Author: Bret Gordon
Today is the closing ceremony of the Rio Olympics, and at this point I'm glad they're behind us. If watching the degradation of Judo from a reputable martial art to nothing more than collegiate wrestling wasn't enough, the Taekwondo competition was simply pathetic and heart wrenching. Many blame the electronic scoring system, and while that certainly is the straw that broke the camel's back, it is not the underlying problem. You can't blame the athletes for figuring out ways to score, even if it compromises technique. Don't hate the players, hate the game.
When Taekwondo debuted as an official medal event at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, the world was ecstatic! Taekwondo was known for its lightning fast kicks, powerful knockouts and excitement from bell-to-bell. Highlight reels from 2000, 2004 and 2008 flooded the internet, with my favorite still being the +80kg gold medal match between South Korea's Moon Dae-Sung and Greece's Alexandros Nikolaidis in Athens 2004. But in 2012, there were very few notable moments and I think I speak for all us when I say that these Olympics in Rio are best to be forgotten. But what happened? How did Taekwondo become the laughing stock of martial arts?
When Taekwondo debuted as an official medal event at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, the world was ecstatic! Taekwondo was known for its lightning fast kicks, powerful knockouts and excitement from bell-to-bell. Highlight reels from 2000, 2004 and 2008 flooded the internet, with my favorite still being the +80kg gold medal match between South Korea's Moon Dae-Sung and Greece's Alexandros Nikolaidis in Athens 2004. But in 2012, there were very few notable moments and I think I speak for all us when I say that these Olympics in Rio are best to be forgotten. But what happened? How did Taekwondo become the laughing stock of martial arts?
Like nearly every martial artist in the world, my first art was Taekwondo. I trained under old school instructors like Dong Soo Kwak and Mark Bivens, who from the moment I entered the dojang at 4 years old reinforced proper technique and self defense applicability. I was the last generation to earn my black belt before Taekwondo was an official Olympic sport and eventually earned my 2nd Dan through the Kukkiwon (as well as a 4th Dan through the American Jidokwan Association). When I used to compete, we still had the three colored dots on our chest guards if that tells you how long ago it was. Every now and then I get the itch to go back and pursue further training and higher rank through the Kukkiwon, but as the years go by it's just a fleeting thought. If I really wanted to, there's an excellent Kukkiwon Taekwondo school in my area but it's not for me. My journey has lead me down a different path in the arts, but Taekwondo still holds a special place in my heart.
However, for multiple reasons Taekwondo has become the butt of nearly every McDojo joke. Organizations like the ATA are known throughout the martial arts community for producing less-than-skilled black belts. Now, I have met some excellent ATA practitioners who are great martial artists, but even they have to admit they're not the norm. Yet, every four years we could at least sit back and watch the most refined Taekwondo practitioners demonstrate the best that the art had to offer and feel rejuvenated. In spite of all the jokes and insults, at the Olympics we could truly see the power and skill of true Taekwondo. No, it's not the most self defense applicable art in its current state (however, with the right training methods every art can be combat efficient) but the Olympics was the one place that Taekwondo truly shined.
But as is the natural progression, when competition is your only focus your training shifts from the art to the sport. You disregard everything the art has to offer to focusing only on ways to win, much like school teachers teaching only for the standardized tests and not exploring the depth of what education can offer. That was never more evident than this year's competition.
According to www.Taekwondo-Information.org, "To score a point your punch or kick has to be accurate and powerful. Light tapping kicks do not score. In major competitions, chest protectors have electronic scoring systems in them. These are adjusted to take into account the weight category of the competitors. (Heavier players have to kick harder to score a point.) For head kicks and if non-electronic hogus are used then at least 3 judges have to see the point and score it at the same time. The judges push a button when they see a point."
However, for multiple reasons Taekwondo has become the butt of nearly every McDojo joke. Organizations like the ATA are known throughout the martial arts community for producing less-than-skilled black belts. Now, I have met some excellent ATA practitioners who are great martial artists, but even they have to admit they're not the norm. Yet, every four years we could at least sit back and watch the most refined Taekwondo practitioners demonstrate the best that the art had to offer and feel rejuvenated. In spite of all the jokes and insults, at the Olympics we could truly see the power and skill of true Taekwondo. No, it's not the most self defense applicable art in its current state (however, with the right training methods every art can be combat efficient) but the Olympics was the one place that Taekwondo truly shined.
But as is the natural progression, when competition is your only focus your training shifts from the art to the sport. You disregard everything the art has to offer to focusing only on ways to win, much like school teachers teaching only for the standardized tests and not exploring the depth of what education can offer. That was never more evident than this year's competition.
According to www.Taekwondo-Information.org, "To score a point your punch or kick has to be accurate and powerful. Light tapping kicks do not score. In major competitions, chest protectors have electronic scoring systems in them. These are adjusted to take into account the weight category of the competitors. (Heavier players have to kick harder to score a point.) For head kicks and if non-electronic hogus are used then at least 3 judges have to see the point and score it at the same time. The judges push a button when they see a point."
So if your technique has to be powerful and accurate, how did we end up with these retarded flippy "kicks" and electronic hogus (chest guard) registering even the lightest touch? I thought the whole point of an electronic scoring system was to remove the human error? Non-martial arts publications even took notice of this, with an article written by the NY Times entitled "Is That A Kick?" Athletes such as Steven Lopez, the most decorated athlete in Taekwondo history, have even commented on the lack of true Taekwondo, by saying "I've definitely seen some weird kicks that you would never teach at any taekwondo school. They flick their legs up trying to do something to score, but it is not taekwondo." We've been saying it for years, but when even Taekwondo practitioners admit there's a problem you know it's bad. And until the art becomes the focus over competition, it will only get worse.
US Olympic Taekwondo coach Jean Lopez stated "I don't like teaching these techniques, but that's the sport." No! That is not the answer! The only way to fix it is if the art's leaders boycott the new rules and competition, but we know they won't. The allure of Olympic gold is too strong, yet after this pathetic display I wouldn't be surprised if the IOC kicked out Taekwondo for good. In only sixteen years, a martial art that produced some solid fighters has degraded into a slumber party pillow fight. And there are actually people who celebrate Karate's inclusion next time around?
US Olympic Taekwondo coach Jean Lopez stated "I don't like teaching these techniques, but that's the sport." No! That is not the answer! The only way to fix it is if the art's leaders boycott the new rules and competition, but we know they won't. The allure of Olympic gold is too strong, yet after this pathetic display I wouldn't be surprised if the IOC kicked out Taekwondo for good. In only sixteen years, a martial art that produced some solid fighters has degraded into a slumber party pillow fight. And there are actually people who celebrate Karate's inclusion next time around?
