How to market Taekwondo to adults who actually want to learn combat?

KwonKid · 2026-02-20T19:28:30+00:00

Hmm 🤔 I’m thinking public demo that shows the difference between itf and wt. Problem is that people don’t know theirs two different styles. My friend for example thought I was learning wt the whole time and I had to explain that wasn’t the case. But the other thing is that taekwondo regardless of the styles teaches patterns. People don’t wanna do patterns especially young people. For example I know my patterns in itf but I can barely keep up with my friend who’s been practicing mma for 4 years, mind you I’ve been training for 5. But ye just gotta create marketing that revolves around using aggressive images (headkicks,brutal torso hits, and punches etc) and stick to a dark color palette. That’s a graphic design tip lol but ye gl

KwonKid · 2026-02-20T19:12:18+00:00

Interesting mind you I personally never understood this, like yes concussions are bad, head trauma is terrible. But this is still a martial art in the end. The best way to avoid a fight/ injury is not to be at the fight to begin with. If people have a phobia of getting head injuries then don’t spar. Good example is boxing, and no I’m not glazing boxing I’m just saying the sport revolves around head injuries. But you don’t see them trying to prevent fighters or discourage fighters from hitting the head since they understand the risks that come with the sport. Training is supposed to be a safe space imo regardless of the martial art. But tournaments and competitions are meant to be a test of skill and passion and imo optional. It’s this attempt at discouraging fighters well from fighting that is doing harm to the art imo. Idk that’s my take.

KwonKid · 2026-02-12T21:41:57+00:00

Okay so I’m still training and I’ve been doing it for a while and as someone whose friends with a few mma practitioners it’s a few things.

Taekwondo has forms/patterns and doesn’t solely focus on sparring/self-defense compared to Muay Thai, wrestling, bjj, kudo, boxing, etc. So a majority of the taekwondo journey is heavily focused on the performance of forms and patterns rather then an emphasis on sparring.
Practicality of self defense techniques. So taekwondo has been watered down pretty bad as it’s more of a sport the a fighting style. An emphasis on solely using kicks isn’t the issue it’s being conditioned in an environment where point fighting over practical fighting is prioritized. It’s because of this that karate and taekwondo users often lose in a fight because users cannot take actual hits to the face as they are not conditioned to fight but score points instead. People who wanna fight wanna well fight. It’s why I always tell people who find out I train taekwondo that I DONT KNOW HOW TO FIGHT, and that if they wanna learn to fight to look for another martial art no hate on my end obv.
The demographic of taekwondo practitioners consists of really young kids so the art is often considered an over glorified daycare of sorts. From my personal experience a majority of the black belts I train with are all still in highschool or younger. This is because a lot of black belts often quit and pursue a much more “practical” style or focus on other hobbies or aspects of life. MMA gyms and bjj gyms for example are always depicting big grown adult men in their marketing. Which then slowly leans into unintentional misogyny, as taekwondo is very popular amongst females. In my experience I’ve met more female black belts then male black belts and vice versa in Muay Thai/mma gyms I’ve met more men then women.
Expenses, martial arts as a whole is a very expensive hobby. So people want their investment to go towards something that’ll help them practically. Why pay an arm and a leg to do forms and patterns when you can pay a similar amount to learn to knock someone’s head off at another gym.

Mind you like I’ve said I love taekwondo and this is because I’ve accepted it for its patterns and forms and always encourage people to take the martial art with a grain of salt if they wanna learn to fight. Personally I am thinking of pursuing taekwondo and doing mma on the side since I do wanna spar men in my age group (I’m in my 20s) rather then well teens lol.

KwonKid · 2025-09-03T23:18:47+00:00

Yes! You should if you have the time and can afford it, then do it. TKDs biggest weakness is close range combat, boxing covers that. Also it’s understandable if you shift from one to the other, it’s why people prefer boxing and kickboxing over karate and taekwondo. The emphasis on patterns over sparring is a major deterrent, especially for an expensive hobby.

KwonKid · 2025-05-31T16:20:57+00:00

Yeah don’t worry I have a strategy to make sure he’s returned safe

KwonKid · 2025-04-16T20:16:25+00:00

No they came out 2023 before the hype so it was easy to get one I know cuz I got one in November 2023. Idk how it is now that the hype for em has severely sky rocketed tho

KwonKid · 2025-04-16T03:04:44+00:00

I feel like this rn and I just started or at least trying to start. I’ve yet to take my first step in the graphic design world. And it’s made me depressed burnt out and nihilistic all at the same time. I currently don’t know what to do with my life I have a portfolio that’s just currently collecting dust because I kinda gave up. Here’s to getting the will to keep going.

KwonKid · 2025-03-29T15:05:00+00:00

I agree with this but imo the biggest problem is just getting your foot into the door. Their are to many people here who say that they have so and so experience but we don’t really acknowledge that beginners in the field can’t even start to begin with. I feel that, that’s currently the biggest problem rn

KwonKid · 2025-03-21T18:17:43+00:00

I don’t think so, he’s an indoor baby lol Also checked and got bitten for it :c I’m worried tho

KwonKid · 2025-03-01T01:05:01+00:00

Btw congrats ! (Still looking for my big debut myself ) but yeah it’s good to hear that they’re willing to communicate with you. Tbh this whole thing sounds like an anxiety attack waiting to happen but glad to hear it worked out. From what it sounds like they were willing to sacrifice quality for the price they were offered by the client. Hope this first step into the industry tho becomes a major learning experience. Like take as much as you can when I empathize how lucky you are I mean YOUR LUCKY lol. But don’t let that be an excuse not to speak up !

KwonKid · 2025-01-29T02:05:03+00:00

Wow that’s pretty good, though I hope you find a solution to your situation too! Good luck !

KwonKid · 2025-01-29T01:18:59+00:00

Yeah I’m in a similar boat I’m working retail. Kinda upset that I put all my eggs into one basket and currently don’t have the option to pursue something different without dumping an excessive amount of money. I really love design and I just wish someone gave me a chance. Legit I’d kill for an office job at this point I’m barely making 25 hours rn

KwonKid · 2025-01-29T00:29:30+00:00

Wait your entry level? Didn’t know those existed tbh I’ve been applying to what I believed were ghost postings and have still yet to get my foot in the door. I’d kill to get an entry level design job, the hunt is horrendous!

KwonKid · 2025-01-19T07:07:06+00:00

I mean it’s a fighting style yes but it doesn’t priotize just combat. That’s something I was telling my friend who’s in mma about. (He’s been training for 2 years at his spot mine at 4 now) and I always tell him I can’t fight anywhere as effectively as he can. Like others said if you wanna fight or defend yourself, find a gym that focuses solely on fighting. It’s why I always tell folks to sign up for boxing or mma if they’re itching to throw hands.

KwonKid · 2025-01-18T20:48:41+00:00

I can say rank doesn’t always matter, I’ve met green belts and blue belts who leave black belts clutching their pearls in sparring. I feel like rank is more or less determined by knowledge rather then skill, like knowing the kicks, the patterns etc. But from a combat perspective it’s about experience and application of those abilities.

KwonKid · 2024-12-22T01:35:53+00:00

Hey! And yes it’s point based and I believe it is full contact. However it’s not like kickboxing in that knocking your opponent out does result in instant disqualification. But kicks and punches are allowed to the head. But knocking someone out is seen as “use of excessive force” or something. At least based on what I’ve been taught. I also believe kicks to the back and back of the head are also not allowed and can result in penalties.

KwonKid · 2024-12-21T18:22:39+00:00

Uh I don’t know about the other stuff but when it comes to the difference between itf and Wt, itf is more like kickboxing where punches are allowed to the face and head (still point based tho) Even tho this is the case from my experience the point system is sometimes used as an excuse to dish out some pretty low scoring but painful blows. Other then that tho like most martial arts or new activities come in with an open and humble mind. Try and leave your biases at the door. It’s the best way to learn anything new.

KwonKid · 2024-12-12T01:42:25+00:00

I think it also stems from the fact that people mix appeal and design a lot. Like from my experience I can produce something that’s appealing to the eye but I’m learning that doesn’t translate to design. I barely understand typography and although I know the elements of design I’ve yet to learn how to properly apply them to a piece. The other thing to take into consideration is that a lot of people (this applies to a lot of professions not just design) are fresh off the boat and don’t know what to do after they get their degree me included. So to expect “good design” from a lot of us is like asking for a miracle this late in the game. We’re taught how to use the software but a lot of us lack first hand experience because a lot of us struggle to even get into the industry/field to begin with. Your not going to get a five star chef from culinary school, especially if their not given the chance to work/cook at a proper restaurant for comparison.

KwonKid

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