From: the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com To: the_dojang-digest@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Subject: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #449 Reply-To: the_dojang@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Errors-To: the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Precedence: The_Dojang-Digest Fri, 10 Sept 1999 Vol 06 : Num 449 In this issue: the_dojang: Painful arm the_dojang: Wild Nines! the_dojang: martial arts in Korea the_dojang: pump up ========================================================================= The_Dojang, serving the Internet since June 1994. ~750 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: "VJ Mitchell" Date: Thu, 9 Sep 1999 14:15:18 -0700 Subject: the_dojang: Painful arm Recently I believe that I have hyper-extended my right elbow. This caused an uncomfortable feeling for a day or two. Last night I really put some power into a knife hand strike.........Holy &*%$, was very sore last night ice, icy-hot and Advil. This morning very very tender and stiff. Does this sound familiar to anyone??? Any suggestions. VJ Mitchell Optical Gaging Products, Inc. vjmitchell@uswest.net (480)966-8006 office (480)966-7117 fax (716)370-6226 mobile www.ogpnet.com ------------------------------ From: Timothy Bruening Date: Thu, 9 Sep 1999 18:09:25 -0700 (PDT) Subject: the_dojang: Wild Nines! Dear Karate Practitioners: Happy 9/9/1999! Sincerely, Tim ------------------------------ From: Andrew Pratt Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 10:48:15 +0900 Subject: the_dojang: martial arts in Korea Dear All, the following article might be a little off topic, but I am sending it anyway because several of the people mentioned are known to me. The url is http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/news/1999/09/__11/19990910_1150.htm If you can get hold of a 'hard copy' edition, there is a nice pic of Yun Ikam-kwangjang-nim. Yours, Andrew Foreign martial arts making inroads in Korea Globalization: A buzz-word, an economic concept, and a social theory which has been very much on the lips and in the minds of Koreans throughout the latter years of this decade. Under the Kim Young-sam administration, globalization - "segyehwa" - was taken to mean looking outwards - learning foreign languages, travelling overseas, investing and studying abroad. More recently, the other face of globalization has become evident - foreign direct and portfolio investment, once a force feared by nationalists in the body politic, the media and academia, is being actively sought, and Korean society, is increasingly welcoming foreign input in all fields - business, cuisine, popular culture, etc. Undoubtedly Korea's most successful and noticeable non-industrial export to the world has been, over the last 40 years, the martial arts. Even more so than problematic trade issues like cigarettes, autos and pharmaceuticals, martial arts instruction has been a one-way street, with highly skilled Korean instructors spreading their arts far and wide. Meanwhile, the local martial arts scene has remained dominated exclusively by native instructors - until now.... In a tojang (martial arts gymnasium) near Seoul National University a class is taking place. Practitioners move through techniques - - blocking, evading, locking and throwing - nothing unorthodox so far, but there are two unusual aspects to this class; the art taught, Aikido ("The Way of Harmony"), is unquestionably Japanese in origin, and the instructor, equally unquestionably, is Caucasian. Cerebral Englishman Rupert Atkinson, 37, a 19-year veteran of Aikido (plus experience in Wing Chun Kung Fu and Judo) has been instructing in Seoul for several years. Is it not unusual for Orientals to learn this very Eastern discipline from a Westerner? "Not at all" laughs Rupert's instructor, Chongno-based Master Yun Ick-ahm, "providing he can do it well, why not?" Given Rupert's wide experience in Aikido, and the art's relative youth in Korea, Rupert's status as an insructor raises no eyebrows. These days it seems to be equally acceptable - among the young generation at least - to practice a martial art which is not only Japanese in origin, but also has a direct counterpart in Korea - Hapkido. "I consider Aikido to be advanced Hapkido," notes one of the Korean students with extensive experience in both arts. After all, they both derive from the same art; the founder of Aikido, Uyeshiba Morihei, and the originator of Hapkido, Choi Young-sool, both learned from the same Master, Takeda Sokaku of Daito Ryu Ju-jitsu." Watching an Aikido class, one begins to understand this comment; the moves - locks, throws and holds - are virtually identical to Hapkido, but are performed with less apparent power; sensitivity, footwork, yielding and timing are preferred to Hapkido's more aggressive and spectacular techniques. In this they are approaching the epitome of martial arts - the ability to level an opponent with minimal force and economy of effort, rather than raw power. The man who introduced this art to Korea, Master Yun, notes, "Most Koreans are not ready for Aikido - they understand only punching and kicking, rather than more subtle styles." Adds Rupert with a smile, "Aikido is something people do when they have tried everything else. We do learn to fight, but Aikido is more philosophical...." One question which martial artists of virtually all systems ask themselves at one time or another is "Which is the most effective fighting style?" While there can be no serious answer to this question (fighting simply has too many variables - size, strength, natural ability, environment etc, in addition to purely technical considerations) the system which has gained the most attention in recent years for it's unalloyed efficacy in one-on-one combat is Brazilian Ju-jitsu. Practitioners of this style have decimated opponents from virtually every other art - Boxing and Kickboxing champions, Karate, Kung Fu and taekwondo pracitioners, even Sumo wrestlers have fallen to the grapples of the Brazilians - in no-holds barred competitions which have shocked the martial arts world. It is this highly effective style - a subsystem of Japanese Ju-jitsu (i.e. pre-modern Judo) which Brazil's Gracie clan have modified to specialize in floor fighting - which is now being taught by appropriately hard-looking American John Frankl, at Yonsei University gym. Highly experienced in Kuk-sool-won, Jeet-kune-do and Thai kickboxing, John, 32, now focuses almost entirely on Ju-Jitsu. For combatants more used to fighting on their feet, this predominantly ground grappling style may look untidy, but as Canadian trainee and boxer John Webster asserts "It's a good learning experience, because once you go to the ground, it's as plain as the nose on your face where your deficiencies lie." Fellow Canadian and long-term martial artist Leo Rimanovich, 31, (who regularly travels up from the provinces for the dubious pleasure of rolling around on the mats in the tender embrace of like-minded gents) states categorically "If you're used to striking, you need to learn ground grappling to be a truly versatile martial artist." John's teaching method mirrors the practicality of the art - after technique training, the skills learned are put into practice during sparring, enabling trainees to understand the full applicability of the moves. Contrary to what one may think, this style is truly based on technique and physical principles rather than strength; to the educated eye, John ties up and subdues his opponents in a relaxed and natural way. Training in this style answers the fear of many stand-up combatants who, if they are realistic, ask themselves : "What happens if I fall to the ground in a confrontation?" However, above and beyond fighting, the art provides an excellent all-round physical workout, stressing flexibility, strength and aerobic endurance. The foregoing martial arts have all been foreign imports - surely there is no foreigner teaching the national sport, taekwondo, in Korea? Well actually , yes - in the person of Dr. Steve Capener, 39, a tall Montana native who holds international titles in taekwondo, has written extensively on it in academic publications and has the driest sense of humor of any American this writer has met. His club, "Corona taekwondo" is named after the Mexican beverage which club members have been known to imbibe in immoderate quantities post-training. "Corona" does not go down the "traditional" taekwondo route, but focuses exclusively on increasing contact sparring effectiveness. Steve believes that self-defense as the primary motive for martial arts is anachronistic in modern society, and so promotes the aesthetic and philosophical values found in sparring. Steve explains; "The point of emphasizing sparring is that it permits techniques to be safely executed with power and speed under demanding conditions." Steve's trainees are a mixed bunch, hailing from Europe, North America and Korea; many were high level competitors in their own right before arriving in Steve's group. Sessions are informal, often taking place against a background of high decibel rock, and amongst the trainees a certain amount of raucous but good-natured ribbing goes on - the lads are a social bunch, with weekend sessions usually finishing up in late-night watering holes. International players past and present are frequent visitors to Steve's class, and two of his students are the first foreigners ever to study full time at Korea's martial arts institution, Yong-In University. While it may surprise some Koreans that their national footfighting system is being taught by a foreigner on it's native soil, it shouldn't - the fact that foreigners are now teaching taekwondo in Korea is a mark of the sport's international acceptance and maturity. One outstanding point about the above instructors is that they are by no means the bullet-headed gangster-types associated with fighting arts in the movies; all are highly educated and articulate. Steve Capener holds a Ph.D. from Seoul National (Korea's elite academic institution), John Frankl is a Ph.D. candidate from Harvard, and Rupert is currently in the midst of his Seoul National Masters Degree Thesis. All three speak Korean to an exceptional standard. Their trainees are similarly qualified; when I visited John's group, all trainees were university-level teachers, and Rupert's classes boast a preponderance of Seoul National students. All of the men above have broad experience in different marital arts, none of them emphasize rank, nor do they focus exclusively on self-defense, but take a wider perspective of martial arts. It is unfortunate that many Koreans still look down on many forms of martial-arts training (the notable exception to this rule is Komdo which enjoys a great social respect) as being "boys club" or lower class activities. The groups set up by foreign teachers fill the gap between, in John's words, clubs catering to either children or national-level athletes. He states that in Korea, unlike the U.S. and Japan, there are few martial arts clubs catering to the typical middle class student or salaried man. Even for the average man in the street, these disciplines, drawn from Oriental physical culture, not only offer the trainee the poise and self-confidence to handle an altercation, but are also a highly developed and socially acceptable male physical aesthetic. On a deeper level, martial arts offer the potential promise of unifying an educated mind with a healthy body - the classic union which has intrigued philosophers, lay and religious, since the dawn of time. With the arrival of foreign instructors of the caliber of the three profiled above, the martial arts instructional debt that the world owes to Korea is beginning to be repayed. None of them are teaching for commercial gain, but simply for love of the arts. And in the wake of hard training sessions, the chance for international friendships and understanding grows, albeit in a small way - and does globalization offer a more noble goal than that? John Frankl: tel 016 636 7773. E Mail: seoulbjj@hotmail.com Rupert Atkinson: tel 763 9598 (Chongno Dojang); E Mail: rupert@www.cuk.ac.kr Steve Capener: E Mail: duketurbo@yahoo.com Updated: 09/10/1999 by Andrew Salmon Contributing writer ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Thu, 9 Sep 1999 20:47:19 -0700 (PDT) Subject: the_dojang: pump up pump up the volume... Ray Terry rterry@best.com ------------------------------ End of The_Dojang-Digest V6 #449 ******************************** 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.