Taekwondo vs. Karate vs. Kung Fu?

[RahulJanda]

I have been training in TKD for only 7 weeks and I am loving it!! I was wondering if my dojang is a MCdojan becuse I heard there r lots of mcdojngs for wtf(which is the one i am going to. it is called woo kim surrey). Here are the details : We have been practicing roundhouse kick, side kick, axe kick, tornado kick and back kick, up block, low block, knife hand block and outside block. We have a poomsae called 4 directions (which I know is not rea). My instructor is always stressing that we keep our hands up and knees bent and always look at the enemy. We have prcticed flying side kick and some self defense. Is this a MCdojang? If it is then should I take karate kung fu or taekwondo. By the way I live in Vancouver BC.

 

[cheetah]

Nothing that you have stated so far makes it sound like a McDojang. This term is more centered around money versus training: do you pay really high fees, are you pushed to keep testing when you're not ready, are there very young, under 13 yr old black belts, are you locked into multiple year contracts, are you guaranteed a black belt in a certain amount of time, etc. In truth, the only way to accurately depict a McDojang is to see it, so we're not going to be able to give you a 100% accurate answer.

BTW, at white belt, you are not going to learn TG Il Jang. You are just learning how to complete basic movements now.

Finally, WTF is a good style of TKD. That along with ITF are the only ones I would personally recommnend.

 

[Barneythedinosaur]

I would say Crane Style Kung Fu.

 

[adam]

It doesnt sound like one. Your best bet is to see the history of the Dojo your in, and the amount of advertising they have. For example my dad studied traditional Moo duk Kwan which is a style of taekwondo, but has alot of influence from karate in it, he was part of the first black belt club that actually started in our master's basement. The school he went to is the same school i now go to and it is one of the oldest Martial Arts schools in the state. My dad was taught by my instructors dad which was the founder. The reason i give this example is that it gives you a view of a true traditional martial arts dojo, we dont compete in tournaments and arent apart of any big organization. We focus on all precision strikes that can end someone, also we focus on nonlethal strikes along with takedowns, joint locks, motor points, pressure points, punching/some boxing, extremely hard blocking, weapons defense, a lot of self-defense and one-four step fighting, all taekwondo kicks, knee's, and elbows, and some ground-grappling. Alone with that we do all the traditional forms. Yes your gonna learn alot of the basics off the bat to get a good foundation under your feet, bc if you dont have a good base everyhing else will become sloppy. I've been studing for 3.5 years and im at my 8th blue which is 3rd belt to receive. Luckly for me i get to train with black belts alot. I would just stay in it and see how it goes if you start to get a negative feeling about it then i would stop because if your not comfortable or confident in the art your doing you wont feel motivated. Any of those martial arts are great choices to do, but you'll know which one is for you. If you do decide to change school's or arts, just remember to find a school thats more torward street defense application and self defense with a good history, and look for a school with traditional morals and philosphys, and disipline that they follow. Most of the time now in days the mcdojos are the schools that go and fight in alot of tournaments big ones (boost up that popularity) because it makes more people see that they could be a star out on the floor and the next olympic gold metaliest. Not all schools are like that but with taekwondo/karate being so popular its more likely thats what you'll run into. You will get it figured out and dont let anyone tell you that this martial arts dumb and sucks do this one cause its the best, bc any good martial arts knows its the quality/proficiency of the fighter not the art.