Taekwondo is among the most popular fighting styles in the world. It is spread well on all seven continents and it seems like every town has at least one school. Have you ever asked yourself why?
If put all aside, Taekwondo is very popular since it is a very effective martial art. It is very useful for self-defense, fitness and it also has many health benefits. Depending on the form, it teaches you how to utilize all limbs as weapons with an emphasis on fast kicks. But, there is a lot more to it.
In this article, we’re going deep into how effective is Taekwondo and what is so special about it. If you are a beginner who’s thinking about joining a Taekwondo dojo, be sure to keep reading this article as this Korean martial art might be ideal for you.
A brief history of Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a modern martial art founded in the 1940s in South Korea. It is made up of punching and kicking techniques with elements of grappling. Even though it is an all-around system on paper, it focuses on using fast and powerful kicks. This is mainly due to the theory that legs are a longer weapon you can use to keep your distance or do heavy damage.
Taekwondo has origins in various Chinese and Korean martial arts like Karate, Subak, and Taekkyon. Taekwondo as a style started to come up together upon the end of WW2. At the time, schools called “kwans” started opening up all across Korea to teach Taekkyeon.
In the 1950s, these kwans agreed on founding the unified style of Korean martial arts. Initially, they named it “Tang Soo Do” but they changed it to “Tae Kwon Do” shortly after. It’s worth pointing up that it took much time for all kwan leaders to accept the new name.
Then, Choi Hong Hi from the “Oh Do Kwan” found the “Korean Taekwondo Association (KTA) in 1959. But, leaders from other kwans didn’t want to adapt to Choi’s style of Taekwondo and they moved away from it. This is the main reason why there are so many forms of Taekwondo and why training differs between the schools.
Is Taekwondo effective for self-defense?
In spite of being a popular sport, Taekwondo was founded with self-defense in mind. It teaches you very good self-defense techniques and tactics that will prepare you for various fighting scenarios. You will learn how to use punches, fast kicks as well as trips and sweeps to fight off the attacker.
Still, the focus is on using kicks since punches and other strikes are seen as a backup weapon in a fight. This means you will master how to keep your distance and do damage using fast kicks. You will spend most of the time learning all types of spinning and jumping kicks that all work in real life.
Yes, you will spend some time breaking boards and bricks, but that improves your strength in some way and it is a lot of fun. The bottom line is you will learn good fighting skills that may help you in a situation where you have to defend yourself or others.
Is Taekwondo better than Karate?
Karate vs. Taekwondo debate is one of those talks that have no end. At first sight, they look the same due to the similar techniques they teach and the uniforms they wear. But in reality, they differ a lot with each art having its own pros and cons. Which one is better comes down to what you want to achieve with your martial art training?
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Looking at both styles, Karate might be better for self-defense as it is more versatile. It teaches you how to strike using punches, kicks, elbows, and knees, and how to grapple and fight on the ground. What many people want to know is which style would win in a street fight, karate or taekwondo?
We must say this is not a fair question as there are a million types of street fighting scenarios. On paper, karate is better as it prepares you to fight in all aspects and it is more versatile which means you have more options. But, which one would win really depends on the level of skills of each fighter. They can all knock each other out with a single strike.
Is Taekwondo good for MMA?
Although some people may argue against this, Taekwondo is good for MMA fighting. Yes, there are better striking styles for MMA like Muay Thai or boxing. But, no-one can deny that some elements of Taekwondo work really well against other styles in MMA.
To prove our point, here is our detailed list of “Best Taekwondo fighters in MMA” and why they are so successful. In short, Taekwondo will teach you the best kicking skills in the world. No other fighting style will teach you how to throw faster kicks than Taekwondo and that’s a fact.
In modern MMA, fast kicks have become very important during the standup fight. We are talking about the vicious calf and body kicks that can do a lot of damage. Not to mention high kicks and how those can shut the lights in a split of a second.
You see, Taekwondo fighters are masters in executing these kicks. This is what makes them better than the fighters coming from other arts when it comes to MMA fighting. On top of that, they all know how to fight from both stances, have solid footwork, and can also keep their distance well.
The biggest drawback is the lack of advanced punching techniques and defense. Due to their unique stance and emphasis on kicks, Taekwondo fighters tend to drop their hands really low and not block punches.
Is Taekwondo good for kids?
Taekwondo is a very popular option when it comes to martial art classes for kids. This is mainly because the classes are fun, playable, and above all safe. All kids must wear various safety gear while doing any type of exercise which may lead to potential injuries.
The classes teach kids all they need to know about respect, discipline and will keep them healthy. While progressing through the belt ranks, your child learns how important it is to work hard to achieve your goals.
Later on, this will help them deal with various problems and stresses that come with life. And there’s not a better way to learn these lessons than by training in martial arts.
When it comes to fitness, Taekwondo training is often seen as a full-body workout. Throwing punches and kicks activates all body muscles which is really important. Kids will also do a lot of strength exercises like push-ups, sit-ups, and stretching which keep their bodies tight and strong.
Of course, other martial arts have similar benefits. But Taekwondo might be the best as it has a long history of teaching kids classes and preparing them for competition. If your kid is competitive, there are plenty of tournaments in which they can test their skills, or even make a career out of Taekwondo.
Is Taekwondo training good for your health?
Taekwondo training is very good for both physical and mental health. It embraces a method of hard work and sessions are a mix of cardio workouts and strength exercises. This type of workout will get your body and mind in top shape in a very short time span.
Taekwondo also focuses a lot on various meditation exercises to keep your mind calm. This helps you to learn more about yourself and how to control your ego and emotions. It teaches you how to stay calm in the heat of the moment so that you can make rational decisions.
This is why you can often hear students talking about how Taekwondo changed their lives. Skill means nothing in a fight if you enter panic mode and freeze. By working on your fears, you will train your mind to stay calm so that you can apply techniques to defend yourself.
On top of that, being flexible and agile is really important for Taekwondo as it focuses on kicking. You can’t expect to execute techniques the right way if you are not flexible enough.
The drawbacks of Taekwondo
Taekwondo is, in general, a martial art that does not have many drawbacks. But the biggest one is the fact it focuses too much on kicks. Punches and other techniques stand for a secondary weapon in most schools. You will spend much more time learning kicks than other techniques, which is bad.
The second drawback is the lack of grappling aspect. Even though it includes some forms of grappling on paper, you will rarely learn or drill those moves. They come into play when you reach higher ranks, but this depends on the school and style.
Speaking of the schools, not all Taekwondo schools are great. They differ a lot when it comes to methods of training, techniques they teach, or promotional criteria. Not to mention there are a lot of schools with questionable teaching standards.
And for last, the modern Taekwondo puts a lot of emphasis on sport and not self-defense. Most of the time, you will practice how to fight under the rules which clearly takes a lot from the self-defense aspect
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