Choi Kwang Do, real art or belt mill?

[scottie]

Hello all, I been looking at a TKD type art to try to learn better my kicking skills. We have a Choi Kwang Do school about 45 minutes from my house. I went to visit. and did not know what to think. They charge a lot of money for a few classes a week. Is this art new. does anyone know much about it. they seem very uniform form my internet study. I would like some input please.

 

[terryl965]

First off please provide there website for a review, secondly want was it that turned you away from them? Did you get to try a class or two, was you able to ask question and get info. back at you.

 

[scottie]

commerceckd.com
they were just real short and were quick to talk about money. just kind of a turn off. I am going next week for a free class.
They may be great. I was just wondering if anyone knew about the art before i spent that money.

 

[Carol]

All Commerce Choi Kwang Do Instructors and Assistant Instructors are Internationally Certified through Choi Kwang Do Martial Art International. This certification insures you that a consistent, quality program is taught as designed by Grandmaster Kwang Jo Choi.


It looks like a bit of a belt mill to me. That's not to say that you won't learn anything, or you won't enjoy the training.

Charging a lot of money for a few classes per week - this is a structure optimized for children, so kids can train and not get burned out and the school can profit. Most mass-market MA schools such as this one do not divide up the training between kids and adults, so chances are you're going to get more of the watered-down stuff than material that holds up better in a combat scenario.

Personally, I'd stay away and find something at a better price point.

 

[FieldDiscipline]

There are one or two of these near-ish to here. I did look it up a while back. IIRC their founder was allegedly a Korean Army TKD instructor who for whatever reason wanted to develop techniques that were less harmful to the body or something like that.

They also appeared to have about ten different coloured uniform combinations for every eventuality as you progressed through the ranks. Looked like a big earner for the suppliers.

What I've seen here wasn't great. I'm sure there are some good ones though.

 

[FieldDiscipline]

During his military service, Kwang Jo became a chief Instructor in the 20th infantry division and came into contact with General Choi (the founder of Taekwon-do) when the military began to use that system for unarmed combat. After completing his military service, Kwang Jo traveled to Seoul to see General Choi, who taught him the art. Shortly thereafter, Kwang Jo was named a chief instructor for the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) and taught martial arts instructors from all over Korea and overseas. At the same time, Kwang Jo served as an instructor for the national police department, and taught many military instructors and members of the armed forces. In 1967, the ITF sanctioned him as one of six instructors to demonstrate and promote Taekwon-Do throughout Southeast Asia.

Due to the lockout movements of his traditional martial arts training, however, Kwang Jo injured his body which forced him to move to North America for medical treatment in 1970. After visits with many doctors, Kwang Jo decided to rehabilitate his body withour sergury.

He also studied physical therapy techniques and slowly began to recuperate and heal his condition. It was during this process that Kwang Jo started realizing that the harsher, lockout movements used in conventional martial arts had caused his injuries. As a result, he began to study anatomy, physiology and human-movement sciences.

From 1978 to 1987, as Kwang Jo completely restored his body and health, he incorporated everything he had learned into a new martial arts system called Choi Kwang Do, which translates as “the art (or method) of Kwang Choi.

From here.

One assumes he should be good.

 

[Cirdan]

18 kyu ranks, testing every month, black belt club and belt worship to the point of a load of them being on display on the walls.. lots of red flags here.

The pictures are pretty underwhelming, especially the ones from black belt gradings.

They ought to be pretty impressive if you believe some of their claims tho..
"The most effective martial arts system in the world"
"Natural and easy-to-learn"

 

[ArmorOfGod]

One of their "assistant instructors" is a yellow belt. If I walk in to a school and pay them $150 per month, I better not be taught by a beginner.

Also, a buddy of mine's stepbrother is a black belt at one of the CKD schools in Georgia. He was under ten years old, although I don't know which CKD school it was (4 years ago).

AoG

 

[Wey]

If you're in Georgia, you're sure to see Choi Kwang Do schools all over. I have never visited them personally, but I've heard that they are less than superb. Where do you reside, scottie?

 

[ATC]

Well I won't talk bad about any art, school, or instructor so I can only say that after going over their website, I did not see any kicking that looks like it would be what you are looking for. Their art may be a good one but form what you said you are looking for and what I saw, I am not sure if you will find it there. You may and they may kick great, but it is not shown on their website.

 

[Bruno@MT]

I distinctly remember one CKD student raving about his art because it taught you to block fist strikes with your feet. And he said it was very valuable because if you broke your arm in a fight, wouldn't it be useful to be able to block with your feet?

Yeah... sure....

 

[FieldDiscipline]

I distinctly remember one CKD student raving about his art because it taught you to block fist strikes with your feet. And he said it was very valuable because if you broke your arm in a fight, wouldn't it be useful to be able to block with your feet?

Yeah... sure....

:lol2:

 

[scottie]

If you're in Georgia, you're sure to see Choi Kwang Do schools all over. I have never visited them personally, but I've heard that they are less than superb. Where do you reside, scottie?

I live in Elberton, GA. It is an hour North East of Athens (UGA) and a little over hour South West of Clemson (Anderson SC) it is a small town I have a school here and I drive to Anderson SC two day week. I love karate i just want to kick better. They look very well organized just a little watered down, and money focused. living small town I'd have to take 3 new students to pay for my classes and another to pay for gas. I just wondered if anyone went or used to go to one of their schools? thanks!

 

[PatMunk]

Scottie avoid them ..... You will not learn any great kicking techniques from them ....

You already probably kick better than most of them anyways....

Heck I know many who are only yellow belts who can kick better ...

 

[Omar B]

I actually did CKD as a kid when I was still living in Jamaica. My Saturdays were rough then, going to Seido in the morning then CKD in the evening, just changing gi jackets in between.

So what I know about the style. Well I really cannot say how well my experience with the art would reflect considering it was in another country in a much smaller martial art community. We took part in tournaments, we sparred, tests were not as frequent as they seem to be at schools up here. But as I said it's a smaller MA community in Jamaica and our instructor (Master Brown) was with TKD for years before changing over. Hell, his school's not listed on the official CKD website.

The style itself is very circular so it was totally unlike the karate I was doing and the adjustment was tricky. Power delivery was good because of the nature of the movements but speed was something you had to work up to. From a technical standpoint you could deliver a lot of power with all the strikes and blocks. Oddly enough the way things work mechanically in the art actually helps flexibility a lot, and kicks maintain power even when they go pretty high.

 

[scottie]

I actually did CKD as a kid when I was still living in Jamaica. My Saturdays were rough then, going to Seido in the morning then CKD in the evening, just changing gi jackets in between.

So what I know about the style. Well I really cannot say how well my experience with the art would reflect considering it was in another country in a much smaller martial art community. We took part in tournaments, we sparred, tests were not as frequent as they seem to be at schools up here. But as I said it's a smaller MA community in Jamaica and our instructor (Master Brown) was with TKD for years before changing over. Hell, his school's not listed on the official CKD website.

The style itself is very circular so it was totally unlike the karate I was doing and the adjustment was tricky. Power delivery was good because of the nature of the movements but speed was something you had to work up to. From a technical standpoint you could deliver a lot of power with all the strikes and blocks. Oddly enough the way things work mechanically in the art actually helps flexibility a lot, and kicks maintain power even when they go pretty high.

wow! thanks man

 

[FieldDiscipline]

Sorry to drag this up again, but I happened upon something that was of interest.

http://www.ksdi.net/choikwangdoresignation.html

Master Roger Koo's resignation as Vice-President of Choi Kwang Do Martial Art International and many others.
What you are about to read on this page may have begun in 1991 when I was a vice-president of Choi Kwang Do Martial Art International BUT on reading the entire page thoroughly, you will discover that CKD has not changed much over the years and continue to scam their Chief Instructors even to this day!

For Master Roger Koo's martial arts history and achievements, please browse through Master Roger Koo's martial arts history and achievements

I am often asked "with someone of your credentials and martial arts history, how did you end up in Cartersville, Metro Atlanta, Georgia?" What led me to developed Koo Self Defense and finally settled in Cartersville was my resignation from Choi Kwang Do (CKD) in November 1991. My departure with CKD was not very pleasant and what they did to me afterwards is a real life story for a movie or a mini series for a television movie.

This is a brief summary of the events. I submitted a 24-page letter of resignation to CKD...

 

[clfsean]

I actually did CKD as a kid when I was still living in Jamaica. My Saturdays were rough then, going to Seido in the morning then CKD in the evening, just changing gi jackets in between.

So what I know about the style. Well I really cannot say how well my experience with the art would reflect considering it was in another country in a much smaller martial art community. We took part in tournaments, we sparred, tests were not as frequent as they seem to be at schools up here. But as I said it's a smaller MA community in Jamaica and our instructor (Master Brown) was with TKD for years before changing over. Hell, his school's not listed on the official CKD website.

The style itself is very circular so it was totally unlike the karate I was doing and the adjustment was tricky. Power delivery was good because of the nature of the movements but speed was something you had to work up to. From a technical standpoint you could deliver a lot of power with all the strikes and blocks. Oddly enough the way things work mechanically in the art actually helps flexibility a lot, and kicks maintain power even when they go pretty high.

Your school in Jamaica must've been the exception because of what I've seen of them, I gotta say that's not the norm when it comes to visible & demonstrable power generated & technique.

 

[Omar B]

I've not set foot in a CKD school here in the US so I have no idea how it works. What I can tell you is that what I learned was brutal and effective. I'm usually quite surprise hearing all these stories about the schools up here, that's pretty sad because I would have loved to return to the style someday and finish my journey.

 

[Bruno@MT]

Sorry to drag this up again, but I happened upon something that was of interest.

http://www.ksdi.net/choikwangdoresignation.html

I read that. Well, most of it until it got fairly repetitive.
This account has 'sucker' written all over it. He was continuously taken advantage of and milked for money, yet he knew it and allowed it to happen for years. This is like those people who go along in the Nigerian scams and keep paying in the hope of ever seeing the 20 million dollars they were promised.