From: the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com To: the_dojang-digest@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Subject: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #383 Reply-To: the_dojang@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Errors-To: the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Precedence: The_Dojang-Digest Thurs, 5 Aug 1999 Vol 06 : Num 383 In this issue: the_dojang: RE: [none] the_dojang: Groin Pull the_dojang: TKD History the_dojang: . ========================================================================= The_Dojang, serving the Internet since June 1994. ~725 members strong! Copyright 1994-99: Ray Terry, California Taekwondo, Martial Arts Resource Replying to this message will NOT unsubscribe you. To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe the_dojang-digest" (no quotes) in the body (top line, left justified) of a plain text e-mail addressed to majordomo@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com. To send e-mail to this list use the_dojang@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com See the Korean Martial Arts (KMA) FAQ and online search the last four years worth of digest issues at http://www.MartialArtsResource.com Pil Seung! Ray Terry, PO Box 110841, Campbell, CA 95011 KMA@MartialArtsResource.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Greg Giddins Date: Thu, 5 Aug 1999 08:33:09 -0600 Subject: the_dojang: RE: >If when you are in you MA class and all you do is lightly hit the target how will you know that you can defend yourself in real life??< I love this topic, I really do. I've trained both ways, full contact and light contact (WTF, ITF and MDKTSD). And to be truthful, I'm glad I had the opportunity to do both. Full contact (padded up) sparring is great to learn how to execute (nearly) full force techniques, but the limited striking areas tends to be detrimantal to a persons "down and dirty" fighting skills (which MANY MANY people don't care to develop anyway). Light contact sparring is wonderful for the "down and dirty" techniques, and offers a gerat opportunity to ground fight, poke pressure points, trap and lock, etc., but limits a persons ability to learn how to strike forcefully (many light contact sparrers may be quite surprised to find out what it's like to actully hit someone hard). I think both of the disadvantages can be overcome by either some creative training (bag and target work for non contact, and grappling sessions for the full contac) or by cross sparring once in a while, with the full contacters sparring light contact "free fighting", or light contacters getting "suited up" and doing some pad sparring. I don't think either version of sparring, when used as the sole form of fighting, adequately prepares a student for a "real" fight. But then again, I have been wrong so many times before.... And frankly, real life self defense isn't a slugging match with a street thug, it's learning to look around and become aware. If you're slugging it out with a thug (the typical example most new students are concerned with) you've already lost. Greg Giddins ggiddins@corp.webb.net Opportunity rarely knocks on your door. Knock rather on opportunity's door if you ardently wish to enter. (B.C. Forbes) - - ------------------------------ From: dbuehrer@denver.carl.org Date: Thu, 05 Aug 1999 08:53:13 -0700 Subject: [none] \ From: "kadin goldberg" \ Date: Wed, 04 Aug 1999 16:50:16 MDT \ Subject: [none] \ \ /During "practice" sparing contact was light. We were expected to \ /try different things and get a feel for moving. During "competitive" \ /sparing \ /pads were worn and contact was more significant. But, since solid /contact \ /was only required for points we weren't going "all out". You only /had to \ /hit a target area enough so that the judges knew you hit. \ \ If when you are in you MA class and all you do is lightly hit the target how \ will you know that you can defend yourself in real life?? I hope you noted that I said "when" I was taking Karate :) I have since switched to Hapkido and am loving it, specifically because the self defense training is first and foremost. Nothing against Karate or the Sensai I had, or any competitional MA, but training strictly for competition is not my cup of tea. \ And meaning of exciting is anything interesting. Such as Was Bruce Lee \ really the best martial artist ever?? To which I would answer with the question: how do you define Martial Arts? :) I might ask: who is/was the best competitional martial artist? Who is/was the best technical martial artist? Who is/was the most expressive martial artist. Who is/was the best martial arts instructor? Who is/was the best on screen martial artist? Who was/is the most centered martial artist? \ Do you have to be a sertain weight to sumo wrestle?? I believe that Sumo Wrestling, like Boxing, has different weight classes. However, on ESPN2 I've seen matches where one competitor looked much smaller than his opponent. It would certainly appear that you have to be a certain weight to compete effectively. I think I saw a competition for fun where someone out of the audience, or a celeberty, went up against a sumo wrestler. The guy probably didn't weight more than 165. He didn't stand a chance. The crowd loved it (it was pretty funny) as the Sumo Wrestler easily (and gently) tossed the guy around like a doll. - -David Buehrer - -- Supervisor, Database Preparation The UnCover Company mailto:dbuehrer@denver.carl.org - -- - -- "One little smile can fill the room with sunshine." ------------------------------ From: "White Lotus" Date: Thu, 5 Aug 1999 09:19:38 -0700 Subject: the_dojang: Groin Pull I have had a nagging injury that has lasted longer than any other I have experienced in TKD. I pulled my groin doing a side-roll fall six months ago and it is still not much better. Anyone have any experience with a similar type of injury and how they were able to heal it? Thanks Mark ------------------------------ From: "Ray Terry" Date: Thu, 05 Aug 1999 15:03:46 -0700 Subject: the_dojang: TKD History An ok article from www.roundhousemag.com. Ray Terry rterry@best.com http://www.martialartsresource.com - --------------------------------------------------------------- THE HISTORY OF TAEKWONDO The origins of taekwondo begin with a serious falling out between militaristic Japan and China, the first world superpower, after which the island kingdom of Okinawa became one of the few points of contact between the two nations. The Okinawans preserved an uneasy relationship with the Japanese mainland, while at the same time maintaining an embassy in Mainland China. To encourage the Okinawans to remain independent, Chinese masters taught the them some rudiments of Chinese martial art. This new teaching invigorated the native Okinawan fighting arts, and the resulting hybrids grew strong. The Okinawans were taught fairly simple chuan'fa (a Chinese term meaning 'fist way') which they culturally patterned into 'Ryu Kyu Kempo' ('Okinawan Fist-way') and later, 'Karate' ('Way of the Tang Hand' - where 'Tang' relates to a Chinese dynasty characterised by strong martial art). Gradually the climate between Okinawa and Japan changed for the better and the Japanese invited the Okinawans to send a karate teacher to Tokyo. Gichin Funakoshi was an Okinawan pioneer who motivated many people to study karate, amongst whom were quite a few Koreans. These subsequently returned to Korea and began teaching 'Kong Soo Do', which is the Korean pronunciation of 'Karate-do', or 'Tang Soo Do' (which is the Korean pronunciation of 'Way of the Tang Hand'). By now Japan had invaded Korea, and Korean men were pressed into the Japanese armed forces. The first Korean martial academy of the 20th century was Byung Jick Ro's Tang Soo Do Song Moo Kwan and that was founded on March 11, 1944. Six months later, the Tang Soo Do/Chung Do Kwan was founded by Lee Won Kyuk, but both of these early academies were closed down by the Japanese Occupation. Nonetheless, it was permissible for Koreans to learn Japanese martial art in Japan and for Japanese to teach the Koreans judo, karate, aikido and kendo. So General Choi Hong Hi became a second dan in Shotokan karate under Gichin Funakoshi in Japan, and Hwang Ki learned Kanbukan karate from Koichi Kondo whilst working for the Japanese in Manchuria. Lee Won Kyuk also learned karate from the Japanese. The Choson Yon Moo Kwan was established after World War Two. Its founder was Lee Kyung Suk, and his academy practised judo (the Korean reading of 'judo' is 'yudo'). After the Korean War, this academy became the central dojang of the Korean Yudo Association. The Kwon Bup Bu martial art school was established during September 1947, and taught by Byung In Yoon. However, this academy closed during the Korean War. The Kyo Tong Bu Woo Association was founded and taught by Hwang Ki during 1947 and during 1955, it changed its name to Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do. The Dae Han Che Yook Kwan was established in September 1953 to practice Kong Soo Do under Lee Kyo Yoon, Yoon Kwae Byung and Lee Yong Woo. It later changed its name to 'The Ji Do Kwan'. The Chae Shin Bu was established in 1954 to practise Kong Soo Do under Lee Nam Suk. It later changed its name to 'The Chang Moo Kwan'. The Oh Do Kwan was also founded by General Choi Hong Hi around this time, and during 1955 he began teaching his style of culturally-patterned Korean karate to the Korean Army, teaching it to the non-military from July1959 onwards. Later schools include the Han Moo Kwan, Jung Do Kwan and Sang Moo Kwan. Because of the understandable post-war hatred between Korea and Japan, none of these kwans ever confessed to teaching Japanese martial art, so they each concocted fantastic and untrue claims that they were teaching the classical Korean fighting art of Soo Bahk, or the peasant fighting system of 'taekyun'. The latter, incidentally, was just the name for brawling, and it was never codified in any way. During 1952, at the height of the Korean War, President Rhee Syngman was so impressed by a display of unarmed combat that he ordered it taught to all serving soldiers. This triggered a struggle for power between the heads of the various kwans. Rising politico-militarist General Choi Hong Hi of the Oh Do Kwan convened a small meeting on 11 April 1955 to unite the various kwans under a common name. General Choi proposed the name 'taekwondo' but though his committee unanimously accepted his name, the kwan leaders did not. It was rejected in favour of 'Tae Soo Do'. It took two more years for General Choi and his Oh Do Kwan to gain enough authority to impose 'taekwondo' on the other kwans and for a time, only his school was pre-eminent. This, of course, led to much bad feeling and this persisted even beyond the formation of the Korean Taekwondo Association on 14 September, 1961. The International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) was formed by General Choi during 1966 and given status through his rise to power within the Korean Government. In 1971 President Park Chung Hee declared taekwondo to be Korea's national sport and allocated funds to build the world headquarters for taekwondo - the Kukkiwon. The Kukkiwon was completed in 1972 and the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) was formed in 1973 with Dr. Kim Un Yong as President. Thus General Choi's stranglehold on taekwondo was broken and he left Korea for Canada. His ITF has gradually declined and is now no longer a major force in the onward march of taekwondo. So 'taekwondo' is an umbrella term devised by General Choi for several different schools of Korean martial art derived from systems taught to the Koreans by the forces of Japanese Occupation. General Choi is the founder of the Oh Do Kwan style of taekwondo and he is father of the name 'taekwondo'. However, taekwondo is no more 'Korean karate' than karate is 'Japanese kung fu'. Each nation culturally patterns the art it receives and makes it its own. Taekwondo is unique to Korea, and it is developing vigorously at this time. We may correctly describe quite recent developments such as Choi Kwang Do and Yun Jung Do as forms of taekwondo. This, then, is the true history of taekwondo! ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Thu, 5 Aug 1999 16:10:43 -0700 (PDT) Subject: the_dojang: . ------------------------------ End of The_Dojang-Digest V6 #383 ******************************** Support the USTU by joining today! US Taekwondo Union, 1 Olympic Plaza, Ste 405, Colorado Spgs, CO 80909 719-578-4632 FAX 719-578-4642 ustutkd1@aol.com http://www.ustu.com ===================================================================== To unsubscribe from this digest, the_dojang-digest, send the command: unsubscribe the_dojang-digest -or- unsubscribe the_dojang-digest your.old@address in the BODY of an email (top line, left justified) addressed to majordomo@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com. Old digest issues are available via ftp://ftp.martialartsresource.com in pub/the_dojang/digests. All digest files have the suffix '.txt' Copyright 1994-99: Ray Terry, Martial Arts Resource, California Taekwondo Standard disclaimers apply.