Most people see Joe Rogan as the UFC guy who talks about DMT and elk meat. Or maybe the guy who hosts the biggest podcast on the planet. But if you grew up in the martial arts world, you know him for something else entirely: a terrifying spinning back kick that sounds like a gunshot.
Honestly, it’s easy to dismiss Taekwondo (TKD) these days. You look at the Olympic style—all that hopping around, trying to tap a sensor on a chest protector—and you think, "That's not fighting." Rogan actually agrees with you. He’s been vocal about how the "sportification" of TKD has watered it down. But the version of joe rogan on taekwondo we’re talking about isn’t the Olympic point-tagging game. It’s the full-contact, bone-breaking foundation that made him a monster on the mats long before he ever touched a microphone.
The Massachusetts Monster
Rogan didn't just "dabble" in Taekwondo. He was obsessed. He started at 14, and by 15, he had his black belt. Imagine a 19-year-old kid from Newark, New Jersey, walking into the US Open Taekwondo Championship. He wins the lightweight division. Then, because he's a maniac, he goes on to fight the middleweight and heavyweight champions for the Grand Championship.
He beat them both.
For four consecutive years, he was the Massachusetts full-contact state champion. This wasn't the "don't hit too hard" variety. This was the era of TKD where you could actually get your head kicked into the third row. He eventually walked away from competition because he started getting headaches and realized that a career in getting kicked in the face probably had a shelf life. But the mechanics? Those never left him.
Why Rogan’s Technique Is Actually Scientific
There is a video that makes the rounds every few years. It’s Rogan in a gym, wearing a plain T-shirt, showing MMA legend Georges St-Pierre (GSP) how to throw a "turning side kick."
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Watching a guy who never fought in the UFC teach one of the greatest of all time how to kick is surreal. But GSP is there with a notebook and a look of pure concentration. Why? Because Rogan’s mechanics are perfect.
The Anatomy of the Power
The way joe rogan on taekwondo explains the kick is basically a lesson in physics. Most people spin and throw their leg out like a wet noodle. Rogan’s method is different:
- The Pivot: He turns his lead heel toward the target before he even moves the back leg.
- The Chamber: He brings his knee tight to his chest. No wasted space.
- The Linear Path: The kick doesn't swing in a circle. It fires in a straight line, like a piston.
- The Hip Drive: He pushes his weight through the target, not at it.
When he hits a heavy bag, the sound is different. It’s not a "thud." It’s a "crack." It’s the sound of air being displaced and leather being stretched to its limit.
The "Fake" Martial Arts Debate
Rogan is often the first person to call out "bullshido"—those fake martial arts where instructors pretend to knock people out with energy fields. Because of his TKD background, he has a weirdly balanced perspective on traditional arts.
He’ll be the first to tell you that Taekwondo has massive holes. You don't learn how to punch correctly. You don't learn how to defend a double-leg takedown. Your hands are usually down by your waist. If you walk into a Muay Thai gym with only TKD, you’re going to get your lead leg chopped off by low kicks within thirty seconds.
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But he also argues that TKD gives you a "delivery system" for your legs that no other art provides. It teaches you how to manage distance and how to fire a weapon from an angle your opponent isn't expecting. If you take the kicking dexterity of Taekwondo and graft it onto a solid base of Wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, you become a nightmare.
Look at guys like Yair Rodriguez or Edson Barboza. That’s the "Rogan philosophy" in motion. They use the flashy, high-velocity kicks of TKD, but they have the "real" skills to back it up when the fight gets ugly.
What He Taught GSP (and Why It Matters)
In that viral clip with GSP, Rogan makes a distinction between a "spinning back kick" and a "turning side kick." It sounds pedantic, but it’s the difference between a glancing blow and a ruptured liver.
A back kick is often thrown with the toes pointing down, like a mule. A turning side kick, the way Rogan does it, has the foot horizontal. It uses the edge of the heel to pierce the ribs.
When Rogan landed this on a heavy bag during the demonstration, the bag—which weighed probably 100 pounds—didn't just swing. It folded in half. GSP, a man who has beaten the best in the world, looked genuinely shocked. That’s the level of respect Rogan has in the community. He’s not a "celebrity who likes MMA." He’s a legitimate technician who just happened to find a different career path.
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The Reality Check
We have to be honest here: Joe Rogan didn't transition to pro kickboxing for a reason. He’s talked about sparring with high-level kickboxers and getting lit up because he couldn't handle the punches. TKD players are notorious for having "lazy hands."
But the influence of joe rogan on taekwondo is mostly about redemption. He took an art that was being mocked as a "McDojo" sport for kids and showed the world that, if you do it right, it’s one of the most powerful striking systems in existence.
He’s basically the reason the spinning back kick became a staple in the UFC. Before Rogan started harping on it in his commentary, you didn't see it that often. Now? It’s a fight-ending move that everyone has to account for.
Actionable Insights for Your Own Training
If you're looking to integrate some of that "Rogan-style" power into your own game, don't just go out and start spinning blindly. You'll probably blow out your knee or fall over.
- Work the "Chamber": Stop swinging your leg in a wide arc. Practice bringing your knee to your chest before you fire the kick. This keeps the movement hidden and makes it much harder for an opponent to catch your leg.
- The "Heel Lead": In any turning kick, your heel should be the first thing that points toward the target. If your heel isn't lined up, your hips can't engage, and you'll lose about 60% of your power.
- Find a Heavy Bag, Not a Human: Do not try these kicks on a sparring partner until you can hit a 100lb bag without losing your balance. The force generated by a properly executed spinning side kick can easily break ribs or cause internal damage, even through headgear or pads.
- Balance the Art: If you're coming from a TKD background, spend twice as much time on your boxing. You need to learn how to keep your chin tucked and your hands up, because the "hands down" habit of Taekwondo is a death sentence in a real exchange.
Rogan's legacy in the sport isn't just his voice behind the mic; it's the fact that he reminded a generation of fighters that the "old school" kicks still work if you have the guts to throw them with bad intentions.