Can you please elaborate on that?
Why don't you think about what you're saying here? Please tell me, because now I'm dying to know. How exactly is Tang Soo Do not practical?
Well, it's obviously down to the trainer, and I don't feel mine was particuarly good. I spent 6 years under him, and progressed to my first red belt before a back injury and disillusionment prompted me to quit.
In our training, which was very TMA style, we did quite a lot of three step sparring. Aggressor punches, defender middle blocks, reverse punches, thrust kicks. We used the traditional deep front stances all the time. Sparring was few and far between, and never full contact. An emphasis was put on respect above all else, and we were discouraged from competing in competitions because competition is something that apparently more of a TKD thing than a TSD thing. I had a few scuffles on the street during those years, and while I felt I could preform well in the gym or in competition, I felt that my training gave me next to nothing for street fighting.
You can argue that this was simply down to inefficiencies in my training, and a bad dojo setup, and I'd agree. However, after moving to Muay Thai, and training with friends in boxing, my perspective on striking arts changed drastically. MT espoused big, brutal kicks, while TSD had a much larger arsenal of flashier, faster, but less powerful kicks. I felt that my striking was far better subsequently, and that I could actually damage people and cover up far better than when I was only trained in TSD.
The problem with nearly all TMA's is that they have glaring weaknesses that need to be addressed. TSD/TKD are primarily kicking arts, but they're not necessarily the best at what they do. Definately MT kicks, with the shin rather than the foot being used and a superior follow-through, can generate more power. That, and their propensity for aiming low limits the chances of being caught. Also, TSD/TKD, in my opinion, are too kick orientated. Spending that much time in a dangerous balance situation is asking to be taken down. It happens loads in TSD competitions, even as a result of trying to throw a flashy spin kick, let alone a deliberate takedown. Luckily they have judges to break them up and set them right again.
Boxing has phenomenal handwork that I don't think can be matched in any other dicipline, though I've got a growing respect for wing-chun chain striking. And some form of groundwork is a necessity, BJJ being most peoples favourite at the moment. There's also a need for proficiency in stand-up grappling, be it something like greco-roman wrestling or judo. A good MMA system should incorporate all of this in one handy package, so you don't have to take classes every night of the week to cover stand-up, clinch/takedown and groundwork.
That's why I have a problem with TSD as a self defence art. It's focus is undeniably on kicking, and high kicks at that. That's a risky endeavour outside of the gym. Not only that, the 'self-defence' three steps we were advised to use were terrible. Years of 'be respectful and don't hurt your opponent' being indoctrinated into you is counterproductive. My two cents.
Daniel said:
Because you don't learn to fight in a cage, which is a must for realism, and you never learn the all important skill of tapping out your attackers. You know, those things that really save you in the real world (sorry; couldn't resist
).
No probs, a sense of humour is always appreciated
.
Here's what training in MMA competitions brings to the table, that can be used in real life.
1) You'll have to be proficient at your stand-up game: both kicking and punching, kneeing and elbowing, and clinch fighting. That means knowing what works and what can cause damage, without overexposing yourself.
2) You'll learn to sprawl and defend takedowns, and how to takedown a superior striker.
3) You'll learn to fight on the ground, which, as has been said far too often, is where a lot of IRL fights wind up.
4) Not only this, but you'll be training to fight against a focused, dangerous, trained person who really, really wants to hurt you. Vale tudo fights are the closest you're going to get to a street brawl without getting in a street brawl. Yes there are rules. Still, RBSD systems don't offer the conditioning aspect, at least around here.
5) From doing all this, you'll be conditioned. Your fitness will recieve more attention, because if you don't prefect it you'll get hammered. You'll get used to being hit hard and keeping going forward. I know that because I had little to no experience of taking punches when I was open competing under TSD, I was easily disorientated by a flurry of punches. (my first fights against a kickboxer and a boxer didn't go well.) Not quite so bad anymore, and I put it down to having learned to take a punch better, and return it far better as well.
Granted, it's not perfect. MMA is handicapped by rules, it doesn't offer advice against multiple attackers or how to deal with weapons. But from seeing a boxer friend of mine knocking out 3 assailants one night, I think that the ability to hit fast, hard and accurately in a high pressure situation is of paramount importance. Without sounding like a stereotypical Internet Tough Guy, I had a slight altercation about 3 weeks ago with 4 guys who wanted my dickybow. (Long story. And no, I don't typically wear dickybows. Special occasion.) I knocked down two of them and sprinted for it, no injuries apart from my knuckles. I thank my boxing for that, and the heavy sparring I've done recently. But anyone can say these thing on the internet, as talk is cheap. I just wanted to point out where I, personally, am coming from.
And you can still incorporate a RBSD system if you need to. Just one more art to the mix. RBSD's cover a lot of the problems MMA has, and vice versa.
I suppose my major point, above everything else, is that fighting is ugly. To win, you have to be vicious and aggressive. I've a problem with martial arts that seek to curb this aggression and insulate people from the realities of fighting. Youtube any street fights and you'll see what I mean: their form may be sloppy and no where near as effective as someone trained, but sheer aggression is a devastating obstacle to overcome. For me, the best way to survive is to cultivate this aggression and pressure test it. Heavy-sparring/actual fighting is, IMHO, the best way to learn to keep the aggression going when you start to get hit.
