Totally Tae Kwon Do Magazine - Issue 26

Modernizing Tae Kwon Do
I’ve been to a few schools in as a guest of
a family or friend who wanted to share their
enthusiasm about their particular martial
form. I’ve even tried a few free classes on
occasion as well. With that said, I’m simply
a sucker for a free event where I get to
share the experience with family and
friends.
It’s at one such event, a demonstration no
less, where I learned that the only thing
Tae Kwon Do and
Hap Ki Do have in
common is the
native country
where the martial
arts share their
roots, Korea.
A friend of mine
knew of my
interest of martial
arts and called me
up back in the
nineties to attend
the open invitation
demonstration.
The demonstration
was to take place
in at a local mall. A
large mat was
placed on a stage
in the center
promenade of the
building where people on the second tier
could look down on the demonstration. For
myself this seemed pretty strange. It wasn’t
until I arrived that I realized that this made
so much sense. Where else would you
likely use your skills other then the public
surrounded by perfect strangers where the
real threats are likely to be.
As I let this thought sink in I watched as the
students took their places on the mat.
By Richard Grzela
Much as you would expect from any Tae
Kwon Do school setting, the class
demonstrated the proper protocol for
respect. Today I see this practice more of a
cultural practice in Korea and less part of
the actual martial arts.
As the demonstration went on I saw
several kicks and stances that you would
see in Tae Kwon Do. A front kick, a back
stance and so forth. Admittedly I knew very
little about Hap Ki
Do, though I found
a sense of comfort
with my ability to
recognize so many
skills practiced in
Tae Kwon Do
displayed that day.
When the
demonstration
ended I was left
with a profound
amount of
questions. Though
the most important
one being that of,
how much has Tae
Kwon Do evolved
over time?
In the Far East the
governments are
more restrictive and people have to follow
a strict set of rules and laws. The average
person has little say in the way of direct
influence of things. By Contrast those who
have taken Tae Kwon Do to the Western
World have been inundated with a variety
of styles and pop culture to alter our
perception of Tae Kwon Do.
In order to keep the Tae Kwon Do
modernization question on a more practical
Totally Tae Kwon Do - 63