what is the best kicking art ?

[French_Kiss]

The best kicking art, and ONLY kicking is Taekwondo !!! That's all !!! More than 75% of Taekwondo technique are kick technique !!! Everything is base on kick ...

In Taekwondo, we've got no guard, and few punch technique because in this art, it's just the kick ...

The topic is not "what's the best in general" but "Kicking", and nothing is better and more complete than Taekwondo ...

And if you think that Taekwondo is not a powerful art, just look at my feet ... They are purple !!!

Of course, if you want to fight in MMA, you must us a mix between Taekwondo and an art wich use punch and a guard ...

 

[chlorox]

Considering that both Kyokushin and TKD developed from Karate, what makes Kyokushin kicks more "practical"?

There is very little difference between Kyokushin kicks and TKD kicks, though in my experience proper TKD kicks tend to be a bit more fluid and make more use of the kicks.

To be practical, there is more to kicking than than just the mechanics,,,what do you do with your hands while you kick, how do you setup your kicks, when do you kick and most importantly, how do you go about learning how to kick

 

[Evil Eye Gouger]

To be practical, there is more to kicking than than just the mechanics,,,what do you do with your hands while you kick, how do you setup your kicks, when do you kick and most importantly, how do you go about learning how to kick

In your opinion, what makes Kyokushin kicks more practical than TKD kicks:

- In terms of what you do with your hands while you kick
- in terms of how the kicks are set up
- In terms of when you kick

and most importantly

- in terms of how you go about learning how to kick in TKD and in Kyokushin

Thanks.

 

[tinker_190]

This is kind of a weird topic, because you can't talk about kicking without talking about standup fighting as a whole, IMO.

 

[D3thr0n3d K1ng]

TKD kicks make more use of the quadriceps muscles by snapping the knee as opposed to MT and many karate styles trying to generate force by swinging their leg in an arc.

 

[Lama]

I've met and trained with some great TKD people, but when they come and learn muay thai they seem improve their power loads, and quickly surpass some of our guys who have been training for years.

It's the way you train your kicks.

Just because an art has more kicks than another doesnt mean it's better, it's how you train the kick.

I believe it's better to train 1 type of kick (e.g a roundhouse) 1000 times aday than to train 1000 different kicks once aday.

Sidenote, Master Sken & i think Master Woody both trained in TKD, they are fantastic kickers.

Thats my 2 cents

Peace

 

[SKD]

Yes, some of them do, but ITF TKD is point fighting with no contact, so that should tell you something.

Most ITF guys are pretty technicians first and foremost. They don't like olympic competition because it's not clean.

I was under the impression that ITF TKD was full contact...... Now I'm all confused

 

[Evil Eye Gouger]

TKD kicks make more use of the quadriceps muscles by snapping the knee as opposed to MT and many karate styles trying to generate force by swinging their leg in an arc.

TKD kicks make very little use of the quadriceps muscles.

In fact, out of all Karate and Karate-like styles, TKD uses the hips the most.

People who don't use hips in TKD kicks aren't doing them properly.

 

[Evil Eye Gouger]

I was under the impression that ITF TKD was full contact...... Now I'm all confused

ITF TKD is NO contact because Gen. Choi thought that contact would dilute the technique, and because he did Shotokan Karate when he was younger.

Then recently, after he died, the ITF splintered into 3 main organisations + countless other offshoots, and nobody knows who is doing what. Most of them still practice no-contact sparring, but there have been some unsanctioned open tournaments done with full contact, and where many ITF stylists took part.

Some ITF guys like to think of themselves as "real martial artists", whereas Kukkiwon (WTF) stylists are "only doing sport". But then again, this sport is a full contact, KO sport, and there are some Kung-Fu guys who feel they are doing "real martial arts" and that kickboxing is "only sport" too.

I don't want to be misunderstood here. I've met plenty of ITF stylists, and most of them had very clean technique, a very good work ethic, and some were full-fledged badasses. But this cult of trying to turn ITF TKD into some hybrid of Kyokushin Karate and Muay Thai has to stop.

 

[D3thr0n3d K1ng]

TKD kicks make very little use of the quadriceps muscles.

In fact, out of all Karate and Karate-like styles, TKD uses the hips the most.

People who don't use hips in TKD kicks aren't doing them properly.

Maybe I described it incorrectly, but in my TKD class we were always taught to throw tight kicks, in other words, bring every kick up like a front kick and then at the last second turn the hips over and use a lot of snapping motion from the quads around the knee to generate power. This seems quite different than MT and many karate styles which tend to swing their legs far out and in an arc to generate power and why alot of MT fighters who miss with their round kicks do a complete spin on the recovery. Of course Im speaking about round kicks. Other kicks, hook kicks, back, and side kick use more hip and butt power.

 

[Mark Limbaga]

What TKD group in the Phils are you talking about? I do hope this isn't one of those Quiapo McDojos

They've been secretly developing a type of taekwando that'll adapt for MMA here in the Philippines. The kicks are the same, but they've added boxing and submissions as well. What do you guys think? You think this would work?

 

[Mark Limbaga]

I studied TKD for 5 years before studying any other art and I do think it is a very good kicking art. However, some downsides of TKD is that they lack the defense which MT and other kickboxing arts have. Also, their kick is more like a whip as to MT, the kick is more like a bart.


Bottomt line: Learn how to use both.

 

[D3thr0n3d K1ng]

Also, their kick is more like a whip as to MT, the kick is more like a bart.


.

Exactly, TKD is all about kicking fast with alot of snap from the knee whereas MT generally kicks stiff-legged and emphasizes power with a wide arc.

 

[Gregster]

I studied TKD for 5 years before studying any other art and I do think it is a very good kicking art. However, some downsides of TKD is that they lack the defense which MT and other kickboxing arts have. Also, their kick is more like a whip as to MT, the kick is more like a bart.


Bottomt line: Learn how to use both.

Many have transitioned to Muay Thai from TKD; those that were properly trained credit TKD for giving them good footwork and a solid base of kicking mechanics.

As for the lack of defense...I disagree. I was drilled in counters as much as offense. Good defense is central to TKD in the ring and on the street.

I think much of the criticism of TKD comes as result of not being trained right, or fighting opponents not properly trained, of drawing judgements about TKD from observing only the sport aspect. TKD has deficiencis, like most any art; but taught properly, it gives a skilled practitioner more tools in the toolbox than kicks, kicks, and more kicks. My TKD instructor was a bouncer and a serious talent at TKD, and in the majority of the street fights he was in (of which there were dozens upon dozens) he *rarely* threw kicks. IN most every fight (which took place inthe crowded confines of a bar) he either used Hapkido (which is taught extensively in pure TKD) or punched his opponents out using basic boxing (which he took it upon himself to learn).

 

[Evil Eye Gouger]

Maybe I described it incorrectly, but in my TKD class we were always taught to throw tight kicks, in other words, bring every kick up like a front kick and then at the last second turn the hips over and use a lot of snapping motion from the quads around the knee to generate power. This seems quite different than MT and many karate styles which tend to swing their legs far out and in an arc to generate power and why alot of MT fighters who miss with their round kicks do a complete spin on the recovery. Of course Im speaking about round kicks. Other kicks, hook kicks, back, and side kick use more hip and butt power.

This is all true and fine. But it's a bit more complex.

There are two types of roundhouses in TKD. The traditional and the fighting one. The traditional one is the wide arc, bring it up wide, swing it in, like Karate. It is used for forms and breaking.

Since it is far to slow to apply in a fast kicking competition, people generally do tight kicks to disguise their intentions and be faster. But the hip is still crucial.

The whole point of a TKD kick is that you can do it from any position. You start with hips facing forward and end with hips facing back, having rotated through full 180 degrees. If you swing it wide, you get some more momentum and power, but in a TKD kick, you don't kick with swinging, "bat" momentum. You kick with a violent twist of the hips, and this is true even if you bring your knee straight up. In fact, it is even more important in this case cause you wouldn't have any power otherwise (pure quad kick).

In other words, even if you bring your leg up front, a TKD kick should turn the hips over fully. Some schools don't turn the hip over at all, resulting in a pointless, quad kick, but that's incorrect.

 

[True2KungFu]

tkd has a solid kicking defense, so many counters to kicks and footwork maneuvers to avoid them, not to mention if we do block a kick we use shin blocks and absorbiign kicks the same way kickboxing does.

It is boxing with feet and anybody who does the art will know what im talking about

 

[D3thr0n3d K1ng]

This is all true and fine. But it's a bit more complex.

There are two types of roundhouses in TKD. The traditional and the fighting one. The traditional one is the wide arc, bring it up wide, swing it in, like Karate. It is used for forms and breaking.

Since it is far to slow to apply in a fast kicking competition, people generally do tight kicks to disguise their intentions and be faster. But the hip is still crucial.

The whole point of a TKD kick is that you can do it from any position. You start with hips facing forward and end with hips facing back, having rotated through full 180 degrees. If you swing it wide, you get some more momentum and power, but in a TKD kick, you don't kick with swinging, "bat" momentum. You kick with a violent twist of the hips, and this is true even if you bring your knee straight up. In fact, it is even more important in this case cause you wouldn't have any power otherwise (pure quad kick).

In other words, even if you bring your leg up front, a TKD kick should turn the hips over fully. Some schools don't turn the hip over at all, resulting in a pointless, quad kick, but that's incorrect.

I agree with you 100% man but I think the extra snap from the knee is what distinguishes TKD kicks from other styles and I also think it adds to the hip twist to make the kick more powerful.

 

[ryouboard]

In the beginning stages, when you're first learning how to kick, TKD instructors may teach you the separate mechanics of the kick emphasizing the snap. However, when you apply the kick in real life, it's a combination of pivoting, hip thrusting/turning, and the snap at the knee. When you time all of the different mechanics together, that's when you generate the proper power in a kick.

Those who say TKD is only "snap" kicking never learned how to properly throw a kick. They probably took one or two lessons and thought they learned everything.

And if the choices are between Tae Kwon Do and Capoeira for best "kicking" art, then I'd say TKD.

 

[French_Kiss]

I've read that Taekwondo isn't a powerfull Fighting sport ... You haven't learned it in the good way ... To be good in Taekwondo, you must be quick, and if you are quick, you are powerfull ...

The kicks are not the same as MT kicks ... I agree with Babyphenom description ... And True2kungfu too ...I do Taekwondo under the WTF rules and I can say that without the protection, my ribs and false ribs will be dead since a long time ...

In Taekwondo, we've got a very cheap guard ... But we've got a lot of sidestep ... You are moving all the time ...

 

[Matt Thornton]

This thread has been about TKD a lot. Nothing about Capoeira. I'm going to start a new thread with the history of Capoeira, info, and I have a pretty sick video.