Taekwondo

Taekwondo is by far the most popular Korean martial art, and is one of the most popular of all martial arts in the world today. It’s been an Olympic sport since Sydney 2000 and in the Commonwealth Games since Delhi 2010. It’s also been in the Pan Am Games since Indianapolis 1987.

TKD

One thing Taekwondo is good for is helping you become familiar with long-distance spacial awareness, due to the emphasis on elaborate kicking techniques, with all the jumping & reaching kicks involved.

It’s unique with its side-on stance and near-constantly raised front leg on stand-by to deliver a side-kick or ready to hop into a spinning back kick with the other foot.

Taekwondo will build your acrobatic fighting ability like no other martial art, but its practicality for on-the-street self-defence is often contested. Aside from aerobatic skills, your core fighting ability is likely to be nurtured similar to what you’d get by doing Western Kickboxing or Japanese Karate.

Example of Taekwondo on the streets

Notice how the woman in the video below sees the aggressor step up to her aggressively. She sees an opening, and takes it as a signal to “kick now or regret missing the opportunity”. She does’t want to wrestle the guy because he’s probably stronger than her, so she kicks when the opportunity presents itself. Fast forward to 1:23 to see the 1-second fight. This is a classic example of how top-level Taekwondo can be effective in the streets against an average aggressive man.