karatekid1975 Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 Cool trip, Chris. I'd love to take two weeks and train in Korea (I wish, no funds to do so). I enjoyed reading about it so far Laurie F Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaiFightsMS Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 Your could write a really great article about your trip and it would most definately be appropriate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris from CT Posted December 15, 2003 Author Share Posted December 15, 2003 Well, it's been a while, but I was able to get some more of my trip down on the computer. If I could get some time in the future I'll edit this whole thread and do up an article for the site. Right now, I'm lucky to get to make it a regular post. Looking back on my notes from the trip is making me want to go back again. OK, here's some more info on the trip... Monday, September 15, 2003 Being really excited to be in Korea, I woke up around 4:00am and got ready for our first class at 6:00am. Frank and I walked through the streets of Daegu to the Jung Ki Kwan. Master Kim, Mon-Su, taught the early morning class. Master Kim is a 72-year-old man with a small frame, but oh my god, he was spry as anyone I ever met. Originally, around thirty years ago, Dojunim Choi, Yong-Sul refused to teach Kim, Mon Su because he was very sickly and frail. Master Kim even had a hard time walking up the three or four flights of stairs to get to the dojang (school). Dojunim Choi thought he would get broken from the hard training they were doing. Master Kim kept coming anyway and lasted all those years. I had a hard time believing the story from the way Master Kim was able to move, apply techniques and the shear strength coming from his tiny frame. It was a fantastic class and a great way to start off our training in Korea. The next class was all Hapkido too. I got to work with Master Kong, Won-Gee and Trevor. We went over basic techniques and seeing them done with such precision was an eye opener. Everyone is expected to grab on hard when doing any “Son Mok Su” (wrist technique). The techniques were so powerful, and yet so subtle. With the way we were getting thrown around by Master Kong you would think he was using all is strength. But when I saw the same technique applied to Trevor you could see that there was little effort applied with the same effect. “It’s all technique, very little strength.” The great thing about the training was that even though you are getting tossed around like a rag doll and experiencing some exquisite pain, it was never done maliciously. Everyone there had a great heart and was sincerely caring about everyone’s well being. Our Doboks (uniforms) drenched in sweat, we broke for lunch and “the US contingency” went out for samgaetang again after getting changed. This time we met Peter who is a fellow student at the Jung Ki Kwan and works at the restaurant. And once again the soup was delicious. Our afternoon class consisted of Kumdo and Kahapdo. The Kumdo half of the class was taught by Master Kim, Kyung-Hwan. We did a lot of footwork and striking with footwork. Then Master Kim “suited up” in the Kumdo armor in which he then instructed us in drills where we would be passing by and striking him. I have to admit that was pretty fun! The second half of the class was Kahapdo. Kahapdo (also known as Kuhapdo or Gahapdo) is a sword style developed by Grandmaster Lim, which appear to have similarities to Japanese Iaido. For next three hours I worked on a single cut and learned how much I could mess up that one cut! It was great! We were all dripping with sweat again after that class. Later that night, Master Lee, Jae-Il stopped by our hotel and invited us out for a drink and some appetizers. Master Lee is one of the main interpreters at the Jung Ki Kwan along with Kim, In Sam. I wish my Korean could be half as good as Master Lee’s English. We had a couple of pitchers of beer and quite an assortment of appetizers. One that I will never forget was the Silkworm pupa. It came out and you could tell that they were some sort of larva/pupa thing. All the guys were eyeing me because I never had it before. I figured it wouldn’t be so bad because it looked like it had some crushed garlic with it and that would mask any taste that could have been less than delicious. Well, that was either not garlic or extremely weak because garlic is not what I tasted. It wasn’t terrible, but I definitely enjoyed the chicken tenders and beer much more. More to come… Chris LaCavaJung Ki Kwan of Connecticut"Man is born soft and supple,in death he is hard and rigid..." LaoTzu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaiFightsMS Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 Are you sure it was chicken? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris from CT Posted December 16, 2003 Author Share Posted December 16, 2003 Are you sure it was chicken? Well, it was some piece of plump poultry and it was mighty tasty! Take care Chris LaCavaJung Ki Kwan of Connecticut"Man is born soft and supple,in death he is hard and rigid..." LaoTzu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drunken Monkey Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 um, should i tell you about their penchant for 'terrified cat' soup.... post count is directly related to how much free time you have, not how intelligent you are."When you have to kill a man it costs nothing to be polite." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris from CT Posted December 16, 2003 Author Share Posted December 16, 2003 (edited) um, should i tell you about their penchant for 'terrified cat' soup.... It is quite easy to tell the difference between a whole boiled cat and a whole boiled chicken. Take care. Edited December 16, 2003 by Chris from CT Chris LaCavaJung Ki Kwan of Connecticut"Man is born soft and supple,in death he is hard and rigid..." LaoTzu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martial_Artist Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 That it true. Same for dog, of course dog is charbroiled, not boiled. "I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination.Imagination is more important than knowledge.Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world." Einstein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aefibird Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 Great posts, Chris! Your trip sounds fantastic! Please tell us more about your visit to Korea. "Was it really worth it? Only time and death may ever tell..." The Beautiful South - The Rose of My CologneSheffield Steelers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffrogers Posted January 11, 2004 Share Posted January 11, 2004 Kagogi is tough, and stringy I had it with Korean friends. I am in S. Korea now for 9 more months. also for those that don't know. Kagogi is (Dog Meat) -JEff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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