From: the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com To: the_dojang-digest@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Subject: The_Dojang-Digest V8 #245 Reply-To: the_dojang@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Errors-To: the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Precedence: The_Dojang-Digest Wed, 18 April 2001 Vol 08 : Num 245 In this issue: the_dojang: Head Kicks the_dojang: RE: The_Dojang-Digest V8 #244 the_dojang: Website for those teaching children the_dojang: The KA of Kajukenbo the_dojang: RE: Head Kicks the_dojang: Images of Korean Culture - Taekwondo the_dojang: . ========================================================================= The_Dojang, serving the Internet since June 1994. ~1111 members strong! Copyright 1994-2001: Ray Terry and Martial Arts Resource The premier internet discussion forum devoted to the Korean Martial Arts. 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 the online search engine for back issues of The_Dojang at http://www.MartialArtsResource.com Pil Seung! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Charles Richards Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 07:03:58 -0700 (PDT) Subject: the_dojang: Head Kicks Dear All, I was in an organization that didn't allow hands to the head at all in their closed tournaments. I felt strongly that this would lead to kickers that couldn't protect their head. Every national championship I would get a warning for backfisting some blackbelt in the head. It was just too tempting and too easy. My beginers are learning boxing (JKD) style Jab, reverse and backfist right off the bat. They understand that the head should be attacked whenever the guards are dropped, and are learning how to move the head to avoid strikes. IMHO High Kicks = Korean Martial Arts, but if you are training for a sport I guess rules can be modified to eliminate the martial aspects and emphasize the sport aspects of martial sports. Fortunately as a Tang Soo Do player I can never be forced to practice only martial sport . Now my soap box is really wound up. I do not allow my 12 and under crowd to do knuckle push-up and limit the heavy impact on heavy bags, etc. because the cartlidge in the hand is not developed yet. They do not get exempt from board breaking, but are not allowed to use the straight fist (open hand, elbow strike or hammer fist). I also would not let a youth color belt of this age participate in olympic style sparring. IMHO the age-rank requirements should be modified to provide safety, not elimination of parts of the art. Maybe as a compromise we could regulate the amount of contact to the head, eliminating head knockouts for youth, but continue to allow knockdowns for body strikes and points for head kicks, neh? The AAU provides plenty of opportunity for point sparring for youth color belts, and the rules are very clear; light contact to the headgear is a point. With proper control, balance and judge confirmation two points can be awarded for a head kick. If the AAU follows USTU in this rule change, I don't think my student will compete in TKD based competitions anymore. Exit Soap Box Regards, Charles Richards Moja Kwan TSD __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices http://auctions.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ From: "Mike Devich" Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 08:54:05 -0700 Subject: the_dojang: RE: The_Dojang-Digest V8 #244 Here is an email address and ph number for school: Mr. William Werhanowicz in Glendale and Phoenix, Arizona: (623) 848-6209 SongsHapkido@email.com Have fun, Phoenix is a great place. I lived in Phoenix for 6 years and loved every minute. Wife made me move, hope to move back there. From: mtomlins@mail.volusia.k12.fl.us Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 08:12:46 -0400 Subject: the_dojang: Phoenix Hapkido I will be leaving for Phoenix AZ. next week for some job related computer training while I am out there I was wondering if anyone knows of any good Hapkido Dojangs in the area? Michael Tomlinson ------------------------------ From: "Borski, Janis" Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 11:40:55 -0500 Subject: the_dojang: Website for those teaching children I understand there has been discussion about General Powell on another digest regarding adults. I've been very active in one of his programs called Americas Promise. I think his philosophies are quite in sync with the tenets of martial arts. This site is good if you teach children or want to recommend a site for children and their parents. If you click on the "About Us" button it will link you to some wonderful articles from Powell. Enjoy! http://www.americaspromise.org/index.cfm And you know the man's arrived.... He was featured on Martha Stewarts TV show the other day!! Janis ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 13:11:16 PDT Subject: the_dojang: The KA of Kajukenbo Anyone have any history on Peter Young Yil Choo? Peter Y.Y. Choo was the KA part (Tang Soo Do, aka Korean Karate) of Kajukenbo, one of the five member 'Black Belt Society' that founded Kajukenbo on Oahu, Hawaii c1947. I guess Choo also had some boxing success in Hawaii at the welterweight class. Any additional info, esp wrt his TSD background? Thanks. Ray Terry raymail@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com ------------------------------ From: "Mac" Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 15:00:04 -0500 Subject: the_dojang: RE: Head Kicks Master Charles, I agree with you about having the head as an open target, whether for head kicks or hand strikes. I normally let my kids spar with no head contact, but they can get to where (as I saw another poster say) cover up their scoring areas with their arms. They can also get into really bad habits if they are not protecting their heads. When I see this, we get back into allowing (although very controlled) head strikes. You just have to be very careful with the little ones, as it seems very hard for them to not make contact with the front of the face, which we have as off limits. I did recently purchase head gear that goes all the way around the chin to help protect their face a bit more. I think as long as they have enough control, head strikes should be open. If you are very tournament oriented with no hand to the head strikes, then you should practice that way too. ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 15:17:58 PDT Subject: the_dojang: Images of Korean Culture - Taekwondo FYI... Images of Korean Culture from http://www.korea.net Taekwondo Taekwondo is an officially acknowledged international sport originated in Korea and is today practiced worldwide. Taekwondo uses the whole body, particularly the hands and feet. It not only strengthens one's physique, but also cultivates character via physical and mental training. Coupled with techniques of discipline, taekwondo is a self-defense martial art. The evidence of taekwondo's existence as a systemized defense operation using the body's instinctive reflexes can be traced back to ceremonial games that were performed during religious events in the era of the ancient tribal states some 2,000 years age. During religious ceremonies such as Yeonggo and Dongmaeng (a sort of thanksgiving ceremony), and Mucheon (Dance to Heaven), ancient Koreans performed a unique exercise for physical training. This exercise was the original inception of taekwondo. With this historical background, taekwondo (also known by its older name, taekgyeon) secured the status of Korean's traditional martial art. During the Three Kingdoms period (57 B.C.-A.D. 668), taekgyeon became a required military art; the martial art was emphasized to enhance national defense and battle capabilities, and was practiced in the Musadan (a military organization) that was responsible for national defense. Examples of Musadan are the Seonbae of Goguryeo (37 B.C.-A.D. 668) and the Hwarang of Silla (57 B.C.-A.D. 935). Seonbae, which was founded during the era of King Taejo (r. 53-146) of Goguryeo, practiced taekgyeon (also called taekgeoni) to strengthen their country's defense capabilities. Strengthening this claim is a mural in the Muyongchong (Tomb of the Dancers) in southern Manchuria. Drawn on the ceiling of the burial chamber and the master chamber of the tomb was a vivid scene of a taekgyeon match. Taekgyeon was practiced in Silla in order to reinforce national development, and was the basic martial art of the Hwarang (Flower of Youth Corps). Evidence attesting to taekgyeon's role during the Silla period can be found in the Geumgang yeoksasang (a guardian of a temple gate), which is now housed in the Gyeongju National Museum. The aforementioned traditions were continuously superseded and further developed during the Goryeo period (918-1392). The value of taekgyeon as a martial art for the defense and prosperity of the nation was acknowledged, and as a consequence, its standards were raised, leading to further systemization and popularity. Among King Uijong's (r. 1146-1170) writings is a record stating that Yi Uimin was promoted because of his outstanding taekgyeon techniques. The record also shows that Choe Chungheon threw banquets and let strongmen from the Jungbang (Council of Generals) compete against each other in taekgyeon matches; winners from the match were awarded with government posts. Finally, there is a record about Byeon Anyeol's winning matches against Im Gyeonmi and Yeom Heungbang and being promoted from assistant-head to head of the Royal Secretariat as a reward. Such evidence implies that the value of taekwondo as a martial art was acknowledged in the Goryeo Dynasty at the national level, while also confirming the existence of clear judging criteria for competitions. Based on this information, it can be deduced that taekwondo, as a military art, had reached a level of high performance during the Goryeo period. A number of written entries, such as "the rafter was moved when Yi Uimin hit the pillar with his bare fist," or "the wall was pierced through when Du Gyeongseung hit it with his fist", substantiate the high and sometimes lethal level of taekwondo standards at that time. Another record states, "Yi Uimin punched a man's backbone and killed him." With the advent of explosives and the appearance of new weapons by the end of the Goryeo era, however, taekwondo, which was highly supported at the national level during the beginning and middle periods of the Goryeo Dynasty, received a steadily declining level of support. As a result of its weakened function as a martial art, the sport was transformed into a folk game at one point. According to records in the Goryeosa (History of Goryeo, 1454), people who gambled on taekgyeon for money or material goods were punished by 100 strokes of a paddle; a house owner who provided boarding or gambling money to gamblers also received the same number of paddle beatings as punishment. Such records imply that taekgyeon was enjoyed as a folk game by many people and was deeply rooted in Koreans' lives. Later, during the Joseon era (1392-1910), military arts regained their prominence due to political circumstances in the early period of the dynasty's foundation and the need for national defense. People who were skilled in taekgyeon received preferable treatment, and taekgyeon was chosen as a military art. Documents show that during the selection of military soldiers by the Uiheungbu (a military command) during the 10th year (1410) of King Taejong (r. 1401-1418), persons who had beaten three rivals in taekgyeon matches were selected to become bangpaegun (shielding soldiers). In the following year, skills in taekgyeon were applied as a major criterion for recruiting soldiers. This practice thus attracted many of the gwanno, male provincial government slaves, who by virtue of their work were mostly well versed in the martial art. Once the country's organizational structure was solidified, nonetheless, the importance of the martial art was again deemphasized due to the unavoidable strengthening of the power of the literati. However, this trend was reversed when the country experienced severe difficulties such as the Imjinwaeran (the Japanese invasion of Joseon) in 1592 and the Byeongjahoran (the Manchu invasion) in 1636. At the national level, the Hullyeondogam (Military Training Command) was established to support martial arts. Muye dobo tongji, a text for martial art, was written by Yi Deokmu and Pak Jega. Such national support enabled taekgyeon to regain its vitality as a martial art and folk game. In Dongguk yeoji seungnam (Augmented Survey of the Geography of Korea), it is stated that in one of the towns in Eunjin-hyeon, Chungcheong-do province, people from the Chungcheong-do and Jeolla-do provinces gathered around on Baekjungil, or Buddhist All Souls' Day, to compete in taekgyeon matches, while in the pungsokhwa (genre paintings) of that period, scenes of taekgyeon can often be found. Based on this evidence, it is clear that taekgyeon was quite popular and deeply rooted in the daily lives of Koreans. With time's passage, methods of national defense changed, along with peoples' attitudes. Consequently, taekgyeon became primarily a folk match or game rather than a military art. With Japan's undisguised intention of invading Korea, however, taekgyeon emerged as a national pastime. The fact that it was already established as a folk game, coupled with the Koreans' consciousness of being a homogeneous nation distinct from the Japanese, fueled their passion for the art. During the period when Japan controlled Korea, taekgyeon was suppressed. Nevertheless, it was secretly passed on among certain taekgyeon masters even during this period. After national liberation in 1945, taekgyeon's revitalization began once again, aided by restored personal freedoms. It was during this period that a new word, "taekwon," was coined and began to be widely used. Concurrently, the characteristics of the master-trainee relationship in taekwondo changed to emphasize the characteristics of taekwondo as more of a sport than a martial art. With the foundation of the Korea Taekwondo Association in September of 1961, taekwondo officially became a sport. In 1962, the Korea Taekwondo Association became a member organization of the Korea Amateur Sports Association, and the following year taekwondo was chosen as a regular entry for the National Sports Festival. In 1971 taekwondo's outstanding value was acknowledged, and taekwondo was recognized as a national sport; today there are about 7,000 taekwondo practice halls and approximately 18,000 masters in Korea, along with 3,460,000 grade-holders and 2,000,000 trainees. In 1971, the Korea Taekwondo Association established etiquette criteria to guide those practicing taekwondo. The criteria include the areas of etiquette and attitude, articles to follow in daily living places and in practice halls, dress code and personal appearance guidelines to be followed when conversing or visiting someone. The Gukgiwon was opened in 1972 to function as the central practice hall and competition gymnasium for taekwondo. The First World Taekwondo Championships were held in Seoul during 1973, at which time the World Taekwondo Federation was founded. The World Taekwondo Federation eventually became a member of the GAISF (General Association of International Sports Federations), and was chosen as an official entry by the Committee for the International Soldiers Meet (CISM) in 1976. Today, the World Taekwondo Federation has 162 member countries, and 5,000 masters have been dispatched to these countries to instruct approximately 50 million trainees worldwide. The sport's steady progress and growth were responsible for taekwondo's selection as a demonstration sport for the Olympic Games at the General Assembly of the International Olympic Committee on July 15, 1980. During the General Assembly of the International Olympic Committee in 1981, taekwondo was also chosen for inclusion in the 10th Asian Games. Having been selected as a demonstration sport for the 1988 Olympic Games, taekwondo firmly established its presence in the international sports arena. The First International Taekwondo Academic Conference, which was held in Seoul in December 1983, was another event which greatly contributed to the development of taekwondo. Partially as a result of the heightened worldwide interest in taekwondo demonstrated by this event, it was decided during the International Olympic Committee meeting held in Paris in September 1994, that taekwondo would be an official entry in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. At its December 2000 meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, the International Olympic Committee decided to include taekwondo in the official sports of the future Olympic Games. The training methods of taekwondo can be differentiated into gibon dongjak, pumse, gyeorugi, gyeokpa, and hosinsul. The gibon dongjak (basic movements) refer to dynamic elements of the use of hands and feet and are the basis of taekwondo. They include chigi (striking) techniques by use of fists and the outer side of the hand. Pumse refers to training that is done alone with an imaginary counterpart. Following the drill line, one practices to master effective techniques of attack and defense movements so as to improve one's readiness, muscular power, flexibility, ability to shift one's center of power, control of breathing, and speed of movement. Types of pumse include Taegeuk (1-8 jang) and Palgwae (1-8 jang) for nongrade-holders, and Goryeo, Geumgang, Taebaek, Pyeongwon, Sipjin, Jitae, Cheongwon, Hansu, and Illyeo for grade-holders. Gyeorugi, an application of pumse to an actual situation in order to demonstrate techniques of attack and defense, is divided into two parts: machueo gyeorugi and gyeorugi. Machueo gyeorugi refers to a synchronized demonstration of given attack and defense techniques, while gyeorugi refers to the free application of those techniques to an opponent's vulnerable areas. The latter enhances one's spirit of fighting and courage. Gyeokpa is one of methods that is used to measure the power and speed of the practioner by applying a variety of taekwondo skills to boards, bricks or any choson material with application of physical force and mental concentration, while hosinsul consists of techniques to defeat a rival's attack and effectively counterattack. Taekwondo matches are held according to weight categories. These categories include finweight, flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight, welterweight, middleweight, and heavyweight. The time allotted for a match is three three-minute rounds, with a one -minute rest between rounds. The competition floor is a square with sides of a total length of eight meters. A mattress is placed on the floor. For the safety of the competitor, protective pads for certain parts of the body, such as the torso and head, are worn over the competition outfit. Judging is carried out by one examiner, one chief referee, and four sub-referees. ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 15:19:04 PDT Subject: the_dojang: . ------------------------------ End of The_Dojang-Digest V8 #245 ******************************** It's a great day for Taekwondo! Support the USTU by joining today. US Taekwondo Union, 1 Olympic Plaza, Ste 104C, Colorado Spgs, CO 80909 719-578-4632 FAX 719-578-4642 ustutkd1@aol.com http://www.ustu.org To unsubscribe from the_dojang-digest send the command: unsubscribe the_dojang-digest -or- unsubscribe the_dojang-digest your.old@address in the BODY (top line, left justified) of a "plain text" e-mail addressed to majordomo@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com. Old digest issues are available via ftp://ftp.martialartsresource.com. Copyright 1994-2001: Ray Terry and Martial Arts Resource Standard disclaimers apply.