New Female Taekwondo Uniforms: Sexist or Innovative?

The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) is considering a redesigned dobok to be worn by female competitors.

The model designed by Juanjo Padrós [director of the Andorra TKD Federation], is a Taekwondo uniform that fits to the body using Lycra fabrics. The other model consists of a dress with a skirt and Lycra pants, giving it a more feminine touch to the Dobok. (Bolding mine)

Some reasons offered for the new look:

1. All scientific evidence suggests that new fabrics are vital to fit the body and allow a better freedom of movement, creating more definition and clean movements. People will enjoy better definition and movement.
2. The latest advances in medicine and physiotherapy, as tiping or other techniques, can be applied to Doboks.
3. The new technologies like blood pressure, heart beat, and temperature control chips can be applied in the new Doboks, and thus show to the world the most modern and innovative martial art and sport.
4. Sometimes, for amateur spectators, it is difficult to differentiate if it is a female or male combat. With these new models, the categories will be easier to differentiate.
5. The most important reason is to take a better advantage of our female competitors because they are a treasure. It is important to show that practicing Taekwondo gives good health, helps to stay fit and gives a beautiful body shape. This last issue must be exploited and must be used to promote Taekwondo in this specific moment, after the success in the Olympics and a great World Championship, to attract television and mass media interest.

The martial arts uniform should be utilitarian and tastefully simple. More definition? Control chips? I think this redesign is strictly to pump up male viewership. Again, it's still under consideration.

Hopefully this time, tradition will prevail.


(h/t: reddit/karate)

This Is A Traditional Dojo

Saturday I visited a karate school in Queens, NY where a longtime friend of mine now trains. As a visiting student from a different style I respectfully took my place in the back row where we all lined up at the beginning of class to bow in. Later I showed them my versions of Seisan and Kusanku kata that are common to our styles and then worked the corresponding bunkai from their system. I didn't go there to spar, but when I asked one of the seniors about sparring practice (kumite) I was taken aback by this exchange:

ME: How often do you guys spar?

STUDENT: This is a traditional dojo. We practice budo (martial ways) not sports.

ME: No kumite -- ever? The pre-set drills are nice, but wouldn't exploring some spontaneity be a good idea to see if what you're doing even works.

STUDENT (raising his voice): Kumite is not self-defense. Our system's self defense techniques are mined from the kata. Can't use them in sparring anyway, too dangerous. We don't do contests or hand out prizes or play games. We're totally traditional. That's our way.

By now I had everyone's attention. (This was a rank class for adults.) I was getting glaring looks from some of the older BBs and I was getting the impression I was wearing out my welcome. I really thought my question about kumite was rather benign. I agree that sparring or even heavy fighting is not "self defense". I admit that there are aspects of karate that are somewhat exclusive to one another. Freestyle fighting and self defense practice are one of those dichotomies.

Sparring has its uses -- and limitations. The same with kata. Kata and knowledge of their self defense applications will not teach one to "expect the unexpected." I believe that if your school doesn't employ some form of sparring you'll never get that feeling of adrenaline surge or butterflies or the uncertainty of working outside of your comfort zone. That's part of the martial way.

Aaron Banks: Martial Arts' Ultimate Promoter

This past May, Aaron Banks, the prolific martial arts promoter of tournaments and exhibitions, passed away. It was sometime during the first week of May; the exact date of his passing is unknown as he died of an apparent heart attack alone in his New York apartment at the age of 85. Banks began his training in traditional karate in 1958, enduring numerous sparring matches with no protective gear on blood splattered decks on his journey to black belt. By the sixties he began promoting karate tournaments in Manhattan, first at the Felt Forum and then at the much larger Madison Square Garden, showcasing the talents of Chuck Norris and Joe Lewis, among others.

In the seventies his event, now officially dubbed The Oriental World of Self-Defense began to include interdisciplinary matches pitting practitioners of kung fu against karate, judoka against wrestlers, and boxers versus kickboxers. There were other attractions that could be considered carnivalesque in nature, but not in Banks' view:

"May we have absolute quiet, please," he says, "for this master who is going to take his sword and slice a cucumber resting against his student's throat!" Banks has been accused by his critics of putting on a circus, but he replies, "Anything that demonstrates that kind of control, with or without a weapon, is martial arts. When William Chen lies on the stage and shows the strength of his body by allowing himself to be run over by a motorcycle, that is martial arts. When Joseph Greenstein, a 92-year-old vegetarian known as the Mighty Atom, drives spikes through steel with his bare hands and bursts a chain with the strength of his chest, that is martial arts."

In a 1979 interview Banks claimed that Bruce Lee had taught him the basics to dim mak or the "death touch", even claiming that Lee himself succumbed to the ancient Chinese technique. In reality, Lee scoffed at martial arts hocus pocus and even doubted the existence of chi, the vital energy allegedly required to perform the dreaded dim mak.

Ironically, Banks loathed the advent of the UFC in the nineties, claiming that mixed martial arts were not really about true martial arts but more to do with making money. I wholeheartedly agree that the "art" aspect is lost in MMA. But then so is having a ninja catch a flaming arrow with his teeth in front of 20,000 gasping ticket holders.