soo_bahk_Oz

look at it this way - if you weren't ready for the grading, you wouldn't be doing it, would you? Obviously your instructors have faith in you and your ability. I wouldn't be scared, though nerves are natural. I'd be more concerned if you weren't nervous

obviously it all depends on the style in soo bahk do there is only one Grandmaster (Kwan Jang Nim HC Hwang, since his father, Hwang Kee, passed away) there are a small handful of 8th Dans around the world, but that's about it.

are you happy with the change?

it's a funny feeling, though I try to make sure I meet as many people as possible (also helps as I often take the classes for lessons as well as being a student). The BEST thing though, is that once you've been, every time you go back it's as though you never left and everyone feels comfortable.

The reason KJN Hwang Kee decided to change the name was because he wanted to take the style back to what it was originally - Soo Bahk. He called it Tang Soo Do to start with because that literally translated as 'Karate' which was known in Korea as a martial art - he was simply going for something that the general public could automatically relate to. The other options he considered was Hwa Soo Do (The Way of the Flower Hand). As for Soo Bahk Do being separate to Tang Soo Do, it is now, more so than ever. This is because those Do Jangs idetifying as Tang Soo Do are no longer under the guidance of Kwang Jang Nim H.C. Hwang and therefore don't have access to the guidance set up by his father, Kwan Jang Nim Hwang Kee. The Tang Soo Do associations are very strong, but they are out there thirving on their own since they broke away from KJN Hwang Kee. Forced Ryu Pa in action. About the style changing, it's NOT moving towards being more Chinese, but moving towards being more Korean. The new Hyungs (Yuk Ro, Chil Sun, Hwa Sun, Sip Sam Seh, etc) have been taken from the Moo yei Do Bo Tong Ji (historical Korean martial arts document). Yes we still study the older hyungs as well - such as the Pyong Ahns, Bassai and Ni Han Ji, and they still hold a strong standing within our curriculum.

sounds as though you've got a good idea about the sort of martial arts you want to study - not one that's been designed over night by some bloke who says he's "a master in 500 differnet styles" ... etc etc my biased opinion is Soo Bahk Do, plus I know it fits in perfectly with the requirements you've spoken about. The other thing that keeps me so impressed with SBD is the large amount of time we spend learning about the philosophy and tradition of our art, as well as hearing about it's history. We make sure we're balanced - not only skilled physically, but mentally strong and educated as well. saying that, from my experience, any martial art is worth studying, as long as you have an instructor of sound mind and body.

obviously it all depends on your style of martial art - and i guess some do jangs would have sprcific requirments. in soo bahk do the standard (recognised internationally) is white belts - no trims orange belts - no trims green belts - trim around lapel only red belts - trim around lapel only dans - trim on lapel and cuffs and around bottom of jacket another interesting one (i'm sure it's been covered before) is that we don't have 'black belts' - our equivilents are called Dans and we wear midnight blue, not black.