For all you naysayers of TKD (taekwondo) you know nothing of what you're talking about. TKD, especially Olympic style tkd, is known for it's devestatingly powerful kicks and lightning foot speed. In the time it takes most people (even trained fighters) to throw a punch a decent tkd practitioner can throw a kick from a distance keeping him safer and delivering MUCH more power than a punch. YES, punches are used in tkd but are not highlighted nearly as much in Olympic style tkd due to how the points are given and the rules of the game. YES, Olympic tkd IS full contact and points are only rewarded for blows that deliver trembling shock (which is why points generated with punches are harder to come by). We do use gear such as a trunk protector to fight and headgear, but boxers use headgear, and if we didn't use body protection the matches would be much shorter with a higher incedence of injury. No, we don't punch to the face because then it would end up being a kickboxing or point karate match. Every match would end quickly and knockouts would be occuring in almost every ring. Knockouts do still occur but I shudder to think what would happen with the addition of face punching to sparring. Yes, I do believe that our system of sparring is better than ITF Taekwondo and point sparring found in most Karate federations because we get to use full contact and will be better prepared for the shock of being struck in a regular fight.
Also, Muay Thai's kicks are not very good and are **** poor technique wise. Any decent TKD practioner will never be hit with a full power Muay Thai kick because they are so telegraphed and inherently slow due to the techniques used. Muay Thai kickboxers on the pro level may be tough but so are any of the national Olympic TKD practioners. Basically put a guys of equal level or years of experience (in actual fighting) against each other and tkd ownz muay thai.
Take Bruce Lee for instance. Who's kicking technique did he decide was the best for him to incorporate into JKD(jeet kun do)? Need you ask...it is from Taekwondo! He readily admitted it while he was alive. It is well documented in interviews and books he's written.
Also a large part of TKD is footwork as well as boxing so it can be argued there where Bruce got his influence from in that department. Emphasis on footwork, and modern training methods of Olympic Style sparring leave the practitioner well able to zone away from most in fighing (grappling) and leaves the practitioner in good enough condition and with reaction time to deal with most any attack. It's not even necessary for most Olympic style practitioners to work on complicated combinations with their hands or feet due to the increase of reaction time and speed of action that is acheived through dedicated and specific, and scientific training.
TKD's strong points are simplicity, speed, power, accuracy and conditioning. There aren't a large number of animal style moves to learn and whatnot. It is direct and to the point without wasted motion. Power is generated efficiently and to the best of your body's ability. Speed, footwork, accuracy (after having to kick very specific spots in order to get a score as well as being fast enough to hit it while it's open and have it be hard enough to generate shock or a knockout through the protective padding of the head and trunk of the body is a mean feat).
Also, no self respecting TKD master would enter a NHB tournament such as the UFC and whatnot. Maybe its due to the fact that our art has actual tenets to live by, or maybe its part of Korean and Japanese culture. None of the supposed TKD representatives were anyone I've ever heard of in the TKD community meaning they were either not learning real TKD from a real TKD instructor or were really not very good at TKD and decided to quit while later claiming to be in the style while really just using their own made up style mostly (there are many TKD school that don't really teach TKD such as the one someone posted about earlier that used muay thai ((lol)) kicks? and boxing and a 'little' grappling).
Also, for self defense is taught on top of that in various senario's and against weapons. This is mostly brought in from Hwoarangdo and Hapkido. Almost any TKD school that is decent (ie has a master from Korea or is actually in Korea) teachs Hapikido along with TKD for a more complete curiculum for self defense.
Brazillian Ju-jitsu and most grappling arts without a striking component will leave you defenseless against MULTIPLE attackers (ie You get into a fight after beating some Eddy scrub and all his gangster buddies decide that you should have lost and try to bum rush you). In these cases as you are trying to beat one guy and trap his arm and get in your 'defensive' stance by falling to the ground, his buddies are stomping you into the ground for your folly.
The NHB tournaments that I hear about the old masters (not just tkd) taking part in were overseas (Japan, Korea, China) had no referrees and no rules. The loser would end up dead or so badly injured that they would have to reconsider their fighting style or incorporate new untraditional techniques into their arsenal (ie stolen from their opponents).
