Is Olympic TKD Fun to Watch?

[ATC]

So do I. Apparently losing a judo match means you're a dominating Judo player.

Can't have an enjoyable debate with someone too narrowly focused. You need to understand the contexts and broaden a bit more first. Then get back to me.

 

[Marginal]

Can't have an enjoyable debate with someone too narrowly focused. You need to understand the contexts and broaden a bit more first. Then get back to me.

Or you could just clarify what you meant rather than trying to play the part of the pompous sage. ("Go back and read what I said. You don't know enough to talk to me blah blah blah....") In no way was Jason putting fourth a dominating Judo match.

The only way you could remotely justify that is the Judo player didn't immediately dump him on his head three and out before Jason could do anything. Which makes absolutely no sense in any context.

 

[Miles]

I would say for the average disinterested viewer it is not that interesting.

But, if you like soccer or pitching duels in baseball, it can be very exciting.

One of the best matches I've ever seen was at a training session in which the players demonstrated superb footwork and avoided each other's techniques by millimeters. To have that kind of spatial awareness and body control while trying to knock each other out, it was just wonderful to watch.

 

[Twin Fist]

i dont like seeing people fall over when throwing a kick you learn at Blue Belt, so NO i dont like watching olympic (sounds like "makes me sick") TKD sparring

 

[padre]

I like much of it, but some of it isn't particularly engaging.

My current feeling is that the system in place doesn't encourage varied and spirited contests.

 

[mango.man]

Here is my opinion on the original question:

IF you tune in to an Olympic style TKD match expecting to see an ITF / ATA / TAGB / KMA / OMFG / LOL / FU / MMA style fight or boxing or something along those lines, you will probably be bored to tears and not stay tuned in for very long.

IF you tune in to an Olympic style TKD match expecting to see an Olympic style TKD match the way that it is played at such a high level, then you should know what to expect and you will probably watch.

I know that it is not exciting for "outsiders" to watch but those who understand the intricacies of it all will watch. Or at least I do.

 

[dancingalone]

I know that it is not exciting for "outsiders" to watch but those who understand the intricacies of it all will watch. Or at least I do.

I don't doubt this at all, but you could say much the same about chess or curling or any number of esoteric activities. IMO that's a problem. Olympic TKD can and should have more universal appeal.

 

[TKDHermit]

unfortunately yes. i find boxing mma and stuff extremely boring though. dont ask me why.

 

[padre]

I was fascinated by the first few big UFC events back in the day, because I hadn't seen anything like that. But it didn't take long for me to become bored to tears by the excessive groundwork.

When you put two highly skilled combative athletes together under a rule set that encourages them to vastly limit what they're doing in order to suit the winning conditions, it becomes less exciting.

I watch and enjoy Olympic (and Olympic style) TKD matches, but do fade out quickly enough when it becomes a competition to game the system.

 

[chrispillertkd]

Your thoughts? As a sport, it seems like anyone who follows the sport probably practices sport TKD themselves or has a family member who does. Why hasn't it caught on more in the United States? There's certainly hundreds of thousands of TKDists here.

I did the old hogu fighting thing for a coupe of years back in college. It had some very good skills that were worked on a lot, such as foot work and different kicking combinations, which I found very helpful. I had already had those skills from previous training, of course, but it was the added benefit of seeing them from a different perspective that I liked. Of course, the rule set you play under for WTF sparring I don't care for, for a variety of reasons, but that's a different topic.

The sparring in class and at local and state tournaments was usually good to watch. It was fast; people were out to score points or knock out an opponent (at the state level, anyway) and there was little playing footsie or scoring one point and then running away for the rest of the round (although that did happen on occasion).

I also remember seeing parts of the sparring competition from the '88 Olympics and being very impressed. Jimmy Kim was a great competitor.

That all being said, the sparring I have seen from the Olympics since maybe 1992, or even just "Olympic style" sparring (although not at the Olympic level) has left a lot to be desired. Falling down after kicking isn't exactly going to put people in the seats to watch. I don't care how skillful the players are, or how specialized the rules are. Falling down, clahing, clinching, etc. don't make for good spectator sports. Boxers clinching isn't why people watch boxing. Taekwondoin clinching, running away from their opponent or repeatedly falling down isn't going to get people to watch Taekwondo.

Maybe after these problems are fixed you might get some increase in interest from the general public, but that would also have to include actually promoting events on TV. When was the last time you clicked on network television and had the chance to see a Taekwondo competition? You'd think with all the sports coverage going on when people are getting ready for the Olympics there'd at least be a chance to catch the Olympic team trials or something. (If there still is such a thing next time around; not much excitement with watching coaches just pick people for the team, even on TV. Heh).

Pax,

Chris

 

[zDom]

Olympic TKD is a highly specialized skill that takes years to master.

As in, two.

And after mastering the "highly specialized skill" of Olympic TKD, they still know nothing, really, about the real martial art of TKD or fighting — and THAT is why the sport is broken.

Olympic TKD was supposed to be a sport that TKD martial artists could play. It has, instead, become a sport TKD martial artists are excluded from because they are too busy training the art of TKD and fighting to master the highly specialized skills required to compete in the sport.

 

[zDom]

What Kukkiwan and WTF did was to try and promote an art by creating a sport that showcased one of the arts most difficult technical aspects.

And they failed. What they ended up with was a mockery of the art of TKD that has made TKD pracitioners a laughingstock to those who "don't understand" the sport.

 

[miguksaram]

Arlene limas, a KUNG FU STYLIST spent a year, one year, training TKD and made the TKD Olympic team, and won her weight class in 1988. Olympic gold medalist. Look it up

so, we can just put that crap to bed.

The sport was in in infancy. Many have been there done that then. Do it now.

ATC, this makes no sense. Are you saying TKD is the only art that has evoloved in its strategies, techniques and skills? Wasn't Juan Moreno another person who made the jump from sport karate to Olympic TKD? I'm sure that a talented fighter who prepares him/herself in TKD rules can step and do well. Why do you feel the wouldn't be able to?

 

[terryl965]

I am going to chime in here, I believe any good sport fighter can cross over to Olympic TKD and compete at a realitive high level if they take a year and train five six hours a day and watch plenty of game film and learn the game. With that being said I do not believe that a high caliber Olympic TKD'ist can adjust to let say kickboxing, the difference being the hand techniques one must have to be able to compete at that same level. I also believe that we will be seeing alot more hands along in the Olympic game just because to survive it has to be. This will only benefit those people already learning them and not waiting for the judgement day. I can watch Olympic TKD but because I like the action but when two highly talented people get together it is like a boring soccor match waiting for the last second to score. Make the game interesting you must score or attempt to score everry ten seconds or be disqualified this will bring the action to non stop or make it a minimum number of kicks per round or loose a point. We need something to bring back the power game that will attrack people.

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

Your thoughts? As a sport, it seems like anyone who follows the sport probably practices sport TKD themselves or has a family member who does. Why hasn't it caught on more in the United States? There's certainly hundreds of thousands of TKDists here.

It is fun sometimes, other times no. When my kids, friends, or myself are sparring, it is fun, or at least I have an interest. What I saw during the olympics was painful to watch.

My initial opinion as an outsider is that it's just simply too bizarre to watch, completely unlike what I practice myself as a martial artist and it's frankly boring to watch in my opinion. Too much hopping and bouncing and the typical television camera work is low budget with not enough variation. Compare this to my other entertainment choices and the chances that I'll watch even more than 15 minutes on TV a TKD match are very slim indeed.

This is why few people will watch it if it is available to see. And as it is almost never available to see, even fewer people watch it.

What does TKD compete against for a following? MMA? Boxing? Well both sports have legions of fans who don't do MMA or box at all themselves. The truth may hurt, but I don't think TKD is even a contender at this point and the people who organize the sport need to take a long hard look at what they are offering and how they can make it more appealing to the casual fan.

WTF/olympic TKD does not compete with anything specific and at the same time competes with everything: anything more interesting will win, which is generally everything.

WTF/olympic TKD has no direct competitor because to a great extent, it is an answer to a question that nobody asked.

Boxing people get: lots of people have fist fights that never go to the ground. And it is exciting to watch.

Kickboxing people get: more strikes means a more complex match.

Westling people get: everyone has rolled on the ground at some point with minimal strikes.

Taekwondo: how much kicking can you do without punching anywhere except the torso (which probably will not be scored anyway). The kicking looks unnatural and the contestants stand and guard in a way that resembles neither traditional karate or boxing, so veiwers just scratch their heads. When the contestants are willng to fall down to get a shot, it just looks silly.

It is a very odd rule set that has value as a training tool and is fun. It is not what I would look for in a martial sport if I were a viewer.

Edit: The amount of politics involved in taekwondo seems to far outstrip that of even the NFL or MLB, which makes it even more confusing and less appealing to me personally. There is enough drama in my life already, thank you very much.

Most of us who got into taekwondo did not do so for reasons of martial sport, thus most of us who practice it do not seek out a diluted sport version of the art we already practice.

Daniel

 

[ATC]

The sport was in in infancy. Many have been there done that then. Do it now.

ATC, this makes no sense. Are you saying TKD is the only art that has evoloved in its strategies, techniques and skills? Wasn't Juan Moreno another person who made the jump from sport karate to Olympic TKD? I'm sure that a talented fighter who prepares him/herself in TKD rules can step and do well. Why do you feel the wouldn't be able to?

Yes it does. Juan, Jimmy Kim and the other that did it back in 88 were playing a different game. It is much different now and the transition is not as easy as it looks.

I started with karate back in the 70's then switch over to TSD in the late 80's early 90's then over to TKD in the late 90's till now and I have watch the game change just in that short time from the late 90's till now.

In the 80's and even early 90's it was not as specialized. Back then you saw many more techniques attempted but not now. Just tag and your it. These guys train hours on end for just one kick from many angles, just one kick. I'm like how many ways can you throw a round kick. But they have many and they are all different.

That is what I am talking about when I say many don't know what they are looking at. They see just a simple round house kick. That is why so many new players at first, look so bad. The top and the ones in the game now have advanced it. They have manipulated there bodies to turn a kick over without the hip and still hit with speed and enough power.

A karate guy cannot do many of the TKD kicks. Just because his body is not conditioned to do so, and if he is training to do so at an older age, look out joints. But these kids today are almost like rubber. And I did not even get into the "OK you have to throw 20 kick in 6 seconds. We never trained like that. No way. That takes years to develop and they start them young.

I have seen the progression. The game is getting faster and faster. And all the while the judges try to score this without stopping the action. That is why the electronic hogu is being developed. No one can see this stuff anymore. You need machines to tell if they scored or not. By the time you see one score you may have missed 2 or 3 more in the same button push.

The game had changed my friend it has. Power use to win you matches, now it is speed and speed,and more speed. Remember they are playing a game today not fightinng.

 

[Cirdan]

Olympic TKD is about as much fun as watching grass grow in the winter

 

[msmitht]

I will agree that there were many poor matches at the last few Olympic games. The problem was the rules. Everything was geared towards counter scoring which led to long, drawn out matches where it did not pay to take chances.
With the new rules in effect the common viewer, not those of us who were up at 2am for the last Olympic games on our pc's, should enjoy the matches more. An extra point for spinning to the body and 3 points for a head shot should change the way the game is played. They also shortened the ring by 2x2 meters so less running. The referee's are also starting to take away points when the scorer falls down intentionally.
The matches were much more interesting to see in Austin and should be very different at the next World Championships....I hope

 

[ATC]

As in, two.

Ha ha ha...OK, you give me you best person after 2 years of training. I will put him in the ring with any fighter that has lets say started at 6 doing the sport and is now in only 17 or 18 but spent the 10-12 years hoaning the skills needed to be a so called top fighter. I will even let you train this said person of yours for 4 years and he/she can be any age and size you want too. Guess what I would bet my kids that your guy would lose. Now in a MMA match maybe you got me but not with this special game of tag. No way shape or form. Best laugh I had today. Thanks.

 

[msmitht]

Ha ha ha...OK, you give me you best person after 2 years of training. I will put him in the ring with any fighter that has lets say started at 6 doing the sport and is now in only 17 or 18 but spent the 10-12 years hoaning the skills needed to be a so called top fighter. I will even let you train this said person of yours for 4 years and he/she can be any age and size you want too. Guess what I would bet my kids that your guy would lose. Now in a MMA match maybe you got me but not with this special game of tag. No way shape or form. Best laugh I had today. Thanks.

I totally agree