Tae Kwon Do Forms - Self-Defense Guidelines

I am an absolute martial arts enthusiast. Or specifically I practice the Tae Kwon Do Forms, Tae Kwon Do Sparring and Poomse as well.

Some people practicing Tae Kwon Do Forms might think: what's the purpose of Tae Kwon Do training if you're not allowed to use it in the streets?

Myth and Truth

In fact, it's a myth. There is some style of Tae Kwon Do that focuses on self-defense aspect within the art. The reason many think that Tae Kwon Do Forms is useless on the street is because of the fact that the majority of what others see are the style of Tae Kwon Do that focus on mainly Olympic competition format.

Tae Kwon Do Forms is an exercise. Most Tae Kwon Do instructors don't want and forbid you to use it because they know that it is useless and they don't want you to know that. Plain and simple. My view, don't have to agree. Like most all styles that are "traditional" use kata. You'll know if it is real. First off a lot of contact when training, I am not saying fighting, but contact. You'll hurt and get scratches and a little black and blue. If your not, then your in an exercise class, not a class for self defense, at least not an effective and real one.

Self-Defense Guidelines

You can use Tae Kwon Do or any other style of martial arts on the street to defend yourself. And please follow these simple guidelines:

1, It must be to defend only. The law does allow martial artist to defend ourselves. But we aren't supposed to kill the people that have attacked us with his fist.

2, We are supposed to use some type of restraint. I am not supposed to break 10 bones even though that is what we are trained to do.

3, The defense has to be on the same level as the offense. If a guy attacks with a knife and I disarm him and he is no longer a threat I am supposed to stop fighting. In other words if I take him down and he is now unable to continue to attack I can't continue to hurt him because I am upset.

4, There are some gray areas regarding the law. It is best that once you have taken the guy down and he isn't an immediate threat you should leave the area as soon as possible. You don't have to break every bone in his body are put him in a comma before you stop retaliating.

5, Use the self defense that you have been taught. Don't go overboard. If you do go overboard you will go to jail. That doesn't matter if you know martial arts or not. Going to jail is not worth it if you can get yourself out of the situation. If my life or family life is threatened I will respond with the same force. That means I will take a life. I have no choice and the law is supposed to protect me in that situation.

6, You should probably find someone who has been doing karate or kung fu around the same time as you and see if you can at least give him a good fight. If you can't and the guy totally beats you up then you should consider getting out of that Tae Kwon Do class.

In Summary

At the end of the day, in a life and death situation a swift kick to the shenanigans would be a better form of defense than showing off what you learned at your Tae Kwon Do Form class.

David Gilbert
Martial Arts Enthusiast
http://www.TaeKwonDoFormsAndSparring.com