What is the difference between Tae Kwon Do and Karate?

I want to take both up but not at the same time. Which should I take first and what is the difference in the two?|||They are both striking arts.





Karate is from Japan, and it focuses both on punches and kicks.





Tae Kwon Do is from Korea, and it focuses more on kicks.





suggestion: Karate as it is more realistic for fighting.|||Tae Kwon Do is Korean %26amp; emphasizes foot techniques. Karate is Japanese, which uses about equal amounts of hand %26amp; foot techniques or Okinawan which emphasizes hand techniques. The advantages of Tae Kwon Do are that your legs, being longer %26amp; stronger than your arms give you greater reach %26amp; more power. It is also less anticipated in a self defense situation. Also TKD is better for developing balance %26amp; flexibi9lity %26amp; is a better all around workout. The disadvantage is that we are not as acustomed to using our feet so it takes longer to train them. IMHO the positives outway the negatives.|||tae kwon do teaches both kicks and punches


although it focuses more on kicks you will react instinctively using the technique best suited to you it also teaches blocks and locks


if you are unable to do the jumping techniques then you will not do them


i would not advise changing from one m.a. to another unless you do not enjoy it but persevere with one and perfect your skills and not dilute them


pick one not for fighting and enjoy your training|||Well, first of all, karate is japanese, and tae kwon do is korean. Tae kwon do involves a lot of jumping with kicks, and more combinations. The combinations aspect of tae kwon do makes it a little more practical, I think, but the jumping makes it rather less practical at the same time, unless you have the perfect physique and talent for that sort of thing. Koreans take tae kwon do very seriously, a lot more seriosuly than the japanese take karate, so you could say its something thats really better left to the koreans, because they always win every tournament with it :).


Karate assumes that you will land more hits, perhaps, than is realistic to assume. In tae kwon do, you sortof try to overwhelm the opponent with many rapid attacks, and the precision is less important, and you expect on 10% or so to land. Karate is more precise, and more care is taken in exactly where and how you strike.


Basically id say tae kwon do is more ambitious. You cant just try it for a little while and learn much of anything from it, you have to master it well enough to do a fast, accurate double corkscrew kick and such, and a lot of people will never get that far even with many years of training. But those rare people with the talent to pull it off in K-1 like Serkan Yilmaz can consistently beat the more standard muy thai fighters.|||Karate-Do is %26quot;The way of the open hand%26quot;


Tae Kwon Do is %26quot;The way of the foot and fist%26quot;





Karate-Do is Japanese


Tae Kwon Do is Korean





Karate-Do focuses on strikes and blocks done in a deep forward stance, with about 20 - 30 percent kicks


Tae Kwon Do focuses on kicks mostly done in a defensive back stance, with about 20 - 30 percent strikes





Karate-Do is competitive but not an Olympic sport


Tae Kwon Do is competitive and an Olympic sport





Karate-Do has more than 400 different ryu, or styles


Tae Kwon Do has 5 recognized styles (although there are invariably off-shoots)





Karate-Do features forms (kata) and sparring (kumite); although there is contact sparring, most Karate-Do sparring I have seen is point sparring


Tae Kwon Do features forms (poomse), sparring (kyurogi), and breaking (kyokpa); Olympic-style sparring is light to full contact





Both Karate-Do and Tae Kwon Do are angular striking arts.





I would not recommend training in both, as they are similar but there are enough differences that you%26#039;ll be forever fixing the nuances in techniques and stances. Instead, I would recommend pairing your choice of striking art with a circular motion art. For Tae Kwon Do, think about cross-training in Hap Ki Do, a Korean art that involves joint locks, pressure points, and takedowns. For Karate-Do, consider training in Ju Jutsu, which also involves locks, pressure points, throws, and sweeps. Both Hap Ki Do and Ju Jutsu are for self defense and are non-competitive, and the combination of a striking art with an locking, throwing, circular art will keep all your angles covered, so to speak.|||I would say Tae kwon do relies more on fancy kicks than practical punches and kicks. Plus, the combos they do throw are also mainly kicks. Most street fights are close range. Once they get in close, kicks are going to be ineffective. Karate teaches a wide variety, as well as knees and elbows, which are ALOT more effective in close range than spinning back kicks and jump kicks. Also, I wouldnt recommend limiting yourself to one style, as you stop your growing process. If your training at a formal school, than maybe one at a time, because of all the useless katas they make you memorise and that could mix you up a bit. but after your done its best to move on to other martial arts.|||Karate people will tell you their art should be studied first, and TKD people will say the same thing. Go and watch a few classes at both schools. You should be able to watch a couple of classes at no charge and without making an appointment. Talk to the instructor and some students to find out what is the focus of the school. If you want tournaments but the schools doesn%26#039;t do that you%26#039;ll be unhappy; if you want traditional training but are required to go to tournaments, again, you won%26#039;t be happy. Do they teach weapons? Are you required to sign a contract? Do you have to buy all your equipment through the school or can you spend your money anywhere you choose? Make a list of questions to ask and take them with you.