Manny, thanks for the good post, but sir i have one observation i would love to get yours and others opinion on. You will fight(ie self defense) the way you train. If you train and sparr with out doing hand techs to the head, you will not do them in a fight for your life. Why do you handicap your self and your students by not giving them the full experiance? If all you ever practice is kicks and punches below the neck, and never any throws locks and sweeps in a sparring situation against a live opponent, how can you be so sure you will be able to use it in a real fight?
Its not the techniques that are handicapping TKD as a martial art, its the rules. Its a unavoidable and unbreakable rule, you will fight like you train. Train to attack all targets using all techniques and youll do that in a fight. Train to avoid techs and targets and thats exactly what you will do. (insert video here of TKD and Karate people fighting with there hands at there arses)
Thank you for asking me!! One thing is to do sparring inside the dojang and other thing is defending ourselves on the streets, that's why I focus alot on self defense techs. The self defense techs I teach have amoung other things: grabs, take downs, sweeps,arm bars, locks (shoulder,elbow,wrist and fingers too) some trows (not many Iam not a judoka),punches (to the head/face/neck), palm strikes, finger strikes (eyes), elbows,knees,kicks offcourse.
As you may see I teach not only kicking but some aikido techs,some judo techs and some kenpo techs.
You must realize that my self defense is controled, I can not blow a knee cap or dislocate an elbow for example to my srudents or partners, I can not make a concusion using an elbow to the temple, I can not visiusly crush a windpipe, I don't have to kill my students or partners, however I can be a little rough without compromising life.
I have not yet a single martial rts dojo or academy where people hurt so badly the others, yes I have seen accidentes like broken ribs for example for too heavy contact, I experimented on my a well knock out and been huirts before without compromising my life.
I have not seen till these days a sparring match inside a dojo where a person is killed.
Sorry if I went to long. Can I have the ability to crush a windpipe with a karate chop? Yes, can I popo out an efe with a spear hand? you bet, can I drop a guy with a couple of solid low kicks to the tights? I think I can do it for sure!! Can I break an elbow with an arm bar offcourse my friend.
And to finish this.... WTF Sparring or WUKO Sparring does not allow the above mentioned for security sake!
Self defense is a big part inside my class.
Manny