'Taekwondo will look more like UFC'

[DWx]

WTF chief advocates rule changes, new uniforms:

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/sports/2013/07/136_137979.html

Some of World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) President Choue Chung-won's ideas include:

- changing from mat to octagon

- more points for punches

- retiring the dobok

Whilst I think change would be good (the sport seems a bit stagnated to me) I don't think all change is good! For example the dobok. It's so integral to TKD and one of the things that separates it from kickboxing, from Karate, from other fighting disciplines, that to move away from it would be to move away from Taekwondo.

But I think it would definitely be a good move to score hand techniques higher. After all it is "The way of the foot and fist".

[bushido_man96]

I will have to read that when I get more time. I do think punching needs to be more a part of the sport. I think a change in the chest protector might be a good thing, too, which will change how much people crowd each other, and perhaps encourage less of it.

[JGarner890]

lol wow

[sensei8]

Thanks for the article Danielle...interesting.

I believe that this article spoke about money and the new way to increase the WTF's bottom line! Commending because business MUST do that continuous or die. Managing own's brand is crucial across the bottom line of any business. The WTF sees the unending success of the UFC and wants to get their own piece of the pie.

However, imitating isn't always flattering!! The WTF will, imho, have to quite a lot of soul searching to even get the crumbs of that business module. The WTF will have to offer something so different in order to attract the box-office type of revenue.

Holding a WTF event in a octagon, imho, won't be enough because there as to be complete newness to the conceptual embrace beyond the octagon. Offering more points for punches, imho, adds nothing of substance to the whole. Changing the uniform, imho, is cool, but offers little to the core of the WTF. Again, IMHO!! Points and uniforms are an internal strife from the surface, but the underlying is still from a managing owns brand. It's the "Who Stole My Cheese" type of things that every business needs to embrace.

Does the world truly need another UFC type?

[bassaiguy]

It seems like Chuck Norris tried an event like this a few years ago when he sponsored the World Combat League (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Combat_League). I like it, but it went under. IMO, as a Moo Duk Kwan BB, TKD needs to return to embrace it's position as the premier kicking sport in the combat sports world. Just like boxing has survived as the premier punching sport, TKD should exploit its niche and not try to become a copy of someone else's success.

[bushido_man96]

I think he is trying to make good changes to a sport that desperately needs it. It not terribly watchable to me. Changing some of the rules for scoring would help, and I don't even mind seeing a change in the do-bok. Keep the do-bok for the classes, but I don't see any reason not to have a different outfit for fighting in. I don't think what kind of ring is used will matter as long as the quality of the fighting goes up.

[SPX]

Offering more points for punches, imho, adds nothing of substance to the whole.

It's always seemed to me that a martial art that has more hand techniques than kicking techniques is undermining itself by placing no emphasis on those hand techniques in competition.

This is how judo became known to the outside world as a throwing art only. People who don't do it have no idea it also includes submissions and ground work. In fact, I think even a lot of judokas have forgotten this, just like a lot of TKD practitioners have forgotten that they're also supposed to learn how to punch.

[bushido_man96]

The problem mostly is that the chest protectors negate the punching. Its hard to get a decent punch through the chest protector. And they don't want to allow head punches, because they like to emphasize the kicking.

[sensei8]

The problem mostly is that the chest protectors negate the punching. Its hard to get a decent punch through the chest protector. And they don't want to allow head punches, because they like to emphasize the kicking.

Well, that ends it appearing like UFC and the like.

[guird]

the changes seem minor, but if it starts to look too much like UFC I think it'd be a pity. Some people just prefer taekwondo, despite the more restrictive ruleset. if people want to do MMA they should do MMA, and taekwondo should remain.