Thread: Is Tae Kwon Doe useless?

The spinning back kick is pretty useful. GSP has use it in his fights.

Welcome to FF!

It is useful for building flexibility and some technique in kicks. It lacks any real combat focus meaning a TKD practitioner isn't used to really being blasted the way people in boxing and MT are.

GSP got his spinning back kick from Koyoshin (sp?) Karate not TKD.

TKD is pretty much worthless in MMA. No hard contact, techniques are flashy but ineffective, mainly made to score points in a point sparring situation but will get your ass handed to you in MMA, and to a lesser extent on the street. Bas Rutten had a good line about TKD but I can't remember it right now to save me.

Originally Posted by AikaImmortal

TKD is pretty much worthless in MMA. No hard contact, techniques are flashy but ineffective, mainly made to score points in a point sparring situation but will get your ass handed to you in MMA, and to a lesser extent on the street. Bas Rutten had a good line about TKD but I can't remember it right now to save me.

Bas
"TKD isn't like BJJ in BJJ you have to earn your belt. In TKD you can just buy it. "

Announcer (don't know who)
"Do you have any belts Bas"

Bas
"I have a brown belt in TKD."

I was paraphrasing a little.

I think it was Quadros Thanks!

As with anything.

SOME true TKD masters (The crazy 7th and 8th Dan Korean type masters), could probably do some damage to your average schnook on the streets.

Other than that? It's useless.

More an Olympic SPort to highlight flashiness vs effectiveness anymore. Actually some of the techniques used nowadays in OLympic TKD are downright silly anymore.

Here's a good example.
YouTube - Tae Kwon Do Martial Arts Temple TX

The " Foot Fist Way " is absolutely freaking hilarious. TKD is not a true Martial or Combative, hard style. It has been useful in MMA and many successful fighters come from TDK backgrounds but in a true Martial situation, it really is not going to help you get out of a jam. It is a sport, not a combative style.

Keep in mind, what works in sport is not what will always work in Martial situations..

When you say Tae Kwon Do, it's like saying Karate. The school and discipline make all the difference and there are many different types. There are combat forms of TKD that are very effective but unfortunately most are geared for sport.
As for someone using it in MMA, I think Cung Le is a great example of someone who has adapted TKD kicks to work well in the Cage (yes, I know he has mainly competed in San Shou). His TKD sidekicks did break Frank Shamrock's arm.
The biggest problem with the average American TKD school is that very few of them teach any real combat until you're a second or third degree if that. Too many forms and limited contact sparring.
But to dismiss it out of hand is ignorance. I have an uncle who teaches traditional Korean TKD as he learned it while serving in the ROKMC. He teaches US army special forces and I can tell you what he teaches is very different from what you get at your typical McDojang.

Speaking of different styles, I am shocked no hapkido practitioner has made it into MMA's upper levels. On paper you have all of the needed elements..

TKD can really start the fire burning for other styles and approaches to the martial art. In that respect, can it really be called "useless"?

That being said, I'd do some Shotokan waaaay before TKD.

Originally Posted by Disco

TKD can really start the fire burning for other styles and approaches to the martial art. In that respect, can it really be called "useless"?

That being said, I'd do some Shotokan waaaay before TKD.

I agree. I like to call TKD a "gateway" martial art. =)

Originally Posted by XxDevilsxAngelxX

I hear many people say Tae Kwon Doe is useless and doesn't work at all.
Is that true or not?
Just want to hear peoples opinions on it.

its worthless

Originally Posted by jyd94

This free shot on a ref shows me how effective it is from an OLYMPIC lvl athlete. I mean even soccer guys can knock the ref down sometimes! lol.

[YOUTUBE]CecGsG_4yoc[/YOUTUBE]

That kick is so weak and illustrative unfortunately how useless TKD kicks are.

FIrst, he's kicking with his instep. You kick with that with any REAL power? You're gonna break your foot.

Second, it's a slapping kick as almost 95% of TKD kicks are. They're sloppy slapping kicks that "Snap" rather than drive as kickboxing and muay thai kicks do.

Those not only won't do damage? They'll get you in a TON of hurt cause now you just pissed the guy off for bitch slap kicking him in the face.

I think it has it's good points...roundhouse, front kick, side kick, spinning back kick, but other than that...I don't think it has much relevance. And, for that matter, all of those kicks you can learn from a good Karate school.

Originally Posted by SmashingMachine

I think it has it's good points...roundhouse, front kick, side kick, spinning back kick, but other than that...I don't think it has much relevance. And, for that matter, all of those kicks you can learn from a good Karate school.

And anything you can learn at a Karate school you can learn from a good TKD school.

As for that slapping kick, that's not a TKD kick, that's just a frustrated chump who doesn't know his techniques.

Originally Posted by Grrr

And anything you can learn at a Karate school you can learn from a good TKD school.

As for that slapping kick, that's not a TKD kick, that's just a frustrated chump who doesn't know his techniques.

Yes, but a good Karate School takes the most functional kicks out of all those kicks in TKD, plus an inside game, a takedown game, and joint locks. Not TKD. I've trained both and imo...TKD's a joke compared to Karate.