Taekwon Do, "The Art Of Hand & foot
Fighting".
Korea's first know and Historically documented form of fighting techniques were
practice around 600 A.D in the time of the Silla Kingdom in the South of Korea.
These ancient fighting techniques were in a style known as Soo Bak-Gi. This was
shortly followed by the Korean art of foot fighting know as Tae Kwon. This
style was used in the training the army of the Dynasties. However as later
Dynasties took an anti-military stance these styles fell into decline and
further decline took place when in 1909 Korea was occupied by Japan who
outlawed the practice of Tae Kwon and many other Korean customs and traditions.
Tae Kwon only survived due to the efforts of people such as Master Song Duk Ki
and Han LI Dong who refused to let their heritage die. In 1933 a young General
Choi was sent to study Calligraphy, his teacher was Han LI Dong who since the
occupation had secretly practised the art of Tae Kwon relentlessly. On seeing
the small and frail looking General Choi, Master Han decided to teach him Tae
Kwon as well as Calligraphy. In 1937 General Choi was sent to Kyoto in Japan to
further his education, where under fellow Korean Mr. Kim General Choi studied
Karate attaining the grade of 2nd degree black belt.On returning to his country
during World War II, General Choi was forced to enlist in the Japanese Army,
but while posted in Pyongyang he was implicated as a planner of the Korean
Independence movement and sent to prison, where he started to lay the
foundations of the new art by teaching his fellow inmates. 1945 saw the end of
the war and the liberation of Korea and General Choi was released from prison.
In January 1946 General Choi became a 2nd Lieutenant in the newly formed Korean
Army. Later he was assigned to Kwang-Ju as a company Commander, while there he
taught the whole company the foundations of the new art. On being promoted to
1st Lieutenant he was sent to Tae Jan where he not only taught the Korean
soldiers but also the American solider stationed there. During the next few
years General Choi consolidate the basic foundations of Tae Kwon-Do while
pursuing his military career. By 1949 General Choi had attained the rank of
full Colonel and with it the opportunity to go and study at Fort Riley Grand
General School in Kansas in America. General Choi gave America it's first taste
of Taekwon-Do. Through the years up to 1953 saw General Choi organise the
Korean GrandGeneral School in Pusan. As Assistant Commandant and chief of the
Academic Department in 1952 he briefed General MacArthur on his visit to Kang
Numg and at the time of the armistice he was in command of the 5th Infantry
Division. In 1954 General Choi activated the 29th Infantry Division at the
Cheju Island and Oh Do Kwon. While there along with Major Nam Tae Hi, he was
also commander of the Chon Do Kwan, which was the largest of the civilian gyms.
Then on the 11th April 1955 the name Tae Kwon Do came into existence when at a
meeting of leading master, distinguished Historians and Politicians, General
Choi Hong Hi 9th Degree submitted the name Taekwon-Do and the syllabus of his
art, which was accepted and also received the approval of the Korean president,
therefore unifying the various Kwan's such as Dong Soo, Gong Soo, Kwan bup, Tae
Kyon, Soo Bak, Kang Soo and others. |