Is Tae kwon do harder than other arts?
471413
I've done some each of tae kwon do and karate, and I like tae kwon do better.
929992
Exactly, well said. Kveldorgondlier has said it several times "how you train is how you fight."\n\nit's a tough stigma to break once someone has it in their minds.\n\nI mean look at the UFC match between Matt Hughes and Royce Gracie, Gracie is one formidable fighter in JuJitsu, but he was beaten by someone who more than likely came with a better strategy, and who had experience both as a Greco-Roman wrestler in highschool and college who also learned JuJitsu.\n\nNow seeing someone so well trained in JuJitsu like Royce get beaten, does that mean that JuJitsu sucks alltogether?\n\nNo it doesn't, every Martial Art has a practical application's use for it's techniques, and it's all in how the INDIVIDUAL uses those techniques accompanied by how well they've put the time and effort to train.\n\nand the whole part of it is just as you said "adapting to the real situaton". and that's why you train to learn how to use the techniques in a practical situation.\n\nexcellent question.
1114881
Tae Kwon Do is pretty nasty...it's a little like kickboxing and works alot of muscles.  Apparently, Akita (sp?) is supposed to be a new thing for working out your upper body.  It uses swords.  The examples I saw were more like carved pieces of wood, but the real thing is straight lethal.  Tai Chi is probably your best bet though...look it up and see.  I thin that's what you're looking for though.
1160474
Tai chi is more spiritually oriented, which would attract those looking for a more artful style.\nFans, as a weapon, would have to sought out independently from dojo to dojo.  I've been to dojos that taught the same style, but trained only in a certain school or arena of weapon.
259905
Yes, I do.  Se-Jong TKD, which is old school.  It is totally worth it.  There are 2 types of schools.  1) old-school schools that teach you respect, discipline & how to be an artist. 2) New schools teach you that if you have enough $$$$$ to spend, you can buy yourself a blackbelt.  1 is about the art of it, 2 is about the sport of it and spending way to much money on patches.
1042668
whoa! that was wierd and a bit stinky. but seriously, tai ju kwon is one of the 7 schools of tae kwon do that were started after WWII. before WWII japan had taken over korea and killed all of its master after rapping the style Tae kwan (one of the main styles in korea at that time) and calling it karate. after training the koreans in this flawed style to fight in their WWII the few korean masters in japan returned home to rebuild thier lost style. many dissagreed with the countries ideals of what taekwondo should be. because of this the masters went off and started their own schools (all of them i can't remeber but some are tai ju kwon, chi gong kwon, moo duk kwon, and sum jul kwon [kwon means school bye the bye]). it wasn't till the 70's did korea unify these styles into taekwondo under four federations. kta(korean taekwando asso.) wtf (world taekwando fed.) ata (american taekwando asso.) Ita (international taekwando asso.). but many still reconize the original schools like the one you mentioned.
1143183
I think that Tae Kwon Do is the perfect martial art for him. I have taken Tae Kwon Do for 10 years and so has my brother. It teaches self defense, self discipline, respect, etc. I think that if you go to a traditional Tae Kwon Do school that you will learn those things, but if you go to an olympic style you wont learn as much. I think that what you learn also depends on the Tae Kwon Do school that you go to.
304541
Get him started on Taekwondo, it's better than karate
934974
yes I would highly recommend it. I have 7 different taebo DVDs just so I can mix it up a little.  At first its a little confusing keeping up with them and stuff.  When it got hard I just walked in place until they they started the next exercise.  After a bit I got used to it and was having a great time.  as long as you are willing to stick with it go for it!
285590
It will depend on the situation, but yes, Tae Kwon Do or karate could be effective if you are highly skilled in it, and the odds aren't stacked too much against you (he has a gun, or melee weapons, or lots of friends etc)\n\nI would also like to comment of Brazilian Jujitsu as mentioned by the guy above me. BJJ and wrestling/grappling are very effective against your opponent as popularized by UFC matches in recent years by the Gracie clan and Dan Severn etc. But they work best only if you are going ONE on ONE with somebody. In the streets/bar against thug(s), you are left very vulnerable if you take the guy down and roll on the ground with him. While you are holding him in some joint lock his friends will kick your head in. Striking has made a come back in recent years in UFC too if you watch the shows lately (The Iceman and Randy Corture). With kickboxing/karate/TKD you probably still won't win against a bunch of guys in real life, but you will have a better chance to get in a few good quick and hard shots at their weak spots (knees, groin, throat) and then run like hell while they are stunned and keeled over in pain.\n\nUltimately, any self-defence or physical training will do you a tremendous amount of good, because the stronger and more lethal you become will allow you to better walk away from potential risky situations because you have less to prove and more self-confidence to not give into the moment.
505651
Hi and be blessed, I teach HapKiDo a corean martial art of self defense in the country of Panama and have been teaching this art for 29 years. The study of Chi or Ki as is called in Korean (Corean) is very interesting because it is a development that helps you besides increase the inner energy or life force, very important to learn it from a qualified teacher. \n\nThe best way to lear and increase your Ki is by breading and the best way is by inhaling slow and deep with out hearing the breath in your nose and exhale the same way out the mouth. It can be done in 4 basic ways: standing, seated, laying down or walking. \n\nYou must be patient ! To learn to increase the inner energy is a development thing so no rush. With time you will feel the Ki flow in your body, it is not a magic thing since all persons have Ki it is not an aout of this wold thing it is just some thing a person doing this activity dailly and with patience.\n\nAt first one must balance the breath. This means that the inhale and exhale must take the same length in time for example start wit 3 or 4 seconds inhale and balance the same exhaling and once this happens continue incresing the time span but make sure it feals confortable as you do this training since it really is not dangerous to do but it is a sencible thing to work with and it is true that doing it wrong can hert you like drinking water incorrectly.\n\nThis can be learned in HapKiDo, AiKiDo, TaiChi, Ki Gong or Chi Kung/Gong etc. Were ever you find the place and how to know if you found it is by doing this activity in a relaxful way ! Good luck.
455135
hard to answer, but through martial arts it could be answered.
1118238
Is it too late to start Tae Kwon Do ?  \n  The answer is NO. \n     Tae Kwon Do is a great sport or art- form for Young & Old. Ps . ( You Still Very Young) . My Son & I started Tae kwon Do together a couple of years ago. I am in my Middle forties & my son is now 11yrs old. We had a  blast learning this together & it was great for building ours self- confident. We competed in Tournaments & did quite well. I actually has more trophies then my son. When you compete it is group by age & belt rank.  My Son is now a Black Belt but I still need one more test, due to some old injuries.  Tae kwon do is great , you will love it !!
646499
me I prefer Aikido, its based on self defense. I took aikido this summer, and our teacher told us that even the basic techniques can save your life. Even if you're a beginner you can learn some techniques you can use to defend yourself. Even tai chi can be used as self defense. So its up to you, i'm not into karate 'cause they're exercise is WAY upbeat. in aikido they teach you to counter/evade punches/kicks.
873148
I have to say that Aikido would be my choice, though it is a mostly defensive art. You can perform offensive moves, but they are usually in response to someone else's aggression and normally in order to incapacitate the opponent/halt the attack; which again, makes them defensive moves. \nThere are some rather intricate kill-tactics employed by practioners of Dim Mak, which follows a series of meridians that control the ebb and flow of the body's energy and if employed correctly, cause series injury leading to death, but I won't go into those here.
488543
Tae Kwon Do is great for discipline and health, but I suggest that you learn about martial arts first to determine which art you prefer. try the library, and get a\nMartial arts encyclopedia. be careful their are instructors who claim to be certified to teach but aren't
998357
Simply put, no. It's not hard to learn. It is hard, however, to perfect. It only takes as long as it takes for you to learn to adapt your body to the movements. So increasing your general physical condition and balance are KEY!!!\n\nBut it's worth it. LOADS of fun!