So you’re thinking about learning Taekwondo, but aren’t sure if it’s the best martial art option if you want to protect yourself. Now what? Many people face this problem when they first start out investigating martial art styles. Logically, the next step would be to do a little (or should I say a lot) of research. With a bit of sussing-out, you can determine if Taekwondo is a good form of self-defense, and if it’s the type of fighting style that you actually want to dedicate your time (life) to. Luckily, most of the investigative work has been done for you!
Is Taekwondo effective or good for self-defense and in a real fight? The answer is both yes, and no. While Taekwondo isn’t designed for a street fight, it can be useful in one. Taekwondo doesn’t include specific self-defense techniques and moves, but some of the techniques, agile footwork, dodging, punching, and blocking moves can be used effectively in a self-defense scenario.
When it comes to learning martial arts for self-defense, it really comes down to knowing how to use the moves and techniques to your advantage. For instance, let’s take a skipping rope for example. A skipping rope can be a brutal tool to use in self-defense. Someone who has worked with rope and knows how to use it could walk away from a street fight in seconds, just by using a skipping rope. Someone who has no prior knowledge or only knows how to use a skipping rope for hopping over it will find the rope useless in self-defense. Of course Taekwondo and skipping ropes are two very different things. Let’s rather talk about just how effective Taekwondo can be for self-defense and what you can expect from it. Read on…
Is Taekwondo Relevant to Fighting Styles Today?
When looking into how effective Taekwondo would be in a real fight, I read a fairly interesting comment posted by someone on a social media site. It referred to the fact that most martial arts where created many, many years ago and that while the techniques and moves would have been highly effective in a fight back then, they might prove useless now unless tweaked or altered in some way. Let’s take for instance the jumping spinning kick in Taekwondo that this particular person referred to in their social media comment. This particular kick is a high energy kick and looks absolutely impressive in action. Its original intent was to help a practitioner to easily kick or knock a warrior on horseback. When it was designed, it was highly effective, but how many people on horseback attack you at the local bar or on your way home from work? Relevance to the here and now is key when learning any martial art for self-defense.
That being said, Taekwondo has certain elements that are obviously perfect for self-defense. After all, it is the National Martial Art of Korea and based on years of research and scientific knowledge. It was put to practice by soldiers in the Korean and Vietnam wars as a form of self-defense! This alone tells us that the art has great potential in a real street fight, even in today’s times.
Sport Fighting vs Real Fighting
It must be mentioned that most forms of martial arts, even those actively taught with self-defense in mind, don’t often take a street fight scenario into account. Bar fights, street muggings, home invasions…all of these are unexpected and with a certain level of fear attached. Taekwondo is taught as a form of sport fighting. It isn’t designed to prepare the average person to act suddenly in a dangerous situation, even though all those years ago, that’s what it was designed for. It is important to realize that you have to think actively of applying each of the fighting techniques and moves to a real-life self-defense situation. Ask the school you intend to learn with if they can specifically teach you to use Taekwondo for self-defense before just signing up!
How Effective Is Taekwondo In A Real Fight Or In A Self-Defense Scenario?
When you learn Taekwondo, understand that the instructor ahead of you has a wealth of knowledge and skills to present to you. If you want to be effective in a street fight regardless of your size or that of your opponent, you can’t just know a bit of Taekwondo. You need to make it become part of you. When the skills are taught and studied diligently and you put in so much effort and practice that the moves and reactions become “natural” to you, even in a high stress situation, you can be somewhat diabolical in a street fight.
How effective Taekwondo is in a real fight will depend greatly on the practitioner. What type of training do you have? Have you practiced day and night? Do you know which techniques to apply to which attacks? Do you know how to time your attacks and read your opponent? All of these things will determine just how effective you are using Taekwondo in a real fight.
In a Taekwondo class you will learn a variety of things that when done with force and correctly, can be powerful in a real right. In class you will do and learn the following, which with a bit of thought and the correct technique, can be used as a self-defense mechanism:
- Break boards.
- Powerful kicks.
- Open and closed hand strikes.
- Strike with elbows and knees.
- Locate and use pressure points.
- Joint dislocation.
- Choke holds.
Unfortunately, a lot of the modern Taekwondo schools offering lessons don’t teach the full art of Taekwondo. I say this because they have removed certain elements of the training from their programs which makes it easier for students to learn, but also puts them at a disadvantage when it comes to self-defense. These include grappling, real-world resistance fighting, and punching.
Taekwondo Fighting Techniques That Are Great For Self-Defense
Below are a few basic Taekwondo moves that can be used for self-defense:
- Learning Taekwondo Straight Punches.
Punching seems a little obvious when it comes to self-defense, but it’s good to know that not all punches are made equal. One punch style might be highly effective, while another is useless. It’s all about technique and how much power you apply. The straight punch is something that you might have seen in boxing matches. And it works great in Taekwondo too! A straight punch is a hard and fast punch that isn’t easily detected, which means that the attacker won’t expect it to block or duck out of its way. A decent straight punch technique is important in terms of self-defense.
2. Learning Taekwondo round kicks.
A round kick is a really good one to master as it’s versatile to say the least. With a round kick you can bruise the attacker’s ribs, injure their arms, and cause debilitating pain in their legs. The beauty of the round kick is that it can be used from a distance or within close proximity to the attacker. You can combine a round kick with short punches, if you are within close range.
3. Learning Taekwondo Defensive Sidekicks.
The defensive side kick is a self-defense hero and something that you will definitely learn to do correctly in Taekwondo! It’s powerful and acts as an offensive push kick. There’s no way that your attacker is going to get anywhere near you if you do this particular kick right. You can use this kick to cause serious pain or to stop the attacker’s incoming kicks.
4. Learning Taekwondo Front Kicks And Push Kicks.
Kicks form a large part of Taekwondo training. If you don’t learn to use the kicks effectively, you are going to fail in a street fight. Front kicks, often called push kicks, are designed to push the attacker away from you. You can use this to push someone out of your exit or entry route or simply to ensure that someone isn’t able to get close to you.
5. Learning Taekwondo Elbow Strikes.
Let’s talk about how the elbows can be used to strike. Most people don’t understand just how much damage they can do with their elbows, especially when being attacked. Elbows can be painful things to bash your head into, don’t you think. In Taekwondo, you can grab the attackers head and pull it down while striking your elbow into it. This makes your elbow a powerful force, causing enough pain to distress your attacker, and give you time to make your next move.
6. Learning Taekwondo Palm-heel Strikes.
How keen are you to punch a stranger who is attacking you? Most people aren’t too keen at all. It’s not just about the possible exposure to blood, but also about damage and pain that’s unwarranted to you. Many people are afraid to break their hand or smash their knuckles in a real fight. This leaves a palm strike as the best possible option. Taekwondo teaches palm strikes, which prove highly useful in self-defense situations. You can strike as hard as possible without causing any real damage to your own hand.
7. Learning Taekwondo Knee Strikes.
Let’s get the knees involved in the fighting process too. When it comes to self-defense, the knees can be quite effective (if you know how to use them that is). When learning Taekwondo knee strikes for self-defense, you will learn that you never launch a knee into open space. That just leaves you open for injury or attack. Instead, you must grab the shoulders of your attacker and pull them towards your striking knee. The knee must be raised hard while maintaining firm footing and balance.
What To Wear To Taekwondo Class | Gear Required To Learn Taekwondo
If you have reached this point, you’re obviously just as keen on learning Taekwondo as some of the best out there! You are undoubtedly making a fine choice as Taekwondo is one of the most rewarding martial arts to learn. When you first attend a class, take the time to make yourself comfortable. At your first class; make sure that you dress appropriately and that you take a bottle of water along with you. To your first class, wear loose fitting clothing such as a t-shirt and sweatpants. You will get a uniform eventually, if you decide to stick with it.
At a later stage, when you start sparring, you will need to get some protective gear such as a cup, mouth guard, head gear, foot and hand pads. You will probably feel more comfortable buying these particular items brand new. Basic sparring pads and equipment are often provided by the school though, so there’s only a need to buy items that might pose personal hygiene risks.
Choosing Your Taekwondo Class
How do you go about choosing your very first Taekwondo class and school? Nowadays, martial arts schools seem to pop up everywhere. You cannot simply assume that a school that says it teaches Taekwondo actually teaches it right. Make sure that you check the credentials and lineage of the instructors in charge. Also, make sure that your instructor has a current active chain of Command to a Master and Grandmaster, and that they regularly train themselves. Hobbyist Taekwondo teachers won’t be able to teach you the true meaning and force of the art. And if you want to protect yourself with Taekwondo, you should try to learn and master everything about it.
Last Word
Learning Taekwondo is not a pastime or hobby, especially if you want to use it for self-defense. The basic movements are effective in self-defense, but you really need to learn how to master them and use them correctly in order for them to serve any purpose or value to you. If you want to become a Taekwondo practitioner, look around for lessons that are convenient and hosted by an actual instructor or master with a good history and background in the art. Good luck!
