In my opinion Tae Kwon Do is the strongest kind of Martial Arts, if you train with the right teacher..

Kickboxing: They do the kicks wrong, they are easy to hit.
Karate: Tae Kwon Do is very like Karate but very different..
Kung Fu: Mostly punches.. Not good defense, easy to ko
Judo: Just a bunch of fat people..

Well.. so discuss

Im black belt on Tae Kwon Do and im proud of it

ps. english isnt my main language

I would like to point out that masters of their own crafts often deem their own to be the most fundamental and the most powerful of all. For example, my chemistry teacher believes everything, from biology to physics, can be explained by chemistry. My physics professor in college, on the other hand, deemed physics to be the ultimate theory that explains everything. Similarly, black-belters of martial arts often fall into thinking that their own arts are better than anything else.

Don't get me wrong, though. I'm not against taekwondo; fact is, it's the only martial arts I do know enough of. Most are just from third-person accounts and observations.

It would, I think, be a lot more helpful if you detailed how the other martial arts are "weak" in comparison to taekwondo. For example, I do agree that the kicks in kickboxing are different but that does not necessarily mean they are wrong. Also, what is taekwondo's edge over karate? Judo, well, I think it's using your opponent's weight against him/her... I don't really know so I can't comment on that. Kung fu, on the other hand, is considered by many to be the "ultimate" martial arts.

Did you know that kung fu has two parts? One is "hard" kung fu, which is primarily what comes to mind of an average person. The histrionic blocks, leaping kicks and flying punches are parts of "hard" kung fu. "Soft" kung fu, on the other hand, deals with concentrating on the flows of energy (or chakra, for Naruto fans, or nen, for HxH fans) It was, supposedly, capable of killing people without any outwardly apparent assault; this danger is the reason why it is taught to only few people. (I've read this a long time ago, in a newspaper feature article)

So, if you are really convinced that taekwondo is the "strongest" martial art out there, maybe it would help if you actually describe what makes it so

Ah, nice points.

I haven't studied any of them very much, but they all sound pretty neat.

I've heard of people saying that Tae Kwon Doe is the best, but I've also heard other's on the other sides.

So, I don't know, I plan on studying them in the future.

lol, thats true people have their own opinion. Like I think Kendo is the best martial arts out there. A friend of mine takes Tai Kwon Do and it does seem affective though.

Go tae kwobn do ima black belt

This is just my opinion of course, but i feel that there isnt neccesary a "best" art. Different arts bring different benefits. It also depends on the goals of the person and how they go about learning as well as how the instructor teaches and what suits the person. TaeKwonDo may be the absolute best and perfect art for one person and completely not fit another person. However, it sounds like you have found an art that fits you perfect. ^.^ Thats good, so keep at it and maintain a great effort. Immeasurable rewards can be yours if you go for it.

After training in TKD for almost 11 years and earning a 3rd degree black belt, I think I'm pretty qualified in saying that in my opinion TKD is very far from the strongest martial art.

Kickboxing: Unless you're talking about Tae-Bo or some other B.S. "cardio kickboxing," the average Muay Thai, San Shou, or even traditional full contact kick boxing fighter would destroy most TKD practitioners in a real fight. Traditional TKD incorporates outdated and limited techniques that do not allow for the versatility and adaptability that modern combat sports give. Modern TKD is even worse as the Olympic incorporation of the martial art has created a style in which significantly damaging and/or incapacitating an opponent is no longer an objective, instead giving way to a limited contact "point sparring" in which the objective is to attack with the minimal amount of force in order to retain maximum speed. This often gives TKD matches an aesthetic appeal to them but hides the fact that the techniques viewed would do little or no damage in a full contact situation. On the other hand, most styles of kickboxing, especially those that have continued the tradition of full contact competition, still require its students to be adept in both avoiding and causing fight ending injuries such as knockouts.

Karate: A real tossup here as there are many, many styles of Karate and each varies greatly in how it has evolved to its modern state (if at all). However, most forms of competitive Karate today incorporate full contact (albeit stand-up only) fighting with a minimal amount of protective gear as compared to the layers of padding Olympic-style TKD competitors wear. Therefore, knockouts by kicks as well as injuries sustained to the torso and legs by kicks, knees and punches commonly end matches as opposed to the extremely kick focused angle of TKD. Many styles of Karate have also long included the incredibly important grappling aspect of combat and many more have been influenced by the MMA enthusiastic Japanese culture and have incorporated them alongside their traditional teachings. However, many styles of Karate have also gone the route of modern Tae Kwon Do and have scrapped full contact training in favor of more child and family friendly training. While not inherently bad, these styles of teaching in no way teach you to defend yourself against an opponent trained in street worthy combat.

Kung Fu: Again a tossup, perhaps more so considering that Kung Fu in itself is a general term, describing the thousands of unique Chinese martial arts disciplines. Many of these styles share the same flaws as traditional TKD and many more such as Wushu share the same weaknesses found in modern TKD. However, there are quite a few such as Chin Nai have enough of the fundamentals required for street combat to gain a significant edge over TKD fighters.

Judo: Your comment on Judo is not only awe-inspiring in its ignorance but also shows an utter lack of training in martial arts systems other than Tae Kwon Do. Significantly more than any of the styles listed above, the grappling focus of Judo give it such an incredible advantage over TKD that its unrealistic to even compare the two. Time and time again it has been proven, so much in fact that I find it ridiculous that there are still those who refuse to believe it, that martial arts lacking in grappling training will, save divine intervention, will lose to those competent in it. Therefore I find it odd that you do not even consider the arts of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, traditional Jujitsu, Wrestling, and other such grappling heavy martial arts in your list.

These are just my opinions, however I feel they are very much qualified. I would love to discuss these topics more with anyone who disagrees.

Personally, I prefer Jujitsu & akido:) Thanks to my father:)

The arts of grappling, bone breaking & if need be, killing. NOT that I would, unless it was a life or death matter.
I also learned artillery & hand to hand combat when I was a teen/young adult (yay Army). And when no one's lookin' I do yoga & tai chi. shhhhhh!

I remember an ex-boyfriend offering to walk me home one night & I laughed at him & said:
Any idiot who is stupid enough to attack me, deserves what he f*cking gets!

The poor guy just looked at me like I was insane. Then he got jumped by 5 guys and I saved his but. He was like: will you marry me?

I am definately interested in Tae Kwan Do though and until I find the right teacher, I'm waiting.

This post has been edited by Archangel_Baw: Aug 3 2007, 02:55 PM