Derived from Harold "Pelican" Smith in rec.martial-arts 1996/09/01

What is right with Taekwondo -----------------------------

1. It is very well organized. It has a well formed structure, and classes literally everywhere. No matter where you go, you should find tkd.

2. It accepts everyone. Little old ladies rarely shoot and trap. Little kids don't really need to know how to crush a windpipe.

3. It is fun. It leads you down a path that ends with you doing things you never thought you could.

4. It has a past, and it has a future. Remember when Kung Fu was all the craze? Now it's Juijitsu and No-Holds-Barred. But will the "School of Bone Breaking and Bare-Knuckle Octagon Masters" graduate many students? Will they still be practising when they are fifty?

5. It's sociable. That makes you happy. Happiness counts in fitness. You will meet old friends in tournaments (and kick them in the head :> ). You will come to consider your instructor one of your best friends and advisors.

6. It is a sport for all those introverted computer nerds out there. Trust me. It's hard to find a sport for you when you spent your childhood taking the bottom off of a Commodore 64, instead of chasing after a football.

7. It has fully accepted children into it's ranks. Some ma's allow children. Tkd recognizes that they are the future olympians, and instructors.

8. It keeps you in shape. Tkd really has studied fitness. It really has chosen exercise techniques which will improve your heart and posture and mind, etc.

9. Tkd impresses your spouse. Firms up your butt. Also impresses your kids. Psychologists admit that kids need to view their parents as strong and courageous. They also admit that kids should not see their parents commit acts of violence (duhhhh...). Taking Tkd allows your kids to see your strength, and how you temper it with humility and common sense.

What is wrong with Taekwondo -----------------------------

1. USUALLY, when two Tkd fighters get too close, they bump, spread their arms to prevent the axe kick, and back off quickly. If you have ever taken any other ma, this type of chicken dance can cause you to grit the enamel off your teeth. (SWEEP, STOMP, KNEE..DO SOMETHING!!!).

2. Too many Tkd schools are only money making operations.

3. Great care must be taken by the instructors to prevent students from damaging their knees and ankles. All that jumping is rough on the bones.

4. Too many Tkd students rise too high in rank without developing as fully as they should. When you are a red belt, you should have developed a pretty high pain threshold. Maybe this is just my old Tang Soo Do training speaking here. Tkd does have many, many tough guys who can take a shot and come back swinging. But it does have it's wise guy wimps who damage the image. The old story about "This tkd guy who came to our school bragging and trained for a day and left whining about the bruises" is often, sadly, too true.

5. Tkd has been accepted into the olympics. I list this under the "what's wrong" section. It is good that tkd is recognized as a world event, but "the sport" often opposes "the art".

6. The Americanized version of Tkd is less disciplined than many other ma's. Perhaps we Americans are too hurried, or complacent, or self-centered, to understand the philosophy of lowering your eyes to show respect.

To prevent replys from getting off topic, the author would like to mention at this time that he is a true, red blooded American service member who drives a Dodge and rises for the national anthem. Ok? Oh, well. My job is too emphasize what is right, and to do my little part in correcting what is wrong. Final thoughts: 1. For those who insist that the grappling arts are better than the footwork arts, consider the self defense scenario involving multiple attackers. While the BJJ master is taking the mandatory thirty seconds to choke the living beejesus out of attacker number one, number two is stabbing him in the back. Tkd says to do the hustle. Stay out of the middle. Circle. A grappler would be forced to fight on his feet in this one. 2. The Tai Chi master laughs at all of us who argue about which style is best. When we are sixty and nursing our swollen knees, she will still be walking to the park at the crack of dawn. 3. The drug-dealing gangster laughs at all of us. Even the best ma has difficulties defending against a rain of speeding bullets. The best defense we can offer is "stay out of trouble". Perhaps that's really the best...

Highest respects to all, H. "Pelican" Smith