How Much Do You Have to Hate Someone Not to Proselytize?

Francis Schaeffer on the Origins of Relativism in the Church

Words to Remember

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

One of My Favorite Songs

An Inspiring Song

Labels

Friday, June 18, 2010

The Short and Painful Truth About Taekwon-do

Depending on your view of a certain word, there may be a mild language issue with the following. My usage is technically correct.
I just read, in a forum elsewhere, some comments about taekwon-do and karate that were absolutely painful to read.

Now, before I carry on, let me make something clear: I am not trying to "run down" taekwon-do. I trained in taekwon-do for some few years, a long time ago. Was 1st gup (kyu) when I left, as a matter of fact (for the uninitiated, that means my next test would have been for first-degree black belt). If I lived in some part of the country where the only martial arts instruction available to me was in taekwon-do, I would certainly enroll and make the best of it.

My annoyance is only with the relatively painful ululations of those taekwon-do practitioners who have bought, hook, line, and sinker, into the mythology perpetrated by so many taekwon-do organizations, and I seek only to utter a small corrective.

Taekwon-do is not the modern form of some centuries-old Korean battlefield martial art.

Taekwon-do is not "super karate," which is the way one local chain used to refer to it.

Taekwon-do is not even, in my opinion, despite much bloviating to the contrary, a blend between Japanese karate and an art indigenous to Korea, called "tae kyon."

It's bastardized Shotokan, that's what it is. Look, Choi Hong Hi was a nidan in Shotokan, and I defy you--flatly defy you--to identify any significant differences between Shotokan and the taekwon-do you'll see in older books like Duk Sung Son's (which is, of course, actually named "Korean Karate") and Jhoon Rhee's old series. In the old days, the Koreans used to actually use the Okinawan forms--which, of course, were the forms used in Shotokan. I have found that some taekwon-do teachers have actually gone back to those forms.

Some years back, the Koreans decided, apparently, to go over almost completely to the sport side of Korean karate taekwon-do, and gradually made modifications that have, shall we say, stripped it of much of the combat power that Shotokan had. In other words, yes, unless you are lucky enough to find a taekwon-do school that's still teaching taekwon-do as it was taught back in the sixties, taekwon-do is bastardized Shotokan.

Again, I'm not trying to run it down. If that's all that's available to you, or you happen to like it (and millions of people do), by all means, go for it. I just get mildly annoyed every so often at some of the pretentious nonsense I read about it.
Posted by at
Labels: , ,

2 comments:

  1. justyns35@hotmail.comJune 18, 2010 at 5:57 AM

    There are some really good TKD schools, and systems but they are few and far between. It's an art that had a bad teacher who trained other bad teachers who trained other bad teachers etc. I once heard a state that 90% of TKD black belts wouldn't know how to defend themselves on the street.

    Wonder if you know anything about Bushidokan? ( Jim Harrisons system.)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Man of the WestJune 18, 2010 at 3:24 PM

    I've heard of Bushidokan, but really don't know anything about it. Certainly am not in a position to comment on it.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)