Tang Soo Do Links

The Brown Tang Soo Do club
http://www.brown.edu/Students/Tang_Soo_Do/

From About.com
http://martialarts.about.com/cs/generalsite20/

World Tang Soo Do Association
http://www.wtsda.com/

A Chinese-influenced variant (www.tangsoudao.com), Ren Yi Wu Kwan Tang Sou Dao.

Originally posted by arnisador
A Chinese-influenced variant (www.tangsoudao.com), Ren Yi Wu Kwan Tang Sou Dao.

Except, by its very definition, Tang Soo Do is Chinese-influenced. The 'tang' in Tang Soo Do refers to China, much like the 'kara' in karate used to refer to China.

Cthulhu

To what extent are there TSD branches? Is it stil principally one system? Is Hwang Kee still alive and the head?

Is the Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan Federation (http://www.soobahkdo.com/) the big organization?

I'm unclear why the term Soo Bahk Do continues to be used so often for TSD. I tend to think of Soo Bahk Do as the older system, before being modified.

Originally posted by Cthulhu

Except, by its very definition, Tang Soo Do is Chinese-influenced. The 'tang' in Tang Soo Do refers to China, much like the 'kara' in karate used to refer to China.

I recently picked up the book Tang Soo Do (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0865681708/qid=1015216191/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-4447365-8711356) by Kang Uk Lee. I am aware that the art has a Chinese influence and of course a Japanese influence. And yet, in describing the three Naihanji Hyung (forms), we have:

The Naihanji Hyung was devised 950 years ago, during the era of the Song dynasty, by the founder of the Kang Woo Ryu school of martial arts.


This does not match well with the pictures that follow this describtion, which clearly show Naihanchi kata, an Okinawan kata.

Originally posted by arnisador

To what extent are there TSD branches? Is it still principally one system? Is Hwang Kee still alive and the head?


i do know that hwang kee is still alive but he has passed leadership on to his son.

my teacher will be going to korea soon to train with hwang kee. he is in his 90's.

many people did not agree with hwang kee's decision to pass leadership onto his son being that he was not the next senior member, so some have split to form other TSD organizations.

"To what extent are there TSD branches? Is it stil principally one system? Is Hwang Kee still alive and the head?"

There are many branches of TSD now, the main ones being the Moo Duk Kwan and the World Tang Soo Do Association.

"Is the Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan Federation the big organization?"

Yes

"I'm unclear why the term Soo Bahk Do continues to be used so often for TSD. I tend to think of Soo Bahk Do as the older system, before being modified."

Soo Bahk Do is the newer system, as Hwang Kee introduced new Korean forms(Chil Sung, Yuk Ro) in the seventies(I think) which are slowly replacing the older Japanese forms. The term Soo Bahk Do is used to differentiate between the older(TSD) and newer systems.

Soo Bahk Do is the most current version of Tang Soo Do, then? I assume people were encouraged to switch from the old TSD to SBD?

What is the proper name of Soo Bahk Do by the way? Is it "Soo Bahk Do Tang Soo Do"? Or just "Soo Bahk Do"?

"Soo Bahk Do is the most current version of Tang Soo Do, then? I assume people were encouraged to switch from the old TSD to SBD?"

Only within the Moo Duk Kwan as far as I know they had no choice. Orgs such as WSTDA who practice the older curriculum were not encouraged to make the switch to the newer forms. I believe the introduction of new forms upset many people and was the cause of a lot of new factions forming.

"What is the proper name of Soo Bahk Do by the way? Is it "Soo Bahk Do Tang Soo Do"? Or just "Soo Bahk Do"?"

It sepends on the organisation, its not just the Moo Duk Kwan who practice Soo Bahk Do. There are independent orgs which broke away from the MDK who practice the new curriculum, they usually have Soo Bahk Do or Moo Duk Kwan in thier titles to show which curriculum they teach.

I have seen it named

Soo Bahk Do Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan
Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan
Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan
and
Soo Bahk Do

They all practice pretty much the same thing with some small differences, but it would be quite different to a school with the Tang Soo Do title such as a World TSD school. I beleive Soo Bahk Do is becoming a different style of the same art such as Shotokan and Wado Ryu are different styles of Karate.

Ah, I think I get it. Are there meaningful differences beyond the selection of forms? I know TSD is much more self-defense oriented than TKD, for example.

"Are there meaningful differences beyond the selection of forms?"

Not much really, I know they have some different one steps for sure but I have heard many different things such as SBD is less internal, more circular and harder than TSD, also that SBD practitioners are starting to move differently due to the new forms.

They both have the same emphasis on self defence but it would depend on the school. I have been trying to find out the exact differences for a while now as I plan on moving to a city which only has SBD(I practice TSD). I spoke to someone from the club and they wouldnt give me any specifics but told me I would have to start from white belt and could progress through the ranks quicker than normal(I should still be a cho dan when I move). This suggests to me that there are some fundemental differences in tecniques that will have to be drilled into me or maybe that is just as long as it takes to learn the new forms etc. I should be able to tell you for sure in around a year ;)