Therefore, in order to be considered a martial art,...
Taekwondo is Not a Martial Art
I thank Con for accepting this debate. I would like to apologize from the get go; I should have either made this debate longer or put my opening arguments in R1. Oh well, its all a learning experience, right? The word martial is defined as “relating to, or suited for war” [1]. Therefore, in order to be considered a martial art, Taekwondo has to employ techniques that are useful in combat and/or self-defense. Now I don’t deny that Taekwondo pays lip service to such techniques, but as I will presently show, the foundations of modern Taekwondo are not martial techniques. The two things that modern Taekwondo is known for are Olympic Style Sparring, and high, acrobatic kicking. Sparring is the cornerstone of martial arts training [2]. However, modern Taekwondo sparring divorces itself from most useful martial techniques. The only techniques allowed are punches to the chest, and kicks to the chest guard and face. No open hand techniques, no punches to the face, no grabs, no takedowns, no throws [3]. These prohibited techniques are exactly the kind of thing that one would need in order to become a proficient fighter, and Taekwondo not only doesn’t promote them, it outlaws them. The other point I will address is the other aspect of Taekwondo that the sport is known for: high kicking. [4]. It is necessary to warm up the large muscles used in such kicks, or one risks injury [5], which would certainly damage your chances in a fight. On the street, there is no time for such warm ups [6], so performing them would be suicide. High kicking may be pretty, but it isn’t martial technique. I have shown that the core aspects of modern Taekwondo, Olympic Sparring and acrobatic kicking, are not martial techniques. Therefore, Taekwondo is not a martial Therefore, in order to be considered a martial art, Taekwondo has to employ techniques that are useful in combat and/or self-defense. Now I don’t deny that Taekwondo pays lip service to such techniques, but as I will presently show, the foundations of modern Taekwondo are not martial techniques. The two things that modern Taekwondo is known for are Olympic Style Sparring, and high, acrobatic kicking. Sparring is the cornerstone of martial arts training [2]. However, modern Taekwondo sparring divorces itself from most useful martial techniques. The only techniques allowed are punches to the chest, and kicks to the chest guard and face. No open hand techniques, no punches to the face, no grabs, no takedowns, no throws [3]. These prohibited techniques are exactly the kind of thing that one would need in order to become a proficient fighter, and Taekwondo not only doesn’t promote them, it outlaws them. The other point I will address is the other aspect of Taekwondo that the sport is known for: high kicking. [4]. It is necessary to warm up the large muscles used in such kicks, or one risks injury [5], which would certainly damage your chances in a fight. On the street, there is no time for such warm ups [6], so performing them would be suicide. High kicking may be pretty, but it isn’t martial technique. I have shown that the core aspects of modern Taekwondo, Olympic Sparring and acrobatic kicking, are not martial techniques. Therefore, Taekwondo is not a martial art. [1] http://www.merriam-webster.com... [2] http://www.martialartssparring.org... [3] http://www.taekwondo-information.org... [4] http://en.wikipedia.org... [5] http://www.thekickerscorner.com... [6] http://news.menshealth.com...