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Taekwondo. Lacks mystical energy crap, and is practical.

by mml 17y ago

robg 17y ago
I don't know. It's always seemed more about point scoring. When we practiced against advanced students, they relied too much on kicks which aren't very practical against anyone who knows to move in. The sparring is too controlled. Plus, in real life you aren't wearing padding. That's just my take. But then I think some of the mystical "crap" has a physiological basis. How many of us breathe deeply?
- mrkurt 17y ago
  The reality is that most people don't need or have much use for practical fighting skills, they need practical running skills. Modern Taekwondo is a sport and it can be great fun. If you can find a good school that isn't just a belt factory, it's well worth doing. Particularly if they teach a little Hapkido on the side.
  - jamesnvc1 17y ago
    Yeah, I went to a Taekwondo place that also taught Hapkido and found it a very good combination: Taekwondo will get you in very good shape (Olympic-style sparring builds up cardio and flexibility quite well) and Hapkido is what you actually use if you have to mess a dude up. In general, I'd have to say it really depends on the teacher...a good teacher can make any martial art useful, just as a bad one can make any completely useless.
  - robg 17y ago
    Sure, if you see it as an Olympic sport, I've got no complaint. But with all the colors, I have trouble seeing it as anything other than a belt factory.
  - christonog 17y ago
    When you're in a confrontation, there's either fight or flight. The practitioners of parkour consider it a martial art in that it represents the "flight" aspect.
  - silentbicycle 17y ago
    Learning how to fall is also extremely practical self-defense training.
Keyframe 17y ago
I was explained to really early on that "mystical energy crap" is a visualization tool. You can think about how you should control breathing and contract muscles in a sequence while balancing OR you could imagine being rooted to the ground and channeling "energy" from your grounded foot through belly onwards to the arm and fist "through" the target you are aiming at (just one example). It's all for practical purposes, see it only as a tool (unless you're into Kempo+Zen). It's all based on hard cold facts - for example it's easier to bear the load, punch something or absorb an impact while exhaling rather than inhaling.

Taekwondo. Lacks mystical energy crap, and is practical.

by mml 17y ago

Taekwondo. Lacks mystical energy crap, and is practical.

robg 17y ago

I don't know. It's always seemed more about point scoring. When we practiced against advanced students, they relied too much on kicks which aren't very practical against anyone who knows to move in. The sparring is too controlled. Plus, in real life you aren't wearing padding. That's just my take. But then I think some of the mystical "crap" has a physiological basis. How many of us breathe deeply?

mrkurt 17y ago
The reality is that most people don't need or have much use for practical fighting skills, they need practical running skills. Modern Taekwondo is a sport and it can be great fun. If you can find a good school that isn't just a belt factory, it's well worth doing. Particularly if they teach a little Hapkido on the side.
- jamesnvc1 17y ago
  Yeah, I went to a Taekwondo place that also taught Hapkido and found it a very good combination: Taekwondo will get you in very good shape (Olympic-style sparring builds up cardio and flexibility quite well) and Hapkido is what you actually use if you have to mess a dude up. In general, I'd have to say it really depends on the teacher...a good teacher can make any martial art useful, just as a bad one can make any completely useless.
- robg 17y ago
  Sure, if you see it as an Olympic sport, I've got no complaint. But with all the colors, I have trouble seeing it as anything other than a belt factory.
- christonog 17y ago
  When you're in a confrontation, there's either fight or flight. The practitioners of parkour consider it a martial art in that it represents the "flight" aspect.
- silentbicycle 17y ago
  Learning how to fall is also extremely practical self-defense training.

Keyframe 17y ago

I was explained to really early on that "mystical energy crap" is a visualization tool. You can think about how you should control breathing and contract muscles in a sequence while balancing OR you could imagine being rooted to the ground and channeling "energy" from your grounded foot through belly onwards to the arm and fist "through" the target you are aiming at (just one example). It's all for practical purposes, see it only as a tool (unless you're into Kempo+Zen). It's all based on hard cold facts - for example it's easier to bear the load, punch something or absorb an impact while exhaling rather than inhaling.