RIO DE JANEIRO -- Taekwondo may be best known for its flashy and acrobatic kicks, but the electronic scoring system used at the Olympics apparently doesnt care whether or not fighters use the correct technique. Thats resulting in a lot of bizarre kicks that no true practitioner of the Korean martial art would recognize, in a departure that some say cheapens the sport.Sparring in taekwondo has traditionally relied on numerous kicks delivered with technical accuracy; depending on the kick, fighters usually strike with the blade of the foot, the heel or the front of the foot, with toes pointed back. To take advantage of the electronic scoring system -- which merely detects force rather than a competitors skill -- some taekwondo fighters and their coaches have figured out that the best-scoring kicks sometimes sacrifice form for expediency.Ive definitely seen some weird kicks that you would never teach at any taekwondo school, said Steven Lopez, the sports most decorated athlete, who was competing in a record fifth Olympics. They flick their legs up trying to do something to score, but it is not taekwondo.Unfortunately for Lopez, his Tunisian opponent Oussama Oueslati, in his bronze medal match on Friday didnt have a problem with those unusual techniques -- and used many of them to defeat him.Oueslati repeatedly used a move referred to by some as a scorpion kick, where he would swing his leg up towards Lopezs head and then snap it back like a scorpion tail. No such kick exists in the traditional taekwondo repertoire but because the technique results in the foot tapping the head guard, it frequently scores on the electronic system.Fighters wont care whether it looks like a banana kick or a twist kick or whatever it is, as long as its working, said Australian taekwondo competitor Safwan Khalil. He recalled a fight he had during the Rio Games with an opponent whose strange kicks caught him off-guard. When he started throwing those twist kicks, I was just like, `OK, What are we doing here? This is taekwondo? But you just have to roll with it.Kim So-hui, this years Olympic taekwondo champion in the womens 49-kilogram division, said she isnt thrilled about the evolution of the martial art either.Unfortunately, theres nothing I can do about it, said the South Korean athlete after clinching the gold medal on Wednesday. Its the taekwondo federation that decided that, not the athletes, she said, noting that she declines to use any of the hybrid techniques.The sports governing body acknowledged further scoring changes might be necessary.Athletes are at the very heart of the World Taekwondo Federation and so we are always ready to listen to feedback from them on how they think our sport can be improved, said Jung Kook-Hyun, the federations chairman of the technical committee, in an email. We are committed to constantly modernizing the sport but we always want to find a balance with honoring our traditions, he said, adding the federation would consider possible reforms after Rio.Some coaches are divided about whether or not to recommend using the unorthodox kicks.I dont like teaching these techniques, but thats the sport, said Jean Lopez, who directs the U.S. taekwondo team, including his brother Steven. I think its compromised taekwondo so that its become less about fighting -- and taekwondo is a martial art, a fighting sport, he said.Many athletes say that because the odd techniques often score, they cannot be ignored.Our job as athletes is to adapt as best we can and still give our best and produce good results, said South Koreas Oh Hye-Ri, gold medalist in the womens 67-kilogram division. Oh dominated most of her opponents by employing a steady stream of old-school head kicks that her competitors were unable to counter.Still, she said that she wasnt opposed to the evolution of the sport, even though it means extra training.I also practice a lot of those kicks as well, she said, providing a quick demonstration of what some describe as a donkey kick, where fighters jerk their leg up awkwardly to twist the back of their foot onto their opponents body protector. If it can win the fight, you have to try. Qadry Ismail Jersey . 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First All-American Gabe Ikard, then Ty Darlington starred at center and the two erudite linemen proved to be vital cogs on teams that won a pair of Big 12 Conference titles.Oklahoma will start this season at No. 3 in The Associated Press rankings and is considered a serious contender for a spot in the College Football Playoff for the second straight year, but one of the primary questions for the Sooners will be how quickly a young offensive line can develop and open the way for stars such as quarterback Baker Mayfield and running backs Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon.Much will depend on junior Jonathan Alvarez, who is moving from guard to take Darlingtons place at center, and on the two other returning starters, sophomores Dru Samia and Orlando Brown. Their teammates and coaches believe they will be up to the challenge.Its been good so far, Mayfield said. Jon did a good job of watching Ty. Ty was a very smart player, always knew what he was doing, so he got to watch Ty for a couple of years. Now hes on his own, hes controlling his own path now. Hes done a good job of putting us in a good situation.It also helps to have Orlando and Dru at the tackles, to have experience, too, so we can kind of surround those younger guards with experience and try to teach them the ropes.The 6-foot-3, 308-pound Alvarez played center in high school and started at that position against Tulsa last season. He has the added benefit of being able to pick the brain of Darlington, who remains on the Oklahoma campus, about the nuances of playing center.Last year, when I was at guard, I still always heard what he was telling the centers, Alvarez said. Ty would always explain to me why he was making these calls. It helped me get my train of thought going a lot more. It helped me prepare the way I need to.As important as Alvarez will be to the Sooners fortunes, so, too, are Samia and Brown, who started as freshmen at right and left tackle. The 6-foot-8, 340-pound Brown is imposing physically, much like his father, the former NFL lineman by the same name, while the 6-foot-4 Samia has bulked up 30 pounds this season to 305 pounds, something offensive line ccoach Bill Bedenbaugh said will make a huge difference in his effectiveness.ddddddddddddBedenbaughs primary concern is figuring out who will play on the outside of the Sooners line and developing depth. Several candidates have emerged during preseason practices, including junior college transfer Ben Powers, redshirt freshmen Bobby Evans and Cody Ford and redshirt sophomore Alex Dalton.Junior Christian Daimler (who has yet to play in three years with the Sooners), redshirt sophomore Quinn Mittermeier and seniors Erick Wren, Sam Grant and Jamal Danley also could figure into the mix.Alvarez said the Sooners experienced linemen want to help teach the newcomers, but at some point, they have to pick it up on their own and figure it out. They cant have somewhere all the time. I cant tell them what to do. They have to figure out what to do on their own.Bedenbaugh wasnt satisfied with the lines performance in Oklahomas first preseason scrimmage, calling it very average and too inconsistent. He is aware hes under pressure to have a solid group of linemen ready for the Sooners opener against No. 15 Houston on Sept. 3. Two weeks after that, No. 6 Ohio State will visit Norman in a much-anticipated game.Ideally youd like to have a two-deep, Benenbaugh said. (But) that doesnt happen very often. What youd like to have is eight guys, a starting five and then a tackle that can play both positions and a backup center. I dont know how its going to work out. Were still young and inexperienced so well see how it shakes out. . But if we can get eight guys and some guys can roll, then well be fine.Having good line depth is critical for the fast-paced offense preferred by offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley.It gives you more confidence to do it as a coach, Riley said. It gives you the confidence if a guy gets nicked up here or there that you can keep going on with it. ... We were lucky last year. Injury-wise, we stayed pretty healthy until the last game. The depth did show up a little bit there. It was a major factor in that last game. Itll be a major factor at some point this year, too.---AP college football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '