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Q: 'Bow' command is called ?
A: Kin-Yay
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Great website! Will visit often. Good job.
- Diane Mizrach
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| THE HISTORY OF TAEKWON-DO
By 1949, Choi had risen to the rank of Colonel and had visited the Fort Riley Ground General School in Kansas where he
gave a public demonstration of "Korean Karate." The Korean War President at the time, Syngman Rhee, was so impressed
with Colonel Choi's students that he ordered the training of all soldiers. Nam Tae Hi, now Grandmaster, was especially
noted for his tile breaking. In 1953, Han Cha Kyo, the founder and Grandmaster of the Universal Taekwon-Do Federation,
was dispatched to the 29th Infantry. He was one of the instructors responsible for training the Black Tigers, an elite
unit involved in espionage missions behind enemy lines. Three more Kwans appeared after 1946, but the unification of
the arts didn't occur until 1955.
In 1955 a conference of masters assembled to merge the Kwan. The first name chosen for the unified art was "Tae Soo Do;"
this later became "Tae Kwon Do" in 1957, a name submitted by General Choi. It was selected for its appropriateness to
the art: Tae (foot), Kwon (fist), Do (art or way of life). The name was also similar to the Korean name of Taek Kyon,
which had no associations to Chinese or Japanese martial arts, making it uniquely Korean. The Korean Tae Kwon-Do
Association (KTA) was founded on September 14, 1961 with General Choi as the president. This unification soon disbanded.
It was not until1962--when the Korean government intervened, recognizing all black belts--that many martial artists
returned to the KTA. General Choi published the first international guidelines for Taekwon-Do in 1959, establishing
the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF). But the unity General Choi had achieved during the 60s soon disintegrated.
In 1972, the ITF headquarters moved from Korea to Toronto, with at least fifty countries practicing the art. The next
president of the KTA, Young-Wun Kim, believed Korea was the motherland of the art and therefore, Korea should be the
central location and world headquarters. He dissolved the ITF's connection with the KTA on May 28, 1973 to create a
new governing body called the World Tae Kwon-Do Federation (WTF).
These two federations not only practiced different forms, they were based on two different ideologies and approaches
to the art. The ITF continued to use the traditional style of Taekwon-Do based on Taek Kyon, Soo Bak-Gi, Karate and
numerous other hand and foot techniques. The forms or patterns (called "hyung" or "tul" in Korean) developed by General
Choi are Chang Hun and are based on a series of 24 patterns, from the white belt pattern of Chon-Ji to the highest
pattern of Tong-II. The WTF focused on Tae-guek forms and emphasized Taekwon-Do as a sport, which would later become
the focus of Taekwon-Do in America.
On November 26, 1967, the United States Taekwon-Do Association was formed (to be superseded by the United States Taekwon-Do
Federation in 1974). During the 1960s the Koreans had a reputation as being kicking specialists; among them were Jhoon
Rhee, Richard Chun, Chong Lee, Hee II Cho and Han Cha Kyo (and also American Chuck Norris), but very few Americans could
recognize a distinction between Taekwon-Do, a Korean art form, or Shotokan Karate, a Japanese art form. Jhoon Rhee taught
the first American Taekwon-Do class and has been a major contributor to American karate. He also introduced the first
padded sparring gear in the early 1970s. Sihak Henry Cho opened the first permanent commercial Taekwon-Do school in
New York City and is one of the early pioneers of Taekwon-Do in this country.
Over the years, the art of Taekwon-Do and Karate have changed in America, with many schools focusing on tournaments and
competition. A lot of schools have included variations of combinations and counter techniques. This emphasis on
competition was reinforced in 1988 when Taekwon-Do was named an official Demonstration Sport for the 1988 Olympics in
Seoul; it was an official event in this year's Olympics in Sydney, even though, it wasn't televised.
Han Cha Kyo broke off from the ITF to form the Universal Taekwon-Do Federation (UTF). Born in Seoul, South Korea on
July 20, 1934. Han Cha Kyo had studied martial arts for most of his life, and had dedicated his life to its teachings.
He achieved the rank of ninth degree black belt, along with Grandmaster Nam Tae HI, and both were among the first
ever to receive the ranking of Master from General Choi. Han Cha Kyo's intention for creating the UTF was to build
a non-political worldwide federation of martial artists by promoting Taekwon-Do as a traditional martial art with
a special emphasis of teaching senior citizens and the handicapped community. The UTF was formed with the following
principles and tenets: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, indomitable spirit, love and community service.
What makes the UTF stand out from other federations is the UTF's ongoing commitment to serve the community and its
emphasis on "Ki" breathing for good health and power. This highly oxygenated blood and increased blood flow brings
more nutrients to all tissues and removes carbon dioxide and other waste products harmful to the body's
functions...through diaphragmatic breathing, not only are blood flow and circulation improved, but tension is
released throughout the body this is facilitated by Han's own inventions, the Oxytrim and Dynastike exercise
devices. Han Cha Kyo taught Chung Do Kwan, traditional Taekwon-Do, in the Chicago area from 1978-1996.
Grandmasters Han Cha Kyo and Nam Tae Hi, together with General Choi, are responsible for creating Taekwon-Do as
we know it and study it today in the UTF.
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