To be honest...

[theswarm]

TKD gets picked on for the exact same reason Judo and Karate get picked on

[TJS]

TKD gets picked on for the exact same reason Judo and Karate get picked on

 

I dont really se judo getting picked on commonly.

[nathanjusko]

TaeKwonDo is very effective, the problem is that most people you see in tournaments are doing the moves improperly and they suck at kicking. TKD takes more time to train properly than any other martial art because the legs are not used to kicking head-high and since most people are impatient they decide to go with styles that favor hand techniques and are much easier to learn and use properly. However, if you are fast enough and flexible enough a TKD stylist can deck pretty much anyone (street or competition). It just takes some time.

[Musipilot]

Funny you said that Nathan, I was watching a tape of some TKD qualifying matches, and I must have said to myself "My instructor said never to do that..." a dozen times in the first match alone.

[KoreanTiger30]

TKD can be very effective in real life situations, but I agree strongly with previous reply where it has to be a reaction not an action because you have to make the technique habit. With the power that can be developed can easily take down with an opponent. Especially Traditional TKD schools where they concentrate on hand techniques just as well. My instructor taught us high kicks were a waste of time and dangerous and the same with areial kicks. He stressed very early in us that aerial kicks , high kicks, and flashy kicks were for demonstration purposes only to test your body to further limits. They are not designed for real life situations.