Ok, this is off thread but I need to know. What is an Eternal Grand Master?

The founder of the style?

Ok, this is off thread but I need to know. What is an Eternal Grand Master?

Oh, that's just a honorable thing they call the 1st Grandmaster of ATA, the one that made the Songham TaeKwonDo forms.

Ok. Thanks. Kinda like saying O Sensei then?

Yeah, its just basically honoring him for starting the whole thing since he is now passed away and a lot of people usually think why some dude, created a TKD style but he actually learned straight from General Choi and was a third degree black belt when he first headed to the U.S.A. He created the Songham Forms after believing that the traditional ones didn't show enough of the vast kicking techniques.

Ok, this is off thread but I need to know. What is an Eternal Grand Master?

Grand Master Haeng Ung Lee was the founder of the ATA, and he was the driving force behind the creation of the Songahm forms system. He lost the battle with cancer a few years back, and the title of "Eternal" Grand Master was given posthumously.

He created the Songham Forms after believing that the traditional ones didn't show enough of the vast kicking techniques.

He also felt that the older forms were too simple. He was able to learn several of them very qickly, and felt that the forms should take some more work to get down, and take some time to develop the skill in. He also made sure that everything in the forms repeated on each side of the body, where in the older forms, this didn't always happen.

He created the Songham Forms after believing that the traditional ones didn't show enough of the vast kicking techniques.

He also felt that the older forms were too simple. He was able to learn several of them very qickly, and felt that the forms should take some more work to get down, and take some time to develop the skill in. He also made sure that everything in the forms repeated on each side of the body, where in the older forms, this didn't always happen.

Doesn't simpler forms help you get down the moves faster though? I can see the benefit of training both sides though.

Doesn't simpler forms help you get down the moves faster though? I can see the benefit of training both sides though.

Sounds like we're talking about forms that are for 2nd and 3rd dans. So, in theory, they should have an excellent grasp of the basics. I'm not saying that means they shouldn't or don't need to practice them, just that it's safe to practice the more difficult aspects at this point.

wow, this is wayyyy off topic but one more comment is that i'm guessing more tougher forms also allow you to develop your mind which TKD is supposed to do not just ur body. So yeah, my master told us that one was based on Kung Fu and that's why it was really circular and smooth. I like the third degree form a lot too But back on topic, one of the weapons we practice is actually the Broad Sword. Which i noticed when the time came around to practice that, a lot of TKD people couldn't get used to the whole circular and smooth motions around your body, I noticed a lot of people were really stiff, so that may be another thing, that once you learn either Circular or Linear, its a challege to learn the other. We have one guy that did Kung Fu for a long time and i notice he tends to have a harder time getting used to specific stances where you must be in a perfectly aligned position.

wow, this is wayyyy off topic

Yeah...how did we get so far off topic ... don't answer that!