taezee Posted December 25, 2001 Share Posted December 25, 2001 well i have said this many times before that tkd "full contact" is merely an "enhancment" of "point karate"..theres alot more contact allowed as far as kicks..however the hands are so limited that its not real full contact fighting..and again its not "armor" we are wearing..anyone doing taekwondo will know this equipment we wear doesnt stop the force of a kick.....however there are far too many rules involved to really say that it is a full contact match..but while hand strikes are limited full contact kicks to the head are encouraged...and all the kicks we do in these matches do hurt.despite our very thin armor...ask an amature boxer if when geting pucnhed in the head with the head gear if he feels any less pain... Javier l Rosario instructor taekwondo/hapkidounder master Atef s Himaya"whenever youre lazy enough not to train .someone, somewhere is training very hard to kick your *" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eru Posted December 26, 2001 Share Posted December 26, 2001 Yes, it also makes you work harder to win. It's much easier to punch the head than to kick it. Plus, the head's vulnerable spots are rather hard to miss for even the newer of students to find. I find it a little more challenging when I am not allowed to punch to the head. Of course, punches to the head would be a nice addition, but they add a new level of danger to the competitors. I don't try to understand, it would be a waste of time. Instead I only try to understand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niel0092 Posted December 26, 2001 Share Posted December 26, 2001 Anyone that's taken a back kick to the gut while sparring knows that the hugo doesn't offer much...(wham)...ohh... protection. "Jita Kyoei" Mutual Benefit and Welfare Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taezee Posted December 27, 2001 Share Posted December 27, 2001 or any kicks to the head...that helmet we wear is about two inches thinner then those used by amatuer boxers..and is only made of foam Javier l Rosario instructor taekwondo/hapkidounder master Atef s Himaya"whenever youre lazy enough not to train .someone, somewhere is training very hard to kick your *" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramcalgary Posted December 27, 2001 Share Posted December 27, 2001 Not saying that kicks do not hurt....why can you not punch to the head.....do you allow punches when training for self defence....? Honor is the most important thing a man has once you lose it it is gone forever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niel0092 Posted December 30, 2001 Share Posted December 30, 2001 We punch to the head constantly in self defense training, and backfists, and knife hands, and grabs/headlocks, and... Why don't we punch to the head? I think it's because of the Olympics. TKD had to be suffeciently different from other MAs already in the games (ie. judo and boxing). Whether or not TKD allowed punches to the face prior to 1988 when it was an exibition sport at the games I couldn't tell you. "Jita Kyoei" Mutual Benefit and Welfare Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deathcometh Posted February 22, 2002 Share Posted February 22, 2002 Ya they use those targets on the chest to judge points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cory Reynolds Posted February 23, 2002 Share Posted February 23, 2002 I know this is an old thread, but I thought I would add a couple of thoughts since Death revived it (thank you!) Niel0092 said it perfectly about punching to the head. WTF created rules that helped move their style of TKD more towards the sport side in the areas of sparring. Because of it, TKD is now officially an olympic sport. This alone should answer your question. And if you're really that concerned about defining the targets of full contact in reference to real life self defense, I want to know why leg and knee kicks are not allowed? I hope you get the point that I'm making. Olympic TKD while it is defined by many as a "sport," deffinately isn't anything that should be laughed at. Often the compeditors in this type of TKD are amazingly fast and also have amazingly good defense for the most part. Many of them train to the level of any other olympic athlete, and they are at the top of their field. And if you have any question as to how strong their kicks really are, try to block them like you would in a normal sparring match. If you don't get your wrist or arm broken, you deffinately won't make the mistake of getting in their way again. You'll learn to move out of the way really fast. Their strikes have to cause "trembling shock" which means that just hitting their opponent square in the chest on that nice big circle isn't enough to score. Wise man once said "he who has big mouth has much room for foot." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spinninggumby Posted February 24, 2002 Share Posted February 24, 2002 Yeah this is something that I kinda wanted to talk about. My sah bum nim wants me to participate in tournaments but I really do not enjoy WTF sparring too much. I am used to self-defense and regular non-tournament sparring with no gear but everything is legal but obviously in class we pull all strikes to the temple and head area. If we didn't, there would be no way they would let me work front desk anymore at my office. The fact is that I went from a traditional practical school to a sport-oriented school, and I am quite happy with everything, since it is the quality and enjoyment of the actual day to day training that matters to me most. However, the WTF rules have just changed. Punches to the body hardly ever count unless they produce shocking impact, like always. But kicks to the head are now 2 points, and kicks to the head which knock people down are 3 points. I dunno but a kick that is strong enuff to knock you down would make me barf. I've been clocked in the noggin several times and even though I didn't go down, the shock and jarring impact left me wondering if I should have taken up sewing instead. Although it's just fine to pretend like you are trying to take the head off of the rubber dummy in your dojang, I am not quite comfortable with not pulling all the head level kicks considering that, quite frankly, a sharp and accurate leg slammed into the side of your head hurts like a biatch, not to mention one that is powerful enough to knock you down. I talked to my instructor about this and he said that was the way the rules were and I would just have to push myself and not care if I broke the guy's nose or jaw. Once again, I do not enjoy the WTF sparring much even though I am entitled to go to sparring classes every week. Just thought I'd let it out here, LOL. 'Conviction is a luxury for those on the sidelines'William Parcher, 'A BEAUTIFUL MIND' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ti-Kwon-Leap Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 "How does a Taekwondo stylist fight on the street?" Well, we kick to the groin/knee/shin stomp on the instep, grab the head and slam the knee into it. Elbow/backfist to the temple/nose, finger jab to the eyes, knife hand to the throat etc.etc., without the benefit of any thin padding. Oh yeah, and if someone throws a punch at our head we move it out of the way Where do people get the idea that olympic style sparring is the only thing TKD students learn or are capable of???!!! Ya see that blue guy to the left? Yeah, that's a TKD stylist outside the ring. ..."let me show ya somethin' kids" -Fire Marshal Bill Ti-Kwon-Leap"Annoying the ignorant since 1961" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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