Why is it in the UFC or any other major fighting sport, Tae-Kwon-Do fighters are lacking in the roster. Makes me wonder if Tae-Kwon-Do would help me in my MMA journey or if it would help me in self-defense.
I will give my view as someone who trains in Taekwondo, Muay Thai and MMA.
I do not believe Taekwondo will help you as much for MMA as doing ,Muay Thai or even Boxing. Thats not because Taekwondo is bad or anything it is just harder to adapt technicaly into MMA in regards to matching it up with grappling on the ground and standing both defensivly and attacking. The way kicking is done,the stances taken and the tactics used when learning to fight for Taekwondo puts it further away from the stances ,tactics and type of kicking that is needed For MMA. The better at MMA you want to be the further from TKD you will have to go get. None of the top ranking fighters, who its best to look at to see whats working, use TKD or use it alot. Anderson Silva trained in it ages ago though now he uses or adapts MT for his stand up.
Its not just the actual styles its the training methods that are borrowed too. Taewkondo training methods dont involve all thats needed for a full stand up. Elbows and knees are not trained in the c urriculum to the level of Muay Thai in relation to kicking and for fighting full contact. Elbows and knees in TKD are are trained just not to a high or intense enough level to use in a ring fight against another skilled person.
Adapting TKD could be done its just no ones done it yet to a high level and there's no need to as Muay Thai is easier to adapt. Also it would end up looking or being so similar that people would then argue its not TKD anymore.
Thats my honest view.
I know to get better I will have to stop doing TKD yet I dont think its useless and I enjoy it. It just doesnt fit into MMA easily.
My view on SD is that its still a fight of some kind.. a fight to get away or to just survive or whatever. So elements of fighting help and come into play. Being able to fight and useing some of the dirtier stuff from TKD can be of use.
A good ring or cage fighter useing the apparently 'deadly' stuff from TKD in SD will fair better that a non fighter trying to use the 'deadly' stuff from TKD in SD.
Just my personal view.
Matxtx my man you are almost there. Thats what I've been trying to say all along. You are right it's not about the style but more about the training methods.
And for this very reason is why you need to stop focusing on TKD as a style. But instead see it as a range of fighting from which it's techniques can be applied. Olympic style TKD has revolutionized the way kicks are done. While true that many styles still kick without chambers, many more styles have integrated Olympic style kicking into their curriculum. Just like back in the days when kick boxing was popular. Kickboxers would study TKD not for the entire art or stylistic differences but for the application of its kicks in conjunction with their hands, which was basically boxing under the guise of "traditional" karate.
Anderson Silva is a perfect example. When he was a guess coach on the UFC coach for Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria he trained his team using the very same kicking methods found in Olympic TKD. Remember Olympic TKD changed it's teaching methods because they're focus became sparring and competition. Without that goal in mind the evolution of traditional kicks would have never took place within TKD.
While true Anderson Silva uses MT to supplement his stand up, you have to remember that MT is not the only system that teaches dirty boxing. The Filipino arts teach use of the headbutts, knees, and elbows as well. Which is where Jeet Kune Do got it from.
I know your a big believer in stances and you argue that in MMA you have to be ready for the take down. And that using those knee chambers would require a more rigid upright stance.
While this may be true. You have to look at guys like Anderson Silva, David Loiseau, GSP, Brian Swick, And Cung Lee who all use the very same chamber when they kick.
Because it's not just about using one stance but about movement, your constantly in motion occupying different ranges. These ranges determine the tools you use from the particular arts you picked.
Your not in danger of being taken down if your in long range, or if your opponent is retreating. These are the ranges from which kicks can be applied right?
No point in boxing from long range, you'd be swinging at air, much like throwing elbows from mid range, you just wouldn't be close enough to make contact.
watch some of the early UFC footage. Stand up grappling was either none existent or just terrible. it wasn't till the Greco Wrestlers came in to change the stand up dirty boxing game with their under hooks,head, shoulder, and wrist control.
Rats I started babbling again and ran off topic didn't I...