TKD VS KUNG FU

ad · Brown Belt

within my district and school there is so much debate about which is better, it all started when the u18 world champion tkd wanted to fight me in a sparring match, i wouldnt class myself as a brilliant fighter but a decent one,
anyways he should be world class, heck no, he was so rubbish in the end he collapsed to the floor when he had is guard down and i did a simple round kick to his head,
it really does amaze me that if he is the world champion, then how is TKD benefiting him, me, as being a kung fu fighter, balanced my hitting with hands and feet, he solely only used is feet, so as a consequence i could see the kicks comin so i therefore always countered them, there is alot of debate whether what is better, within my grammar school there alot of tkd fighters but hardly any kung fu fighters, i noticed how the tkd figthers in particular werent that strong but very flexible, there kicks didnt seem to be hard but they had the height, in my opinion i feel that tkd is generally a display art with no sense of power and delivery, and i personally feel that kung fu is better,
however with this forum being highly populated in tkd fighters i hope you guys didnt take any offence and would like to display your feelings and opinions about this topic
-ad

_________________
Brown Sash Hsing I/Lau Gar Kung Fu
Brown Belt San Shou
17 yr old
http://www.selfdefencehelp.co.uk

three60roundhouse · Pre-Black Belt

I will say it for any art and any sport - you can't judge it by just one guy.

YODA · Black Belt

Just to add a little balance to the equation

About 6 years ago I was judging a European title level Muay Thai event. On the undercard was a female fight between to young ladies of about 16 or so years old.
One was a Muay Thai fighter with about 3 years training, and I think about 4 fights to her name, all victories. She was the new "star" of the Thai club that was hosting the event. Her opponent was a TKD stylist who, when we asked her Instructor, had never fought full contact before, except TKD style with no punching to the head. They were told that she had been doing TKD a long time, since she was very small - but the Thai stylists didn't think much of that & matched the two up.

So - out they came for round one. TKD girl in her white TKD pants and elesticated shin & instep pads. Thai girl in her shorts & anklets. TKG girls started to bounce around with her hands dangling around her waist -and I turned to the fight Doctor who was sat beside me and said "Don't blink - this won't be a long fight" -I was correct, but not in the way I thought.

Thai girl stuck out a left "Teep" - a front push kick, that sent TKD girl staggering back across the ring. TKG girl then responded in kind - with a front kick, only as Thai girl went to scoop it aside with her lead arm, TKD girl switched it mid air & scored with a nice snappy turning kick to the jaw. You know, those snappy kicks that Thai people laugh at because they have no power?

Well, this particular snappy kick knocked Thai girl unconcious, breaking her jaw in the process - she was out for about 5 minutes.

As always - it's the artist more than it's the art.

_________________
YODA
2nd Degree Black Belt : Doce Pares Eskrima
Instructor : JKD Concepts
http://www.jkdc.co.uk / http://www.docepares.co.uk

[ This Message was edited by: YODA on 2002-02-09 10:10 ]

spinninggumby · Purple Belt

As a practitioner of both traditional kung fu and modern sport taekwondo, it is hard to overstress and keep from beating the dead horse stating that the quality of the practitioner takes priority over the 'quality' of the style in the vast majority of all cases. Taekwondo, when done correctly, has fast powerful kicks, whether they be high or low. Traditional taekwondo is not for show or demonstration and has real self-defense value. Sport taekwondo is just what the name says, the practitioners train with techniques and strategies which will help them win in the ring, within sport rules. Demonstration taekwondo is, obviously, for flashy demonstrative purposes. In ALL cases, proper taekwondo no matter what area of tkd you strive for should not be sloppy and/or weak and should involve the proper mechanics and technique to bring out the utmost power with every kick or punch. Obviously, if their techniques are weak or sloppy, they are not world class material, regardless of how many contests they have won. In the case of kung fu (as a general overall term covering the hundreds of styles), the vast majority of training areas is devoted to self-defense and real-life application, with modern wushu as the exception for demonstrations. It would be safe but not foolproof to say that most kung fu practitioners would fare better in a self-defense situation than many taekwondo peeps. IMHO no style is BETTER than the other one. To put it bluntly, the statement 'tkd has no real sense of delivery or power' would apply to those who practice tkd, and suck at it.

Interesting to note that the styles that have proven most worthy in real-life application have been those in which the training involves little beyond, surprise surprise, self-defense. Look at Muay Thai and BJJ. No forms. No fancy 'higher-level' techniques. Just pure and plain simple take the attacker out in the shortest amount of time with the least amount of effort. They are simple and effective. However, that does not mean that other styles cannot draw from their own collection of philosophies and ideologies. It's just my opinion that many styles and many people who train in tkd, kung fu, karate, savate, kenpo, etc. become clouded with the abundance of techniques and forms and since they do not focus on self defense 24/7, they probably will have trouble beating the BJJ or Muay Thai practitioner who always has self-defense on his mind.

_________________
'Conviction is a luxury for those on the sidelines'

William Parcher, 'A BEAUTIFUL MIND'

Jack · Black Belt

http://www.ifroggy.com/karateforums/forums/viewtopic.php?topic=1770&forum=7&10

Harpoon · Yellow Belt

Iron Arahat · Red Belt

Spinning Gumby stated: "It's just my opinion that many styles and many people who train in tkd, kung fu, karate, savate, kenpo, etc. become clouded with the abundance of techniques and forms and since they do not focus on self defense 24/7, they probably will have trouble beating the BJJ or Muay Thai practitioner who always has self-defense on his mind."

I don't know many thai boxers that focus on self-defense 24/7...most focus on their bouts. Sport is sport...reality is quite different. All of the above noted styles can be trained for sport or can be focused to a broader range more...depends on the instructor and the student's ambitions.

It's about using the tools at your disposal, and knowing how to use them properly.

Don't mistake ring training for effective self defence training.

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AnonymousOne · Red Belt

Its a silly and uneducated question to ask which art is better

_________________
7th Dan Chidokai

A true combat warrior has to be hard as nails in mind, body and soul. Warriors are action takers and not action fakers. If you are cruising, make time for losing

YODA · Black Belt

We were all silly & uneducated once - it is by asking questions that we become educated. Don't you agree?

_________________
YODA
2nd Degree Black Belt : Doce Pares Eskrima www.docepares.co.uk
Qualified Instructor : JKD Concepts www.jkdc.co.uk
Qualified Fitness Instructor (Weights, CV, Circuit, Kinesiology)

spinninggumby · Purple Belt

Yoda:

Yes you are right, I was incorrect to say that Muay Thai training involves an abundance of self-defense application. I guess what I meant to say was that styles like Muay Thai and BJJ tend to lean more towards what techniques work in a no-holds barred situation where anything goes, without rules (or many rules, at least) to keep you from saving your own life in case a situation like that arises.

_________________
'Conviction is a luxury for those on the sidelines'

William Parcher, 'A BEAUTIFUL MIND'

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