TKD is not practical, TKD will not help you on the street, TKD will not help you on the ground, TKD dojangs are just belt factories and "McDojangs" as they used to say.

But your post, and another from a woman talking about moving her son into a TKD program raise a point that most of those that jeer TKD seem to be missing. That the important factor, is doing something that you enjoy. I don't understand where these people get the idea that TKD students are walking around with the idea that they are elite fighters who cannot be beat. In my home, in Raleigh, North Carolina, my master owns 3 schools. And a vast majority, and by vast, I mean, like 85%, of those students, are either children, young teenagers, are parents, like 30's and up. There are very very few guys like me, who others consider "hardcore". Who compete at every chance, and enjoy covering the floor with sweat from hard training. And as an instructor for him, I can tell you, that few of those students came there because they are looking for "self defense". Most are there, because the understand taekwondo instills great morals for their children, honor, respect, and all the rest. And many of the others, the parents, are there either because their kids take class, or they want to do it "as a family", or they are there to lose weight, or just to "try something new"

TKD has been the punching bag for the martial arts world for years. People can say "well my green belts beat WTF TKD black belts at every competition". Maybe that is true, and I agree, there are certainly many dojangs out there that don't care about whether their students are proficient in technique, just whether their credit card or bank account number will go through. So there are many many TKD students wearing black belts out there who maybe dont deserve it. But consider this: TKD is the most popular martial art in the world, and there is practically a TKD school on every corner in many parts of America, so there are many many TKD students. Just by sheer numbers, it is logical to expect that there are going to be students that maybe dont deserve their rank. It seems to me, that if any other martial art were as popular as TKD, and had as many people studying and competing in that art, it would not be difficult to find people who did not deserve their rank, to find black belts of that art losing in competition to color belts of another, just by the sheer numbers of followers.

The most important factor is doing something that you love. Most will never actually use anything they learn in any martial art in a real life situation. If you enjoy WTF TKD(same here), they dont feel bad about it. Don't let anyone tell you diferent, just be happy and follow your own path.

I'm sorry I got a little of track there. Martial arts are my life, and I have been given so much from TKD, so I defend it fervently.

Have fun, enjoy your TKD..and Keep Kicking!!!!!!!!

Todd

[Menjo]

Yea, i cross trained for a short time alos, however i found shotokan much more rewarding, thats awesome how you have a good dedication!

[sk0t]

@coralreefer_1:

You hit the nail on the head buddy. The reason TKD is bashed is because of the bad schools. Now I can go into the SHPEEL that my school is not a belt factory and blah blah blah, but I wont.

I only speak for myself. I dont claim to be the best sparrer or the best at forms or the best at hoshinsul or anything like that.... I do know that I have trained hard, and I have been training hard since I started. Whether that means someday I will need to use it to my advantage in a situation that needs it (who knows)...but I have worked my butt off...

NO ONE CAN TAKE THAT FROM ME.

I do however believe that TKD needs partnered with something else for maximum efficiency. there is no perfect martial art...and everyone here can attest to the fact that TKD lacks groundwork (in most traditional and sport settings)...I think Judo or Jiu-Jitsu is an excellent choice as a partner art.

Just my 2 cents...

[KwicKixJ1]

yeah. i'm learning how to grapple.

[sk0t]

Grappling is great. I like it just as good as my TKD.