Question 121: Problems in TKD

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A principle in psychiatry is that for a person to start healing he must first realize he is ill. For example, an alcoholic must realize he has a problem with alcohol before any healing can be achieved. The leaders of the Korean controlled WTF do not see any problem with the direction they have taken TKD. They have control of TKD in the Olympics, they have control of the schools that teach their version of TKD (and thus control of TKD students), and they are getting rich in the process. In their view, they have no problem that needs fixing.

Traditional TKD is a martial art, not an exhibition fighting sport, as is the MMA or sport TKD. As a martial art, it is concerned with the martial (physical, self-defense, fighting, etc.) and also with the art (mental, emotional, spiritual, metaphysical, etc.). A martial art seeks to develop a student into an all-around good person. Martial art training is a way of life. It is preparing yourself for handling something you hope never occurs. Whereas, fighting sports, including sport TKD, are only concerned with the martial. They only seek to develop good fighters who can win in supervised sporting events while playing by the rules set forth by the sport itself. The rules of each sport are meant to highlight and reward the techniques of the sport itself, to penalize the techniques of any other sport, and to provide the best entertainment to the paid viewers; this is how they survive and make their money. If traditional TKD tries to emulate these fighting sports, it will become a fighting sport and lose its standing as a martial art, as has sport TKD.