Documentation of Original Koryo

[Holy Samosa]

Hello everyone,

I'm trying to collect all the documentation I can regarding the original Koryo poomse developed by the KTA in 1967. I'm interested not only in accurately learning the original form, but also in discovering anything I can of it's history and the reason for it's replacement with the current WTF Koryo in 1974.

By far the best resource I've found documenting the movements of the form is the the Official Karate Magazine article from 1972 by GM Kim Soo, purportedly the first English language publication of the form. Robert McClain has kindly scanned and posted the article here:
http://www.arlingtonkarate.com/articles/Official%20Karate%20Magazine%20Cover%20April%201972.pdf

I've also discovered a few online videos with interpretations of the form.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=ek-2vo_wh4E
• http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=40603712

There's a thread on this forum discussing the history of Koryo with a few intriguing suggestions that the reason for the change may have been political, but nothing concrete:
http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=73027

If anyone has anything else to contribute, I'd be very grateful and will update this post to keep links to resources in one spot. I know there are folks on the forum who still practice the form and would be incredible appreciative to anyone willing to post video of the poomse as taught in their school.

Thanks!
Jeremy

 

[IcemanSK]

Hi Jeremy,

Mast Mclain really is the probably the expert on that hyung on this board. Shoot him a PM. I'm sure he'd be glad to help you.

Welcome to MT!

 

[JWLuiza]

I like the original much more!!! Thanks for sharing.However, it might have been performer dependent.

 

[Archtkd]

Thanks for posting that video link. I'd almost forgotten I learned that form and performed it for my third degree blacbelt test without realizing it was the original Koryo. My instructor back then was Sun Park in Cincinnati, who's father was a third generaton grandmaster of the Kang Duk Won Kwan. I think Master Park called that old Koryo form Koryo So and he taught another one he called Koryo Dae. We learned both forms in addition to Bassai Dae -- an old Shotokan derived form, and Taebaek, for the third degree level.

 

[terryl965]

The old version of Koryo is a great poomsae and I havr always enjoyed it. The newer version to me is a bit shallow but that is me and if memory serves me right alot of American TKD people did this form and still do today. I know G.M Kurban and G.M. Won Chik Park still do it but I do not believe they are actually teaches it anymore, well G.M Kurban is retired and G.M.Park has been teaching the newer version to all his newer students.

 

[Master K]

Hello Jeremy,

I practice and teach this form at my school.

The first link you posted is very different from the version that I know.

The second, third, and fourth links are more similar to the version that I teach and practice, but still not identical.

I am sure that there are many versions of this form out there. But it is my understanding that there are very few schools that practice and teach this form today.

Best of luck to you!

Respectfully,
K.

 

[spinny]

I don't have anything to contribute. Just wanted to thank you for sharing.

 

[Holy Samosa]

Thanks so much for your thoughtful replies-- I'm so sorry for starting this thread and disappearing.

This really is an interesting form. Particularly novel is the strike to the neck with the middle knuckle segments (any idea what this technique is called?) and the cat stances with the legs angled like a back stance.

A couple of questions for those of you that practice this form:

1) Do you execute any of the steps with a slow, controlled motion or are all of the steps full speed? In one of the videos, the final knife hand block is executed slowly.

2) What do you think the applications are for the low x blocks that follow the side kick and knee strike? I would expect that these are examples of blocks-that-aren't-really-blocks, but rather some finishing technique to an opponent grounded by a powerful strike.

Thanks!
Jeremy