I trained in TKD in the 80's and early 90's. TKD changed when it became an Olympic sport which I think ruined the art. I looked at TKD schools to see how it's changed and yes, too much concentration on sport point scoring rather than self defence.
Well, my dojang isn’t actually sport faced, our master has a ridiculous rank though and he has about 100+ trophies in his office, but idk why, we don’t do tournaments. We definitely have the people and the black belts including me
Don't bash point Karate or TKD completely. There are point fighters that are doing well transitioning into Karate Combat. But yes, you're not entirely wrong.
There are people who trained TKD with all the aspects but many schools trained the sport a lot, I left the training in a school of a master I paid for teaching me not only the sport aspects, the aspects of martial art too, I want to be black belt but I saw that he trained his students for championships and I left that training, and the University I studied was the same, but there I learned how to fight and that was a great learning. I trained alone today watching videos and fighting with a partner some days cause of it.
This is the Taekwodo I remember growing up. I liked it much more than modern Taekwodo. They were tough and flamboyant. It was almost a badge of honour to do the most complicated flamboyant techniques possible in sparring. Jump kicks were a signature move. I feel the Olympics really changed it. Now they mostly using front, roundhouses and sidekick with the occasional hook kick or spinning kick. It’s just pared right back. Karate and Taekwodo much more similar now. Plus there was no protective gear. It’s just less unique now and seems less fun. Not that I am trained in Taekwodo but I sparred and trained with many Taekwodo guys and I just like it more in the old days
Yes I saw fights now from TKD and don´t see Jump Kicks and the kicks aren´t too strong as before, now there are people who fight good, but the evolution and the rules of olimpics left taekwondo some things that make it more terrifying.
The beginning of the video is Taekkyon, a old traditional korean sport. A lot of people say that's where taekwondo's origins came from but if you look at older Taekwondo styles like Tang Soo Do, the more its like shotokan to the point where they even do the same forms as Shotokan
@@nostradamus522 i think tang soo do was just as inspired by the martial arts of the Tang dynasty. Hence, the name Tang Soo Do. They were paying their respects to the originators (not stealing). The tang dynasty martial arts also made its way to the ryukyu islands. When Japan took over those islands, they also melted those martial arts into something of their own. There is probably a better argument for Karate being stolen from Okinawa and Tang dynasty, than Tang Soo Do from Karate. But Japan still interpreted in their own unique way and made it their own. Cultures spread in funny ways. Trade, war, friendships, etc. As long as we are educated, i think it’s all a beautiful thing if we are loving each other in the end
@@thugitz1990 You're right. Karate was originally written with kanji (Chinese character) "唐手" which is read as Tang Soo in Korean. It meant Chinese hand. When it was brought to Japan, Japanese changed it to "空手" which sounded the same but meant "empty hand" to de-"chinesefy" it. At least Koreans kept "Chinese" in the name.
Taekkyon was one of the styles that influence tang soo do and as well as kung fu. And that in turn is what come to taekwondo. The name for tang so do is translated to 'Chinese hand'
You never got a black belt in a year in taekwondo, it's 3-5 years on average and always has been. I wonder where you kids get these exaggerations and false facts. Why is there so much hate and lies for taekwondo? UFC kiddies everywhere.
@@shimizu67 son don't tell me what I have and have not seen we clear? you can say how it works in places you have seen but I have watched it happen. don't speak out of ignorance ok
@@robbybee70 You're the one speaking out of your ass dude. I don't know what Dojang you went to to see that kind of fake trash, but you never get a Taekwondo black belt in 1 year. The instructor was probably a scammer or something. You need at least 3 years to grasp the fundamentals.
Lol you really have to smash with the kick to make the judge see the points, unlike today where tapping on the contact area with enough light force will register the point
Old school score to the Head foot only, kicking must tilt the head trembling shock or the person must fall to the ground accumulating only one point if you lose balance no point. Kick or punch to the body armor trembling shock !!!! Only scores !!!!! New school chest guard head guard sensors to accumulate points. 2021 Taekwondo kick to the Head light touch, or hard touch 4 points if you lose balance still a point. Computer sensors accumulating points, Plus referees.
@@tommyreyes7033 yes, that's why old school more powerful. You need to hit hard and fast to get the point, heavy punch on body still got the point but people rarely use it because the point is low. The technology make easier to get the point, but the 1 hit KO moment like old school will become more rare because not all fighter want to take high risk.
I've started training in TKD back in 1978 but it was very much like karate but with more kicks. The first clip that was was an old man demonstrating Taek'Kyon with Kim Soo who now lives and teaches in Texas. TKDs roots are in karate via Shotokan, Shudokan and Shito-Ryu. During the occupation of Korea by the Japanese, many Koreans went to Japan to study and some ended up training in karate at the universities. After the liberation of Korea, Koreans who had trained in karate returned to Korea and became the founders of the original Kwans (Kan in Japanese). TKD is still evolving and changing. Besides traditional TKD, I also train in Shotokan, Shito-Ryu and Kobudo.
@@jxnvary Before the creation of the name Taekwondo, Korean karate had names like Kong Soo Do= Karate Do or Tang Soo Do= China Hand Way, which was the original name of karate "ToDe" until Funakoshi change the name to Empty Hand Way.
The modern style that's very popular is very focused on scoring points for the Olympics, or being in a flashy demonstration team. Old styles still exist in schools, and then there's military style which is brutal.
The beginning at 0:16 looks more like Taekkyon. Its an old Korean Martial Arts. Taekwon-do has its roots in Karate but some people say that you can also find elements of Taekkyon.
I was going to say the same. Taekkyon is the more ancient historical art from which Hwang Kee and others took inspiration when Korea-fying Karate through the 1930s-40s.
@@dragonryucr2000 its a little more than just a dance as it comes from real fighting but had to be concealed in a dance and isnt really used in fighting anymore because of more mainstream martial arts but it could be used by someone skilled
Old W.T.F Tkd still exists to this day, you just have to find a good teacher. I practice it, because of my teacher. He’s been trained by Grandmaster Esmail Mohammad Azarpad who was a military officer, he trained soldiers in W.T.F Tkd. We spar a lot without protection, we’re allowed to go full contact but you still have to have control because you don’t want to hurt your training partners. We also practice conditioning and a bunch of self defense.
My Grand Master Joong Keun Suh who's a 9th Dan trained us exactly like this, he was a coach for the USA in Barcelona Olympics, and he was the Korean national champion in the 60s when in the military. He really is an awesome man. I loved my years of training. I feel so nostalgic watching this.
Same with me! Started in Germany in about 1981 or 82. I was member of one of the oldest clubs in Germany and we were focused on competition. Body vest, cup, shin and forearm "protectors" (padded sleeves). No helmets until later, because of too many heavy injuries.
@@udornyc yeah, I trained under grand master Tae Hong Choi in Portland Oregon, and also started in the 80s. He was a great teacher to learn from. One of many exceptional teachers I was lucky to be in the right place, just at the right time, to learn from. His death was hard to take. He is missed. After so many years, for his school to be shut down do to covid, after surviving so many years. It was a rough blow to us all.
@@TrueSighted Sad story and I want to extend my condolences! The club I grew up in (not US McDojo style) had many national and international champions and I was often qualifying for the German nationals, but because I wasn't a German citizen, I could never compete in the nationals. When starting there, there was always the whisper about Karl Wohlfahrt, who was a legend of German TKD, someone who kicked super hard since the 1970's and was also member of the German national team. Well, when I moved to Frankfurt, I started to train under Karl, we became friends and I also instructed for him. He passed away by slipping in his bathroom, hitting his head and dying. Our mutual friend, someone who run Karl's gyms called me and let me know. There was also the suspicion of foulplay. But, yeah, losing a friend and mentor is really bad. 2012 marked 20 years of me moving to NYC and 20 years after my last tournament, with him.
@@udornyc with master choi, something happened and he lost one of his legs, it happened when I was away. His health started to deteriorate quickly after that. I found out later through his assistant who ran the day to day operations, of all the business stuff, later on. It hit me hard. He was a tiny guy compared to me, and was always saying how much I was growing every time I'd see him after time away. Always so strong and resilient. It was not expected. He was a war hero, a great teacher. Even coached the Olympic team at one point. It was my honor to learn from him. It was a loss of a treasure to the whole material arts community. He taught us right. Before all the watered down stuff came around, and competitive martial arts, started changing in the states. And everywhere else it seems. It's been an interesting journey. Sorry to hear of your loss. It's horrible loosing a friend and teacher. And to do so like that would be absolutely horrible. Getting older, I've lost a few. And it's never easy. Nor should it be. Good to know ya.
That's some really OG Kukki TKD shit. The footage was caught right in the middle of the trasition from open dobok to th v-neck model. A true finding you got.
Having sat through Taekwondo classes before my Karate class starts i must say its interesting to see how much of a difference you can see between then & now - granted this is only a snapshot but there is definitely change
The TKD I went through (80s--90s) seems to have been a more bare bones approach than most TKD teachings today, mostly due to my Sensei focusing on practical application instead of the more fanciful techniques I see today.The 'flashy' moves, as you called them, have been around for a LONG time, but they were rarely seen outside demonstrations--my Sensei tended to abhor such acrobatics, claiming that they were too often used as a sales pitch (I.E: "if you train with us, you can do this too"). He had us focusing on things like precision and speed rather than anything remotely acrobatic. As for the waterfall thing, I have no clue. I trained in Seattle Washington, so we weren't offered such accommodations.
I love these old videos as well, but my Sensei would turn over in his grave if he saw that video. He was of the firm belief that such aerial techniques were little more than pageantry and should be treated as such. The only time he allowed them to be seen was during demonstrations, because they were often used as a sales pitch. One of those "Train with us and one day, you'll do this too" kind of pointless incentives.
@@seasickviking I did tkd in the 80s (and before as well). Aerial kicks were always for control purposes then. My instructor in the 70s thought them useless. Now they seem to be a thing.
Learnt Taekwondo in the 90's. It was 4 years of intense training 1-2 hours daily 6 days a week and as you said it was very athletic, and involved building stamina. The breathing techniques and the overall maintaining your balance, center of gravity is something you get so good at, it has serves me well for a lifetime. There was big focus on sparring, it was very clear we were being taught self-defense fighting and not just a sport. While the fancy kicks make for great demos, the simple stuff like a side kick or front kicks you can use even at age 60 and higher.
Oh I miss taekwondo training. Our situation right now and school works prevent me to train, and our space at home. Nice vid from the Philippines! Sad times indeed.
Older known forms of Korean Martial Arts prior to Taekwondo, Taekyon, Gwon bop, Subak Do. Japanese Invasion of Korea changed a lot of Korean Martial arts.
I hold a 3rd dan in WTF TKD and am currently at 67yrs old learning Shotokan in NW England. TKD is based on Shotokan and as someone who has trained in both systems the similarities are obvious. I believe ITF TKD still does the traditional Shotokan kata's whilst the WTF, for I believe, political rather than martial reasons, developed different forms, one of which, Chil Jang is demonstrated in this video at 14.40
Hey, the straight-legged version of the front kicks and the side kicks are the warm-up version of them. That's why in the beginning you saw a demonstration on the straight legged version was immediately followed by the normal, chambered versions of the kick.
I was in Kempo and got a free 3 week trial at a TKD studio in the 80s. So I went to the KD classes and the kids had black eyes, they free sparred no protective gear, except cups if they had them. The owner was a 7th deg black belt. He would push your head to the ground when you stretched and smack you if you were doing something wrong. Very hardcore training. I was scared lol just 11 yrs old. Looking back I wish I wouldve left Kempo and joined it. You cant get that kind of training anymore.
It's interesting that you talked about combining Japanese arts. Here in the UK, there was a trend back in the 1980's and early 1990's for "ju-jitsu" classes that were actually a combination of shotokan and judo. Few of them remain now.
14:00 so about the punch with the bent arm thing, my teacher says it is trained this way to prevent from elbow injuries. When punching a bag or sparring, you'd fully extend your arm like in most martial arts. Love your videos btw
It depends where they have their history from in the 1950s-1980s. Some have ITF and Karate backgrounds. Technique will vary. It didn't start be more uniform in technique or style till around the late 1980s and 1990s in Korea. There was a large push in the 1940s and 1950s to do away with multiple styles as they realized it would never make the Olympics (Similar to the issue with Karate).
I like it because it's legit impressions, as opposed to just saying nice stuff to get views or such. It's really nice to have 3rd party opinions, people from "outside" who actually want learn something new while at the same time sharing their impressions and their mindset with us. Been' loving the series so far.
Love your videos! I may be able to help explain the side kicks at 2:35. The dojo where I received my black belt was a hybrid and we used a lot of techniques from many different styles; however, there was an older TKD black belt that would occasionally do warm ups and he used these kicks as part of the warm up. The reason you are not seeing more defined chambers for the side kicks is because there are actually two kicks. If you watch the video again...starting around 2:35 you will notice they are actually doing a low kick followed by a high kick. The low kick is almost a distraction for the high kick. That is the way he explained it, and it makes sense. I always hated these warm ups. :-)
that particular block used 13:17 is known as a reverse outside block very effective against a haymaker punch to the side of the head. your arm strikes at or just below the opponents elbow and forearm while the forearm locks the opponents arm almost straight out and the bent wrist slips over the top of the opponents upper arm, keeping their elbow from bending It is easy from their to slip into joint locks, behind the back arm locks. etc
And also my father said in shotokan when there's a kumite competition weight classes don't matter if your lightweight it doesn't matter if you have to fight a heavyweight or midweight
Straight leg kicks are called Stretch Kicks or Front Rising Kicks. Front Rising Kicks (or Side or Rear) are just for warmups and active stretching. You generally do a few Front Rising Kicks followed by a Front Rising Kick to the other side (right knee towards left shoulder for example) then finally the full Axe kick with the leg coming up towards the left side, around slightly to the right, then coming straight down with full power directly in front of the right hip. Used to strike a shoulder or the back of the head if the opponent is bent over. Very difficult to block or absorb that level of power... but also difficult to get high enough to strike downwards properly.
I trained TKD in the 80's and 90's and it was much harder dicipline then, even in competitions. I think sports TKD now is very weak and looks useless as a martial art.
From the 2000s it was just about pure speed with some sense of power based on rotation and technique. They still broke bones and knocked people out. Nowadays it sucks.
Thanks for posting this! I studied Taekwondo in the US in the 1980's as a teenager, getting my first dan black belt before going off to college. The video you reviewed brought back memories, but it also looked older than I would have thought. In retrospect, the Taekwondo I learned was WTF (now WT -- World Taekwondo) style with a little bit of ITF mixed in. I wouldn't be able to tell you now what the differences were, though. I learned both Palgwe and Taeguk forms, Palgwe from my first master before he retired, Taeguk from my second. My sons studied Taekwondo from 2006 to 2019, when their master retired, both getting 3rd and 4th dan black belts. Their master was very, very old school -- he opened his school in 1970 -- and he taught Palgwe and Pyung Ahn forms and some others that I don't recall right now. He also disapproved of tournaments, partly because sparring in tournaments teaches bad habits arising from the focus on scoring points. It's what makes a lot of Taekwondo tournament matches look like fencing rather than fighting -- not that I'm dismissing fencing at all. Three differences I can see between Taekwondo as I learned it and as my sons learned it: One is that there was much more emphasis on leg flexibility for me, with high kicks and the torso as upright as possible during practice. The lower emphasis on flexibility for my kids may have been due to their master being rather elderly and much less flexible (though not frail; he's immensely strong, like a bull). The second is that I learned fewer forms, maybe half as many, but with stronger emphasis on executing the moves with power. My sons learned more forms (Palgwe, Pyung Ahn, and others), with more emphasis on memorization (obviously). Finally, when I learned Taekwondo, my master really wanted me to mix up my kicks during sparring, i.e. not just do roundhouse kicks all the time. My sons' school had much less emphasis on sparring, though, so it was almost a treat when they got to do it. I think their master wanted them to get used to being in sparring situations, but without the goal of winning in tournaments.
I did Taekwondo back in the early 90's from 14 to 18 yo. From 15 to 17, I had a problem in tournaments of maintaining my forms. My early grade school years I was raised in Aikido jujitsu and Karate mix with Kempo, along with my grandpa raising us children on 1960's US Navy boxing/ wrestling mix with what his German father from WW I taught him. Point being, when I start to feel I was getting my ass beat, I drop down into basic boxing training me and my brother has been using on each other for ten years already. My instructor regarded his Taekwondo to be more or less his family style of kick boxing, and his parents had to deal with Japanese Occupation, so I learn more than a few techniques that are strait up dirty fighting. Unless you were really good friends of their family, other wise by the time you get your 3rd dan, it was less sportsmanship and more paramilitary hand to hand combat. With lower shin kicks/ foot stomps to break ankles and grapples to disarm and break wrists. OMG the way they could stand right next to you and do a split kick up under the chin was unreal. Once you earn your first black belt, weapons training started. First thing he taught when grappling with someone over their weapon was, kick them in the ankle. What first looked like basic leg training for knee shots ended up being foot/ ankle breaking stomps to take a person down then follow by a quick head stomp. Honestly basic self defense he taught for children and having their parents there to watch, if someone grabs you, you grab them with both hands and kick them in their wrist or elbow follow with a kick to the side of the knee. And scream as loud as you can for help. On your way of being a grand parent yet ? Three generations in Taekwondo is a start of a nice family tradition.
That "kick" you keep seeing in the video where they swing their leg straight up over their head, is not actually a kick... It is part of the stretching warm-up exercise
I studied Taekwondo in Indonesia from 87 to 91. I also studied Shotokan from 89 to 92. It is very different than modern styles of Taekwondo. We spent a far more time focusing on just technique - kick after kick after kick, punch after punch. Far more focus on strikes too, maybe a 70/30 split versus now with a 90/10 split. We spent a lot of time doing 1-step, 3-step, and free sparring. Honestly, I can't remember any of the forms from then. However, I do remember my Shotokan forms and still practice them. Recently I have been studying Hawaiian Kenpo but have since stopped and have been training on my own. I also have experience in Hung Gar Kungfu and Wing Tsun. My favorite is still the old skool TKD. I love the L Stance, Cat Stance, and fast, powerful kicks. It is far more practical than anything I've studied since then. 4 years to get a black in TKD, 4 in Shotokan, brown in Kenpo. Earned a 2nd degree black in Taekwondo a few years ago. The first one in TKD was still the hardest and most difficult test. I never did feel like I did well on the test but I was returning back to the US for college and they knew I was going to continue training and earn that belt 100%.
Having a Taekwondo background they were probably practicing Two Step sparring being high level black belts they were practicing and trying not to hit each other just focusing on technique
Part of the reason for the big jump kicks was because when TKD was originally created they were dealing with bandits on horseback so the idea was to jump up and kick the enemy off the horse (hopefully) breaking something like a collarbone or worse with the kick.
Time stamp 2:35 / the side kick is pretty interesting... That was actually a double kick... a slower swing to quick, medium impact, knee snap, then a quick swing to a high impact head snap kick...
I began training in Tang Soo Do in 1979 . We didn’t wear gear it was considered weak . We did a lot of bone conditioning. Struck in the ribs with a bamboo staff , conditions the hands and feet . I remember jumping jacks and push ups in the stones . We also trained in the elements , heat , rain and stone . Many tournaments I attended didn’t permit gear other than a mouth piece and cup . We still do a lot of jump spinning kicks as well as ground kicks . You had mentioned that the high blocks come from the side . We punch , block and kick using our hips so he snapped his hips The kicking in multiple directions came from the fact that Korea was always overrun by larger numbers during war time . So fighting multiple opponents was part of the curriculum. It really wasn’t a matter if some would get hurt it was a matter of when . At least in the U.S the attorneys got involved and little Jimmy had to be included and god forbid anyone get hurt in the Dojang or on the tournament floor . Things have lightened up due to lawsuits.
THe form around the 4 min mark is Keumgang: KEUMGANG - Means "diamond" signifying "hardness" and "ponderousness." The mountain Keumgang on the Korean Peninsula is regarded as the center of national spirit. "Keungang yoksa" (Keumgang warrior) named by Buddha represents the mightiest of warriors.. 2nd Dan Black Belt form (KATA)
@@Samperor A lot of the things in this film were not developed yet, but still very close. It was a bit more basic Karate with kicks. The WTF did not start until 1973.
Yep, we do spar without gears while training sometimes aside free sparring and it’s quite scary when people are aggressive but it’s still quite fun. And while kicking during poomsae, we don’t swing our hands, but keeping it at the front of our belt
We have several different stances and ways of adjusting hand positions during forms and combat, I started in the 80s, my school stayed old-school and we have a ton of fighters out of it today. I myself, and many of my fellow students competed in MMA as well successfully.
I start to trainig in 1985 an at that time is very hard! then the class was over 90 minutes and we are strike by the Sabonim if we dont do the practice well...
I started TKD in 1979 and it was ITF. When I went for my black belt for 1 degree black belt you had to do 3 breaking techniques and one of them had to be a rectangular solid red-ish house brick.
Back in 06/1969, I entered the dojang TKD was not even a household word. It was ITF but I didn't know it at that time. All I know are the forms are the same as Jhoon Rhee who was a 7th dan at that time. My instructor, Moon Ku Baek, didn't use Korean terms because "he wanted to learn English". This brand of TKD was more into self defense with one attacker, 2 attackers, 2 defenders. It also had 1, 2 and 3 step sparring. One of the first book of Gen. Choi , Choi wrote the he achieved the rank of 2nd dan in Shotokan.
Its basically shadow sparring similar to shadow boxing. They are basically putting up a visual compared to imagination of punching and kicking in the air. Well their still hitting air but with a person in front. In a way it has its uses that they can fully focus on the form of their movements without having the distraction of the connection. Like shadow boxing. A lot of people think its usless without understanding that its mainly for the ability to check your form. Similar to dry firing a firearm without rounds in the chamber. It helps a lot on focusing on the fundamentals of shooting without the distraction of the recoil. I teach with a lot of analogies. Helps a lot.
The difference in mindsets between Karate and (WTF) Taekwondo can be perhaps summed up in this way: In Karate, “I’ll punch you” while in (WTF) Taekwondo, “ I’ll kick you.” I trained in 1975-79 directly under a 7 th Dan Taekwondo ( Odo-Kwan) master who was a captain in the Korean paratroopers. Our training sessions comprised 80 percent kicks and 20 percent punching combinations. Usually the punching is done earlier on to warm up for kicking practice. When I spar, we aim for a knockout kick to the head!
In old tkd they practiced a lot kicks in slow and controlled motions too. This develops balance and some core strenght that helps then to save energy too. Itf style continues this way.
Fun fact, they probably were imitating capoeira, as were a lot of people at that time. Capoeiristas started traveling the world and demonstrating around the mid 70s.they heavily influenced everything from break dancing to other forms of dance and other martial arts. Even funner fact, all the kicks that don't have their hands on the ground come from karate.
I used to practice TKD (WTF) in my country around the 2000's yet our Sabonim used to make the every day practices as old school as you see here, the only times he allowed us to wear protections was when competition date was near, so we would get used to the weight and the (very uncomfortable) gear, and there was no consideration, you started sparring even at white belt. It was really intense yet i can say it toughen me up (both physically and mentally) oh and our sparring sessions were not about points, were all about until one of us was exhausted or way too hurt to continue ... good old days, lol TKD focuses a lot on being quick and having very good reflexes along with mastering the technique, rather than brute forcing your way thorugh fight, it has its pros and cons, but it is very enjoyable, both as a sport and as a martial art, or at least used to be back in those days. Thanks for the cool video, even though my feet and leg are not able to move as quick and nimble as before, I still use them, I'm currently doing some kickboxing, and its a whole different universe (not even world) I keep getting corrected as my technique is more for quick kicks rather than strong kicks, lol The very first video you show, were the two guys look like they are dancing, Its Taekkyon, said to be one of the ancestors of TKD, little is know about it since most information was lost during the wars, but it is said to have started as a game between villages were the objective was to hit or sweep down your opponent only using your legs and feet. Also in Korea TKD was "born" basically in the late 50's or 60's because previous to that, it was kind of like in Japan, a bunch of Kwans (martial arts schools) scattered, until they unified (with all of its dramas and issues, lol) Oh and, Old school WTF and nowadays ITF TKD might look a lot like shotokan, because one of its founders practiced it during or after (cant recall very well) during the japanese Occupation. buts a long and boring story for another day, lol
@@DONTHATETHEPLAYA321 People in Korea absolutely hated that movie. They saw it as anti-Korean. Westerners viewed it as "holy crap, those Koreans are badass!" Koreans saw it as "they think we're evil AF!"
When i did TKD at early 90's IT was versitile. And yes IT was WTF association. Ofcourse we had all those high kicks and almost "airacrobatics" But we did a lot of karate style blocks and punches too. And what comes to sparring we had both TKD style sparring and more "streetlike" sparring with "free" attacks, takedowns, finnishing moves and Even controlling moves. And that came from lowest belt levels.
In Taekwondo there are multiple different types of schools the forms it looks like they're using are the Tae Guk forms the forms they were practicing what we were taught you learn three each other forms which are the base forms then there is Tae Guk one through eight and then your black belt form it's called Correo and after that there are forms for each black belt
looks similar to, instructor i painted sign for in Mesa, Az. he showd to be top in several aspects, movies, taught our military, olympic champ maybe as forgot, but had schools in Phoenix area. i was old an ill when took son to our first and only lesson.
Finally real TKD! Thats how I learnt it. And i think its more powerfull and much much more controlled than the "new Style". I sac "new Style" cause its actually a bad habbit that spread into the masses, what created the "new style". Thank´s for the video.
A high ranking Korean master once said Korean stylist could not keep up with the Japanese or Okinawans in kata, so their focus became fighting and kicking. Their poomsae (kata) are just dissected versions of Okinawan Kata. I'm both a Korean and Japanese stylist.
I recieved my 1st Dan in 1985, and I must say that then and now completely different. That we trained for defense and today they train more for competion
I think the first two guys at the beginning of the video we’re doing Taekkyon, I heard Taekwondo is a mix of Taekkyon and karate put together, the symbol on their Dobok when they were showing the belt ranks looked like WTF, the poomsae the guy was doing is Taegeuk 7 (Taegeuk Chil Jang), WTF do the Taegeuk poomsae or maybe some schools do the Pal Gwe forms, ITF do Tul or Teul forms and ATA do Songham patterns
In the clip with the black belts "sparring" with no protection, and there was a girl and guy. It's touch sparring, you're doing your best to land without hurting, it trains your reflexs, timing and speed. The reason there's a ref, it can get out of hand sometimes. Lol
What you see in the beginning with the two elderly gentlemen is NOT Taekwon-Do. It's actually Taekkyon, the precursor of Taekwon-Do, of which General Choi Hong Hi was a student of in his teens. The belt system in ITF is different from Japanese martial arts (and WT): Novice level; White belt; white belt with yellow stripe; yellow belt; yellow with gree stripe; green belt; green with blue stripe; blue; blue with red stripe; red; red with black stripe. Then black belt goes from 1st to 3rd dan (adept level) 4th dan to 6th dan (expert) and 7th to 9th dan (master). I Started ITF Taekwon-Do in 1974. During the 80's it went through a lot of changes as new principles of power were introduced: relax-contract, exhalation and eventually sinewave movement. The Taekwon-Do patterns themselves went through many changes as better movements were perfected; we even got one pattern (Ko-Dang) replaced by another (Ju-Che) to better reflect all thoses changes! Competition also changed a lot in those days, allowing more contact in combat and having pattern competitions done against an opponent instead of a solo show as in diving or gymnastics (2 performers side by side and the best of the two declared winner with a show of hands instead osf scoring points). These are also the years where WTF (1973) and ITF (1966) entered their great rivalry, out of which WTF (now WT) won Olympic recognition. It was a time of great upheaval and invention.
Worth reading the following books to learn more about interrelationships between Karate & TKD: -Tae kwon do Classic forms by Ted Hillson - A Killing Art: The Story of Tae Kwon Do by Alex Gillis
Thanks for the video. I studied TKD in the 60's in the USA (Jhoon Rhee). Nothing like the video. The kata were really Shotokan but with TKD "flavor" with the kicks. But really the same kicks (no axe kicks, nothing complicated). Chuck Norris came from a different branch but his movements were similar. Around 1970 the Koreans brought in "real" Korean TKD and changed the forms and more importantly the body mechanics. 10 years later the TKD shown in your video is unrecognizable.
Ever since Taekwondo became an Olympic sport it has changed. people started training to score points instead of the actual Art or Self Defense aspect of it. now it is what we call Leg sword fencing to score on the electronic gear. The WT (WTF-USAT) and AAU are trying to get it back to more harder core traditional sparring but as long as it revolves around manipulating the pint score it will suffer. Our Studio trains hard both old school and new ways to stay competitive in the ring at tournaments. But additionally teach the realism of what works on the street for self defense.
My old sensei would be HORRIFIED over this video. He always considered such fancy moves as a sale pitch (only meant to be seen during demonstrations). He was much more realistic in his teachings. He used to say that the only reason you should jump that high was to avoid a snake.
@@seasickviking Indeed, very wise for who pursues self-defense. As someone more focused on mobility, I really like the moves Like, he'd say "that might be cool, but totally useless", while I say "it might be useless, but it's SO COOL!!" It's just different points of view :) But I was actually talking about the strength here 😅😅
The style at the very beginning was the old Korean art of Taekkyon. Taekwondo actually originated in the 1950's as a response to World War II. The Japanese tried to erase Korean culture and martial arts during the occupation, and sadly, some martial arts knowledge was lost. The Koreans took elements of Karate and mixed it with native Korean styles, and that became Taekwondo. They showed the Kukkiwon in the video, which is the headquarters of the World Taekwondo Federation. My teacher had to travel there to test for his 8th Dan rank and become a grand master.
I like how the 2nd or 3rd board started to bend before it was struck and how the thinner boards were obliterated when they were barely touched. This is truly fantasy vs. function. How many of these guys would be embarrassed in an MMA match?
Any other martial art recommendations for me to review?
Boxing!
Judo
Sikaran
Ninjutsu
Judo
I trained in TKD in the 80's and early 90's. TKD changed when it became an Olympic sport which I think ruined the art. I looked at TKD schools to see how it's changed and yes, too much concentration on sport point scoring rather than self defence.
Absolutely right! I still practice it combined with judo. That combination worked for me (not the sport thingy, yuk!)
Well, my dojang isn’t actually sport faced, our master has a ridiculous rank though and he has about 100+ trophies in his office, but idk why, we don’t do tournaments. We definitely have the people and the black belts including me
Don't bash point Karate or TKD completely. There are point fighters that are doing well transitioning into Karate Combat. But yes, you're not entirely wrong.
There are people who trained TKD with all the aspects but many schools trained the sport a lot, I left the training in a school of a master I paid for teaching me not only the sport aspects, the aspects of martial art too, I want to be black belt but I saw that he trained his students for championships and I left that training, and the University I studied was the same, but there I learned how to fight and that was a great learning. I trained alone today watching videos and fighting with a partner some days cause of it.
I started martial arts in ITF TKD 24 years ago. It's was basically old school Karate focused on self defense.
This is the Taekwodo I remember growing up. I liked it much more than modern Taekwodo. They were tough and flamboyant. It was almost a badge of honour to do the most complicated flamboyant techniques possible in sparring. Jump kicks were a signature move. I feel the Olympics really changed it. Now they mostly using front, roundhouses and sidekick with the occasional hook kick or spinning kick. It’s just pared right back. Karate and Taekwodo much more similar now. Plus there was no protective gear. It’s just less unique now and seems less fun. Not that I am trained in Taekwodo but I sparred and trained with many Taekwodo guys and I just like it more in the old days
Yes I saw fights now from TKD and don´t see Jump Kicks and the kicks aren´t too strong as before, now there are people who fight good, but the evolution and the rules of olimpics left taekwondo some things that make it more terrifying.
Taekwondo was less unique in the past. When it was introduced to USA it was called Korean Karate and ppl just saw it as a style of Karate.
The beginning of the video is Taekkyon, a old traditional korean sport. A lot of people say that's where taekwondo's origins came from but if you look at older Taekwondo styles like Tang Soo Do, the more its like shotokan to the point where they even do the same forms as Shotokan
Stolen well is better than invented badly!
Taekkyon was also a game kids played
@@nostradamus522 i think tang soo do was just as inspired by the martial arts of the Tang dynasty. Hence, the name Tang Soo Do. They were paying their respects to the originators (not stealing). The tang dynasty martial arts also made its way to the ryukyu islands. When Japan took over those islands, they also melted those martial arts into something of their own. There is probably a better argument for Karate being stolen from Okinawa and Tang dynasty, than Tang Soo Do from Karate. But Japan still interpreted in their own unique way and made it their own. Cultures spread in funny ways. Trade, war, friendships, etc. As long as we are educated, i think it’s all a beautiful thing if we are loving each other in the end
@@thugitz1990 You're right. Karate was originally written with kanji (Chinese character) "唐手" which is read as Tang Soo in Korean. It meant Chinese hand. When it was brought to Japan, Japanese changed it to "空手" which sounded the same but meant "empty hand" to de-"chinesefy" it. At least Koreans kept "Chinese" in the name.
Taekkyon was one of the styles that influence tang soo do and as well as kung fu. And that in turn is what come to taekwondo.
The name for tang so do is translated to 'Chinese hand'
4:47 That it is called Taeguk Chil Jang, what you call Kata in Karate, in Taekwondo we say Poomsae
Not Tae geuk, but Black belt degree poomsae: Koryo, Keumgang, Tae baek, pyongwon etc until 9th degree called Ilyeo
And basic pattern for the black belt called Kibon Dongjak
WTF call it Poomsae ITF call it Tul.
You are correct- the form is Taeguk #7 Chil Jong
At 0:27 isn't taekwondo, it's an old Korean Martial art call taekyyeon
Or imitated capoeira
@@nephiilim it's older lol whats wrong with you
@@nephiilim It's not capoeira but TAEKKYON.
everything was more hardcore back in the day, nobody was having people pull lil Jimmy out of training because he didn't have a black belt after a year
no participation awards either.
You never got a black belt in a year in taekwondo, it's 3-5 years on average and always has been. I wonder where you kids get these exaggerations and false facts. Why is there so much hate and lies for taekwondo? UFC kiddies everywhere.
@@shimizu67 son don't tell me what I have and have not seen we clear? you can say how it works in places you have seen but I have watched it happen. don't speak out of ignorance ok
@@robbybee70 You're the one speaking out of your ass dude. I don't know what Dojang you went to to see that kind of fake trash, but you never get a Taekwondo black belt in 1 year. The instructor was probably a scammer or something. You need at least 3 years to grasp the fundamentals.
@@shimizu67 i think you misunderstood the original comment bro.
The old school TKD is more powerful, specially on sparring because no body sensor on that era.
I see!
Old school WTF is king of kicks
Lol you really have to smash with the kick to make the judge see the points, unlike today where tapping on the contact area with enough light force will register the point
Old school score to the Head foot only, kicking must tilt the head trembling shock or the person must fall to the ground accumulating only one point if you lose balance no point. Kick or punch to the body armor trembling shock !!!! Only scores !!!!! New school chest guard head guard sensors to accumulate points. 2021 Taekwondo kick to the Head light touch, or hard touch 4 points if you lose balance still a point. Computer sensors accumulating points, Plus referees.
@@tommyreyes7033 yes, that's why old school more powerful. You need to hit hard and fast to get the point, heavy punch on body still got the point but people rarely use it because the point is low.
The technology make easier to get the point, but the 1 hit KO moment like old school will become more rare because not all fighter want to take high risk.
I've started training in TKD back in 1978 but it was very much like karate but with more kicks. The first clip that was was an old man demonstrating Taek'Kyon with Kim Soo who now lives and teaches in Texas. TKDs roots are in karate via Shotokan, Shudokan and Shito-Ryu. During the occupation of Korea by the Japanese, many Koreans went to Japan to study and some ended up training in karate at the universities. After the liberation of Korea, Koreans who had trained in karate returned to Korea and became the founders of the original Kwans (Kan in Japanese). TKD is still evolving and changing. Besides traditional TKD, I also train in Shotokan, Shito-Ryu and Kobudo.
Great points! I am glad you know your history. Just wondering...Is it not infusing doing TKD and Karate at the same time?
@The Real VR Your head butt can't defeat my Sayonachi
Was it called tang soo do? Its also refered as Korean karate/traditional taekwondo
@@jxnvary Before the creation of the name Taekwondo, Korean karate had names like Kong Soo Do= Karate Do or Tang Soo Do= China Hand Way, which was the original name of karate "ToDe" until Funakoshi change the name to Empty Hand Way.
@@bonyul1151 oh ok.
I like this taekwondo better than the modern one
The modern style that's very popular is very focused on scoring points for the Olympics, or being in a flashy demonstration team. Old styles still exist in schools, and then there's military style which is brutal.
Then u obviously haven't seen what a proper 2nd or 3rd dan Tae Kwon do black belt can do then. We r lethal mate
@@miakid4159 I teach more like the old school style. the big flashy moves will get you hurt in a street fight
@@Akumarb26 really depends on what school you go to and if they follow the kukkiwon system (the one demonstrated in this video)
@@Akumarb26 dont worry, i know. I practiced taekwondo for a decade. I just love the old style as it has saved my life
The beginning at 0:16 looks more like Taekkyon. Its an old Korean Martial Arts. Taekwon-do has its roots in Karate but some people say that you can also find elements of Taekkyon.
I was going to say the same. Taekkyon is the more ancient historical art from which Hwang Kee and others took inspiration when Korea-fying Karate through the 1930s-40s.
Or imitated capoeira
@@nephiilim Who would want to imitate a useless dance.
@@dragonryucr2000 its a little more than just a dance as it comes from real fighting but had to be concealed in a dance and isnt really used in fighting anymore because of more mainstream martial arts but it could be used by someone skilled
General Choi was taught TaekKyon by his caligraphy teacher, so TaeKwon-do was influenced by both Karate and Taekkyon
Old W.T.F Tkd still exists to this day, you just have to find a good teacher. I practice it, because of my teacher. He’s been trained by Grandmaster Esmail Mohammad Azarpad who was a military officer, he trained soldiers in W.T.F Tkd. We spar a lot without protection, we’re allowed to go full contact but you still have to have control because you don’t want to hurt your training partners. We also practice conditioning and a bunch of self defense.
My Grand Master Joong Keun Suh who's a 9th Dan trained us exactly like this, he was a coach for the USA in Barcelona Olympics, and he was the Korean national champion in the 60s when in the military. He really is an awesome man. I loved my years of training. I feel so nostalgic watching this.
That's amazing bro, I feel bad for you cus as soon as you say you do TKD they probably laugh, underestimate you or something because of the modern tkd
Having first trained in traditional TKD the mid 80s, this brings back a lot of memories.😅
Same!!
Same with me! Started in Germany in about 1981 or 82. I was member of one of the oldest clubs in Germany and we were focused on competition. Body vest, cup, shin and forearm "protectors" (padded sleeves). No helmets until later, because of too many heavy injuries.
@@udornyc yeah, I trained under grand master Tae Hong Choi in Portland Oregon, and also started in the 80s. He was a great teacher to learn from. One of many exceptional teachers I was lucky to be in the right place, just at the right time, to learn from. His death was hard to take. He is missed. After so many years, for his school to be shut down do to covid, after surviving so many years. It was a rough blow to us all.
@@TrueSighted Sad story and I want to extend my condolences!
The club I grew up in (not US McDojo style) had many national and international champions and I was often qualifying for the German nationals, but because I wasn't a German citizen, I could never compete in the nationals.
When starting there, there was always the whisper about Karl Wohlfahrt, who was a legend of German TKD, someone who kicked super hard since the 1970's and was also member of the German national team.
Well, when I moved to Frankfurt, I started to train under Karl, we became friends and I also instructed for him.
He passed away by slipping in his bathroom, hitting his head and dying. Our mutual friend, someone who run Karl's gyms called me and let me know. There was also the suspicion of foulplay.
But, yeah, losing a friend and mentor is really bad. 2012 marked 20 years of me moving to NYC and 20 years after my last tournament, with him.
@@udornyc with master choi, something happened and he lost one of his legs, it happened when I was away. His health started to deteriorate quickly after that. I found out later through his assistant who ran the day to day operations, of all the business stuff, later on. It hit me hard. He was a tiny guy compared to me, and was always saying how much I was growing every time I'd see him after time away. Always so strong and resilient. It was not expected. He was a war hero, a great teacher. Even coached the Olympic team at one point. It was my honor to learn from him. It was a loss of a treasure to the whole material arts community. He taught us right. Before all the watered down stuff came around, and competitive martial arts, started changing in the states. And everywhere else it seems. It's been an interesting journey. Sorry to hear of your loss. It's horrible loosing a friend and teacher. And to do so like that would be absolutely horrible. Getting older, I've lost a few. And it's never easy. Nor should it be. Good to know ya.
That's some really OG Kukki TKD shit. The footage was caught right in the middle of the trasition from open dobok to th v-neck model. A true finding you got.
They’re doing technical sparring. We used to do this all the time to get an idea of what a kick looks like coming from various angles.
Having sat through Taekwondo classes before my Karate class starts i must say its interesting to see how much of a difference you can see between then & now - granted this is only a snapshot but there is definitely change
The TKD I went through (80s--90s) seems to have been a more bare bones approach than most TKD teachings today, mostly due to my Sensei focusing on practical application instead of the more fanciful techniques I see today.The 'flashy' moves, as you called them, have been around for a LONG time, but they were rarely seen outside demonstrations--my Sensei tended to abhor such acrobatics, claiming that they were too often used as a sales pitch (I.E: "if you train with us, you can do this too"). He had us focusing on things like precision and speed rather than anything remotely acrobatic. As for the waterfall thing, I have no clue. I trained in Seattle Washington, so we weren't offered such accommodations.
I love seeing these cool old school demos.
Some of the best kickers in kung fu movies in the 80s have Korean roots
I love these old videos as well, but my Sensei would turn over in his grave if he saw that video. He was of the firm belief that such aerial techniques were little more than pageantry and should be treated as such. The only time he allowed them to be seen was during demonstrations, because they were often used as a sales pitch. One of those "Train with us and one day, you'll do this too" kind of pointless incentives.
@@seasickviking I did tkd in the 80s (and before as well).
Aerial kicks were always for control purposes then. My instructor in the 70s thought them useless.
Now they seem to be a thing.
yes, that is true.
Learnt Taekwondo in the 90's. It was 4 years of intense training 1-2 hours daily 6 days a week and as you said it was very athletic, and involved building stamina. The breathing techniques and the overall maintaining your balance, center of gravity is something you get so good at, it has serves me well for a lifetime. There was big focus on sparring, it was very clear we were being taught self-defense fighting and not just a sport.
While the fancy kicks make for great demos, the simple stuff like a side kick or front kicks you can use even at age 60 and higher.
I trained a simplified army combat version of that in the 80s. Instant flashback memories. 😂❤
Oh I miss taekwondo training. Our situation right now and school works prevent me to train, and our space at home. Nice vid from the Philippines! Sad times indeed.
We were doing the flashy kicks back in the eighties also I was doing Taekwondo back in 82
Wow! This is how I remember it in the 90’s. I watching the forms and remembering them again.
Older known forms of Korean Martial Arts prior to Taekwondo, Taekyon, Gwon bop, Subak Do. Japanese Invasion of Korea changed a lot of Korean Martial arts.
I hold a 3rd dan in WTF TKD and am currently at 67yrs old learning Shotokan in NW England. TKD is based on Shotokan and as someone who has trained in both systems the similarities are obvious. I believe ITF TKD still does the traditional Shotokan kata's whilst the WTF, for I believe, political rather than martial reasons, developed different forms, one of which, Chil Jang is demonstrated in this video at 14.40
Hey, the straight-legged version of the front kicks and the side kicks are the warm-up version of them. That's why in the beginning you saw a demonstration on the straight legged version was immediately followed by the normal, chambered versions of the kick.
This guy is clueless. Deserve no respect.
Brilliant. What was this video, I'd love to see this. How about a reaction video on Tang Soo Do and Hapkido? Keep posting I love this feed.
0:59 is what we call free sparring but no hitting just light sparring
I was in Kempo and got a free 3 week trial at a TKD studio in the 80s. So I went to the KD classes and the kids had black eyes, they free sparred no protective gear, except cups if they had them. The owner was a 7th deg black belt. He would push your head to the ground when you stretched and smack you if you were doing something wrong. Very hardcore training. I was scared lol just 11 yrs old. Looking back I wish I wouldve left Kempo and joined it. You cant get that kind of training anymore.
4:07 is kumgang our patter it represents a mountain and it has no kicks only blocks and punches
At 5:20, that form is called Chonkwon. Normally, it is reserved for dan-grade students.
1:58 - Slow it down and step through the frames. The board definitely bends before impact.
Wasn’t it Mr Miyagi that said “boards don’t fight back”? Still fun to do though I guess.
"They're all wearing blackbelts."
sounds bout like TKD. definitely looks better than todays watered down TKD tho.
It's interesting that you talked about combining Japanese arts. Here in the UK, there was a trend back in the 1980's and early 1990's for "ju-jitsu" classes that were actually a combination of shotokan and judo. Few of them remain now.
Ju Jitsu is an umbrella term for Japanese martial arts so the name is perfect
There is a mixed, it called Kudo.
Thank you for your analysis of taekwondo from a karateka’s perspective. Always very interesting! The kiap or kiai in this video don’t mean anything.
Oh haha
14:00
so about the punch with the bent arm thing, my teacher says it is trained this way to prevent from elbow injuries. When punching a bag or sparring, you'd fully extend your arm like in most martial arts. Love your videos btw
I see! In karate, we bend after hitting :)
It depends where they have their history from in the 1950s-1980s. Some have ITF and Karate backgrounds. Technique will vary. It didn't start be more uniform in technique or style till around the late 1980s and 1990s in Korea. There was a large push in the 1940s and 1950s to do away with multiple styles as they realized it would never make the Olympics (Similar to the issue with Karate).
You seem so fascinated with Taekwondo, so nice! 👍
I like it because it's legit impressions, as opposed to just saying nice stuff to get views or such.
It's really nice to have 3rd party opinions, people from "outside" who actually want learn something new while at the same time sharing their impressions and their mindset with us.
Been' loving the series so far.
Love your videos! I may be able to help explain the side kicks at 2:35. The dojo where I received my black belt was a hybrid and we used a lot of techniques from many different styles; however, there was an older TKD black belt that would occasionally do warm ups and he used these kicks as part of the warm up. The reason you are not seeing more defined chambers for the side kicks is because there are actually two kicks. If you watch the video again...starting around 2:35 you will notice they are actually doing a low kick followed by a high kick. The low kick is almost a distraction for the high kick. That is the way he explained it, and it makes sense. I always hated these warm ups. :-)
yeah! it's also one of the first motions in koryo (the first degree black belt poomsae)
that particular block used 13:17 is known as a reverse outside block very effective against a haymaker punch to the side of the head. your arm strikes at or just below the opponents elbow and forearm while the forearm locks the opponents arm almost straight out and the bent wrist slips over the top of the opponents upper arm, keeping their elbow from bending It is easy from their to slip into joint locks, behind the back arm locks. etc
In shotokan back in the 80s we didn't have any protective equipment either, although towards the 90s it began to become mainstream.
I see!
And also my father said in shotokan when there's a kumite competition weight classes don't matter if your lightweight it doesn't matter if you have to fight a heavyweight or midweight
@@zenyxx9789 damn...sure people got hurt
@@Samperor a lot😂😂but that's one of the core of karate, to be able to fight against no matter how big they are
Straight leg kicks are called Stretch Kicks or Front Rising Kicks. Front Rising Kicks (or Side or Rear) are just for warmups and active stretching. You generally do a few Front Rising Kicks followed by a Front Rising Kick to the other side (right knee towards left shoulder for example) then finally the full Axe kick with the leg coming up towards the left side, around slightly to the right, then coming straight down with full power directly in front of the right hip. Used to strike a shoulder or the back of the head if the opponent is bent over. Very difficult to block or absorb that level of power... but also difficult to get high enough to strike downwards properly.
I trained TKD in the 80's and 90's and it was much harder dicipline then, even in competitions.
I think sports TKD now is very weak and looks useless as a martial art.
From the 2000s it was just about pure speed with some sense of power based on rotation and technique. They still broke bones and knocked people out. Nowadays it sucks.
Thanks for posting this! I studied Taekwondo in the US in the 1980's as a teenager, getting my first dan black belt before going off to college. The video you reviewed brought back memories, but it also looked older than I would have thought.
In retrospect, the Taekwondo I learned was WTF (now WT -- World Taekwondo) style with a little bit of ITF mixed in. I wouldn't be able to tell you now what the differences were, though. I learned both Palgwe and Taeguk forms, Palgwe from my first master before he retired, Taeguk from my second.
My sons studied Taekwondo from 2006 to 2019, when their master retired, both getting 3rd and 4th dan black belts. Their master was very, very old school -- he opened his school in 1970 -- and he taught Palgwe and Pyung Ahn forms and some others that I don't recall right now. He also disapproved of tournaments, partly because sparring in tournaments teaches bad habits arising from the focus on scoring points. It's what makes a lot of Taekwondo tournament matches look like fencing rather than fighting -- not that I'm dismissing fencing at all.
Three differences I can see between Taekwondo as I learned it and as my sons learned it: One is that there was much more emphasis on leg flexibility for me, with high kicks and the torso as upright as possible during practice. The lower emphasis on flexibility for my kids may have been due to their master being rather elderly and much less flexible (though not frail; he's immensely strong, like a bull).
The second is that I learned fewer forms, maybe half as many, but with stronger emphasis on executing the moves with power. My sons learned more forms (Palgwe, Pyung Ahn, and others), with more emphasis on memorization (obviously).
Finally, when I learned Taekwondo, my master really wanted me to mix up my kicks during sparring, i.e. not just do roundhouse kicks all the time. My sons' school had much less emphasis on sparring, though, so it was almost a treat when they got to do it. I think their master wanted them to get used to being in sparring situations, but without the goal of winning in tournaments.
I did Taekwondo back in the early 90's from 14 to 18 yo. From 15 to 17, I had a problem in tournaments of maintaining my forms. My early grade school years I was raised in Aikido jujitsu and Karate mix with Kempo, along with my grandpa raising us children on 1960's US Navy boxing/ wrestling mix with what his German father from WW I taught him. Point being, when I start to feel I was getting my ass beat, I drop down into basic boxing training me and my brother has been using on each other for ten years already.
My instructor regarded his Taekwondo to be more or less his family style of kick boxing, and his parents had to deal with Japanese Occupation, so I learn more than a few techniques that are strait up dirty fighting. Unless you were really good friends of their family, other wise by the time you get your 3rd dan, it was less sportsmanship and more paramilitary hand to hand combat. With lower shin kicks/ foot stomps to break ankles and grapples to disarm and break wrists.
OMG the way they could stand right next to you and do a split kick up under the chin was unreal. Once you earn your first black belt, weapons training started. First thing he taught when grappling with someone over their weapon was, kick them in the ankle. What first looked like basic leg training for knee shots ended up being foot/ ankle breaking stomps to take a person down then follow by a quick head stomp.
Honestly basic self defense he taught for children and having their parents there to watch, if someone grabs you, you grab them with both hands and kick them in their wrist or elbow follow with a kick to the side of the knee. And scream as loud as you can for help.
On your way of being a grand parent yet ? Three generations in Taekwondo is a start of a nice family tradition.
That "kick" you keep seeing in the video where they swing their leg straight up over their head, is not actually a kick... It is part of the stretching warm-up exercise
Jion = Taeguk 7 (chil jang) it’s one of my favorites
I studied Taekwondo in Indonesia from 87 to 91. I also studied Shotokan from 89 to 92. It is very different than modern styles of Taekwondo. We spent a far more time focusing on just technique - kick after kick after kick, punch after punch. Far more focus on strikes too, maybe a 70/30 split versus now with a 90/10 split. We spent a lot of time doing 1-step, 3-step, and free sparring. Honestly, I can't remember any of the forms from then. However, I do remember my Shotokan forms and still practice them. Recently I have been studying Hawaiian Kenpo but have since stopped and have been training on my own. I also have experience in Hung Gar Kungfu and Wing Tsun. My favorite is still the old skool TKD. I love the L Stance, Cat Stance, and fast, powerful kicks. It is far more practical than anything I've studied since then. 4 years to get a black in TKD, 4 in Shotokan, brown in Kenpo. Earned a 2nd degree black in Taekwondo a few years ago. The first one in TKD was still the hardest and most difficult test. I never did feel like I did well on the test but I was returning back to the US for college and they knew I was going to continue training and earn that belt 100%.
Having a Taekwondo background they were probably practicing Two Step sparring being high level black belts they were practicing and trying not to hit each other just focusing on technique
Part of the reason for the big jump kicks was because when TKD was originally created they were dealing with bandits on horseback so the idea was to jump up and kick the enemy off the horse (hopefully) breaking something like a collarbone or worse with the kick.
Yes this Taekwondo in the 1980s when I did my 1 degree Blackbelt, lot of airial kicks
Time stamp 2:35 / the side kick is pretty interesting...
That was actually a double kick... a slower swing to quick, medium impact, knee snap, then a quick swing to a high impact head snap kick...
I began training in Tang Soo Do in 1979 . We didn’t wear gear it was considered weak . We did a lot of bone conditioning. Struck in the ribs with a bamboo staff , conditions the hands and feet . I remember jumping jacks and push ups in the stones . We also trained in the elements , heat , rain and stone . Many tournaments I attended didn’t permit gear other than a mouth piece and cup . We still do a lot of jump spinning kicks as well as ground kicks .
You had mentioned that the high blocks come from the side . We punch , block and kick using our hips so he snapped his hips
The kicking in multiple directions came from the fact that Korea was always overrun by larger numbers during war time . So fighting multiple opponents was part of the curriculum. It really wasn’t a matter if some would get hurt it was a matter of when .
At least in the U.S the attorneys got involved and little Jimmy had to be included and god forbid anyone get hurt in the Dojang or on the tournament floor . Things have lightened up due to lawsuits.
For the side kicks in the beginning, they are doing a low side kick first then high sidekick with the same leg.
The bouncing is something taught still today. We do it to stay light on our feet and easily switch positions for kicks.
It's called sine wave if my memory serves me right.
Your channel is one of the best I have seen... keep up the good work...
THe form around the 4 min mark is Keumgang: KEUMGANG - Means "diamond" signifying "hardness" and "ponderousness." The mountain Keumgang on the Korean Peninsula is regarded as the center of national spirit. "Keungang yoksa" (Keumgang warrior) named by Buddha represents the mightiest of warriors.. 2nd Dan Black Belt form (KATA)
I started my TKD training in 1972 so this 1980's stuff looks modern to me lol.
Hahaaaa. What was the difference?
@@Samperor A lot of the things in this film were not developed yet, but still very close. It was a bit more basic Karate with kicks. The WTF did not start until 1973.
3:45 - 4:28 is also a poomsae called Keumgang, and it's usually performed by blackbelts for their 2nd/3rd Dan promotion.
Yep, we do spar without gears while training sometimes aside free sparring and it’s quite scary when people are aggressive but it’s still quite fun. And while kicking during poomsae, we don’t swing our hands, but keeping it at the front of our belt
it is so fun to use high taewkon do kicks in opponent body and face, specially if you finish your opponent whit yop chagi face kick KO :) :)
We have several different stances and ways of adjusting hand positions during forms and combat, I started in the 80s, my school stayed old-school and we have a ton of fighters out of it today. I myself, and many of my fellow students competed in MMA as well successfully.
09:52: In those days, running commenced when the sobam unleashed their dojang's in-house wasp.
I see
THe POOMSE-FORM (KATA) at 4:45 mark is called Tae Guk 7 Chil Jang (WT/WTF POOMSE FORM) Color Belt form ( usually Red or Brown Belt)
Yusuke something really crazy because my classmates in my school when i demonstrates karate they said to me that i practice taekwondo things
In min 9:14 the Form called Taeguk chil Jang.
Ohh I see! Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
@@KarateDojowaKu oh no. thank you Master for the great content.
@@KarateDojowaKu Not a fan of the Taegyuk forms. The Chan Hong and the Palgye poomsae were better imo.
I start to trainig in 1985 an at that time is very hard! then the class was over 90 minutes and we are strike by the Sabonim if we dont do the practice well...
I started TKD in 1979 and it was ITF. When I went for my black belt for 1 degree black belt you had to do 3 breaking techniques and one of them had to be a rectangular solid red-ish house brick.
@0:50.
The jumping around with the high kicks is probably part show, part warming-up
It's rare to find a place that still does old school taekwondo but luckily the place I go to, the style is so similar to old-school taekwondo
Back in 06/1969, I entered the dojang TKD was not even a household word. It was ITF but I didn't know it at that time. All I know are the forms are the same as Jhoon Rhee who was a 7th dan at that time. My instructor, Moon Ku Baek, didn't use Korean terms because "he wanted to learn English". This brand of TKD was more into self defense with one attacker, 2 attackers, 2 defenders. It also had 1, 2 and 3 step sparring. One of the first book of Gen. Choi , Choi wrote the he achieved the rank of 2nd dan in Shotokan.
A lot of the jumping kicking is to develop explosiveness and athleticism.
Its basically shadow sparring similar to shadow boxing. They are basically putting up a visual compared to imagination of punching and kicking in the air. Well their still hitting air but with a person in front. In a way it has its uses that they can fully focus on the form of their movements without having the distraction of the connection. Like shadow boxing. A lot of people think its usless without understanding that its mainly for the ability to check your form. Similar to dry firing a firearm without rounds in the chamber. It helps a lot on focusing on the fundamentals of shooting without the distraction of the recoil. I teach with a lot of analogies. Helps a lot.
The difference in mindsets between Karate and (WTF) Taekwondo can be perhaps summed up in this way: In Karate, “I’ll punch you” while in (WTF) Taekwondo, “ I’ll kick you.” I trained in 1975-79 directly under a 7 th Dan Taekwondo ( Odo-Kwan) master who was a captain in the Korean paratroopers. Our training sessions comprised 80 percent kicks and 20 percent punching combinations. Usually the punching is done earlier on to warm up for kicking practice. When I spar, we aim for a knockout kick to the head!
Hi, I trained taekwondo in the 90s and I have good memories of watching that video on a VHS tape! Can you help me find it again on UA-cam?
In old tkd they practiced a lot kicks in slow and controlled motions too. This develops balance and some core strenght that helps then to save energy too. Itf style continues this way.
Fun fact, they probably were imitating capoeira, as were a lot of people at that time. Capoeiristas started traveling the world and demonstrating around the mid 70s.they heavily influenced everything from break dancing to other forms of dance and other martial arts. Even funner fact, all the kicks that don't have their hands on the ground come from karate.
Just makes me happy that I teach my Thai boxing student random TKD techniques that work in Thai boxing.
This is the Best discipline for Children. If all kid's were raised in such a culture
I used to practice TKD (WTF) in my country around the 2000's yet our Sabonim used to make the every day practices as old school as you see here, the only times he allowed us to wear protections was when competition date was near, so we would get used to the weight and the (very uncomfortable) gear, and there was no consideration, you started sparring even at white belt. It was really intense yet i can say it toughen me up (both physically and mentally) oh and our sparring sessions were not about points, were all about until one of us was exhausted or way too hurt to continue ... good old days, lol TKD focuses a lot on being quick and having very good reflexes along with mastering the technique, rather than brute forcing your way thorugh fight, it has its pros and cons, but it is very enjoyable, both as a sport and as a martial art, or at least used to be back in those days. Thanks for the cool video, even though my feet and leg are not able to move as quick and nimble as before, I still use them, I'm currently doing some kickboxing, and its a whole different universe (not even world) I keep getting corrected as my technique is more for quick kicks rather than strong kicks, lol
The very first video you show, were the two guys look like they are dancing, Its Taekkyon, said to be one of the ancestors of TKD, little is know about it since most information was lost during the wars, but it is said to have started as a game between villages were the objective was to hit or sweep down your opponent only using your legs and feet.
Also in Korea TKD was "born" basically in the late 50's or 60's because previous to that, it was kind of like in Japan, a bunch of Kwans (martial arts schools) scattered, until they unified (with all of its dramas and issues, lol)
Oh and, Old school WTF and nowadays ITF TKD might look a lot like shotokan, because one of its founders practiced it during or after (cant recall very well) during the japanese Occupation. buts a long and boring story for another day, lol
This is like watching the Korean team train, from the first Best of the Best movie.
Good ass movie
@@DONTHATETHEPLAYA321 People in Korea absolutely hated that movie. They saw it as anti-Korean. Westerners viewed it as "holy crap, those Koreans are badass!" Koreans saw it as "they think we're evil AF!"
At 0:33 they are doing no-contact sparring. This is were we go full speed but controlling the distance with the opponent.
When i did TKD at early 90's IT was versitile. And yes IT was WTF association.
Ofcourse we had all those high kicks and almost "airacrobatics"
But we did a lot of karate style blocks and punches too.
And what comes to sparring we had both TKD style sparring and more "streetlike" sparring with "free" attacks, takedowns, finnishing moves and Even controlling moves.
And that came from lowest belt levels.
In Taekwondo there are multiple different types of schools the forms it looks like they're using are the Tae Guk forms the forms they were practicing what we were taught you learn three each other forms which are the base forms then there is Tae Guk one through eight and then your black belt form it's called Correo and after that there are forms for each black belt
looks similar to, instructor i painted sign for in Mesa, Az. he showd to be top in several aspects, movies, taught our military, olympic champ maybe as forgot, but had schools in Phoenix area. i was old an ill when took son to our first and only lesson.
Finally real TKD! Thats how I learnt it. And i think its more powerfull and much much more controlled than the "new Style". I sac "new Style" cause its actually a bad habbit that spread into the masses, what created the "new style". Thank´s for the video.
3:51 Keumgang poomsae. usually performed by 2nd degree black belts and is required to move on to 3rd degree
A high ranking Korean master once said Korean stylist could not keep up with the Japanese or Okinawans in kata, so their focus became fighting and kicking. Their poomsae (kata) are just dissected versions of Okinawan Kata. I'm both a Korean and Japanese stylist.
Martial Art or sport what path you choose? Many years ago I made mine, I started on TKD in 1993 the old school never regreted a minute.
I recieved my 1st Dan in 1985, and I must say that then and now completely different. That we trained for defense and today they train more for competion
5:00 that poomsae (what the japanese would call kata) is koryo, one of the forms you learn in 1st dan black belt
I think the first two guys at the beginning of the video we’re doing Taekkyon, I heard Taekwondo is a mix of Taekkyon and karate put together, the symbol on their Dobok when they were showing the belt ranks looked like WTF, the poomsae the guy was doing is Taegeuk 7 (Taegeuk Chil Jang), WTF do the Taegeuk poomsae or maybe some schools do the Pal Gwe forms, ITF do Tul or Teul forms and ATA do Songham patterns
In the clip with the black belts "sparring" with no protection, and there was a girl and guy. It's touch sparring, you're doing your best to land without hurting, it trains your reflexs, timing and speed. The reason there's a ref, it can get out of hand sometimes. Lol
What you see in the beginning with the two elderly gentlemen is NOT Taekwon-Do. It's actually Taekkyon, the precursor of Taekwon-Do, of which General Choi Hong Hi was a student of in his teens.
The belt system in ITF is different from Japanese martial arts (and WT):
Novice level; White belt; white belt with yellow stripe; yellow belt; yellow with gree stripe; green belt; green with blue stripe; blue; blue with red stripe; red; red with black stripe.
Then black belt goes from 1st to 3rd dan (adept level) 4th dan to 6th dan (expert) and 7th to 9th dan (master).
I Started ITF Taekwon-Do in 1974. During the 80's it went through a lot of changes as new principles of power were introduced: relax-contract, exhalation and eventually sinewave movement. The Taekwon-Do patterns themselves went through many changes as better movements were perfected; we even got one pattern (Ko-Dang) replaced by another (Ju-Che) to better reflect all thoses changes! Competition also changed a lot in those days, allowing more contact in combat and having pattern competitions done against an opponent instead of a solo show as in diving or gymnastics (2 performers side by side and the best of the two declared winner with a show of hands instead osf scoring points).
These are also the years where WTF (1973) and ITF (1966) entered their great rivalry, out of which WTF (now WT) won Olympic recognition. It was a time of great upheaval and invention.
Worth reading the following books to learn more about interrelationships between Karate & TKD:
-Tae kwon do Classic forms by Ted Hillson
- A Killing Art: The Story of Tae Kwon Do by Alex Gillis
A Killing Art is a great read
Is any book able to explain about TKD history & inter-relationship with TangSooDoo?
So good to see the Taekwondo promotional video back then
Thanks for the video. I studied TKD in the 60's in the USA (Jhoon Rhee). Nothing like the video. The kata were really Shotokan but with TKD "flavor" with the kicks. But really the same kicks (no axe kicks, nothing complicated). Chuck Norris came from a different branch but his movements were similar. Around 1970 the Koreans brought in "real" Korean TKD and changed the forms and more importantly the body mechanics. 10 years later the TKD shown in your video is unrecognizable.
Korean has Tangsoodo, and Hopkido as well...And they use to have Mudookwon. They have a style called KookSulWon also...Oh and Wharang-do
Ever since Taekwondo became an Olympic sport it has changed. people started training to score points instead of the actual Art or Self Defense aspect of it. now it is what we call Leg sword fencing to score on the electronic gear. The WT (WTF-USAT) and AAU are trying to get it back to more harder core traditional sparring but as long as it revolves around manipulating the pint score it will suffer. Our Studio trains hard both old school and new ways to stay competitive in the ring at tournaments. But additionally teach the realism of what works on the street for self defense.
Just imagine the power of these black belts nowadays
You'll be sent to the shadow realm lol
@@hoodlum4511 I put Donnie Yen in defense mode and end my turn.
My old sensei would be HORRIFIED over this video. He always considered such fancy moves as a sale pitch (only meant to be seen during demonstrations). He was much more realistic in his teachings. He used to say that the only reason you should jump that high was to avoid a snake.
@@seasickviking Indeed, very wise for who pursues self-defense. As someone more focused on mobility, I really like the moves
Like, he'd say "that might be cool, but totally useless", while I say "it might be useless, but it's SO COOL!!"
It's just different points of view :)
But I was actually talking about the strength here 😅😅
@@hoodlum4511 i love to see how they send some one in the shadow whit yop chagi face kick :) :)
Protective equipment..Jhoon Rhee
Axe kick.....Ki Whang Kim.
Stick and move ..Ki Whang Kim
Breaking...Mas Oyama (Korean)
The style at the very beginning was the old Korean art of Taekkyon. Taekwondo actually originated in the 1950's as a response to World War II. The Japanese tried to erase Korean culture and martial arts during the occupation, and sadly, some martial arts knowledge was lost. The Koreans took elements of Karate and mixed it with native Korean styles, and that became Taekwondo.
They showed the Kukkiwon in the video, which is the headquarters of the World Taekwondo Federation. My teacher had to travel there to test for his 8th Dan rank and become a grand master.
I like how the 2nd or 3rd board started to bend before it was struck and how the thinner boards were obliterated when they were barely touched. This is truly fantasy vs. function. How many of these guys would be embarrassed in an MMA match?