What is the difference between tang soo do and tae kwon do? Is one more effective than the other for self-defense?
by 
mattyK
ANSWERS: 2
-
Tang Soo Do & Tae Kwon Do are like JuJitsu & Judo ... one is a real war fighting art, the other is a just a game. Tang Soo Do is the real war art. It is one of the foundation arts that was used to develop the game of Tae Kwon Do. Hapkido & Hwrangdo were also used to make a good foundation for the game of TKD. TKD develops the student's physical abilities in the same way as the three foundation arts, so a student will be equally capable of combat. However, the methods of actual fighting differ immensely and TKD does not have any of Tang Soo Do's truly deadly techniques. Since TKD was designed as a friendly game of tag to be played by soldiers for points, and Tang Soo Do was designed to kill enemy soldiers, Tang Soo Do is far, far better for serious self defense. But do not be totally fooled by the fact that TKD is just a game ... by breaking the rules of the game and making only slight alterations to the TKD moves, one can defend one's self ... but then it becomes a "modified" version of TKD.
-
Tang Soo Do is traditional Korean karate, Tae Kwon Do is "modernized". Tang Soo Do was formed as a "hidden" way for Koreans to practice martial arts while Japan was occupying Korea, and it was illegal for any Korean to practice any martial art. It was, of course, designed to kill people - specifically the occupying army. Tae Kwon Do has evolved from it in the intervening time as a way to practice fighting without actually hurting anyone. It's still designed to be lethal, but many of the techniques have been adjusted to look better instead of to be more effective, and Tae Kwon Do is often a sport now instead of a true martial art.
RELATED QUESTIONS
Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC