TaeKwonDo VS Grappling

[Maxximus]

I don't mean to get too critical of TKD...I highly respect some of those TKD athletes and old school hot blooded Korean teachers. And I do think that with practical training, TKD will help you out in a streetfight. But I don't think pure TKD is much good for anything in MMA. If you really have power and know how to kickbox, I think all that footwork and sparky quick legwork and kicking of TKD will be nothing but a show in front of you. The guy might be able to tap you with a couple annoying snappy kicks, but after you've been fighting thai boxers all the time, you're gonna laugh that stuff off in all likelihood. For the pure TKD kickers, the sidekick and its variations is the only real power shot they have (that has a practical chance of landing to warrant throwing it a lot). But its easily countered and from the way its thrown will open the guy up for all sorts of trouble leaving him without much counterattack options. I've seen some guys use a powerful spinning sidekick to good effect, but if that lands at all, it won't land more than a couple times. I think previous TKD skill will definitely help a lot and make you stand out if you have thai trained skills and power to back it up (are you listening, Yella Tiger ??) But alone, its not going to be much of an asset in an MMA fight. A few of the TKD kickers at the boxing gym whom I've sparred against seem to gas themselves out jumping around the ring like a crazy tick and trying to fake you out a dozen times before the actual kick comes out. For all their effort, they seem to just tire themselves out and their fancy setups are easily offset by a simple fast low thai kick in the middle of their transition. Its simple JKD-esque interception theory. A simple, close, direct and powerful attack well timed will disrupt a fancy mess. The hooking kick can sometimes be surprising, but as long as you keep your hands up and have a good ready defense, it isn't all that much to worry about IMO. For MMA purposes, I think that a fancy TKD kick may surprise your opponent and be a good crowd pleaser every now and then, but unless you have thai power, your kicks aren't going to do much in the way of damage.

But this is all my opinion formed by my limited, but hands on experience. If others more experienced have a different outlook I'd love to hear it. Maybe I'll learn something

[likuid]

good point gungfuhero- they are the minority...to be fair, at most JKD schools, those who trully practice JKD are the minority as well...SH*T, those who are dedicated are the minority

[YeLLa-TiGeR]

TKD people are not narrow minded, they just dont know what the f uck is going on most of the time! No one really knew what MMA was in my old TKD place, outside of the TKD realm, no one really looked or cared about MA. However most people that were badasses at my own gym were good because they were just that way, even if they didnt train at all, they probably still have the same rep.

TKD helped alot in my thai, but just recently I completely rid of the snapping back habit. But some TKD combos I can pull of, the more squared off stance enables me to use my back kick, in fact I got a KO with it. But it only works if your opponent never saw you throw it b4 (like me!) Also the TKD combo of sidestepping and kicking, or the so called "jumping around like a crazy tick" worked for me on several instances.


LOL Maxximus I hear ya! And what he said in his above post is basically what I am saying about my strong TKD background. It is extremely useful when you have the Thai skills and power to BACK it up!

I tried several times to do the fake to the legs and go to the head. It lands, but it doesnt hurt them as much and I am much better off throwing a punch, it takes less energy. Some people hit with ALOT of power in TKD, but they can never apply it in TKD sparring cause they want to set it up with combinations which need faster and lighter kicks to make the transition instead of heavy ones.

But if you want to add grappling in it....its a WHOLE different game!

BTW my kicks are still 100% faster and harder than anyone in my gym, even when Im kicking Thai style. 6 years of Olympic TKD makes kicks seem damn easy. Even when your doing thai style kicks, the mechanics of the TKD roundhouse kick are alot harder to master and because I was used to snapping but "turning" my hip into the kick for extra power, my thai kick is alot harder than usual ones because the hip torque was alot easier for me to use with the swing style.