1.

History of Moo Duk Kwan Tae Kwon Do

Tae Kwon Do was formed by merging several Korean martial arts kwans
(schools) in 1965 (or 1961, or 1955, depending on your perspective.)

The several schools were:

• Moo Duk Kwan (founded by Hwang Kee)
• Yeon Moo Kwan (founded by Sang Sup Chun and Byong In Yoon) (later
became Ji Do Kwan)
• Chang Moo Kwan (founded by Byung In Yoon and Nam Suk Lee)
• Song Moo Kwan (founded by Byung Chik Ro)
• Ji Do Kwan (originally Yeon Moo Kwan) (redirected by Chung Woo Lee)
• Chung Do Kwan (founded by Won Kuk Yi (or Lee))

Each school practiced a unique Korean blend of Chinese Kung fu, Japanese
Karate and native Korean (Soo Bakh) arts. However, the Moo Duk Kwan
was the only school where the founding grandmaster did not study under a
Japanese instructor. The founder of Moo Duk Kwan was a man named
Hwang Kee. The general stories of his life indicate the following:

When he was seven years of age he attended a traditional festival called

"Dan O" at a nearby village. The festival had archery, wrestling and many
other activities and events. While there, it is said he witnessed a lone man set
upon by a group of seven (or eight) men. This man vigorously defended
himself and defeated all his opponents. This so fascinated Hwang Kee that
he became very interested in the martial arts.

Hwang Kee studies martial arts in Korea until he was 22 (in 1935), when he
went to Manchuria to work with a Korean railroad company. While there he
met a Chinese Kung Fu master named Kuk Jin Yang. He trained with Kuk
Jin Yang until 1945. At this point he returned to Korea.

He attempted to found his own school in Korea starting in 1945, but failed to
maintain student interest twice (some sources say three times.) At that time
he called it Hwa Soo Do, which might be translated “The Way of the
Flowering Hand.” He then met two black belt instructors of different schools
who were teaching Japanese Karate. After several discussions, he restarted
his Moo Duk Kwan in 1947 offering a blend of Japanese Karate and Chinese
Kung Fu. This time he was successful.

In 1957 he discovered a book called Moo Ye Dobo Tong Ji (Illustrated

Manual of Martial Arts). He used this to incorporate ancient Korean martial
arts techniques into Moo Duk Kwan. Near the end of the book it is said there
was instruction on bare foot, bare hand combat called “Subak”.

Starting 1955 there was a movement among the Kwans to unite under a
single umbrella organization. In 1961 they joined together as the Korean
Taekwondo Association (KTA) – which means the Foot Fist Way.

Hwang Kee did not agree with the approach and withdrew the Moo Duk
Kwan from the organization. Shortly after the Ji Do Kwan also withdrew.
The two schools associated as the Dae Han Soo Bahk Do Hoi (Greater
Korean Hand Strike Way Association). Hwang Kee called his school at this
time the Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan. Tang Soo Do might be translated as
“The Way of the (Chinese) Empty Hand.”

Following this the Korea Sports Association (KSA) removed Tang Soo Do
Moo Duk Kwan's membership and recognition in the KSA, preventing it's
instructors from teaching in public school and impeding their ability to teach
professionally. As a result, many of the Moo Duk Kwan senior students
(including Young Tek Im and Chong Soo Hong) broke away from Tang Soo
Do and joined the Tae Kwon Do association. This was the origin of Tae
Kwon Do Moo Duk Kwan as of April, 1965.

The first president of Taekwondo Moo Duk Kwan was Kang Ik Lee elected
in 1965. In 1971 the Board of Directors of the Moo Duk Kwan Tae Kwon
Do Association elected Chong Soo Hong as the 3rd President of that
organization.

The dispute was eventually resolved by the Korean Supreme Court in 1975
in favor of Hwang Kee. But by this time there were two branches of the Moo
Duk Kwan – a Tae Kwon Do branch, and a Tang Soo Do branch. In the
1980’s, the Tang Soo Do branch further split into other schools, and in 1995
the branch affiliated with Hwang Kee renamed itself Soo Bahk Do
(remember “Subak” in the book found in 1957!)

The Tae Kwon Do branch made several attempts to remerge the two Moo
Duk Kwan organizations but to date this has been unsuccessful. There are
about 500,000 Tae Kwon Do Moo Duk Kwan practitioners in Korea, and
another 300,000 or so in the USA, with branches in approximately 40 other
countries. Grandmaster Hwang Kee died in 2002.

Moo Duk Kwan can be literally translated into American English as follows:

• Moo – military, chivalry, martial

• Duk – benevolence, virtue, goodness, commanding respect
• Kwan – large building, palace, library

This is generally translated as: “The Institute of Martial Virtue.”

Some feel that the Moo Duk Kwan approach to Tae Kwon Do tends to be a
smoother and more flowing style, perhaps due to the Kung Fu influence of
Hwang Kee’s teacher Kuk Jin Yang. The different Tae Kwon Do schools
vary in emphasis on weapons, stances, more or less emphasis on hip
rotation, different use of muscle tension, different emphasis on punching
versus kicking, and so on.
2. Taekwondo WTF Black Belt Form 1 - Koryo
 From the Ready stance (Joon Bi) with your hands by your belt, you open
your hands (with the hands facing each other, fingertip to fingertip and
palms up) and slowly move them towards your head
 When you reach chest level, you should flip them over (slowly) so they rise
to form a triangle in front of your face
 Once in front of your face, you push the "triangle" out directly away from
your face
 At the same time, you should slowly rise up on your toes when you start
moving your hands and then sink back down to "flat" feet (flat on the
ground) when you push the triangle out
 If this initial step (with the hands) sounds complicated, please watch the
videos above (as this is an easy maneuver).
 Turn left 90 degrees into a back stance, left foot forward and execute a
double knife hand block
 With your right (rear) foot execute a double side kick (low and high) and
land forward on this right leg in a front stance
 Then execute a knife hand strike (palm down) to the imaginary opponent's
neck with your right hand and then quickly throw a punch with your left
hand
 Then move into a back stance by moving your forward leg back into position
and at the same time, execute an inside block with your right arm
 Turn right 180 degrees into a back stance, right foot forward and execute a
double knife hand block
 With your left (rear) foot execute a double side kick (low and high) and land
forward on this left leg in a front stance
 Then execute a knife hand strike (palm down) to the imaginary opponent's
neck with your left hand and then quickly throw a punch with your right
hand
 Then move into a back stance by moving your forward leg back into position
and at the same time, execute an inside block with your left arm
 Turn left 90 degrees into a front stance (left leg forward) and execute a low
knife hand block with your left hand and then throw an arc hand strike to
the imaginary opponent's neck with your right hand
 Then do a front kick with your rear (right) leg and go into a front stance,
execute a low knife hand block with your right hand and then throw an arc
hand strike to the imaginary opponent's neck with your left hand
 Then do another front kick with your rear (left) leg and go into a front
stance, execute a low knife hand block with your left hand and then throw
an arc hand strike to the imaginary opponent's neck with your right hand. At
the end of this maneuver, yell "Kihap".
 Now, execute a front kick with your rear (right) leg and land in a front
stance, grasp your imaginary opponent's ankle with your left hand and press
down on the imaginary opponent's knee with your right hand
 Turn 180 degrees to the left, go into a front stance (right leg forward) and
execute a double inner block
 Then do a front kick with your rear (left) leg and land in a front stance, grasp
your imaginary opponent's ankle with your right hand and press down on
the imaginary opponent's knee with your left hand
 Move your left foot back into a walking stance and execute a double inner
block
 Turn 90 degrees by stepping back with your right foot into a horse-riding
stance and do a single knife hand block with your left hand (right hand on
your belt in a fist)
 Punch your right hand into the palm of your left hand - keep your left arm
extended. You will turn your left hand slightly from the knife hand block
position - imagine grasping an opponent with your left hand and holding
him while you strike him with a punch from your right hand.
 Cross your right foot over your left foot and execute a side kick with your
left foot
 After "landing" your side kick turn 180 degrees and go into a front stance
(right leg forward)
 Throw a groin finger strike with left hand while "grasping" your imaginary
opponent with your right hand and "pulling" him until your right hand lands
on your left shoulder
 Then slide your right foot back into a walking stance and execute a low
block with your right arm (and bring your left fist to your belt)
 Step forward into a walking stance (with your left foot forward) and execute
a down palm block with your left hand
 Step forward with your right foot into a horse-riding stance and throw an
elbow strike (against an opponent on your right side - looks almost like an
elbow "poke") with right fist enclosed by your left hand
 Then transition into a single knife hand block with your right hand (left hand
on your belt in a fist)
 Punch your left hand into the palm of your right hand - keep your right arm
extended. You will turn your right hand slightly from the knife hand block
position - imagine grasping an opponent with your right hand and holding
him while you strike him with a punch from your left hand.
 Cross your left foot over your right foot and execute a side kick with your
right foot
 After "landing" your side kick turn 180 degrees and go into a front stance
(left leg forward)
 Throw a groin finger strike with right hand while "grasping" your imaginary
opponent with your left hand and "pulling" him until your left hand lands on
your right shoulder
 Then slide your left foot back into a walking stance and execute a low block
with your left arm (and bring your right fist to your belt)
 Step forward into a walking stance (with your right foot forward) and
execute a down palm block with your right hand
 Step forward with your left foot into a horse-riding stance and throw an
elbow strike (against an opponent on your left - looks almost like an elbow
"poke") with left fist enclosed by your right hand
 Move your right foot next to your left so your feet are together and raise
both hands above your head with palms open. Bring both hands down in a
circular motion with your left fist striking your open right palm at the
bottom of this circle. This is a slow technique and should take about 5
seconds (count to 5 in your head)
 Turn 180 degrees to the left into a front stance (with left leg forward) and
execute a knife hand strike (palm down) with your left hand and then a low
knife hand block with the same hand
 Step forward with your right foot into a front stance and execute a knife
hand strike (palm up) with your right hand and then a low knife hand block
with the same hand
 Step forward with your left foot into a front stance and execute a knife hand
strike (palm up) with your left hand and then a low knife hand block with
the same hand
 Step forward with your right foot into front stance and execute an arc hand
strike to your imaginary opponent's neck with your right hand and yell
"Kihap"
 After the Master says "Bah Ro", you should return by turning to the left 180
degrees and move back into the Ready stance (Joon Bi)
 From the Ready stance (Joon Bi) with your hands by your belt, you open
your hands (with the hands facing each other, fingertip to fingertip and
palms up) and slowly move them towards your head
 When you reach chest level, you should flip them over (slowly) so they rise
to form a triangle in front of your face
 Once in front of your face, you push the "triangle" out directly away from
your face
 At the same time, you should slowly rise up on your toes when you start
moving your hands and then sink back down to "flat" feet (flat on the
ground) when you push the triangle out