Ho Sin Sul

[ps1]

So is Ho Sin Sul self defense? I'm not well versed in Korean and I only studied TKD for a few years (age 6 to 9). It was very sport oriented at that time. Lots of forms and not much else.

Anyway, assuming we're talking about self defense, why would it not be a part of the testing curriculum. What is the doctrine (mission statement) of the art if self defense is optional?

[bushido_man96]

Yes, ps1, Ho Sin Sul is self-defense. I have seen schools that teach one-steps, which are required for self-defense, and then teach seperate self-defense techniques, which are not required for testings, but are practiced anyways. Why some TKD schools don't focus more on them, I don't know for sure. Many of the more sport-oriented schools will focus more on sparring, and less on the self-defense. Some schools will incorporate in Hapkido, and get self-defense that way.

[YoungMan]

It depends greatly on the Instructor's preference. Some of our Instructors are very tournament oriented, and their students' technique reflects this. Others believe it is important to know self defense and deliberately make it an important part of their curriculum, especially for the women.

[ps1]

Thanks for the info Bushido and YoungMan! I actually want to get into TKD again at some point. Really just waiting for the timing to be right.

[bushido_man96]

That's cool, ps1. Just like anything, though, do your homework, and look around. You will find the tournament schools out there, and you will find the self-defense oriented schools. Not that one is better than the other; just different goals.

[ps1]

That's cool, ps1. Just like anything, though, do your homework, and look around. You will find the tournament schools out there, and you will find the self-defense oriented schools. Not that one is better than the other; just different goals.

That's partly what I'm waiting for. The right school. There are three major TKD schools in my area. One is just terrible. It requires three year contracts and "guarntees" you a black belt in that time (not for me thanks). Another is an ATA school, which is fine but it's really geared toward kids. The last one is too similar to shotokan for me. The forms are virtually identical and I want to study a TKD system that has completely different forms. I'll probably be moving in a few years anyway and I'll wait till then. Besides, I'd like to earn my BJJ black belt before I start learning another system again. That's still at least another six years off.

[bushido_man96]

Funny that you mention the "Shotokanny" TKD forms. The style that I study is like that. I was also in the ATA for quite a while, and I liked their forms. They are very nice, technically, although they are not really application based. They are designed more to improve the technical ability of the student as they go up in rank. Regardless of what you hear, there are some good ATA schools out there, so keep you eyes and you mind open. I hope you find something that suits you.