Then your thinking is in error. Training is highly specific. Look up the principle of specificity (quick Google brought up this reference, for example:
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/glossary/g/Specificity_def.htm
"to become better at a particular exercise or skill, you must perform that exercise or skill. To be a good cyclist, you must cycle. The point to take away is that a runner should train by running and a swimmer should train by swimming."
What you fail to appreciate or understand is that taekwondo competitors train to land full force blows. That is how they train, and that is how they react. Instead you focus on stuff like this:
If you train to watch for and defend against only kicks to the head and face and only look for punches to come to the body, you run the risk of developing habits that are bad for the the most likely self-defense scenarios.
And you argue against your own point: WTF competitors train in those other arts and or disciplines because they have realized they need to.
Wrong. They train in other stuff because they like it. Most taekwondo competitors I know, at least the high level ones, don't care what the rules are, they are into the idea of mano a mano against someone else, be it taekwondo, boxing, grappling, foosball, football, basketball, volleyball, video games, whatever. In short, they are into prevailing in pressure situations, which overrides your "how you train is how you react, pointing to examples which really insult the intelligence of our taekwondo competitors. They train to overcome and win, in sport, in physical contests, and in life. So of course they are not going to be looking for "
only kicks to the head and face" or
"punches to come to the body" in your bar fight scenario. That is, assuming that they are even in a bar in the first place, since most taekwondo practitioners are below the legal age for drinking.
CMKJeon-Sa made the point that training for Olympic competition and training for self defense are completely different.
I agreed that training would have some benefit but that skills are highly specific including self defense skills.
Your answer addresses a different argument, a Straw Man of "Anyone who is WTF competitor can not fight," by pointing out
that SOME WTF competitors cross train.
Hence you have proved MY point: that to better defend themselves, some WTF competitors have realized their training is not specific to defending themselves and have supplemented that training with cross training.
Wrong. See above.
Semantics, puunui. That is like a football coach saying they don't defend against passes and runs up the middle, they defend against people getting into their end zone.Nice buzzword, I hope it enhances their training.
No, in is not semantics. It is a concept framework. The fact of the matter is that taekwondo competitors do not "train to watch for and defend against only kicks to the head and face and only look for punches to come to the body". That, again, is a color belt mentality. By the way, most points scored in a match are kicks to the body, not to the "head and face".
Based on extensive research in the field, reviews of videotaped amateur and professional fighting contests and assaults, I stand by my statement that "Odds are they are going to be punches (or a weapon swung) at the face." (Bold added this time since you missed it).You counter "not always."
Whose research, yours? Odds are, the first assault will be a verbal one, followed by a two hand push to the chest or grab. Either that, or you will get blind sided.
Well you can rest assured I don't think that is how a taekwondo competitor would react. At least I hope not.
Then why mention it at all? Here is your statement, again:
Run in at a bar brawler with your hands dangling at your sides to rub chests is a bad idea — just like "turtling up" (a viable defense in Judo competition) is a bad idea anywhere except in a judo match.
My point is, clearly for those who are looking to discuss instead of discredit, that strategies that are common in those competitions are not valid for self defense situations.
But (again), if even you don't think taekwondo competitors would implement such strategies, then why mention it at all? Competition and self defense is different, just like poomsae and sparring is different. The strategies used in poomsae are different from sparring, but if someone brought that up, what would be the point?
Puunui, this isn't the first time you have gone point through point through one of my posts attempting to discredit both me and my points not through reasonable discussion and argument but by the use of fallacy. I feel this counter to the charter of MT which is here to foster "a friendly discussion of martial arts."
I'm not discrediting you, but rather the stale discredited stereotypes of what you think taekwondo competitors would do in a self defense situation. Things like this:
If you train to watch for and defend against only kicks to the head and face and only look for punches to come to the body
Run in at a bar brawler with your hands dangling at your sides to rub chests
At this point I am still unclear as to whether your bear some grudge against me for reasons I am unaware of, feel so passionately about your positions that you go overboard in discussion, are a troll, or simply do not know how to argue points reasonably.
Grudge for what? If anything, I think you have a resentment and grudge against me, which quite clearly comes through in your posts to me. If you or anyone else wishes to insult, attack or otherwise make false rude comments about taekwondo competitors, who love and will protect dearly, then of course I will be responding, again, to stuff like this:
If you train to watch for and defend against only kicks to the head and face and only look for punches to come to the body
Run in at a bar brawler with your hands dangling at your sides to rub chests
I would like to think that we are at the point at MT that these types of comments are no longer necessary to further discussions.
Don't be surprised if I begin to ignore your posts completely in the future. Don't think for a second that your replies are so devastating that I am rendered unable to answer — just remember I have decided to ignore you because I have found you not to be worth the time.
I think I remember you said that the last time, your announcement that you would be ignoring my posts in the future. I guess that wasn't true. When I write posts, I always assume that someone will object and respond. If you don't like it when people challenge or otherwise respond to your posts, then perhaps it is best to hit the ignore button.
