I had to go see what this Azeitung's signature was about. I would hope it just came out wrong. <grin> I am about to start studying Kuk Sool Won and feel it is important to 100% trust in your instructors and grand master. I will take what I see here in forums with many grains of salt I think until I can witness some of these things first hand. Until then, train train train. tj
Here is another clip of Grandmaster Seo, and man is it a good one!!! Thanks to the Art of the Warrior folks for sharing! Enjoy! --josh
Hi Josh, It was good to get to meet you at the Orlando Fl seminar. Grand Master still does a great job!! There will be another World Kido/Hanminjok Hapkido Assoc. seminar featuring Master Steve Seo in Dallas Texas in May. Hope to see you there!
Greetings, He's very quick and also very smooth and moves great for someone his age. Personally some of the skills are too "artsy" for my tatse I to like GM Seo do some stronger combative nature demo.
Stuart, Regarding your request for more of a "combative" demonstration, I've spoken to GM Seo about this very point and I believe it's philosophical view that GM has. I've seen (and personally felt) more combative applications from GM Seo but his view is that in the open seminars/teaching context, his emphasis on techniques are 3 fold: 1. Emphasis on balanced stances, solid foundation and sound basic motion 2. Application of techniques with the minimum amount of force required while still effectively executing techniques 3. Emphasis and fluid power application rather than too rigid force Early on in this seminar, GM took some time to explain some of these concepts to the participants. That being said, in my seminars, I do so some of the more combative applications of the techniques but I tend to appreciate watching GM Seo apply the techniques the way he does. Steve Seo
Greetings Steve I agree with everything you wrote and I also have the same goals and beliefs in training. I'm more impressed by seeing the power and strenght that HKD techs. produce using the attributes you mentioned from GM Seo. Age differences a side and stylistic perferences acknowledged, this would be more my type of demo still a bid to flashy but for comparison I see a great show of "stopping power" which is needed in a fight, also a strong emphasis on taking the opponents balance, speed, fluidity, etc.... [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ7QHbco6-Y"]Hapkido Cheong Kyum Kwan - YouTube[/ame]
Stuart, Looking at the video you sent over, I have a couple of cursory observations: 1. I like the speed of the demonstration. When you execute techniques in real life, they have to be at least as fast as the demo you attached. I'd argue that you have to be even faster than the demo you provided. 2. I wasn't as impressed by the demonstrator's own balance and ending stances at the point of final execution of the techniques. While sufficient to execute the technique, I think he needed a better center of gravity with respect to his danjun especially in his rotational movements. I believe that's one the concepts GM Seo was trying to teach in the seminar. 3. I think the power generation of the individual was too "forced" in that his power was coming too much from his shoulders and arms. Again, another concept that's important to GM Seo. That being said, I don't think the demonstration was bad. It's one of the better one's I've seen posted on this forum. One thing I think this exercise shows that it's easy to pick apart any demo but I prefer to look for the positive things that I can take from watching these videos. I'm sure you and I could critique each other equally as thoroughly (more likely even more so). In reality though, it would be good to "feel" the techniques directly from GM Seo to make your own determination. Steve Seo
Greetings, I have never doubted the skill of GM Seo in any way maybe one day I'll have the opportunity to meet attend a seminar. And I agree all these demos are really just rehearsed shows, real fights are rarely pretty or an artsy presentation.
Please understand that the last video of GM Seo presented is NOT an example of a demonstration (unlike the video that you sent over). The video of Grand Master Seo is a prime example of him working in an instructional mode. The techniques as they were taught in Florida, observed on the clip were presented to the students so that they could learn the techniques (not to impress a crowd, as impressive his technique is!). Also please understand that the video of Grand Master In Sun Seo was taken on the fly during his lessons that day. No "pre-arrangements" were made or a take after take situation (GM Seo does not need to do such things). The awesome technique you see is the awesome technique you get. As far as the "artsy" effectively.......lol......you would have to witness it first hand to even start to understand!
Greetings, That's true and I understood that from the get go. I was not comparing demos that would not have been a fair comparison. I was trying to show an example of more combative skill set IMO v.s. who performed better maybe that didn't come over as I hoped? This type of media often makes it hard to gauge a persons intensions. As I said several times I don't doubt his skill, no need to build him up I really do get it. Many of the world's senior Masters are all extradinary in their own right with the way they developed their individual styles. I don't say one's better than the next just different as we are all different and have our personal perferances and strenghts in training.
Stuart, I think that if you can attend either GM Seo's seminar or one of mine you'll see that our application of techniques is very much inline with what you mentioned and what you are looking for. With regards to the video you sent over, I would argue that that demo is not necessary more realistic or combative in it's execution of techniques, just that was more emphasis on finishing techniques and use of overt power application (use of shoulder and arms as I've mentioned before). In my training, I've learned that the more natural application of force (more inline with GM Seo's video) is actually more effective in realistic fighting situations. Again, this is probably something more easily demonstrated in person. Steve Seo
