Very few veteran fighters view taekwondo (TKD) as a serious or realistic martial art for actual street-style self-defense. Part of the problem is that most TKD is taught as a martial sport, not a martial art,* requiring its practitioners to engage in unrealistic actions that make more sense on the mat than on the street. Another problem is the art's unrealistic emphasis on above-the-waist kicks that, while admittedly deadly if they do connect, can leave the kicker vulnerable to any number of counterattacks. Below is a video by martial artist Ando Mierzwa, in which Mierzwa explains why he eventually left TKD. He brings up several other criticisms that strike me as completely valid based on my own experience with TKD as a kid.
*There are military forms of TKD that are much more vicious and realistic, with emphasis placed on the use of the knees and elbows, but the purpose behind these forms is explicitly for battlefield dominance—i.e., actual killing—than for competitive sport. Generally speaking, this isn't the style of TKD taught in South Korea or the US.
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