Olympic TKD and Tradition

[XxTKDPenguinxX]

Okay...

Maybe I'm slow on the uptake here, but with the popularity of the Olympics and TKD as a whole... I have NO clue how Olympic style TKD is different. Really.
All I can think of is that they don't practice forms as we do in traditional TKD. So, other than that.. what is the true difference? I sparred someone from Olympic style TKD once and had no problems figuring out his main techniques of attack... there must be more to it than that... right?

 

[TKD USA]

Woo hoo! It is so great to be back. You can't say that just because you sparred someone from sport TKD it is no different from traditional, you have to spar many people to make that asumption and even then it is not recommended.

 

[bignick]

by olympic do you mean WTF?

 

[deadhand31]

Well, bignick, even then, you really can't say WTF is olympic tkd. Alot of people could say WTF is olympic, hands down at your waist sparring. However, my school is WTF, and we always keep our hands up. I sparred another guy who was ITF, and he had his hands at his waist the whole time. There are exceptions to every rule.

 

[Faye]

Interesting. I personally, like sparring using primarily kicks (sparring, I'm not talking about street fighting or self defense situation. I don't particularly like punches to the head during sparring, but my school does that, they encourage us to use alot of punches, but I wasn't taught that way when i first started, and it's difficult tobreak the habit.
As for WTF or olympic, is it true that most kicks are back leg kicks because these generate more power?

 

[TKD USA]

No that is not true but they do have set up kicks that can lead to back leg kicks.

 

[Han-Mi]

Okay...

Maybe I'm slow on the uptake here, but with the popularity of the Olympics and TKD as a whole... I have NO clue how Olympic style TKD is different. Really.
All I can think of is that they don't practice forms as we do in traditional TKD. So, other than that.. what is the true difference? I sparred someone from Olympic style TKD once and had no problems figuring out his main techniques of attack... there must be more to it than that... right?

Olympic and Traditional TKD are different in their goals and their path in getting there.
Olympic TKD doesn't use forms as much, though they do practice them from what I understand. Also, they spar with there hands down in order to be ready to block multiple rapid body kicks with more ease. They do not allow head punches and do not put much stock in body punches either. I sparred in an Olympic TKD competition once, to see what it would be like. I kicked the guy more but, I lost because :boxing: I kept getting point deductions for punching him . I mean, HIS HANDS WERE AT HIS WAIST, HOW CAN I PASS THAT UP? :tantrum: But anyway, they do not practice toward self defense. What they learn is not useless however, it is not as useful in the street as traditional TKD would be. You should really try training with an olympic school to see the difference, it's definatley there though.

 

[Jade Tigress]

Olympic and Traditional TKD are different in their goals and their path in getting there.
Olympic TKD doesn't use forms as much, though they do practice them from what I understand. Also, they spar with there hands down in order to be ready to block multiple rapid body kicks with more ease. They do not allow head punches and do not put much stock in body punches either. I sparred in an Olympic TKD competition once, to see what it would be like. I kicked the guy more but, I lost because :boxing: I kept getting point deductions for punching him . I mean, HIS HANDS WERE AT HIS WAIST, HOW CAN I PASS THAT UP? :tantrum: But anyway, they do not practice toward self defense. What they learn is not useless however, it is not as useful in the street as traditional TKD would be. You should really try training with an olympic school to see the difference, it's definatley there though.

I was wondering the same thing. Thanks for the explanation. :asian:

 

[TKD USA]

Not all sparrers in olympic Taekwondo put there hands down. I was watching sparring matches of olympic qualifiying matches and most of the people had there hands up, and in my school we do forms about 80% of the time.

 

[XxTKDPenguinxX]

Okay... I think I may have a better grasp on it... I think.:idunno:

There seems to be some small differences between traditional and Olympic, from what I'm reading here.

Our point system for sparring is any kick that connect ribs, chest, and stomach scores 1pt. Head shot with a kick scores 2pts. Jump kick to the body scores 2pts. Jump kick to the head scores 3pts. All punches score 1pt and must only connect to the ribs, stomach, and chest... NO HEAD SHOTS ALLOWED... big NO - NO there! The first to 5 pts wins the match. This could make for a very quick bout.

All I know is that the person was put against from Olympic style loved to power kick his way in. He'd bump up against you, shove you back with a shoulder, and while you were moving back.. WOMP! That kick came in... again, again, and again. I'd hate to think that was all there was to the style! To me it was like trading kicks and the last one standing wins.
I'm looking forward in seeing TKD in the Olympics... at least I can get a better grasp on it all.

Thanks for the info.

 

[TigerWoman]

All I know is that the person was put against from Olympic style loved to power kick his way in. He'd bump up against you, shove you back with a shoulder, and while you were moving back.. WOMP!

Pushing isn't allowed either in Olympic style unless you push with your feet.
TW

 

[glad2bhere]

The thing that strikes me as odd, as I read what folks are posting, is that both Soo Bahk AND Taek Kyon, which are supposedly precursors to TKD, used knocking the other person down as a gauge of garnering points. Seems to me that if one were to actually train in TKD it would entail a kind of conditioning not unlike that one found in the old Kyukushin Karate schools, yes? Thoughts?

Best Wishes,

Bruce

 

[bignick]

you really can't say WTF is olympic tkd. Alot of people could say WTF is olympic, hands down at your waist sparring. However, my school is WTF, and we always keep our hands up. I sparred another guy who was ITF, and he had his hands at his waist the whole time.

this was not a slight against the WTF...i practice WTF taekwondo so i'm not inclined to start throwing mud at it...what i was referring to is that the WTF is the only organiztion recognized by the IOC. And as far as I know...olympic tkd follows WTF rules...also...the reason a lot of tkd people leave there hands hanging isn't because of blocking rapid body shots...its just that they don't need to keep them up...the emphasis is on evasion...not blocking, and since there are no punches to the head they don't have to worry so much about protecting it...

if one were to actually train in TKD it would entail a kind of conditioning not unlike that one found in the old Kyukushin Karate schools, yes?

i'm not sure what you mean...would you explain what kind of conditioning they practiced...

and falling down in an olympic match is a warning...and i believe a half point deduction...because people would throw a kick and fall down to avoid a counter...

 

[Marginal]

The thing that strikes me as odd, as I read what folks are posting, is that both Soo Bahk AND Taek Kyon, which are supposedly precursors to TKD, used knocking the other person down as a gauge of garnering points. Seems to me that if one were to actually train in TKD it would entail a kind of conditioning not unlike that one found in the old Kyukushin Karate schools, yes? Thoughts?

On some levels, yes, but since scoring is also determined by displacement as a result of a technique coupled with the chest padding, punches are very much discouraged by how the rules are structured. The Sparring rules sound superfically similar to KK, but the deck's been stacked.

 

[glad2bhere]

Dear Bignick et al:

What I meant was that in K K, much of the sparring was full contact to the torso and no strikes to the face or head. What this resulted in was considerable conditioning work on the torso and abdomen. The result was less injury than anyone might think as most of the conditioning resulted in a decent stocky build that could take considerable punishment. In time, a person came to realize that being struck in the torso or abdomen was not the awful or terrible thing they might have thought it was. However, this was a learned experience and not one fit for everybodys' tastes.

The reason I made the comment about Soo Bahk and Taek Kyon is that it would seem to me that if one wanted to be historically accurate, a "point" could not be counted except when it resulted in the other person being knocked off their feet. It would be something like garnering a full "ippon" in Judo, yes? But again, I am pretty sure this is not the sort of activity your average Yuppy is going to want to engage in, knowing he has to go to work the next day. Thoughts?

Best Wishes,

Bruce

 

[OlympicTKD]

Also, they spar with there hands down in order to be ready to block multiple rapid body kicks with more ease.

That really isn't true at all. Olympic TKD fighters do not block at all. Simply, it hurts way too much to block shots, and it takes way too long. Besides, even if you "block it" they can still score it as a point if it's significant contact. If you ever watch Olympic Taekwondo (real Olympic TKD) you won't see people blocking but instead instantly countering.

 

[OlympicTKD]

You can't say that just because you sparred someone from sport TKD it is no different from traditional, you have to spar many people to make that asumption and even then it is not recommended.

You don't have to fight anyone to know that Olympic TKD is different. I'm not sure what you people refer to as "Traditional" taekwondo. Do you mean Tang Soo Do? Because Olympic Taekwondo is exactly what they practice in South Korea. If you aren't doing it, you are just practicing Tang Soo Do.

 

[OlympicTKD]

Not all sparrers in olympic Taekwondo put there hands down. I was watching sparring matches of olympic qualifiying matches and most of the people had there hands up, and in my school we do forms about 80% of the time.

Doing Poomse is part of Olympic Taekwondo. However, if the emphasis is solely on poomse, like you claim to practice 80% of the time, then you're not focusing on enough other aspects that are important to your training. Hogu Drills, Sparring, Plyometrics, Speed Training (Resistance training), Endurance training and footwork also need to be incorporated. Poomse should be the last ten minutes of a class, not the first 50. It's a good cool down exercise. And Poomse IS done with much intensity. It's still considered a COOL DOWN exercise compared to the training and practice leading up to that point.

I was at the March, April & May Olympic Qualifier. Who did you see with their hands up? I agree some people put their hands up, but in reality that is pointless to Olympic Style Sparring since the objective isn't to block the head!

 

[OlympicTKD]

There seems to be some small differences between traditional and Olympic, from what I'm reading here.

There are more than just subtle differences between Olympic Taekwondo, and whatever you people keep referring to as Traditional Tae Kwon Do. Kicks are to the most direct target area, avoiding any excess movements or gestures. Sparring conducted of 3, two minute rounds of continuous fighting, no breaks, unless the opponent falls or goes out of the ring. That is Olympic Style, continuous fighting. No stopping to call points. If the referee stops the fight, then there is also a time out taken where the clock stops too.

Our point system for sparring is any kick that connect ribs, chest, and stomach scores 1pt. Head shot with a kick scores 2pts. Jump kick to the body scores 2pts. Jump kick to the head scores 3pts. All punches score 1pt and must only connect to the ribs, stomach, and chest... NO HEAD SHOTS ALLOWED... big NO - NO there! The first to 5 pts wins the match. This could make for a very quick bout.

And what type of organization does this kind of fighting?

All I know is that the person was put against from Olympic style loved to power kick his way in. He'd bump up against you, shove you back with a shoulder, and while you were moving back.. WOMP! That kick came in... again, again, and again. I'd hate to think that was all there was to the style! To me it was like trading kicks and the last one standing wins.
I'm looking forward in seeing TKD in the Olympics... at least I can get a better grasp on it all.

A Badachagi is not all there is to Olympic Taekwondo. Apparently that is all he needed to use in order to beat you.

Watch Taekwondo on the Olympics, it's really a lot different than what you are saying.

 

[Marginal]

You don't have to fight anyone to know that Olympic TKD is different. I'm not sure what you people refer to as "Traditional" taekwondo. Do you mean Tang Soo Do? Because Olympic Taekwondo is exactly what they practice in South Korea. If you aren't doing it, you are just practicing Tang Soo Do.

Traditional TKD generally refers to TKD before it got caught up in the Olympic movement. What the South Koreans practice now doesn't mean anything to this particular discussion. Other forms of TKD exist regardless of your indoctrination.