Hey everyone, its been a while since I updated last. I hope that this new post is of interest. I have recently started another martial arts style, Olympic Taekwondo. Olympic Taekwondo is regulated by the WTF, World Taekwondo Federation. As I have started to take classes it has become apparent that this type of Taekwondo does not focus on self-defense. It is almost exclusively focused on tournament competition. This is not necessarily good or bad, but it is different than the martial arts I have tried before. I first started this style through the ASU Taekwondo club. This is a competitive Taekwondo club that competes in the collegiate games for Arizona State University.
Olympic Taekwondo is known for its fast and flashy kicks, and its inclusion as a martial art in the Olympic games. Training in Olympic Taekwondo has really changed how I look at the usefulness of kicks in self defense. Most of the styles I have trained in have kicks, but, Taekwondo is based primarily around kicks. The kicks in Taekwondo are streamlined to be as quick and powerful as possible. This is because of the method of sparring.
Sparring in WTF Taekwondo at the black belt level is done electronically. No - its not virtual reality or some sci-fi craziness. Actually, their gear has pressure sensors in it, along with the foot pads, so that when a kick happens, it only counts as a point if its done correctly and has enough power in it. This takes a lot of the random chance that enters into a sparring match due to poor judging.
So far, WTF Taekwondo has proved to be an enjoyable and challenging martial art in its own right. And while it is not focused on self-defense I thoroughly enjoy training in it.
Until Next time
Mr. Waaler
Statement of Purpose
This project is an investigation of 5 Martial Arts styles. Self-defense is a major theme in martial arts today and to better understand how different martial arts schools and styles treat self-defense I am going to learn all I can (given time restraints) about each of the five styles. These schools will be chosen from a list of local martial arts studios, and the style will be the one that is taught at that studio. Many studios teach multiple styles, so in this case on of the styles taught there will be analyzed. At the end of the project all the schools I visited will be rated and scored to show in which areas they excel or by contrast, fall short.