Soo Bahk Do Mu Duk Kwan ???

[straybullet]

Hello everyone! I am going to visit a Soo Bahk Do dojang that recently opened near me. I'll probably check it out later this week. I was just wondering if anyone has any experience in this art.

 

The class only has about 5 people in it right now and the rates are really low. I know a few of the members and they love it. They say it's really a one on one experience. Also, the teacher is a 5th Dan I believe.

 

My friend who is in the class said that they teach numerous joint-locks and submission moves, which I really want to learn, and is why I stayed away from TKD. I took TKD for a few months, but was not interested in it because I felt like I was just punching/kicking a bag and I can do that at home. I have to admit though, it was pretty much a McDojang.

 

Any info is greatyly appreciated!! Thanks!

[tufrthanu]

Soo Bak Do is basically the old term for Tang Soo Do if I remember correctly. So it would be like traditional TKD with Ho Shin Sool added in maybe?

[TangSooGuy]

Soo Bahk Do is the Traditional name for Tang Soo Do.

 

In recent years Hwang Kee's original association went back to using Soo Bahk Do again, perhaps as a way of differentiating themselves from other TSD associations, but I'm not sure.

 

At any rate, if you see Soo Bahk Do and/ or Moo Duk Kwan, you can pretty much be guaranteed that there is some tie back to Hwang kee's Tang Soo Do.

[straybullet]

Cool, thanks for the info. I've also read that Tang Soo Do would be better than TKD for someone who was looking for an art that was more focused on self-defense.....any thoughts?

[TSD Y049]

The reason they went back to Soo Bahk Do is because Hwang Kee passed away and his son took over, and made a few changes. As for Tang Soo Do being better than Tae Kwon Do for self defense, I'm not sure, but that I wouldn't doubt it! TKD foucus mostly on sport, and Tang Soo Do is primarily self defense, depending on the school or oganization of course (same TKD). Of course since I am a Tang Soo DO practioner I would recomend it but don't go by my advice, I've been studing it for 2 1/2 years.

 

[JaseP]

Actually TSDY049,... that is incorrect.

 

The US Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan changed its name much earlier than GM Hwang Kee's death and Master HC Hwang taking over the federation. As always with Hwang Kee, it was a factor of gaining control over what he had initiated (not that he wasn't a great martial artist, but he tended to be a bit of a control freak when it came to the affairs of the Moo Duk Kwan, which is why Tang Soo Do/Soo Bahk Do is not a part of TaeKwonDo). There is/was good and bad in that.

 

The major differences between schools which use the Tang Soo Do name and the Soo Bahk Do name is that the Soo Bahk Do Assoc. schools have largely eliminated the Okinawan form sets from their curriculim, and focus almost entirely on the Chil Song and Yuk Ro form sets. In addition, they practice such forms as Hwa Sun (a long and beautiful form taught to senior Yu Dan Jas [black Belts] and junior Ko Dan Jas [Masters]). Most Tang Soo Do schools have taken to both form sets (the Korean and the Okinawan), to one varying degree or another. With both the Chil Song and Yuk Ro form sets, I have actually trained in Tang Soo Do curriculim longer than they have been a part of it (they were however, developed over the period from 1946-1968).

 

As for the style's emphasis, Tang Soo Do/Soo Bahk Do is very pragmatic when it comes to technique, application and self-defense. There is a greater emphasis on Ho Shin Sool (self-defense) than in mainstream TaeKwonDo. There is a reliance, at least on early levels on traditional drills such as one-steps and three-steps, which are not strictly speaking, self-defense drills (although they dabble in application, and technique useful for that pursuit). Sparring is a part of the curriculim of TSD/SBD, and for the more junior students who wish to obtain better self-defense skills, it is advisable to use the principles obtained in the 1 and 3-step drills to augment their free-fighting ability.

[tufrthanu]

I would say it depends on the TKD school stray. Some are very interested in the trophy count...others are more interested in the SD aspect. Ways that you can tell are that they spend some time going over presentation for tournaments and so forth. Btw it should be stated that the mcdojang problem is not limited solely to tkd...tsd and karate also suffer from it. I'm sure there are Kung Fu schools aslo that go more for show than substance.

[JaseP]

The McDojo problem effects all styles, Korean, Japanese, Okinawan, Fillipino, Chinese and MMA/NHB schools...

 

It isn't limited to any style or type of martial arts. Its all about fluff and * and unadulterated commercialism. It's ok to be a commercial school. The problem is when the art is compromised for the sake of profit. That's the feature which designates a McDojo.

 

No style or art is immune. The Reality Based Self Defense/Mixed Martial Arts crowd like to blast traditional schools in this respect, but they've got crap in their closet too.

[straybullet]

OK peeps, don't hijack the thread. I know the whole mcdojang/mcdojo can happen to any art. I simply stated that the TKD place I went was indeed a McDojang.

 

Thanks for the information. I will be checking the place out Wed or Thurs. To be totally honest I'd rather study Kung Fu/Karate, but I had trouble finding an authentic place around me and they are all outrageously priced. I'm much more interested in learning submission/joint locks and punching as that really is more practical for self defense, but that doesn't mean that I shouldn't learn a primarily kicking art.

[tufrthanu]

I think in any traditional school you go into you will find that they do alot of stuff using hand strikes as well as kicks. As to what Jase said I agree. It seems to me that the MMA/Reality MA are just the latest wave of popular arts in America. It started with Judo then Karate then Kung Fu then TKD. Also to the joint lock thing...you will find that in alot of arts you just have to know where to look. For instance some TKD schools teach Ho Shin Sool. Some korean places also offer HKD in addition. At Karate schools...real karate schools not like the tkd schools that list themselves as karate...you will find judo or jujistu sometimes. And at kung fu schools sometimes you can find grappling arts...I can't recall what the chinese grappling styles are right now.