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Many people walk to the corner mall, walk into their Korean Martial Arts dojo, and train in nice, neat uniforms, watching themselves in wall sized mirrors, kick soft and well hung bags, and think that they are doing hard core Tae Kwon Do. These people should learn some beginnings of Korean Karate. They will find that that polite block and kick combo they are practicing was born in hell, perfected in hades, and then things got nasty.
by AlCase
Many people walk to the corner mall, walk into their Korean Martial Arts dojo, and train in nice, neat uniforms, watching themselves in wall sized mirrors, kick soft and well hung bags, and think that they are doing hard core Tae Kwon Do. These people should learn some beginnings of Korean Karate. They will find that that polite block and kick combo they are practicing was born in hell, perfected in hades, and then things got nasty.
Just to let you know, this bit of scribble is speaking of the history of the kwans from Korea of the fifties. This includes the nine major kwans, which are Sung Moo Kwan, Chang Moo Kwan, Chung Du Kwan, Moo Duk Kwan, Yun Moo Kwan, Han Moo Kwan, Oh Do Kwan, Kang Duk Won, Jung Do Kwan. There are other Kwans that grew from these nine, but these nine are the main ones.
Korea is a rugged, little spit of land, about half the size of California, jutting from the Asian continent. It is a land built of plains and eternal mountain ranges. It experiences extremes of siberian cold, baking heat, and typhoonal rains.
Throughout the ages, Korea has endured countless wars. The Japanese reigned in the first half of the last century, and in the early fifties Korea became the battleground between the free world and communism. Thus, this peanut of land hosted the onslaught of million man armies, and the populace was in constant flight, or murdered outright.
The communist forces surged across the 38th parallel on the attack, causing a mass exodus the length of the peninsula. Farmers were conscripted into the vast communist armed forces, given no rifles, and put into massive meat grinder attacks. If the peasants lived through the terrile carnage of war, they had to endure a winter with temperatures often at 30 degrees below zero.
Those that managed to survive the winters, and the spring offensive of the United Nations armies, continued with their study of the martial arts. That's right, during all the death and disease, in spite of the weather and starvation, the nine kwans survived. Indeed, they thrived.
One tale that made me shake my head in awe of these incredible warriors was that, when the war front approached, the students would pick up the boards of their dojos and head south. That's right, they didn't even nail the boards down, because they knew they would have to flee, and they perfected their spinning, jumping kicks on unsecured, splintered, weathered boards. Got a splinter up your foot...pick it out and keep going, because that's the martial arts.
So enjoy your kicking fur lined bags and mirrors, and hoist your designer water in appreciation. That Korean Martial art you are studying was created by supermen, and it is a legacy dripping with blood and sweat and tears. And when you bow...touch your head to the floor, your ancestors deserve it.
About the Author:
Al Case has learned Korean martial arts 4O plus years. He has written a book and produced a video on the Kang Duk Won, and it is available at Monster Martial Arts. |
