a note about the logo. i found out recently what the Symbolism behind the logo is. the outside is a styilized version of the rose of sharon, the national flower of korea the fist and dan bong represnt, the tribal and buddhist martial arts and the twin swords represent the royal court martial arts.
I don't know about that. In an article from Black Belt Magazine, November 2000 issue, there is an interview with Joo-bang Lee. In the interview, Lee states: So, take that for what it's worth.
There will probably be no definitive answer to this. Lee is not the most reliable Mu Do historian, I understand he is famous for fabricating alot. I think it was Dr. He-young Kimm who wrote that in one of his books...I consider him probably the foremost historian on Korean Martial Arts, might be somthing to check into... --Josh
Thomas, Kuk Sool Hapkido is basically the same. It's run by pretty much the same masters that split with Seo, In Sun. There are some slight modifications to a couple of the weapons forms, but the training is essentially the same. There are pretty much in line with WKSA except for the new belts (yellow stripe, etc), including the split of youth BB vs adult BB. There are slight uniform modifications as well. Including the black pants with Hapkido printed down the leg.
these changes are needed Would you please clarify a few things which KSHKD masters used to be WKSA? what is the youth bb requirements ? What do you mean by the yellow stripe?
The KSHKD masters are pretty much only in Korea and would not be recognized outside of the few people who knew them in Korea and some of the older WKSA masters, aside from myself and two others from California. The youth BB requirements are the same as in WKSA. I believe I saw them on Satori's wiki page? When I refer to things like the yellow stripe, it is the "new belts" introduced into WKSA. i.e. yellow stripe belt, blue stripe belt, etc. Those are currently not incorporated into the KSHKD curriculum.
Wow - thanks for the reply. That fits pretty well with my "general " perceptions of what I've seen for the recent years. Let me rephrase my question though. I was looking to see how Kuk Sool Hapkido (or "Kuk Sool Kwan Hapkido") that was taught in Korea before the name "Kuk Sool Won (R) " was adopted. Before the name "Kuk Sool Won" was adopted, did GM In Hyuk Suh and GM In Sun Seo teach "Hapkido" or was "Kuk Sool Hapkido" already the combination of native arts and chinese traditions that would come to be KSW? How big an influence was Hapkido and Choi Yong-sool Dojunim to the art of KSW? Prior to formalizing the art, how much Hapkido did the brothers do and how much is left in the system?
My understanding is that Kim Woo Tak's Kuk Sool Kwan of Hapkido followed in the Choi tradition, while WKSA Kuk Sool Won and later Kidohae Kuk Sool Hapkido were a different animal entirely. The first was a heavily Japanese influenced style, while the latter two were strictly Korean (though not without Chinese influence - see Ship Pal Gi). There is a lot of controversy regarding the histories of Hapkido and Kuk Sool. People like Lee, with his Hwarang Do, further muddy the waters with their take on the events. I doubt any of us here in the West will ever really know the truth. Fortunately, we don't need to in order to practice our art.
I think GM Kim Woo Tak's Kuk Sool Kwan is still a member of the Korea Hapkido Federation (KHF). Did Kim Woo Tak trained directly under Choi Yong-sool Dojunim and what did he contribute to the early days of Kuk Sool Won? Is there any relation?
As a general level of understanding, Kuk Sool Won Hap Ki Do and Kuk Sool Won are essentially the same entity. We're not talking about any derivatives since, but Kuk Sool Won Hap Ki Do was the predecessor of what became Kuk Sool Won in the U.S. GM In Hyuk Suh is/was GM of both organizations. As far as who trained under who, the water is pretty muddy and only those there can clear it up. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your view, I was not there.
Oh and I would just like to add to this, in 80's terms, by saying that Bu Chae Sul is totally freakin RAD!
I think what he meant was that KS is an adaptive MA. Meaning if you can't kick high for some reason you don't have to, its not a requirement. So It can be done with any type of body style(Tall, Short, Skinny, Round, Young, Old, or lol even pregnant).
Thomas, If I'm not mistaken, Tak trained under Kim Moo Hong, who trained under Choi DJN. Kim Moo Hong apparently also trained the Lee brothers. Tak opened a school called the Kuk Sool Kwan, which is rumored to have employed the Suh/Seo brothers... The latter, however, is not something that is NOT set in stone.
