Scott Shaw

Discussion in 'Hapkido' started by Hapkid0ist, Dec 13, 2006.

  1. Hapkid0ist

    Hapkid0ist Tsalagi Pride!!!!

    Scott Shaw is all over the internet. In almost every Hapkido search on the net he pops up. I myself know very little about him other than what is on his web site. As well, that I know of I have never even spoken with any of his students or former students on these forum sites. What does everyone else know? Is he any good? Are his techniques more TKD influenced since he does TKD as well? What is his rep, since I never see anything about him on any of the forums?
     
  2. removal

    removal Valued Member

    Scott Shaw is a truly fascinating character. I've also been through all his bios on the Internet, but have never met him. He seems to have achieved so much in the field of martial arts. He is a master in both Hapkido and Taekwondo. He has founded the Hapkido-Taekwondo federation - although I wonder how many members it actually has? He has residency status in Japan, and has done so much valuable research into the origins of Hapkido and Taekwondo. He brings out new books all the time.
    At the same time, he is an experimental film maker. I have watched some of his short films and they have come across as soft porn!!!

    How can someone be such a respected member of the martial arts community and be a porn producer at the same time???
     
  3. wild_pitch

    wild_pitch Melt The Guns!

    all i know about scott shaw is i watched one of his advanced kicking tapes and literlly had to turn the VCR off to stop myself from laughing.

    the kicking was terrible nothing had any power, and the overacting of his training partner was hilarious. every horrible kick his training partner recieved he went flying across the mat with a huge grunt like a rag doll. then he would get up unhurt...
     
  4. iron_ox

    iron_ox Jungki Kwan Midwest

    Hello all,

    I have to disagree with part of this. Shaw has done no REAL research on the History of Hapkido - to my knowledge, he has not spoken, or even written about any of the long term students of Dojunim Choi. His "research" seems to be re-hashed supposition.

    Technically, I have always felt his published material looked very "stiff" in terms of his body mechanics - not something one expects of a "highly accomplished" Hapkido Master.
     
    Last edited: Dec 13, 2006
  5. removal

    removal Valued Member

    Then, is this guy a fake?

    I'm sure I read an account he posted on the Internet a couple of years back where he traced the footsteps and researched first hand whether the supposed founder of Hapkido had trained in Daito Ryu at the temple as is claimed in Korean history books. He quoted people and documents and everything. I was pretty convinced.

    Go over to his page at Internet Movie Data Base: http://www.imdb.com/find?s=all&q=%22scott+shaw%22 I swear it's the same Scott Shaw. Even though I like the idea of his creativity in movie making, the content coming from a 'renowned' martial that I saw in the movie trailers was pretty surprising!
     
  6. iron_ox

    iron_ox Jungki Kwan Midwest

    Hello all,

    Firstly, I don't know anything about Shaw's "movie credits" - so would not comment on those.

    Secondly, based on what I read from Shaw on his historical evidence of Hapkido, he says very little other that what has been said by others for years before him. Since he never seems to interviem anyone with any standing connected with Dojunim Choi, I consider him a hack historian.

    And as for the published stuff I mentioned, it is the technique photo pictorials that he looks like someone just ran a nail through his foot when doing technique - not to mention tying a board to his back...
     
  7. iron_ox

    iron_ox Jungki Kwan Midwest

    Hello all,

    Sorry, last thing here, do you mean Choi, Yong Sul Dojunim? If so, I would have you ponder that if all the water in the world came from the same well, even if it was touched by others over and over, and the color changed and sugar and other flavors added, regardless of what it looks and tastes like NOW, there was still only ONE SOURCE, that single first well.

    For Hapkido, that well is Choi, Yong Sul, Dojunim - without doubt or question.
     
  8. KSW_123

    KSW_123 Valued Member

    I bought his book "The Ki Process". It is not very good.
     
  9. koyo

    koyo Passed away, but always remembered. RIP.

    Hi removal

    The "temple" spoken of must refer to the Daito Kan mansion where Takeda Kunutsugu taught Daito Ryu as a secret art to the elite samurai of Aizu so a Korean learning there sounds a bit "iffy".Actually it is ridiculous.

    regards koyo
     
    Last edited: Dec 13, 2006
  10. removal

    removal Valued Member

    It's ironic that you said this because last night, I was reading :

    This was part of an interview with the World Taekwondo Federation president in the latest WTF newsletter!
     
  11. MadMonk108

    MadMonk108 JKD/Kali Instructor

    Scott Shaw = the Ashida Kim of KMA.
     
  12. nj_howard

    nj_howard Valued Member

    Takeda Kunitsugu, who lived in the 16th century, was a distant ancestor of the Takeda referred to in connection with Choi Yong Sul. Choi is said to have studied Daito-ryu under Sokaku Takeda from around 1910 until 1943, when Takeda died and Choi repatriated to Korea.

    This account has never been proved, nor disproved. I wouldn't call it "ridiculous". There can really be no doubt that Choi was highly skilled in some type of Aikijujutsu when he returned to Korea, and there are unmistakable parallels between mainline Daito-ryu techniques and the techniques that Choi taught. The similarities are so great that they cannot IMO be purely coincidental.

    We'll just have to wait for more reliable historical evidence to become available before we can ascertain whether Choi's account of training under Takeda was true. For what it's worth, Choi never wavered in his story.
     
  13. JimH

    JimH Valued Member

    While it is said that Choi lost his paper work,it is true from what we see that he had trained in Daito Ryu aiki Jitsu.
    If we look at the technique used by Followers of Choi and we look at the technique of those in Daito ryu we see the same materials.

    I have watched,Kondo and his art of Daito Ryu,I have watched Miguel Ibarra and his presentation of Daito Ryu,I have watched Ieshiba and his art,I have watched In Sun Seo and his art,and I see the same art in all of these men.

    I have also read about other Koreans (three that I have read about) who had obtained instructor certifications under Takeda and they have Legitimate paper work and in research for materials on Choi at least one has said he saw Choi often at the traveling clinics.

    While we may never have documented proof of Choi's training we have to admit he had some and this is what we do in the art we call Hapkido.
     
  14. hapk1do

    hapk1do Valued Member

    Scott Shaw is KHF, so if he were to interview anyone it would probably be GM Oh Se Lim or GM Ji. I have read allot of his stuff, and you are right... There's really nothing profound there. I would recommend it to newbies though, as his stuff is, for the most part, unbiased.

    I will state the obvious here and say that given that there are so many different associations in play now that stemmed off of DJN Choi's influence, and hence started their own systems/curriculum, it would sort of prove impossible to cram all that into a mutual history. Also, I think that there would be allot of disagreement on how to proceed with that.

    As for the photos of himself, Scott Shaw, :D .. He's also an actor, director, producer etc.. He does seem to throw allot of theatrics into his pictures..
     
  15. JTMS

    JTMS Valued Member

    I am not a fan of Scott Shaw nor am I here to throw rocks. If he loves his hapkido half as much as I love mine then God bless him. As far as his skill level is concerned, I have never been on the mat w/ him so I can't say. I will say that I have read some of his accounts on the history of hapkido and found nothing very "off" in my opinion.

    He does seem to be working hard (perhaps it is easier for some of us to throw rocks than work hard?).

    If the guy wants to promote hapkido thats great. We need all the help we can get.

    Best wishes,

    JB Murphy

    P.S. I think it might be easy to find flaws in the people whos opinions may not match our own.
     
    Last edited: May 19, 2007
  16. hapk1do

    hapk1do Valued Member

    Actions do speak louder than words, or in the case of Choi DJN... certs. ;)
     

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