I’ve copied a very old tape that explains the philosophy of hyung (forms) for Tang Soo Do (Soo Bahk Do) Moo Duk Kwan.  Kwan Jang Nim H.C. Hwang demonstrates some advanced, traditional forms such as Wang Shu along with what appears to be self-designed sparring combinations.  I hope you enjoy learning more about the history and philosophy of our art.  Soo Bahk!

This is part 2 of 12, explaining the 12 Propers of Technique. Click here for the previous post.

In order to have proper body connection, it is important that each member of the body works together as one harmonious unit.  Kwan Jang Nim Hwang often teaches the concept of “chain of command”.  The chain of command begins with your mind (general).  Your mind, or general, only speaks directly with your huri (waist).  Your waist is your physical center of gravity and should be the pivot point for all movement.  Nothing moves until your waist does.  The rest of your body must react to the movement of your huri.

This concept is imperative to proper technique.  Without it, your body does not move as a harmonious mass, and your technique will become disjointed and lack power, poise, and precision.    It will lack power because your full body mass is not behind your movement, only a fraction of your mass is.  You will also lack poise because your body will be off center.  It’s impossible stay balanced and keep the base of the spine erect if you do not move from your waist.  Failing to move from your waist will also lead to a lack of precision in your movement because you will be incapable of following proper commands from your commander–your mind.

Once your body reacts to the actions of your waist, pay attention to both your elbows and knees, which are the sergeants.  The sergeants talk directly with your waist, as to bring order and discipline to your technique.  For example, while executing a choong dan kong kyuk, your elbow should make direct contact with your huri as it passes from the chamber position to the target.  Failing to do so, will cause your punch to have a glancing blow against the target.

Your soldiers in turn are your weapons (hands and feet).  As long as you follow the proper chain of command of mind -> waist -> elbow/knee -> hand/foot, think of your waist as your wrist, and your limb as a leather whip.  Don’t force the technique with muscular strength.  Think of the way you would crack a whip.  Jus as you would keep your wrist loose, and with sudden quickness, snap your wrist, you should also snap your waist into position as youu execute a technique.  Your limb will then naturally snap into position, reacting to the twist of your waist.  The most important thing you can remember is that your weapon reacts to the movement of your waist.  Your waist initiates the movement.

Stay posted for part 3 of the 12 Propers of Technique.  The next article will be on Proper Shi Sun (Focus).

For Christmas, I received a VHS to DVD converter. For years, I’ve had a very old video with footage of Kwan Jang Nim Hwang Kee explaining his Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan system. It’s probably the 10th copy of a copy and the quality is quite poor. Luckily, I was able to convert it in time so there is a permanent record of the past. I’ll be posting more footage that I have in my personal collection as I convert them to digital format.

This clip features the founder of Tang Soo Do (Soo Bahk Do) Moo Duk Kwan, Hwang Kee, discussing the philsoophy and purpose of the art he created, which is based on improving human relations by training in Weh Gong, Neh Gong, and Shim Gong. Enjoy!

There are 12 essential points of emphasis that must be followed in order to have an effective technique.  With a proper understanding and application of all 12 points, your technique will be efficient, effective, and beautiful.  They include:

1. Proper Foundation
2. Proper Body Connection
3. Proper Shi Sun—Mental and Physical Focus and Intent.
4. Proper Choong Shim—Proper balance throughout the motion centered in the dan jun.
5. Proper weapon and proper weapon to target application
6. Proper conditioning of your weapon
7. Proper Ho Hoop Cho Chung—Dan Jun breathing connected to movement.
8. Proper Him Cho Chung
9. Proper Shin Chook—Both internal and external expansion/contraction and tension/relaxation.
10. Proper Wan Gup—Understanding of proper speed and acceleration in motion.
11. Proper distance control through adjustments in body positioning
12. Proper application of F=MA

Proper Foundation

A proper foundation is centered around Ja Seh, roughly translated as Stance.  Literally, Ja Seh translates to “Strength Posture”.   Your stance connects you with Mother Earth, giving you stability, balance, and energy.  A proper stance will allow you to use gravity to your advantage, whereas an improper stance will force you to fight against gravity.

Remember, your foundational stance will change depending on the intent of your technique.  The longer and deeper a stance, the more stable and less mobile it is.  The shorter and shallower the stance, the more mobile but less stable it is.  A Ki Ma Ja Seh is very stable, but not very mobile.  A Pyong Rip Ja Seh (natural standing stance) is highly mobile but not very stable.  It is essential to understand this relationship and be able to adjust your stances based on circumstance.

The Song of Ship Sam Seh says “Hold your head as if suspended by a string” and “when the base of the spine is erect, energy rises to the top of the head.”  Once the proper stance is acquired, it is important to maintain your center.  Your physical and spiritual center resides two to three inches below your navel and is called “dan jun” in Korean.  Your dan jun must always be positioned in the center of your base.  A common mistake with a wide stance is to lean forward or backward depending on whether your intent is on offense or defense.  When you move, your center moves first, forcing the rest of your body to follow.  Keeping your head up and your spine erect, will help ensure that you are moving from your center and that you are properly balanced.  Never learn forward or back with your spine or your head.  Everything should be in alignment with your waist.  If you need to move forward or back, remember to do so from the dan jun rather than from your spine.

This is part one of twelve sections on the 12 Propers of Technique.  The next article will discuss Proper Body Connection.  If you have questions or a new perspective on the 12 Propers in General or would like to ask a specific question or give a unique insight into a Proper Foundation, please leave a comment.

Learn what Kwan Jang Nim HC Hwang has to say about the science behind our technique:  click here

Eli, my son, just barely turned 3.  Before he could even walk, I remember teaching him how to balance on against a chair executing a front and side kick into my palm.  He watches me teach and often practices his hyung when I’m supposedly not looking.  Soo Bahk Do being a passion of mine, it shouldn’t surprise you to see me beaming with joy with his interest in Soo Bahk.

Tonight was the highlight so far.  He grabbed my hand and brought me into my office, shut the door and asked me to turn off the lights.  It’s now dim in the room and not overly dark.  He then says, Daddy Soo Bahk!  He starts kicking and punching.  I get down on my knees and teach him how to do a low block and a punch.  He crosses his hands really well and usually brings his hand across in a low block fashion.  His punches were good too–relatively straight and was even making a proper fist.

Half way through the 10 minute lesson, he asked for a uniform, which of course I already had saved waiting for the moment he would finally want one.  I put it on him and it fit just right.  He then wanted me to put mine on, which I did.  We continued the lesson after a short photoshoot.

He was really interested in not just playing around, but wanted to learn really badly.  I hope to be able to do small 10 minute sessions with him now that he is 3 that way he’ll be prepared to enter the Tiger Tots class when he turns 4.

Recently, the US Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan Federation issued a new Gup/Dan manual for all of our members.  All current and active members of the federation are eligible to receive a free manual.  You will find that the testing requirements for Cho Dan (1st degree black belt equivalent) has changed.  The curriculum has been stream-lined in order to give ample time and attention to practical self-defense.  In the past, many have commented that the majority of class time is devoted towards memorizing standardized curriculum, leaving less time to improving proper execution of technique, awareness of weapon, and awareness and accuracy of target.

The curriculum below is based on the new minimum standard of curriculum you are required to know in order to test.  Wasatch Martial Arts Academy may require additional points of emphasis to fulfill local requirements.  Also note, that while the amount of memorized curriculum has been decreased, the expectation of performance has increased to a new level.

The minimal time requirement is also slightly different.  It is possible to achieve the rank of Cho Dan within 3 years.  The majority of students will still need to wait 4 or more years before testing for Cho Dan, but exceptionally pro-active students may be able to test for Cho Dan in as little as 3 years.

I hope you will share your comments on the changes below and our local curriculum may adjust slightly in order to better serve its local members.  Later, I will update the Children’s and Adult’s Requirements on the WasatchMartialArts.com website.

Um Yang Philosophy

Throughout all of history, man has tried to understand the workings of the universe and his relationship with both Heaven and Earth.  In ancient Korea, the traditional Um/Yang symbol had three distinct sections: heaven, earth and human.  These people deduced that whenever two forces opposed one another one of two things would happen: one force would dominate the other, thus one would be superior and the other inferior; or the two forces would be equal cancelling one another out.

It was from this observation that the Um/Yang philosophy was born.  Everything around us has an opposite:  hot and cold, high and low, summer and winter, fire and water.  Um energy is soft, yielding and passive.  Yang is hard, aggressive and active. Striking a balance between Um and Yang energies would result in Tae Guk or Grand Ultimate.  Tae Guk is a state of neutrality where perfect harmony exists.  Energies naturally flow from yang to um and back to yang effortlessly.  Neither force dominates the other.

Western minds think in a linear fashion with a beginning and multiple steps leading to an end.  Conversely, Eastern thought can be illustrated better by a circle.  There is neither a beginning nor an end but a circle filled with a number of phases, each leading in both directions to another.  An example that can be found in both Western and Eastern culture is the concept of the “circle of life”.  Initially, you may think of life as a straight line beginning with birth (yang) and ending in death (um).  However, after we die, our bodies return to the earth and give nutrients to the soil to produce more life (yang), which will eventually produce more death (um).  This endless circle is an example of how nature is constantly flowing from Yang to Um energy.

Ship Sam Seh

This Um/Yang philosophy can be found in every aspect of Korean culture including Astrology, agriculture, architecture, nutrition and even fighting arts (kwon bup).  The variation of Um/Yang philosophy that correlates with kwon bup is known as Ship Sam Seh (13 Principles/Influences).  The Ship Sam Seh can be broken down into Pal Gwe (8 Forces/Directions) and Oh Haeng (5 Energies/Elements).

Having an understanding of Ship Sam Seh philosophy will teach you how to react to neutralize an attack.  If someone attacks high (yang), then counter low (um).  If your opponent has a strong straight line (yang), then side-step off of his line (um).  There are, however, more strategies than merely Um and Yang.  You have only scratched the surface of the possibilities.  The Pal Gwe and the Oh Haeng are derivatives of Um/Yang, each having an Um or Yang characteristic, but each is also distinct with its own set of unique attributes.

Pal Gwe

The Pal Gwe, or 8 forces, are connected to the 8 directions on a compass.  The directions are further divided into Sa Jung (four principle directions) and Sa Woo (four corners or intermediary directions).  This shows your positioning in space and the ability to move in the 8 directions by stepping, hopping, lunging, etc.  Without stepping, you can also use Pal Gwe on the way you move your mass.  This is done by moving your waist:  Left, Right, Forward, Backward, Up, Down, Clockwise, Counter clockwise.

Besides physical direction (yang), each Gwe has a specific strategy or technique (um) associated with it.  Anyone who has studied Tae Kuk Kwon (Tai Chi Chuan) will be familiar with these strategies.   It is my belief that Kwan Jang Nim Hwang Kee learned much of his Ship Sam Seh knowledge while he trained with Master Yang in China.  It was during that time that Kwan Jang Nim learned Tae Kuk Kwon.

The Sa Jung, or four principle directions, are considered “Yang” and are more aggressive and should be used when there is a greater distance between you and your opponent.  The intent of these strategies may include exposing vulnerabilities for counter attacking, redirecting the energy of an attack, creating distance from your opponent, or disrupting your opponent’s center and rendering him off-balance.  Table 1 lists the Sa Jung.

Table 1

The Sa Woo, or intermediary directions, are “Um” in nature and are designed for in-close fighting.  In-close fighting has a new set of cahllenges and opportunities.  You can trap, grab, or pull a limb as a counter measure or even as an attack.  You can also strike, create distance, or disrupt your opponent’s center.  Table 2 lists the Sa Woo.

Table 2

Oh Haeng

Just as the Um and Yang philosophy was an ancient way of explaining nature, the Oh Haeng was a further attempt to explain more complex forces of nature.  The Oh Haeng, or 5 Elements/Energies include: Fire, Water, Wood, Metal and Earth.  Each element produces a unique energy (Ki) that can be cultivated for Kwon Bup and for health.

Table 3

The 5 Elements demonstrate two important cycles in nature:  the creative cycle and the destructive cycle.  Creation occurs in the following order:  Water is needed to grow wood, wood ignites to create fire, fire burns the wood which creates ash (earth), metal is extracted from the earth, and water condenses and forms on metal.  You can use the creation cycle in many ways:

Respect  >   Kindness  >  Trust  >  Openness  >  Honesty  > Respect
Fear        >  Anger        >  Envy   >  Worry       >  Sadness  >  Fear

The destructive cycle is equally as intuitive:  Water smothers a fire.  Fire melts metal.  Metal chops wood. Wood breaks up the earth.  Earth muddies water.  The destructive cycle also holds true:

Respect  >  Trust  >  Honesty  >  Kindness  >  Openness  >  Respect
Fear        >  Envy   >  Sadness  >  Anger      >  Worry        >  Fear

Within the context of Kwon Bup, each element has unique attributes and can be sub-divided by Um (internal) and Yang (external).  The Oh Bo are the 5 Steps—Advance, Retreat, Right, Left, Center—and refers only to direction of movement.  The internal strategies, called Oh Mal, are much more telling:  Listen, Connect, Adhere, Redirect and Yield.  Table 4 summarizes the Oh Haeng.

Table 4

The O Mal, or 5 Strategies, seem to be  a set of ordered instructions on how to face an opponent effectively.  The first step is to have good shi sun and “pay attention to the slightest change from full to empty.”  Many of these strategies can be found intertwined in the Song of Ship Sam Seh.  Listening hands has to do with reading your opponenet based on his eyes, body movement, stance and breath.  Once you begin to read your opponent, then you try and connect with him.  “Surprising things will happen when you meet youur opponent.”  Move in harmony with your opponent so that you move as one entity.  “Pay attention to the slightest change from full to empty”.  This is the beginning of controlling your opponent.

Once you have gained a connection with your opponent, you must maintain it by adhering to him.  This can be physically through an exercise called “sticky hands” or it could be a mu sang exercise where you do not break the connection you have.  Learn to follow or lead your opponent without aggression.  You will begin to control your opponent without any effort (don’t oppose force).  Each strategy seamlessly prepares you for the next strategy.  Unlike the rest of the Oh Haeng and Pal Gwe groupings, these strategies are to be used simultaneously.

This article has given a brief overview of the Ship Sam Seh.  The next article will give some practice drills on how to incorporate Pal Gwe and Oh Haeng in your training.

*The information contained in this paper is a result of years of study and compilation.  Some of my major sources include Hwang Kee’s Volume I text, online articles by Master Daniel Segarra.

Thanks to Master Daniel Segarra, former member of the US Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan Federation and the current founder of his own art–Moo Sa Do Kwan–for posting these priceless videos of Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan.  The first one is Kwan Jang Nim H.C. Hwang himself sparring.  The second is an instructional video.  Both were filmed in the 1960s, the Golden Age of the Moo Duk Kwan.

Below are some of the highlights from Mr. Murray’s Kyo Sa Examination.  You can also view pictures on Flickr.  Mr. Peter Murray tested during the 123rd Dan Classing Championships which was held in Salt Lake City, Utah.  We are all very proud of his performance.  Soo Bahk!

By: Libby Hunt

Yong Gi is the Korean way of saying courage. Yong Gi means a lot. It means standing up for yourself and your friends, not running away from your fears, holding that pose until your arms and legs sting with pain. That is Yong Gi!

I try to show Yong Gi in Soo Bahk Do. It’s harder than you think it is! When we are just standing, I try not to fidget, I try to focus. When we have to hold a pose, I try not to let my arms drop and I try to look straight ahead. I also have a fear of breaking boards. I think that I will hurt my foot or I won’t break it. That is a fear I have to face to be a 3^rd gup.

I have used Yong Gi all my life. I had to tell my friend to include me. I had to go up in front of the whole school and do a form for Putting on the Arts. I had to go up in front of my whole acting class and sing a song. But, after I did all these scary things, I realized they are fun.   My friend now includes me and I have more fun.

 I think Yong Gi is important because if you never face your fears you’ll never learn how to get past them. It’s important to get past your fears because you need to have fun in life. I try to use Yong Gi a lot at Soo Bahk Do and at home.  I will try.              

HAVE YONG GI!