I don't practice Taekwondo. but I do know that there are a few people in every style that practice and teach their art as is was supposed to, or very close to it. The few diehards will not give into the lure of making money, but will stick to practicing and passing on the correct way of doing their art. i know several advanced martial artists that teach small classes in out of the way places because in doing so they don't have to worry about paying big bills or having to have large numbers of students. Just because a large majority of people have sold out for money does not mean that every one has. There are two types of bogus arts. Those that know they are running a Mcdojo and others that learned what they thought was legitimate and now teach it thinking that they are doing the real legitimate art. When someone grows up learning the junk that is common today and has no experience with the legitimate art, they then become instructors passing the same thing on to more unsuspecting students. There are so many generations since things began to get corrupted in the 1970's, that many of the famous martial arts celebrities that people look up to are themselves practicing things that are not authentic.

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It depends on how you wish to define Taekwondo. If you count all the sports styles and McDojos, then I think TKD is the most available art out there. However, if you only count the legitimate, non-sports schools, that number is much smaller.

I wouldn't say it's dying, I can't really picture that happening to any art. Look at it this way: let's say you have a school with x amount of students. Of those students, let's say 2 of them move on to start their own schools. Then the number of schools increases, and the same thing happens again in the bew schools. Sometimes you will get people that start to water-down their schools, but there are still good instructors starting their own schools. Because of this, in theory no art can ever really die.

As for those that criticize arts like TKD, they are ignorant and ignore the fact that the quality of a style is inherently neautral, and it all denends upon the instruction and learning of the style as to how good it will be. Ignore peole that criticize arts, it's really their problem. And as far as sport TKD goes, I really have no problem with that. Some people enjoy competing in martial arts and take sport arts for that reason. That's completely fine and there's no problem with that. Everyone has their own reasons for taking martial arts. If some do it for sport, that's fine, they're just doing what they enjoy doing.

As a martial art in the literal sense yes it's dead in the sense that Latin is a "dead" language. In other words as pugpaws2 said, there will always be a few people who will study it, and do it correctly. But the reality is that TKD has become a very popular sport. So in that sense it's not only not dead, but rather thriving as a sport and big business.

I can't speak to calling it "gay" as I've never heard that. But it wouldn't surprise me that immature people would say such a think.

As for people hating TKD, there are always haters of all sports, martial arts, etc. Some of us, don't hate, nor like TKD but rather look at it as something that doesn't appeal to me. So in that regard, it has good elements and hence the huge popularity, and some negatives which you and many others point out on a regular basis.

No, it's not. As far as I can estimate from my own viewings I would say that TKD is still the most popular art world wide. Where I used to live I think there were 7 TKD dojo's. Which is just crazy. TKD is everywhere so out of that aspect it's not dying.

How an art can be gay I have no idea. Whoever said that is an idiot. But TKD is dying in another sense. It's not taught as a good art. I can only guess at the % of McDojos but it's way up there. So in a way it is dying.

Most martial arts are becoming water down these days. With all the phonies, poor teachers, and lack of discipline in the world.

As far as the "taekowndo" we see now days, my town has about 20 schools. No other martial art in the area.

In the sense, it's thriving pretty well.

deadly or not don't lie on style but who use the style, there's nothing best style of MA, but all depend on personal, how hard they were learned and how hard discipline they are.

Tae Kwon do was never a dye or dying art learn the learned.

Let's hope so.

Or I am just wrong? I mean you've got the sport aspect along with W.T.F. who most, not all that only teach Olympic style. We all know the Olympics are worldwide so you'd imagine they teach the same thing in other countries. What I don't get is why was it in the Olympics in the first place. Also, if Taekwondo translates to "Way of the foot and fist," then why is everything based upon kicking?

I am well aware of the Mcdojang madness too, but it's in all arts. I don't have hatred towards the art at all, I'm just not too fond of it, but I don't want to see an art dying. Considering I'm from the USA, it's probably the worst here, but I guarantee you it's still better in other countries. That's not to say it's bad in the Asian countries too.

Something I would bring up is that people hate the art and say it's gay? What, how can an art be gay and I know you MMA fanboys will talk down about the art. I know that no art is bad, but they have their own flaws, but TKD just took a bigger toll than Karate and Kung Fu did. I blame the Olympics and whatever art is on TV there will be fraudulent schools.

I also remember when I was at the ATA they kept saying that they think/are the best martial arts than any other. I'm also blaming the ATA. But don't you think it's kind of sad, and when it comes down to the art, people say to only trust I.T.F. Well ya, those guys tend to be a harder, but don't forget they can be bad too. Anyways, is it a dying art, do you think it grew, but in the wrong way or unexpected way? Who's idea was it to put a martial art in the Olympics? My karate instructor told me martial arts is something we can do for the rest of our lives, and sports is something you do during your youth, unless you somehow make it big.

Note: I'm no way dissing the art, and I'm well aware that Judo is the Olympics and that it's also called/considered a sport.