Ian wallace
Yellow Belt
I was just wondering how soo bahk was like as a style if it was anything like Tang soo do we train today? also what is the chinese conection Within Tang Soo Do as?
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http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47631
Here is a link to another thread along the same lines. But the very short answer is that Soo Bahk Do and Tang Soo Do are virtually the same art. There are some differences in the forms that they practice and some minor differences in techniques, but they are descended from the same place.
As for the chinese connection - the only connection that I personnally know of is that GM Hwang Kee trained in China for a time, but there are many on this board who are much more knowledgeable.
So are there any historical or accurate accounts of how long he trained in China or the arts in which he trained?
It is easy to see the Okinawan influence, in our Hyung alone, but it seems that the chinese influence is more hidden...
My teachers still avoid the topic of Japanese influence. They won't flat out deny, but they are very good at tap dancing around it. In fact, many of the older generation of Koreans still have very bad feelings toward the Japanese.
Again - I have a very limited knowledge of this...but I know that you have to dig into the actual characters to get more meaning. For example, if you read the Chinese characters for Tang Soo Do in Japan, it is translated as Karate, or Way of the Empty Hand. I've also seen it translated as Way of the hand of the Tang. Tang referring to the Tang Dynasty.
I do know that when you get into the Chinese characters and translation, things can get confusing.