Taekwondo

[Dont call me Sir]

In my opinion, TKD is a good platform/foundation art that has all the tools needed for 'real' street fight encounters.....

I would just like to correct/ellaborate on my comments;

TKD has all the STRIKING tools needed in a 'real' street fight, but as an art it does fall short in certain areas such as Clinch and Grappling.

I always advocate to anyone learning TKD to cross-train simply to gain the tools needed for the 4 ranges of a 'real' street fight.

TKD is an awesome art and has done me well in the past, though it is an incomplete art (in terms of realistic Self-Defence/Self-Protection), but then tell/show me an art that has it all, as there isn't one.

DCMS.

[aefibird]

Grat point DCMS! TKD has excellent street elements in it (although, as you point out it is lacking in some areas, just as all other martial arts are). It's how those areas are trained and by whom that make the art less effective than it could be.

Many people diss TKD as being weak or ineffective or unsuitable for "da streetz" - IMO, it's not the art that is at fault in many cases but the practitioners!!

TKD is a great striking style, it's just a pity that there are a lot of instructors out there who teach garbage.

[niel0092]

Nice DCMS. I agree that TKD has some very nice strikes for SD and that it lacks in other ranges. You need to train in the clinch and grappling if you want to be effective. If SD is your goal then not including those elements into your training leaves you at a severe disadvantage.

I think what really gets us though on the striking is the lack of hard contact, non padded, continious sparring. Learning how to take a hit is huge! I know that we dont do this often enough at my school and suspect that that's a common thing in many schools, probably because different students have different goals and instructors adjust their lessons accordingly.

[foofies]

TKD has all the STRIKING tools needed in a 'real' street fight, but as an art it does fall short in certain areas such as Clinch and Grappling.

Some TKD student told me once that the idea is not getting on the ground. if u did, you are a stuiped tkd student!!

lame huh?

[MartialArthur]

Some TKD student told me once that the idea is not getting on the ground. if u did, you are a stuiped tkd student!!

lame huh?

No, actually staying on your feet should be your goal. You can deliver much more devastating blows from your feet than you can from the ground, and if need be you can escape. If you go to the ground, you could be totally screwed even if you consider yourself to be a good fighter.

That said, all martial artists should learn ground fighting skills. The most important part of my ground fighting is regaining my feet so i can really hurt you (or run away).

[Dont call me Sir]

MartialArthur, that is correct, the last thing you want to do in a street fight is go to ground out of choice.

In any confrontation you must always assume 2 things:

1. That the aggressor is not alone.

2. That the aggressor is armed.

With the above in mind, why would anyone want to go to ground out of choice?!

I've read many times that statistics state 90% of fights go to ground. However, when you look into the source of the statistics, they come from the American LEO's, who's main aim when dealing with an aggressive (physical) assailant is to get them on the ground to then cuff them, rather than hurt them. In the UK this is done in numbers and it's not uncommon to see 6 Police Officers pinning down 1 individual to put on hand-cuffs. It's the safest way to get the job done. The reports filled in, back at the station, would then state that the fight went to ground. The "90% of fights go to ground" statistics were then used for marketing purposes by certain "ground fighting" Martial Arts styles.

In my experience, I'd say that 50% of street fights go to ground, so there is definately the need to know some clinch and grappling techniques.

Having said that, in the UK you can, by law, use a pre-emptive strike as part of your defence, but you must have reasonable belief that a physical threat was imminent. My students priority is to control distance and verbally disuade an idividual from a physical attack whilst maintaining a good passive (hands up) stance, then to act pre-emptively with a heavy blow followed up by a continued aggressive attack. The attack is fully committed with only one thing in mind - to win.

Within TKD there are the usual techniques, but Straight Palms, Hammer Fists, Elbows, Knees, Low Kicks, etc, are rarely used, let alone trained for street fight situations. How many instructors have let their students spar using ALL the TKD techniques that they have learnt in patterns or line-work? Not many, I'm sure, and if not, why not?

Those who have been in many street fights will know that knuckles and teeth don't mix. I've have peices of teeth inbedded in my knuckes that have got infected and had to be sugically removed! This is why my students are discouraged from using knuckles (in a street fight), in favour of Straight Palms, Hammer Fists, etc.

With a little thought, and a few "add-on's", TKD can be applied to the street, the rest is down to the individual using it.

DCMS.

[aefibird]

The thing about the ground is that it is a nasty and dirty place from which to fight, especially as many fights take place outdoors and often outside some dive of a pub, rather than in a nice clean dojo (with matting).

It's great if you can keep a fight from going to the ground - in many street altercations standing is safer than on the ground.

However, if you get sent to the ground then getting back up should be a major priority and this is often where a lot of striking-based schools & clubs 'fall down' (ho, ho, geddit?? ).

They teach excellent punching techniques (although bony areas striking on bony areas is a big no-no, as are teeth and knuckles) and probably even incorporate some sweeps and probably throws too.

However, a lot of striking stylists are not trained in being able to actually get back up quickly and safely if they get thrown or swept or tackled to the ground.

This is one key area that I think more striking stylists need to work on; even if you're not into grappling its an important aspect of MA training IMO.

[Adam Ball]

1st_degree_black:"while the black belt is just the beginning it has a lot of practical deffense mechanisms in which it is equipped."

Really TKD black belts come with defensive mechenisms equiped? thats awesome i gotta get me one of them!!!!

just kidding.

[Dylan.McCullough]

Sweet

[MartialArthur]

Don't call me Sir!, aefibird, you guys are exactly right. This is how I would sum up proper TKD self-defense training:

1. Don't let a fight go to the ground.

2. Train for ground fighting

3. Number one priority in ground fighting: how to get up quickly/safely.

Oh, yea, and don't punch a guy in the face! Use elbows or palms!!