What is the difference between a “sport” oriented art and a “self defense” oriented art? For instance, does sport Taekwondo teach different techniques than traditional Taekwondo?
The biggest difference between a sport oriented art and a traditional or self defense oriented art is simply rules. Sports have rules that can lead to warnings/loss of points/disqualification if broken, where as self defense/traditional arts tend not to have rules (see “Example 1” below). Self defense does however have moral and legal issue one must think about. Generally speaking, all the techniques taught in both sport and self defense/traditional arts are the same, with the same philosophy. However the thought process and usage of some techniques may be different (see “Example 2” below) Example 1: In sport Taekwondo, kicking/striking to the back or below the belt is an illegal technique, in traditional Taekwondo, it is not only perfectly fine, but in some cases preferred to kick/strike to these areas if it’s warranted. Example 2: In sport Brazilian Jiujitsu, escaping a reclining arm-bar may involve maneuvering you’re arm and body into a position to bend and leverage your arm out of
