Influences on Taekwondo
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The influence
of Chinese and Japanese martial arts on Taekwon-do and what this means for
the Taekwon-do martial artist.
Most historians agree that
the origin of the martial arts is from an Indian Zen Buddhist monk
Bodhidharma (448-529 AD), who wanted to teach his student better focus
through the use of physical movements, which have the added advantage of
self defence. With Buddhism from India this is also where the first martial
arts ought to be found. When people start their search there, they forget
the boxing in Egypt in c. 4000 BC., the martial arts of Babylonia in c. 3000
BC., the wrestling and stickfighting in Egypt in c. 2500 BC., the wars of
Abraham in c. 2000 BC., the boxing art in the Chou Dynasty, China in 1122
BC, the martial arts in Greece in c. 648 BC., the martial arts of Rome in
400 BC., the martial arts in Korea in 108 vC., as well as Kshatriya in India
in pre-Christian times. And then the spear and stick arts of other babarian
nations haven't even been added to the list.
The purpose of this article
is not to prove that the origin of martial arts is not from India via China,
but rather to accentuate that different types of martial arts existed all
over the known world and that the trek of clans and nations resulted in a
cross-polunation of the arts.
Will it be a strange thought
to think that Korea too was influenced by other nations and that this had an
influence on its own fighting methodology? Definitely not. On the contrary
there are enough evidance that show how Korea vexed with countries like
Mongolia, China, Japan and Okinawa and all of these influenced the forming
of Korea's native martial arts. All Taekwon-do martial artists ought to
atleast know the surface of Taekwon-do's history and therefor it will not be
discussed here in detail.
Taekwondo from other martial
arts
Yet, there are a few
noteworthy points to limelight concerning the events preceding the forming
of Taekwon-do in Korea. When Japan colonized Korea in 1910, the native
martial arts were greatly oppressed. Koreans who wanted to study martial
arts were forced to do Japanese arts, mainly Karate. The majorty of Korean
martial arts were almost completely eliminated. Those masters who did keep
their arts alive had to do it in secrecy, whilst others fled to other
countries (mostly China and Japan) to study and test their arts there. This
self-exiled masters returned to Korea after the colonial regime of Japan in
1945 and brought with them not only new techniques, but even more
importantly, the knowledge of the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of
their own martial arts against other martial arts. Speedily new arts
mushroomed in Korea like Hwa Soo Do in 1945, Tang Soo Do in 1947 and Kong
Soo Do in the same year. In a short period of time, there were more martial
art knowledge in Korea than the original arts like Tae Kyon and Soo Bak Gi
form the Koryo Dynasty could ever have proclaimed. That these original
native martial arts had a definitive influence on the flavour of Tae Kwon Do
is without a question, but what is more unquestionable is that the Chinese
and Japanese influences will never be erased.
Gen. Choi and the pioneers
after Japanese colonialism
Many people may question
whether or not these influences really contributed to the Taekwon-do as we
know it, and it might have been a reasonalbe question, if Gen. Choi Hong Hi
did not acknowledge that his studying in Karate influenced him to create a
better martial art. As well as the fact that more than fifty typical Chinese
circular hand movements can be identyfied in Taekwon-do (Drager
In Clark, 1995 : 43). In the early history of Korea the
influence came from China through Buddhism and in the recent history the
Japanese oppression again insured influences from China as well as
guaranteed influences from Japan.
It was only after the rise of
these new martial arts, that were saturated with foreign martial arts, that
Tae Kwon Do came to be in 1955. Kim and Leland as quoted by Clark (1995 :
43) say that : "Once the major Kwans opened in 1945 it was only natural that
many Koreans wanted to recover the ancient (art of) Tae Kyon and soon
leaders of various schools were organized to integrate Tae Kyon with
Japanese Karate, Chinese Kempo and Okinawan Te." In this time, General Choi,
Hong Hi and Nam, Tae Hi created the O Do Kwan as the official military
martial art and got the best martial artists to join. On 11 April 1955 the
name Tae Kwon Do as proposed by Gen. Choi was accepted for its resemblance
to the original Tae Kyon. Thus it was from O Do Kwon baptized Tae Kwon Do
that the later International Tae Kwon Do Federation was born on 22 March
1966 with its headquarters in Montreal, Canada.
Knowledge in practice
After everything just said,
the author only wanted to confirm the statement by Clark (1995): "The
current ethnocentric view of Korean Tae Kwon Do instructors decry any
connection with Japanese martial arts. Painful as it may be, the facts are
indisputable. Modern Tae Kwon Do is closely tied to China,
Okinawa, and Japan. With the innovation of new forms Tae Kwon Do
has developed into an art that can be seen destinct from its roots. Over the
past 50 years has been able to metamorphosis to the art we know today; Tae
Kwon Do can now be seen as a true Korean martial art."
The Taekwon-do martial artist
might wonder what all of this historical information has to do with
self-improvement in the martial arts. The answer is a lot. As soon as the
Taekwon-do student realise that Taekwon-do is the product of centuries of
growth, not only in Korea, but also from China and Japan, then every
Taekwon-do technique suddenly becomes greatly enriched. The application
possibilities is suddenly increased.
Take for example the
technique Sonbadak Golcho Makgi. This is technique 15 & 16
and 18 & 19 in Yul Gok Tul. This technique, namely the palm hooking block is
known in Chinese arts as "chameleon block". It is currently used in ITF as a
circular movement* just as in Chinese styles (for example Tai Chi) or in
Japanese Aikido. Moo Duk Kwon Taekwon-do do not do this technique in a
circular motion, but instead in a downward motion : Naeryo Sonbadak
Golcho Makgi. Whilst Hee Il Cho do the technique in a sideways
motion (Yop Sonkal / Sonbadak Golcho Makgi) which correlates
with Chinese "Short Boxing", Pa Qua and other traditional kung fu's.
* (Note : Just incase it is
thought that there is only one way of doing Golcho Makgi in
ITF, we see it done in Gwang Gae Tul (techniques 4 and 6) precisely as done
by Moo Duk Kwon Taekwon-do, namely Naeryo Golcho Makgi.)
By studying a technique in
Taekwon-do and comparing it with its origin, the martial artist gets a
better understanding of how the current technique works, as well as
variations on possible applications for the technique. Any diligent student
who have contemplated his pattern would have come to the conclusion that
many pattern movements can have a variety of possible applications. A
comprehensive knowledge of martial art applications make every pattern just
so much more impressive. Does this mean that a Taekwon-do martial artist can take techniques from other styles and use them directly as if they were Taekwon-do? The answer is definitely NO, but in the same breath yes as well. The reason for this is that the technique is in the first instance not Taekwon-do. But through the Taekwon-do martial artist it can be made Taekwon-do. Taekwon-do has a strong body of principles molded on a scientic methodology that gives it a certain look and effectiveness. By taking a technique from another martial art and applying these principles to it, like the Theory of Power, it is possible for the Taekwon-doist to change a foreign technique into a native one. This wonderful fact makes Taekwon-do even more dynamic, because it enables the art to be absolutely comprehensive, something that other arts can not say. The reason for this is because Taekwon-do can take techniques and make them Taekwon-do applicable, whilst other styles can only borrow techniques and have them highlighted as foreign because they can not be camouflaged with strong characterful style principles.
Conclusion Concluding I hope that the reader came to the understanding that although Taekwon-do is a superior martial art, the student should never be disrespectful towards other martial arts, because many of these arts lay the foundation on which Taekwon-do is build. There was and still are plenty to learn from the history of Taekwon-do (especially the influences of other styles on it). People easily forget that many of the answers to todays problems are embedded in the past. It is exactly here where Taekwon-do's strength is hidden, namely traditional techniques that was formed over centuries and now perfected with modern science. Truelly one of the most important things to remember is that although foreign martial arts greatly influenced the national martial art of Korea, it is chiefly the spirit of Korea's strife over millennia, that gave Taekwon-do an inseparable quality that uniquely cling to the character of Korea. References
CLARK, R. "Korean Forms",
Tae Kwon Do Times. Nov. 95 : 42-48.
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