What's the deal with Tang Soo Do?
Out of curiosity, i was wondering if anyone knew anything about Tang Soo Do. Until recently i was under the impression that it was basically an early form of TKD but i guess it isn't. What's it consist of? Also, was it originally a form of Gung fu? My dad told me that it is basically Gung fu that eventually went to Korea. He's probably right because the phrase Tang Soo Do literally means "Way of the Chinese Hand."
There is only one martial art.
I used to study Tang Soo Do
The fighting stance involved setting one arm at a 45 degree angle down against the body and the top are angled up (perfect for trapping) In spite of this he was a good fighter. He was 2nd or third in a Tang Soo Do tournament. Anyway dive rolling was important and belt ranks took over 2 years to attain. There were only like 5 belts and the highest was blue belt. For their instructor testing they had to break, not a heated board or a brick, but a river rock, a big smooth, polished river rock. Thats impresive. I later visited the school and the hand position wansn't as it was because somebody that knew how to trap came in and kicked his ass. He had a jj guy come in from time to time and teach us rolling and falling and things like that. It is basically karate. And yes, we made fun of the TKD guys. There was no padding and there was a big emphasis on control and not hitting the person. It was more of an "artform"
8Step Sifu
I think Rogue is pretty close
Several Korean style teachers I'm friendly with (the open minded ones) all say Tang Soo Do is Shotokan karate with a bit of Korean "flavouring". The first forms are apparently the same as the Shotokan Heian/Pinan kata.
Of course, these Korean stylist friends of mine aren't Tang Soo Do practitioners, so they may not be qualified to say that much about the art.
Tang Soo Do History Lesson
TangSooDo (TSD) is a true, traditional Korean martial art, not a M.A. like TaeKwonDo (TKD). TSD descends from the 2000 yrs old art of SooBahkDo. It is still a complete art, with 50/50 hands & feet (including sweeps, takedowns, joint locks, punches, kicks, practical self defense, and all the Korean weapons). It's not sport oriented like modern TKD. The techniques (blocks, kicks & punches) are very similar to TKD, if not identical in some cases. Emphasis of the art is more on self defense, spirituality/philosopy and not competition.
The occupation of Korea by the Japanese military took place from 1909-1945 when practicing & teaching of M.A. was restricted. After the war, this restriction was lifted. Master Hwang Kee organized the Korean SooBahkDo Association (TSD) in 1945. Besides the SooBahkDo Assn existence in Korea, there were various types of other M.A. in the other Kwans. In 1965 all of these other systems were united into one organization called the Korean TaeKwonDo Assn, and the art was called TaeKwonDo uniformly. TSD and TKD were divided with TSD striving to remain as a traditional M.A. while TKD held its world games and sports. TSD at first glance looks very similar to Japanese/Okinawa karate as both had great influence from China's Tang Dynasty. TSD uses some of the same form sets as karate, with variation in the techniques & application. As with HapKiDo & HwarangDo, it is a direct descendent of the fighting style of the Hwarang Warrior/Scholars that unified the Korean pennisula 1,300 yrs ago. TSD black belts wear the traditional top of a Hwarang warrior, white top trimmed in black satin. Some kwans of TDO use midnight blue instead of black. It's just a philosphical difference in the meaning of the colors. At the higher levels of TSD, a great emphasis is put on the spiritual side and the healing arts. This is also a direct link from the Hwarang, as they were great healers as well as scholars & warriors.
Tang Soo Do History Lesson
Sorry for the typo error. Near the last sentence "Some kwans of TDO use midnight blue..." the TDO s/b TSD. That correction should eliminate any confussion the typing error may have caused.
[This message was edited by Terry on 11-24-00 at 11:30 AM.]
[This message was edited by Terry on 11-24-00 at 11:31 AM.]
I don't want to offend...
Hwang Kee admitted that he learned from a book while working at a Japanese railroad station in Japanese occupied Manchuria. It was most likely a Shotokan karate book. The applications, training methodology, fighting strategies and approach of TSD has much more to do with Karate than with any CMA. If Tang Soo Do is influenced by CMA, it is not due to any instruction from actual CMA instructors.
If you do not beleive me, go talk to a competent CMA practitioner and compare. It's just different.
I am a big beleiver in luck. The more I work, the more luck I have.
Hwa Rang Do research paper
If anyone is interested, there's a research paper by Bob Duggan covering Hwa Rang Do. There's a section covering the relationship between Hwa Rang Do and Tang Soo Do. The site is as follows:
www.theexoticarts.com/Personal.html
Tang Soo Do=Way of the Chinese Fist
Those who continue to say that Tang Soo Do is modified Shotokan or other Japanese or Okinawan karate have obviously not gone farr enough.
The individual(Hwang Kee) Grandmaster who developed the Chil Sung (seven stars) form was a student of Yang Style tai Chi ChuanAnd studied it from the actual Yang Family grandmaster of the day (his name escapes me) and from what my Kwanjang has said, The Tae-Guk form of TSD is actually about 1/2 of the Yang Long Form.
How the individual trains
How the individual trains is why the ball is in a legit CMA guys corner. TSD just doesn't train the same. Kicky punchy, not a lot of know how. (and thats a quote from a TSD champion who went on to study CMA. He loved his youth in TSD, but he was thr first to admit it screwed him up more than it helped him. I loved it when he fought only using TSD - I always won, which is something that wouldn't normally happen.)
In fact, I have repeatedly invited TKD and TSD guys to enter the ring at San Shou events, but no reply... However, the SeidoKan guys and Kyokushin guys sometiomes show, bless thier hearts.
Or in the words of Chang Tung Sheng after observing some TSD "That is rudimentary Shaolin, fit only for children." ooohhh, was that mean? I won't argue with Master Chang though...
Another factor is the natural attributes of an untrained but really tough fighter. Martial arts improve your odds of survival, they do not make you superman. I encourage everyone to study KMA because I find the KMA guys less dangerous than the wiley streetpunk who loves to fight.