Taekwondo Olympic Sparring - what do you think?

Do you enjoy watching Taekwondo Olympic Sparring on TV?

Do you understand what's happening?

Is there enough action for you?

On this page we try to make things clearer...

...and we offer you the chance to share your views.

How does a taekwondo Olympic sparring bout work?

In tkd Olympic sparring you score points for a solid, powerful kick to you opponents chest protector or to your opponent's head.

You get one point for a basic kick to the body- like a roundhouse kick.

You get 2 points for a spinning kick to the body - this includes back-kick.

And you get 3 points for a head kick- like axe-kick.

If you haven't seen taekwondo sparring before you will notice that there are periods of inactivity where the players just seem to bounce on the spot and not do much.

This is a game- they are sussing each other out and trying to spot the perfect time to attack.

Once players engage in a fight the kicks are very quick and it can be hard at first to follow what's happening.

If you're finding it hard to see what's going on you could try watching some lower level sparring videos first... it's easier to follow the action.

Here's a basic taekwondo sparring video we put together to help beginner taekwondo students with sparring.

In Olympic sparring there are 3 rounds. The winner is the payer with the highest score a the end of the last round.

If it's a tie then there is a golden point round- the first player to score wins.

Is WTF sparring the real taekwondo?

There is criticism that wtf taekwondo is not the real taekwondo.

Critics say that it's a sport and not a martial art.

Certainly the Cuban player who kicked the referee in Beijing was not following traditional martial arts values!

Here's our personal experience.

We have trained with some amazing sports taekwondo players in the UK, South Korea and Australia.

We found them all to be sportsmen and women who have made huge personal sacrifices to achieve amazing standards in sports taekwondo.

And we found they are also great martial artists. Holding on tightly to the traditional values of taekwondo in the dojang and in their daily lives.

We think that sports taekwondo gives players a chance to test their taekwondo in a controlled fight.

And this is great for building self confidence and self control in stressful situations.

Here's more about the taekwondo sparring benefits we enjoy.

Is taekwondo sparring a good spectator sport? What do you think?

Its fair to say that taekwondo didn't go down well in the Beijing Olympics.

Spectators felt there was not enough action.

And when there was action it they felt it was boring. Because many players stuck to basic turning kicks.

There were also protests over decisions.

And of course there was the kick to the referee's head...

Officials are hoping that smaller rings, penalties for inactivity, more points for spin kicks, electronic hogus and the use of video replays will help.

What do you think?

Do you think taekwondo Olympic sparring has a future as an Olympic sport?

Do you think the recent rule changes will help make taekwondo more popular?

Here's what other visitors think

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