Identifying Korean Karate by sight?

[NewEnglands_KyoSa]

I second that youtube comment made by tallgeese...alittle scary. as an instructor i would never use that as a reference. that's like me being a college professor and allowing students to go use Wikipedia!

[DWx]

I second that youtube comment made by tallgeese...alittle scary. as an instructor i would never use that as a reference. that's like me being a college professor and allowing students to go use Wikipedia!

Wikipedia is a lifesaver! It knows all and sees all. I would never have managed it through all my coursework this year if it hadn't been for Wikipedia .

I agree that the name and style itself don't matter really as long as you have a good instructor and you are being taught well. But on the other hand as a total newbie to MA it helps to know what style you are being taught so you can indeed go away and look up videos like Kagerou is doing. Some people need to do lots of extra practice at home to remember stuff and videos help to just prompt you. Also as a new guy to MA you can be pretty susceptible to McDojos where the head instructor has created his own MA so knowing what the style is called or where and what it comes from can be reassuring that you are learning something more than dancing about.

[bushido_man96]

I don't know why the instructors would have to have learned Karate secretly at the time; most Koreans would have been able to learn it, anyways.

At any rate, it sounds like most of the Korean styles that are around now; influenced by Japanese styles, with their own Korean flavor, and with a mix of Hapkido type curricula as well.

Checking it out and comparing it with other styles around wouldn't be a bad idea, either.

[Kagerou]

I second that youtube comment made by tallgeese...alittle scary. as an instructor i would never use that as a reference. that's like me being a college professor and allowing students to go use Wikipedia!

Wikipedia is a lifesaver! It knows all and sees all. I would never have managed it through all my coursework this year if it hadn't been for Wikipedia .

I agree that the name and style itself don't matter really as long as you have a good instructor and you are being taught well. But on the other hand as a total newbie to MA it helps to know what style you are being taught so you can indeed go away and look up videos like Kagerou is doing. Some people need to do lots of extra practice at home to remember stuff and videos help to just prompt you. Also as a new guy to MA you can be pretty susceptible to McDojos where the head instructor has created his own MA so knowing what the style is called or where and what it comes from can be reassuring that you are learning something more than dancing about.

I'm not really out to look up videos...even though I have.

Heck, the Basic 1 I've been taught is different than nearly every Basic 1 I've seen posted up! There's always an extra-step or two thrown in that wasn't shown to me.

What I am looking for is a comprehensive Hyung guide. Step-by-step pictures as I go for reference.

I'm now allowed into the UKS MSN group.

Lots of old posts about TKD manuals...but not to fall into the WTF or ITF sides of the fence. That UKS supplements somehow.

Would it be inconsiderate of me to call the home base and ask?

I know that would be going over my local instructor's head...but the local dojang is closed today. And I don't want to just leave a message on an answering machine.

[NewEnglands_KyoSa]

For information purposes i think you might want to wait until you have class and then if you can't get answers feel free to go to the home base.

This is assuming that you're not going to say "hey look i have a question for you that my local school here isn't telling me"

Just find a respectful and diplomatic way to ask your question so it doesn't appear like you're bad mouthing your school or like you're trying to hack into some big karate secret!

[SageGhost]

Sounds like a very interesting mix to me, and your teacher is legit, so I don't see why you shouldn't practice it. You love it and it is within your price range, so go for it. I wouldn't get too caught up in names unless there is an obvious disparity such as calling something Karate when it is BJJ. Tang Soo Do literally translates as "KarateDo" in Korean, so that is not misleading at all because it technically is Karate, just a Korean flavor of it. I like to refer to these styles as the 'Karate Family' of styles because they are all connected in that respect and often share the same exact forms. Karate, Tang Soo Do, Taekwondo, or all of them put together, you are still getting a good style that is legit. Now, I can't always vouch for the teachers and organizations . Good luck in your training and, most importantly, have a good time .