Tae Kwon Do: Setting the record straight...
Here are some facts:
1. Taekwondo is a Korean martial art. At one time, it was very well reputed and credible. It has now become the brunt of martial art-bashing, and has received a big black eye worldwide.
2. There are tons of DIFFERENT organizations that carry the name "Taekwondo." World Taekwondo Federation and International Taekwondo Federation are two common ones.
3. Not all TKD organizations are equal in purpose, philosophy, and ethics. The biggest "Mcdojo" of them all is probably ATA (American Taekwondo Association).
4. Not all Taekwondo schools are Mcdojos. (If you don't know what a Mcdojo is, read this article: http://appliedmartialartstraining.com/articles/avoiding_mcdojos.pdf )
5. Most Taekwondo schools have several traits of a Mcdojo.
6. Many Mixed Martial Artists, cagefighters, wannabe cagefighters, and JiuJitsu practitioners hate Taekwondo (legitimately, often times).
7. MMA and Brazilian JiuJitsu IS the current trend/fad. Therefore, many traditional martial art schools such as Taekwondo, Karate, and others have transformed their curriculums and made them into MMA schools, almost overnight it seems. It is NOT that the owners of the traditional martial art schools are bad, it's just that they want to make money. They believe that, in order for them to make money in this business, they have to compete with the current trends, which almost inevitably belittles their own art, waters it down, and forms a (greater) Mcdojo out of it.
8. Nobody from any art form is going to admit they are a Mcdojo! That is, of course, those that are still involved in their school. Those that have left a school may label it a Mcdojo.
9. There is no superior martial art. All art forms have their place and are unique in their own realm. Each martial art offers a specialty, not a perfectly rounded yin yang. For example, Taekwondo has amazing kicks and strikes, but does not have a ground game. Therefore, it is discredited because of its lack of versatility. Brazilian JiuJitsu is a great art form, in my opinion, as well as Taekwondo. However, Brazilian JiuJitsu employs no strikes! It is a grappling art. It is not discredited for its lack of versatility. At the risk of sounding pedantic, I am going to explain that Apples and Oranges are different; they offer different colors, smells, textures, and tastes. They are, however, both members of the fruit family.
10. One big flaw in Taekwondo is its method of "point sparring." It's like fencing: once you tag them, you get a point or two. For fencing it's fine because you're using a sword. Once the tip of the sword punctures the flesh in vital spots on the body YOU'RE TOAST. In hand-to-hand combat, such is not the case (sometimes it is, but that would be the exception to the rule, not the rule itself.) In fist fighting, you may get punched in the head and not get knocked out. It's actually quite difficult to knock someone out with one hit, especially when, in TKD point sparring, you are taught to spar with light-contact and pulled-back punches.
11. Mixed Martial Arts is just that: a mix of a bunch of different martial arts. Most of the top MMA fighters have a speciality and a foundation in a specific martial art (often BJJ and Muay Thai.) They have mastered (to a degree) one art, and then have expanded upon others to learn them and employ them in their fighting career. Other mixed martial artists, mostly those of an amateur level, have not mastered any art form and have become the jack of all trades.
12. I have a base in Taekwondo. I earned a 1st degree black belt in Taekwondo from a good school with a better instructor. I have experience in various professional fields of security, and have found it useful to broaden my horizons and learn other martial art forms. I have enjoyed learning several of them, although I do not consider myself a master of any of them. Yes, there are some bull$%&# people in Taekwondo who think they are real tough stuff just because they have a black belt, or a 2nd or 3rd degree black belt at that. Some are as little as 7 years old, others are as old as 70. Yes, they are competent within Taekwondo, the traditional martial art. That DOES NOT mean they are competent in the street against a nothing-to-lose thug with a knife! Any instructor that teaches these students that, because of their rank, they are "street safe" promotes self-dilusion and are unethical.
13. NONE OF THIS applies directly to street combat wherein no rules apply. Even in MMA cagefighting, you are squared off against someone of your own gender, size, age (variably), and have referees to monitor the action. In the street, you may find yourself up against multiple attackers (who are bigger and stronger than you), knives, guns, etc. The closest you can get to actual street combat is MMA cagefighting, but even then it's still not close enough. My experience in the professional fields of security has taught me this almost as well as living in dangerous parts of the world.
Keep in mind that these 13 facts have not been expounded upon in great detail. Other articles of mine have expounded upon some of them in much greater detail. Understand that the quality of the instructor supersedes the textbook definition of the martial art he/she teaches.