Do you think you can really use your tae kwon do skills

[30-70 Classic]

that is a common cliche. in all reality tkd has very little to do with avoiding conflict. after all most people knew how to run away before taking tkd. american tkd may be a little different but in korea its still trained as a martial art. a good teacher should teach you how to fight. if u want to run take track

[Kyle-san]

a good teacher should teach you how to fight. if u want to run take track

 

A good teacher will give you the abilites to defend yourself and the knowledge of when to do so. There's nothing wrong with running from a fight as a form of self-defence. In fact, it might be preferable to facing whatever police charges that might come with not keeping control of your techniques.

 

Maturity is a large part of training. If all you're doing is looking for a fight, then that training didn't have the proper effect.

[30-70 Classic]

i agree that good judgement is an important part of training ,but realistically most martial arts training consists highly of fighting or martial ssports techniques. hopefully the student already has decent judgement otherwise he will catch a beatdown at white belt

[taezee]

if you train for reality then you will be good in real combat..if you train for medals then youll become a statistic..i dont like calling it a streetfight..were not gang members roaming the streets looking for fights..its not west side story..i prefer "combat" and usally combat will happen in places other the "the street" a widely accepted misconception is that taekwondo is all kicks thats all..all i have to say is wow..i must be training in something other then taekwondo..got plenty of hand techniques..plenty of joint locks and throws...its just that these thngs you dont see at your local tournament because everyone is busy dancing around ..clinching each other and every now and then throw a kick..and call it full contact!! anyway what i mean to say is you have to practice what works in combat..over and over so that your fighting skills become instinctive..the difference betwen this type of training and training for "full contact" taekwondo matches is night and day..and by the way..i get so anoyed when martial artist go around saying things like "the best form of fighting is to walk away" or "martial arts are not for fighting but to build ones character" theres alot of people in denial.. martial arts were developed specifically for fighting and more so to kill your opponent in combat.thuis was necessary to survive..you didnt practice martial arts as a hobby..todays martial arts are so watered down that they are but a shawdow of thier former selfs..people didnt have the luxury back then to walk around making statements like that..and with all thats going on in the world today..all the sick people out there.one should really focus on being prepared.. if someone is intent on hitting you.or stabbing you..or even shooting you...or robbing you..or breaking into your home..walking away is not on your options list. while i understand the intent behind such statements as showing how we martial artist are and respect it to an extent ( indomitable spirit..we have discipline..we have self control..etc.. ) I believe its such a corny attempt to try to sound enlightened.when you have people who are studying walking around shooting off various quotes....to me its just another way of saying "the way I practice martial arts right now ,ill probably get my ass kicked all over the place..so i hope i sound convincing enough that you dont hurt me" or "ohh my friend i will walk away from you now because i am a good martial artist..but please dont shoot or stab or hit me in the back of the head with a bottle as i do so because it is so against the rules of the cosmos..and you would be a bad person if you did that" lol martial arts is not for fighting huh? okay and the pope doesnt pray Edited October 17, 2002 by taezee

[Kyle-san]

Sure, everyone knows how martial arts originated and the original purpose for them. But, really, how often in a combat situation that takes place on the streets are you looking to kill the person you're fighting against. There's a big difference between people that know how to use discresion when choosing how and if to fight, the people that aren't confident in their training and look to just run away and the people that are just out for a fight and abusing the responsability that comes with training.

 

You, taezee, seem to address the cautious approach with scorn claiming that it'll just get the "enlightened" person a serious beating. Well, what happens to the man that isn't cautious, jumps full-on into the fight without considering other options and ends up seriously harming someone that was only looking at intimidation. Any good martial artist is able to assess the situation they're in and decide on an appropriate response.

 

That's real "enlightenment" in fighting.

[taezee]

yeah okay..im gonna go light some aroma therapy candles and think on that point as i meditate while standing on my head

[Kyle-san]

yeah okay..im gonna go light some aroma therapy candles and think on that point as i meditate while standing on my head

 

Quite an effective use of stereotypes, but that doesn't have anything to do with discretion in a fight. Care to comment on that, or are you going to keep pushing this faux enlightenment point?

[hobbitbob]

As a proud advocate of the "avoid conflict at all costs" crowd, let me add that I haev served in combat in teh US military, have worked as a paramedic in three very rough cities, and have been accosted three times in the last three years whilst living here in Baltimore. I don't meditate standing on my head breathing in aromatherapy candles. I HAVE, unfortunately, encountered people of the " I am trained to fight and will do so at all costs" mentality...every time as patients! Belligerence breeds belligerence. Yes, without a doubt, martial arts were deisgned as self-defence measures. We are training with techniques that were designed to maim and kill, and to "water them down" is foolhardy. This is one reason a oppose the teaching of martial arts to children under age 10, at the minimum.

 

What one should take into mind is that the martial arts are methods of self-defence, not methods of aggression. Yes, some people do go looking for fights. These people are no martial artists, they are thugs with karate training. Like it or not, there is a moral component to training in the martial art.

 

I don't care who you are, you can not block, dodge, or avoid a bullet. Regardless of your skill, a group of assailants will beat you in a fight. A severed jugular vein, or carotid artery, or femoral artey, or punctured pericardium will kill you. The best way to avoid these injuries is to avoid a fight.

[30-70 Classic]

have you seen Starship Troopers? remember when the recruit tries to say that knife fughting is useless? taht is how u need to like at martial arts. unconciousness or death renders all technology useless. there are no dangerous weapons only dangerous men with weapons. people get killed running away all the time. u cannot out run bullets either. if attacked i will do my best to kill or maim my opponent (depending on the situation). agression is not the answer but neither isd passivioty. after all if i fight i will probably have the oppurtuniyty to run, but not the other way around. pick what fits the situation

[hobbitbob]

So are you saying that you would "strike first and ask questions later?" I do not advocate that philosophy. I DO advocate the "protect yourself if you cannot avoid the fight, then leave quickly" philosophy.