April 30, 2008
Do you know what you’re doing?
What art do you train in? Do you know your lineage? Do you know your school’s history?
How about the techniques in your forms? Do you know why you’re doing a front kick or side kick at those points in a form? What happens if you switch the kick to a different one? What happens?
If you can’t answer these questions… why are you training? A true student doesn’t answer with “They never taught me that.” Learning is your responsibility. You must look beyond the obvious. Ask questions! Dig beyond the boring and find the meanings or purposes behind the techniques and drills.
This goes for all of your academic learning too!
April 30, 2008
True martial arts are dying!
We spend a great deal of time advertising and marketing the benefits of the martial arts – discipline, confidence, self-defense, courtesy, integrity, perseverance – but is it all hype?
I think this is due, largely, to our focus on “sport” & “competition” and making money in our society. There is a great deal of emphasis placed on what someone has “won”. It is often used as a measure of their success. Sadly, their technical abilities don’t translate to daily life success.
Now, I’m NOT saying that sport or competition is bad. I am saying that the by-products are often negative. I remember back to when “Full Contact” was the name used and martial artists fought hard to win the fight. At that time, martial arts spoke respectfully about their opponent and showed their respect at the start of each round.
Today’s martial sport seems to have more trash talking and peacock strutting than respect and integrity. I’ve heard the comment several times from more sport-oriented peers that “The mat doesn’t lie.” The problem with that is the lack of insight into the rest of the world. If everything can only be settled “on the mat” then I don’t think you’ve learned your art very well. I wouldn’t deny that some of them are very good and talented fighters but is the world only about the fight?
I know there are all kinds of analogies using sports to compare how business is done and how to be successful. That’s a very superficial viewpoint though. Yes, there is competition between businesses for clients/customers. That’s not the point. If it’s only about the competition, send your best fighter over there and beat them up. That doesn’t really happen, right? Here’s where the real benefits of martial arts training comes in.
Businesses survive and grow based on their ability to problem solve. This is either for their clients/customers or in their processes to operate more effectively. This is based on martial arts (even combat) principles and strategies… but NOT the physical techniques.
I won’t limit this to just the martial arts though. How many NFL players have spent time planning out their touchdown “celebration”? How often are players strutting around after making a great play? Isn’t that what they’re paid to do anyway? If you really look at it, the true competitors are the ones who were not only greatly successful but understated. How often did you see Emmett Smith spike the ball after a touchdown? I don’t recall any. He’d hand the ball to an official or just drop it, then head back the huddle. You can see similar examples in the NHL with Wayne Gretsky and Mario Lemieux. Their outstanding knowledge of the game allowed them to utilize their physical skills. This understanding of the “real” game has made them successful in business as well.
April 30, 2008
History…
While all of our Taekwondo history originates in Korea, we should still be acknowledging and recording it. There have been many excellent teachers that have come through my own lineage. They will never get the recognition they deserve without their students recording the accomplishments and teachings.
The number of Korean teachers that brought Taekwondo to the U.S. is large but how many are known? I’ve spent about 15 years trying to locate and connect with the Song Moo Kwan grandmasters and masters that came to the U.S. The list I’ve made is very short…sadly.
The most unfortunate part of this research has been finding masters who won’t talk to someone from another school, even though the lineage is the same. While I believe that the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) is a fine vehicle for spreading Taekwondo, I personally believe that our Kwan stories need to be kept and recorded. Today’s masters come from a long line of masters that followed a particular philosophy. Each of the Kwan founders had their own take on what made Taekwondo work. Their students and theirs student’s students continue this.
I challenge all Taekwondo students to start collecting everything they can about their school, teacher & lineage. Those from Song Moo Kwan schools, if you’re willing, please forward the information to me too. I’m always looking for more stories about those who trained who Grandmaster Ro, Byung Jick and his students.
Tags: Song Moo Kwan Lineage Tradition
