Why Is Tae-Kwon-Do the art you study?

[Thesemindz]

Hello. I am new to this forum. I wanted to ask everyone here why they study Tae-Kwon-Do. What are it's strengths, what does it offer you? What do you like about it? Why is it the best? I'm just curious.

Why should you train for the rest of your life?

-Rob

 

[karatekid1975]

To be totally honest, when I moved from NJ to NY, there wasn't any TSD dojangs around. The closest I could find was the dojang I'm in now (we do Moo Duk Kwan forms after BB). I hate the sparring rules (too many LOL). But over all, the style of TKD I study is a good art. It's kind of a hybrid style, though. Includes grappling, throws, joint locks, ect.

 

[Disco]

It may be a hybrid by todays standards, but that's how/what we trained in TKD 20+ years ago.

As far as being the best, well that depends on the individual. There actually is no best martial art.

What I like about it is that it's covers all the practical aspects of self defense. The newer style of TKD, sorry to say seem to lacking. That damned sports mentality you know. People that practice TKD, even the sport venue, will/should be in pretty good condition. I've seen some other styles - no names, that have some fairly portly practicioners/Instructors. Nothing really wrong with that, but it does lend itself to not looking that good.

Why should you train for the rest of your life? It's not that I should, I must. If you are a true student of the arts, they become infused into your being. You should become intuned with the tenents of the arts - honor, truth, humility etc. Although lately, it seems that there are more than a few, who seemed to have skipped that part of the training. :shrug: Plus the fact that I enjoy the physical training and learning new materiel and in order to be able to use what you learn, it must be practiced. Hope this gives you some of what your looking for.

:asian:

 

[Marginal]

Why's TKD the best? Don't think that question matters really. Best means a lotta different things to different people etc.

It's best for me simply because I enjoy it.

I got started in a roundabout way though. I spent a few months as a white belt in Shudokan Karate back when I was 13 or so. I liked it, but various things eventually led to me quitting. I pretty much missed it for years afterwards, and a couple of years ago I started getting nap attacks. I decided I couldn't keep awake 'cause I wasn't active enough. First I tried just learning on my own from a few Best Karate books. (Hahahaha. Didn't work.) so I looked into what MA's my college offered. My first thought was Arnis, but the Arnis club had ceased to be by the time I looked into it. (Think it lasted about a year or two total.) That left the TKD club.

I went to that. I was surprised to find that it strongly reselbled the Shudokan I had studied previously. Also went from 220lbs to 195 after a few months of the class. Losta good people at that club (Fort Lewis TKD Club), and from there, I found that there was a good school near where I live when I'm not in school, and I've been going there ever since.

I like how it keeps me active and enthisiastic about being active. I'd never have stuck with a basic exercise program this long, and the other benefits like being able to not panic when a punch is thrown at me etc's definitely a bonus.

 

[ThuNder_FoOt]

I train Taekwondo because Taekwondo relates to ME.


THuNdeR_FoOT:asian:

 

[Damian Mavis]

I like TKD because it is so hard to get good at, and by good I don't mean throw a good kick, I mean really truly good with expert level power, speed and precision. Everything else I have studied has seemed simple in comparison.

Learning to be an expert with your legs is not natural like learning how to be an expert with your arms and hands that we use since birth to manipulate our surroundings. It is very difficult and takes many many years.

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD

 

[the_kicking_fiend]

I didn't choose tae kwon do, tae kwon do chose me.

d

 

[Zepp]

Got lucky and chose a TKD class that was at a good time for me. As it turns out, it's exactly what I wanted/needed in a primary art, so I'm still with it.

 

[SBlue]

Well... a friend dragged me to a class once, and then, I got addicted. Hehe. That's the short of it.

But really. There's always something to work towards, always something to improve... I suppose that's true of any martial art, but TKD just kind of grew on me

 

[scouse130484]

I CHOSE TKD BECAUSE OF A DEMO I SAW WHERE RON SEWGUE RAN AND DIDA FLYING SIDE KICK OVER A CAR AND BROKE 3 WOODEN BOARDS AND THAT WAS IT I WAS HOOKED AND HAVE BIN EVA SINCE

 

[RCastillo]

I enjoy the forms!(ITF)

 

[Fonixz]

I was attracted by the aerial kicks, they seemed physically challenging, plus my school also offers Hapkido, so I feel I get the best of both worlds.

 

[elcajon555]

It was my mom's idea to have me and my brother join something for an after school activety. The reason why it was taekwondo was because she knew the instructor and decided to go to him. Now I train in taekwondo because I love the art and the people who are there. In the lower ranks people come and go and some even leave once they get to black. But there is a group of us at the top and we have been training and done demos and so forth for the past 4 years and we have become really close and that is another reason why I am at my school. I don;t forsee me stopping at any point in the near future or even the future.

 

[lifewise]

Hello. I am new to this forum. I wanted to ask everyone here why they study Tae-Kwon-Do. What are it's strengths, what does it offer you? What do you like about it? Why is it the best? I'm just curious.

Why should you train for the rest of your life?

-Rob

I like the competitive sport nature to TKD.

When a student is truely committed to TKD, they can receive and excellent workout both physically and mentally. TKD has a lot to offer - from the strategy of the game to the contrasting peacefulness of the forms.

Is it the best? Depends what you are looking for.

:asian:

 

[cali_tkdbruin]

It's a family thing for me. My brother-in-law and nephew first began training in TKD back in the the mid-80's. Then 10 years later, in the mid to late 90's, my daughter watched them train and decided that she too wanted to start training in the art. After watching them for a bit I decided that I should take after them and start training myself.

We're all various degrees of WTF/Kukkiwon TKD Black belts now. Me, I'm at the lowest level at only a 1st dan, but, I'm enjoying the experience and I'm happy that I'm a martial artist, and more importantly that I decided to take up the MAs even at an advanced age... :asian:

 

[elcajon555]

Whats the highest ranking WTF/kukkiwon in your family? I am just curious. Personally I am on the verge of being a 2nd degree with certification with the WTF and kukkiwon, that is in June I am testing for my 2nd degree

 

[illteckneek]

I am 19 and I currently attend a taekwon DO class at UNLV. I just recieved my yellow belt (9th kub) and i feel a sense of achievement and self respect. I originally chose taekwon DO because of my friend Nathan's influence, he is a 1st dan at a dojang in town. I felt reluctant taking a class at my college, but the first day that all disappeared. My instructor is a 5th Dan under the WTF and Kukkiwon regulation. TKD is his life, he teaches at school, then goes home and teaches at his school, which i will be joining soon. I am not taking TKD from any McDojang instructor. :boing2:

I guess i chose TKD because I believe that by taking TKD i can attain the knowledge, athletic ability and self respect i will be carrying with me to the grave. I am also going to look into taking jujitsu or judo to become a more rounded MAist.

:supcool:

 

[Gaidheal]

Well, to be fair it is only one of the styles I study, but it is the one I tend use as my core. I started with it because I needed to get active again and I missed the MA that I had done when I was a little younger, even though I did not actually study formally for very long. My drive is primarily self defence/unarmed attack proficiency, but through TKD I have come to love the competitive sport aspect and I expect to compete in sparring matches soon.


TKD is best (combined with stuff from other styles ;¬)) for me because I have long legs, especially as compared to my upper body (I am 'out of proportion' as it were). This being the case, I quickly was able to kick to head height (the 'Holy Grail' of the starting TKDer!) and by that time I was hooked anyway. I'd wanted an art that made heavy use of kicks and of course, as I came to realize, TKD is very kick heavy. Have not really looked back since, but much of 'evolution' has been learning to get comfortable dealing with opponents who are 'in close' and using hand techniques; which is obvious if you consider what is needed for self defence.

For the record, the other styles I've trained in/train in are Judo, Shotokan Karate, Lau Gar Kung Fu, Jeet Kune Do (not a style as such, more an approach to other styles or a mindset). I still do Lau Gar and attend Jeet Kune Do sessions.
John