Skolar

http://www.all-karate.com/karate_belt_tie_1.php hope that helps some... the reason you turn your back is martial arts etiquette. same reason people bow before entering the training hall. you give your respect to the art you practice and to those practicing with you. you wouldnt change your clothes in public, would you? (at least, normally). you change in the privacy of your closet...w/ martial arts etiquette, it is shameful to adjust/fix/alter your uniform in plain view of everyone else, so you turn. it is important to remember that when you turn to fix your uniform, you turn counterclockwise to the left, and when returning, clockwise to the right. the reasoning is most ppl are right handed, and in many traditions around the world, the right hand/side is considered superior to the left. think of it as 'L'eave - 'L'eft, 'R'eturn - 'R'ight

ok...before i begin, let me introduce my position: i am jabez park, i am korean, and i have been an avid practitioner of taekwondo (original and olympic) for the past 12 years. i am very interested in tkd history and as a result have also studied shotokan and kyokushinkai karate. i have also studied taekkyun (as it is practiced today) in korea. also, my grandfather lived during the japanese occupation of korea and was forced to serve in the imperial army…so hopefully now i've established some credibility to speak on this subject… everything the history books mention going back 2000 some-odd years talking about the development of korean martial arts (tkd, tsd, or what have you) only accounts that there was SOME KIND of martial art developed in korea, not necessarily tkd or tsd. both tkd and tsd are relatively new systems, having been organized circa the 1950s. the classic styles often referenced for todays modern korean arts are ‘taekkyun’ and ‘subak’ (spelled different ways in english depending on who’s writing). these systems of themselves have peculiar details, but for purposes of this argument i'll just say that kicking was a natural by-product of the ancient korean systems. in very crude terms, pretty much the only influence the ancient arts gave to the modern ones is the kicking influence. if you analyze the structure of tkd and tsd, it is near identical to shotokan karate. unfortunately the japanese occupation has forever scarred many cultural aspects of korea, especially in the martial arts. indeed, most arts after the liberation carried the name “tang soo do,” “kong soo do,” and/or “kwon bup.” these names are taken directly from the japanese martial arts. karate was originally known as “the chinese (tang dynasty) hand.” gichin funakoshi perhaps had the largest role in changing the translation to “empty hand.” however, in japanese the pronunciation of “tang dynasty” and “empty” are both “kara.” In korean, “tang dynasty” is represented as “tang” and “empty” is pronounced “kong.” as for the term “kwon bup,” it is the korean pronunciation of the term “kenpo” (“kempo”), meaning “fist method” and was also a common term used to describe karate back in the day. as for the term “soo bahk do” (subak-do), that term was coined by hwang kee, founder of tangsoodo moo duk kwan, so that his art will have more appeal to the korean people, although his forms are directly from shotokan (although he has also added his own into his system). i would hate to burst anyone’s bubble, but soon after the liberation karate was practiced almost in its original form in korea. national pride developed new form sequences and the greater emphasis on kicks, which in turn has caused tkd and tsd/sbd to evolve a separate identity from the original karate. so in conclusion (of this entry anyway), what the history books say should not apply directly to modern korean arts. the ancient systems do not have as much an influence on todays korean arts as most people want to believe they do. they are more structured on the original japanese styles (and you can see that just by looking at the techniques). however, the greatest influence on the modern arts is korean national pride, and tkd/tsd/sbd and many other korean styles can definitely be identified separately from their japanese counterparts. sorry for such a long entry, but hopefully I might have cleared a few things up. If there are any other questions, please ask and I will answer to the best of my ability. I should say however, it is best to do your own research…what is most important is to be as unbiased as possible and hold a third person’s perspective.

ok...i realize i'm joining this discussion a little late but i'd like to give my two cents: it is not uncommon for certain masters to incorporate techniques and forms from other styles in their curriculum. however, i do have to state my concerns of heian nidan being performed at the black belt level. the heian series was created by "anko" itosu so that karate can be learned at a moderate pace for school children in okinawa. he did this by breaking down the more advanced kata kanku/kwanku dai (aka kusanku dai) and some other kata that has been forgotten in this generation. anyhow, this series of kata was originally known as "pinan" in okinawa, which explains why the series is relatively the same throughout different karate branches. when gichin funakoshi (founder of shotokan) brought karate from okinawa to japan, he reversed the order of the first two forms (he thought pinan shodan was to sophisticated for the beginning level and switched it with pinan nidan) and changed the name to "heian." that explains the learning order of the "pinan" forms of karate developed in okinawa verses the "heian" forms of karate which developed in japan. also, the suffix of the series determine the order in which the kata is learned: shodan, nidan, sandan, yondan, godan is translated as "beginning level, 2nd level, 3rd level, 4th level, 5th level," respectively. if you are learning godan after shio i, but nidan at black belt, either the techniques of your karate school or naming of the forms have been altered DRASTICALLY for this to be. the pinan/heian kata are designed for karateka of the beginning to intermediate level, and its purpose is to PREPARE them for the more advanced forms. and just a little comment about the "four corners," there are many martial arts systems in the world that emphasize four directions in their training. the original taekwondo form "chun ji" uses basic blocks and punches in 4 directions. many chinese arts have forms based off the plum flower, characterized by its 4 petals, and this principle is also known as 4 gates. many karate and tkd schools also have basic training in 4 direction blocking. kenjutsu and aikido schools have the four direction cut and throw. and many other karate katas are based on the 4 directions of attack, defense, and maneuvering. this is a basic staple to many martial arts systems. i apoligize for such a long entry. i realize i may be preaching to the choir on some of these aspects as i reiterated statements already said or things that some ppl may already know, but i wrote this much for those who may not have known the history of some kata (and by no means do i know it all either). ok...i think thats enough...best of luck to everyone!