Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 16:18:40 -0700 From: the_dojang-request@martialartsresource.net Subject: The_Dojang digest, Vol 13 #282 - 8 msgs X-Mailer: Mailman v2.0.13.cisto1 MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Errors-To: the_dojang-admin@martialartsresource.net X-BeenThere: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.13.cisto1 Precedence: bulk Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net X-Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net X-Subscribed-Address: kma@martialartsresource.com List-Id: The Internet's premier discussion forum on Korean Martial Arts. 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Copyright 1994-2006: Ray Terry and Martial Arts Resource The Internet's premier discussion forum devoted to Korean Martial Arts. 2,100 members. See the Korean Martial Arts (KMA) FAQ and the online search engine for back issues of The_Dojang at http://MartialArtsResource.com Pil Seung! Today's Topics: 1. Article: How GM Jeon brought TKD to America (Jye nigma) 2. RE: Ban the UFC (michael tomlinson) 3. Re: Ban the UFC (jakskru) 4. Master Benko (JR West) 5. several items (J R Hilland) 6. wa ki sul (Stovall, Craig) 7. Good Article on Violence (michael tomlinson) 8. Grandmaster Hwang draws trainees in droves (The_Dojang) --__--__-- Message: 1 Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 11:16:18 -0700 (PDT) From: Jye nigma To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net, itf-taekwondo@yahoogroups.com, MartialArtsTalk@yahoogroups.com Subject: [The_Dojang] Article: How GM Jeon brought TKD to America Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net How Grandmaster Jeon Brought Taekwondo to America When Jeon Yong Kuen started Taekwondo in 1960, he was just 13. His younger brother kept picking fights with older boys and he needed to be able to defend himself and his little brother; he started Taekwondo because he was scared. He signed up at the Mokpo Chungdo-Gwan Academy in Seoul under Grandmaster Kim Sugi. He was only a little boy in Junior High and he lived without a father. Taekwondo and the adults and instructors at his Dojang (academy) became his models and father figure, and he threw himself wholeheartedly into learning. He learned many life lessons from Taekwondo. Belt tests at his dojang were only offered once every six months. At one point, Jeon failed a poomsae test. This drove him to practice so hard in preparation for the next test that he became the model for that poomsae for the entire school. This taught him that him that you can make something great even out of a heartbreaking failure. After four years, he earned his 1st degree black belt. In 1966, as a high school student, Jeon attended the Korean National Sports Festival. He fought his way to third place in the Taekwondo tournament. (Fin division). After high school, he wanted to get in to the Air Force Academy, but he faced another life-altering rejection. After spending some time studying at a Buddhist temple, he answered the call of one of his former instructors to help open a new dojang. This inspired him to go to Seoul and spar at the headquarters of Chungdo-Gwan, where he was knocked out in one shot by another black belt. Up until this point, he had thought himself at the top level of Taekwondo – this knockout served as a wakeup call that he had to rid himself of that conceit. It reminded him that there are always people who are as good or better, and that he needed to train harder and remember modesty. When Jeon began his mandatory military service, he was drafted into the Taekwondo demo team in Vietnam, during the Vietnam War. When he was discharged, he decided to open a dojang in Seoul. At age 34, he decided to take a friend’s suggestion and move to Chile to spread Taekwondo abroad. There, he became an instructor for the Chilean military – including the special forces, the president’s bodyguards, policemen, and service men from the Navy, Army, and Air Force. He held this position for 13 years, which enabled him to build a strong relationship with the government of Chile. Many of his students went on to occupy powerful positions in the government. He was able to utilize their respect for him and for Taekwondo to nurture Chile’s political relationship with South Korea. In 1991, Grandmaster Jeon decided it was time to move on, and he came to the US with his family, where he opened a Taekwondo school in Annandale, Virginia. Throughout his long career as a martial artist and an instructor, Grandmaster Jeon has learned and passed on a great many lessons. When asked about his best moment as an instructor, he recounted a chance meeting 8 years ago when he happened to meet the mother of a former student while getting an oil change. She told Grandmaster Jeon how his dedication and positive lessons helped her son greatly. This made him taught a very important lesson - regardless of money or prestige, his life was a success. Not because of his own greatness such as he might have hoped for in his younger days, but because he has enriched the lives of others through Taekwondo. He said of his students and young people in general, “We have to teach the love. And tell them they are unique. They are the future of the world that we have to teach them peace and love. If not, there is no guarantee that we will not have a person like Hitler again.” That he has helped teach this love and give many people a strong Taekwondo spirit is the great success of his life, he said. By Evan Delahanty, Hosan Kim --------------------------------- How low will we go? Check out Yahoo! Messenger’s low PC-to-Phone call rates. --__--__-- Message: 2 From: "michael tomlinson" To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Subject: RE: [The_Dojang] Ban the UFC Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 19:17:08 +0000 Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Actually many of these fighters are college graduates who wrestled in college as well as getting their degrees...plus the fact that they are disciplined in every aspect of their lives....such as...training in several arts everyday, lifting weights and doing cardio training everyday, following a strict dietary plan everyday, and also going to physical therapy, accupunture, etc.. the majority of these athletes lead a very specialized and controlled life....the idea that these guys will beat someone up at a redlight is silly IMO...quite the opposite I've experienced in my life....usually the most scenical, frustrated, and condescending passive aggressive individuals are by a high percentage the masses in our society that don't have an outlet for their aggression via...physical activity....your example of the psychiatric patients becoming more aggressive after hitting the heavy bag has only one flaw as far as comparing them to regular society.....THEY ARE IN A PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL!!! LOL...which means they are not an indicator of regular society...which makes it invalid as an experiment... I'm not a big violence monger and my last post was kind of tough and cheek but I really don't want to hold hands around the campfire and sing cumbuyya with a bunch of tree huggers either....that is unless I've just shot a big buck and we are grilling that bad boy and fixin to get our protein on!! Bottom line is that violence is not going away from human nature so I choose to learn from it and embrace it and understand it....watching the UFC is a great way for martial artists to get a chance to "see" what controlled violence looks like and study body movement and techniques....if people would look at it through a mindset of studying then you can see the validity of it....personally I don't think it will ever be banned....my only question is why study the arts of fighting if controlled fighting offends you?? Whether you study martial arts for the hardcore aspects or for healthy living it is what it is...which is----the arts of fighting.... Michael Tomlinson >From: "t.metzner1" >Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net >To: >Subject: [The_Dojang] Ban the UFC >Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2006 23:17:55 -0400 > >Many years ago I worked as a orderly at a Psychiatric Hospital. We had to >deal >with violence on the units on a regular basis. It was common back then to >isolate escalating patients in a room with a punching bag and let them >"work >out their aggression". Then someone realized this was only making the >situation worse and in fact did nothing to control the violence. We found >other ways to deal with violent patients. > >Similarly, in my opinion, the UFC does not "control" our violent nature as >Mr. >Tomlinson suggests- it justifies it. It promotes violence as a means of >conflict resolution and a "might makes right" mentality. This is not >beneficial to developing a peaceful society. What happens if someone cut >off a >UFC fighter in traffic? He would probably feel justified it beating the >s**t >out of him because that is his frame of reference and a definition of his >manhood. I suspect most of these men are not highly educated and lack the >intelligence and maturity to resolve conflicts with their heads instead of >their fists. > >UFC does not further the goals of martial arts training. If someone came >to >my school after watching UFC wanting to learn how to fight I would decline >their business. UFC is barbaric and should be banned. Society needs fewer >people with this type of mentality. > >Tom Metzner >_______________________________________________ >The_Dojang mailing list, 2,100 members >The_Dojang@martialartsresource.net >Copyright 1994-2006: Ray Terry and Martial Arts Resource >Standard disclaimers apply >http://martialartsresource.net/mailman/listinfo/the_dojang --__--__-- Message: 3 From: "jakskru" To: Subject: Re: [The_Dojang] Ban the UFC Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 16:57:03 -0400 Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net > Similarly, in my opinion, the UFC does not "control" our violent nature as Mr. > Tomlinson suggests- it justifies it. It promotes violence as a means of > conflict resolution and a "might makes right" mentality. why does there always have to be some kind of "deep meaning" involved? i happen to like to spar and i like to watch pugilistic endeavors for fun...yet i dont feel the constant throbbing sensation to go out and whup someones keester...especially to settle a disagreement... and besides, as proven time and again throughout history...might does make right. > What happens if someone cut off a > UFC fighter in traffic? He would probably feel justified it beating the s**t > out of him because that is his frame of reference and a definition of his > manhood. I suspect most of these men are not highly educated and lack the > intelligence and maturity to resolve conflicts with their heads instead of > their fists. this is pretty ludicrous...i have seen plenty of road rage incidents, and none of the people involved looked like they are professional fighters. > UFC does not further the goals of martial arts training. well, gotta disagree here...i train and i have seen plenty that has helped me out in training...i especially like to see the training sessions that are shown during the ultimate fighter t.v. show...good stuff If someone came to > my school after watching UFC wanting to learn how to fight I would decline > their business. UFC is barbaric and should be banned. Society needs fewer > people with this type of mentality. send them to the school where i train...new faces are always welcome. --__--__-- Message: 4 From: "JR West" To: Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 16:28:51 -0500 Subject: [The_Dojang] Master Benko Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net I have never met Master Benko, but I have an article written by him in 1984 with regards to his history and training, and he never mentions the word "hapkido".......J. R. West www.hapkido.com --__--__-- Message: 5 From: "J R Hilland" To: Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 16:56:40 -0500 Subject: [The_Dojang] several items Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net TIME IN RANK No one is judged by their rank; but by the technique, knowledge of someone holding that rank, and time in rank (age is also an important factor). In other words, technique + time in rank = a certain level of competency, or it should... HAPKIDO WORKSHOP I also want to announce that we are holding our 3rd annual FARGO HAPKIDO WORKSHOP the weekend of July 29th. The cost is reasonable (it is free) and all martial artists are welcome. More info at: http://www.hapkidoselfdefense.com/hapkidoworkshop.htm. Please visit the seminar link at www.hapkido.com for this and other hapkido events. Jere R. Hilland, Fargo, ND www.hapkidoselfdefense.com --__--__-- Message: 6 Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 17:03:10 -0500 From: "Stovall, Craig" To: Subject: [The_Dojang] wa ki sul Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net <<>> I dunno. Some of the older TKD flavors used to have "ground sparring" or "sitting one-steps". These were much like regular one-steps except that you did them from a kneeling position. From the description on his site, I think that's what he's talking about. I had to do them under my original instructor. It's not what I call "groundfighting" since it doesn't really address positional strategies in a real world context. People just don't move like that. When's the last time you saw two people facing each other in a kneeling position and throwing punches and kicks. Doesn't happen. Anyway, I'm not saying it's not worth looking into, but I don't think I'd try to incorporate any of it into a realistic self-defense program. Just my opinion. --__--__-- Message: 7 From: "michael tomlinson" To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2006 00:06:19 +0000 Subject: [The_Dojang] Good Article on Violence Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net I thought this might be appropriate to our discussions as of lately...what do you all think about this big juicy nugget????? Michael Tomlinson On Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs - Dave Grossman By LTC (RET) Dave Grossman, author of "On Killing." Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always,even death itself. The question remains: What is worth defending? What is worth dying for? What is worth living for? - William J. Bennett - in a lecture to the United States Naval Academy November 24, 1997 One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me: "Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident." This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another. Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than one in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably less than two million. Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation: We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep. I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the pretty, blue robin's egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers, and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful? For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators. "Then there are the wolves," the old war veteran said, "and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy." Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial. "Then there are sheepdogs," he went on, "and I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf." If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero's path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed Let me expand on this old soldier's excellent model of the sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial, that is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids' schools. But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid's school. Our children are thousands of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the sheep's only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their child is just too hard, and so they chose the path of denial. The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, can not and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheep dog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours. Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports in camouflage fatigues holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, "Baa." Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog. The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door. Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times you heard the word hero? Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed right along with the young ones. Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes." The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference." When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want to be able to make a difference. There is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the population. There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory crimes of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims by body language: slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least able to protect itself. Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and I'm proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs. Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When he learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd dropped his phone and uttered the words, "Let's roll," which authorities believe was a signal to the other passengers to confront the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers - athletes, business people and parents. -- from sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground. There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men. - Edmund Burke Here is the point I like to emphasize, especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn't have a choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision. If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door. For example, many officers carry their weapons in church.? They are well concealed in ankle holsters, shoulder holsters or inside-the-belt holsters tucked into the small of their backs.? Anytime you go to some form of religious service, there is a very good chance that a police officer in your congregation is carrying. You will never know if there is such an individual in your place of worship, until the wolf appears to massacre you and your loved ones. I was training a group of police officers in Texas, and during the break, one officer asked his friend if he carried his weapon in church. The other cop replied, "I will never be caught without my gun in church." I asked why he felt so strongly about this, and he told me about a cop he knew who was at a church massacre in Ft. Worth, Texas in 1999. In that incident, a mentally deranged individual came into the church and opened fire, gunning down fourteen people. He said that officer believed he could have saved every life that day if he had been carrying his gun. His own son was shot, and all he could do was throw himself on the boy's body and wait to die. That cop looked me in the eye and said, "Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?" Some individuals would be horrified if they knew this police officer was carrying a weapon in church. They might call him paranoid and would probably scorn him. Yet these same individuals would be enraged and would call for "heads to roll" if they found out that the airbags in their cars were defective, or that the fire extinguisher and fire sprinklers in their kids' school did not work. They can accept the fact that fires and traffic accidents can happen and that there must be safeguards against them. Their only response to the wolf, though, is denial, and all too often their response to the sheepdog is scorn and disdain. But the sheepdog quietly asks himself, "Do you have and idea how hard it would be to live with yourself if your loved ones attacked and killed, and you had to stand there helplessly because you were unprepared for that day?" It is denial that turns people into sheep. Sheep are psychologically destroyed by combat because their only defense is denial, which is counterproductive and destructive, resulting in fear, helplessness and horror when the wolf shows up. Denial kills you twice. It kills you once, at your moment of truth when you are not physically prepared: you didn't bring your gun, you didn't train. Your only defense was wishful thinking. Hope is not a strategy. Denial kills you a second time because even if you do physically survive, you are psychologically shattered by your fear helplessness and horror at your moment of truth. Gavin de Becker puts it like this in Fear Less, his superb post-9/11 book, which should be required reading for anyone trying to come to terms with our current world situation: "...denial can be seductive, but it has an insidious side effect. For all the peace of mind deniers think they get by saying it isn't so, the fall they take when faced with new violence is all the more unsettling." Denial is a save-now-pay-later scheme, a contract written entirely in small print, for in the long run, the denying person knows the truth on some level. And so the warrior must strive to confront denial in all aspects of his life, and prepare himself for the day when evil comes. If you are warrior who is legally authorized to carry a weapon and you step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that the bad man will not come today. No one can be "on" 24/7, for a lifetime. Everyone needs down time. But if you are authorized to carry a weapon, and you walk outside without it, just take a deep breath, and say this to yourself... "Baa." This business of being a sheep or a sheep dog is not a yes-no dichotomy. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the other. Most of us live somewhere in between. Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors started taking their job more seriously. The degree to which you move up that continuum, away from sheephood and denial, is the degree to which you and your loved ones will survive, physically and psychologically at your moment of truth. --__--__-- Message: 8 Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 17:16:24 -0700 From: The_Dojang To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Subject: [The_Dojang] Grandmaster Hwang draws trainees in droves Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Grandmaster Hwang draws trainees in droves Bryan Finlayson 06/29/2006 Williamstown At the Holly Glen School of Williamstown, it is unusual to hear sharp military-like cries of salute echo through the hallways on a Saturday afternoon. But in the gymnasium, 100 Soo Bahk Do trainees from across South Jersey stood by ranks in ridged attention. The air was tense and expectant. Their Grandmaster was arriving. H.C. Hwang, Grandmaster of the Soo Bahk Do - a Korean martial art with a name that translates as "hand strike way" - was about to instruct them in the traditions and techniques of his art. He has traveled extensively displaying correct fighting technique to Soo Bahk Do schools around the world. This was his first appearance before the schools of South Jersey. "Kwan Jang Nim!" the trainees cried in salute as a man entered the room. The man was dressed in a business suit and tie. He was slender and about five foot nine; it was Hwang. The trainees - men, women and children from River Edge, Pennsville, Sewell, Woodbury and Williamstown - exchanged a respectful bow with Hwang. Then, Hwang headed to a private room to change into his outfit: a graceful white robe and Don Bon belt, a black cloth striped red indicating seniority. The special instructional seminar had begun. "This is a way of life," said Steve Corda, a 44-year old instructor of Soo Bahk Do. "It's not a sport. The purpose is not to get trophies. It's for prolonging life and for self preservation." Mike Garaguso, a 45-year old master of Soo Bahk Do, and organizer of the event, led the trainees through a series of upper and lower body stretches, each time counting one through five in Korean. Garaguso is the owner and operator of the Garaguso Karate Academy in Williamstown. Above the gymnasium stage hung the flags of Korea, America and Soo Bahk Do, the latter depicting a clenched fist surrounded by laurels. When Hwang reentered he called the troop to attention and led them in a bow to the flags. "Its very slippery in here, dangerous to perform on," observed Hwang about the glossy floor. So he moved the class to the front lawn. The grass would give better traction to their bare feet. The Soo Bahk Do style, said Hwang, originates from Su Bak, an older Korean martial art. Hwang demonstrated a sequence of eight separate motions that form one complete attack move. The move begins with a wide stance, deliberate leg work and a final thrusting punch. When the Japanese invaded Korea during WWII, the occupation nearly led to the extinction of Su Bak, said Hwang. But it reemerged when Korea gained independence in 1945. Taking from where Su Bak left off, Soo Bahk Do became a trendsetter for other martial arts schools. The school was for instance, according to Hwang, the first to use colored belts to denote rank and a patch worn on the left shoulder like an ID badge. The school was begun by Hwang's father. "It is you. It is your identity," said Hwang. "We wear our history." Not many people know martial artist Chuck Norris was a master of Soo Bahk Do, said Garaguso. During the 70s, Hwang was Norris' instructor. As a Hollywood star, says Garaguso, Norris helped popularize Soo Bahk Do. He used Soo Bahk Do fighting techniques in movies such as "Enter the Dragon" where he clashes with Bruce Lee and also in "Breaker Breaker," a movie that proved inspirational for Garaguso. In "Breaker Breaker," Norris' plays a hero whose brother is held captive by a group of vigilante policemen. The movie climaxes in a battle scene showing Norris karate-chopping ranks of policemen to rescue his brother. "He just looked so realistic," said Garaguso, who was 18 at the time, "so I joined a karate class the next day." Twenty-nine years later Garaguso was the owner of the academy in Williamstown, which teaches Soo Bahk Do. And, on April 22, he was playing golf alongside Grandmaster Hwang. He asked Hwang to visit his academy to instruct his students further in the traditions of Soo Bahk Do. I was joking," said Garaguso, "but he agreed immediately." During the lecture portion of the seminar, Hwang held the rapt attention of the troop. He spoke in a soft voice with a noticeable Korean accent. He called on students to study the traditions of the past so they will be carried into the future. "We understand our past by respecting our elders. We are all the products of this past," said Hwang. "You are the future of our art." Hwang made references to the ancient book, the Moo Yei Do Bo Tong Ji, which is the equivalent of an encyclopedia for Su Bak. Trainees exercise techniques taught in the book. He said the technique in the book is not only physical but something larger. "It's not only punching and kicking. [Technique] also means presenting yourself the best way possible, the strongest way possible," said Hwang. After Hwang's lecture, trainees and parents formed a line in the school gymnasium for autographs and pictures with the Grandmaster. Hwang signed trainees belts with a black Sharpie marker. Blue belts Helen Bolopue and her sons Grant and Mathew gifted Hwang with a batch of home-made cinnamon bread, which he accepted with a traditional bow of courtesy. "What did you see here?" Hwang asked the trainees. "I see respect and discipline." --__--__-- _______________________________________________ The_Dojang mailing list The_Dojang@martialartsresource.net http://martialartsresource.net/mailman/listinfo/the_dojang http://the-dojang.net Old digest issues @ ftp://ftp.martialartsresource.com/pub/the_dojang Copyright 1994-2006: Ray Terry and http://MartialArtsResource.com Standard disclaimers apply. Remember September 11. End of The_Dojang Digest