[Choi Kwang Do] Kent school

[LilBunnyRabbit]

Does anyone in Choi know anything about a Kent school that might be doing a few strange things?

I've had reliable reports of double-gradings, and yellow belts with red tags. My best guess is that its some form of Choi karate, but I wasn't aware of a Choi karate school in Kent. I'm trying to look into it, anyone else know anything?

[morphus]

haven't heard anything Jimmy - sorry can't help you!

[Stuart Rider]

There are two CKD schools in Kent.
One in Orpington run by my old instructor Jack Waston 3rd Dan
and one in East malling run by Darren Jackson 2nd Dan.

I know both of these very well and know they are not using yellow belts red tags etc.

There is another club down in Kent called
Koo Self defence. Those that know their Choi history will
know that Roger Koo was the man who first brough GM Choi over to the UK (along with Marshall P.)

Jack is well known by the senior CKD instructors in the UK as
he has been an instructor with Choi from the very beginning.
In fact jack is the Vice - president of the United Kingdom Choi kwang Do Federation before that disbanded and become the UKCA.

[LilBunnyRabbit]

Ah yes, Ku self defense, the guy who did in fact train my instructor before founding a martial art with no blocks. I'm not quite sure what the red tag thing was about, but it does seem that they are teaching Choi. Might well've been a misunderstanding.

Might also be that they're going to a different school altogether, so I'll try checking into it again. Thanks.

[Stuart Rider]

The red tag part might come from the old CKD rank system;
White, yellow, orange green, blue, purple, purple red tag, red, red brown tag, brown, 1 black tag, 2 black tag, Bo Dan, 1st Dan etc

This is going back a few years now.

Stab in the dark but i would guess your instructor was Nigel Brophy?

[LilBunnyRabbit]

Yep, that's him.

I remember the tag system. Got up to two black before they changed the damn thing. I liked my two black tags. :(

[TkdWarrior]

<I liked my two black tags. :( >

lol jimmy stuck up in materialistic possessions ;)
-TkdWarrior-

[LilBunnyRabbit]

lol jimmy stuck up in materialistic possessions


Its Christmas after all, the ultimate in materialism made manifest.

Still at least I get black edging on my do-bok now, if I can ever get round to hand sewing the stuff on.

[suprflyytnt]

I am a returning student in Atlanta. I left the year there was a big controversy in CKD. ANyone know any details. I am looking to get back into the Art but I am a little skeptic. I went to TKD and have recently stopped Shaolin KF. They just aren't the same.

[LilBunnyRabbit]

Couldn't say what the controversy was, we've had one or two. What're you skeptical about? Either way, in Atlanta you're near the headquarters, if you visit the website it should give contact details.

[Joe karate]

I never heard of Choi until I joined MAP. Just wondering, what was the controversy you guys are talking about?

[LilBunnyRabbit]

There've been a few, it depends what year you're talking about. My best guess would be that Suprfly was referring to Master Ku leaving to set up Ku Self Defense.

[suprflyytnt]

I just remember that all the instructors met GM Choi at HQ due to something about him asking for more money from the schools. WHen he walked out he had a gun. Im not trying ot start rumors, im trying to find out if this is a true incident. It is interesting though that after that all of the schools I would visit closed or became new name karate schools that taught TKD. I do see that there are many othr schools in Atlanta, but none of them are where they use to be.

[LilBunnyRabbit]

Sounds like just a rumour to me. Unless he carries a gun as standard, which I guess is possible, I can't see him taking one to a meeting of instructors.

[Stuart Rider]

Have not heard that rumour but know alot more.
This is not really the place to go into digging the
dirt though. Try and keep things on a positive note.
This can only make the martial arts better for everybody
no matter hat art you practise.

[suprflyytnt]

I just want to reiterate, I am not trying to start rumors. CKD was by far the best art I have ever trained in. Even though there are alot of resemblances to a couple of movies which i wount mention here. I am looking forward to going to HQ and watching some classes and possibly geting back into the art. Depends on how much, if any, the cost has increased.

[Pilsung]

For those of you who have questions regarding the incident years ago when members seperated from CKD, its all about GREED. I in fact have first hand knowledge of an individual who was a part of that era, who took GMC's art, changed the name and now teaches it, claiming he was the founder. I have done extensive research on this matter and I will provide you with this....GMC created Choi Kwang Do,,,others who were with him when the promotion of CKD began were extremely greedy individuals. Because they could not be the one in charge, they left CKD, opened up other schools and began teaching watered down versions of the real thing. In regards to the gun issue, there was no gun, GMC is a very humble christian who in my eyes is a very caring/concerned individual who just wants to provide the best training a person could receive. He is very health orientated and believes that martial arts training should be beneficial to a person and not harmful to them.

[Andy Murray]

Hi Pilsung and welcome to the forum.

Nice to see a CKD practitioner from across the water.

Check out the Choi Kwang Do forum, and feel free to post an intro thread!

Njoi.

Andy

[Visage]

I have not only heard of this school/club but i have been as well. I'm not sure if it is still going, but it used to be held at strood methedist church on wednesday eve's at quarter to 8. Like i say, i'm not sure if it is still going, as i only went a few times. PM or email me if u want to know more.

[dancing dave]

Choi Kwang Do had a very turbulant start, with many magazine covers showing some action shot of GMC. And masses of coverage inside. We appeared to be the big mouthed kid in the play ground who had it all, done it all and was always right. So we had people who would just love to knock us off our hastelly built pedistal. Then greed and internal politics, far to early in our inception.
Its not been a good start, but CKD is up with the old guys, a baby thats proud not to say its been around for less than 2000years.
It was something new in 87, it is very consious of repetative injurys caused by MA. But GMC said in a loud voice, that crossed the Atlantic and the rest of the world, this hurts you less.
My first TKD instructor said not to lock the elbow on a front punch, but GMC created/discovered a technique that could be thrown at full force through the air without being harmful.
Still turbulance, still break aways, but is now time to agree to differ. Variety being the spice of life.

[Wynnston]

My first post so bear with me.....

In my extensive 2 years in MA(!) - all in CKD in Scotland there have been varying degrees of turbulence within and between the schools I have come into contact with. I suspect it has always been like that and always will be and in that respect is probably no different from any other organisation of more than one person :-)

My personal philosophy is to try and keep focused on the techniques, the part I like best about CKD, and never let the politics, marketing ploys and commercial angles get to be more important.

Not always easy.

W

[morphus]

The right way of thinking Wynnston - Learn to read between the lines & forget the politics.