Gee, thanks for asking! ; )
I like to think I'm really traditional, but I think that's more mindset than technique, because I learned American TSD (which by definition would be less traditional than its pure, korean counterpart). I started taking in the 1980s from one of Chuck Norris' last studios... he literally closed my studio down when he moved to Texas to make "Walker" and I was lost and adrift for a few years - luckily, I already had my black belt by then and so I at least had a firm base and could practice on my own until I found somewhere else to go.
Norris' current system is a modified, hybrid art that still uses TSD as its base but incorporates lots of stuff from other systems, most notably grappling (he calls his system "Chun Kuk Do" (literally, "Chuck's Way"... kidding). I'm a member of his organization (The United Fighting Arts Federation) and practice the additional forms that entails (e.g.,
... start at 0:30 to avoid half a minute of robotic walking up to judges and yelling the name of the form), but I stick mainly, when I teach, to the original TSD I learned as a kid before CN added and remixed stuff.
The differences I see between my art and other American Tang Soo Do are minimal. Instructors often feel the need to put their personal stamp on traditional forms, or reinterpret them in a new way that suits them best (e.g., do you take a "cheat" step in pyong-an sahm dan prior to the first inside crescent kick or do you do it from the standing position, with both feet together?). Meh, it makes little difference, although my tendency is to want to stick with what was originally done - at least with forms. I can see that fighting has modified a lot over the years and we've learned new things and need to incorporate new strategies and methods - but forms are our last link to old traditions, and I feel as though they at least ought to remain unchanged.
Mostly, I just miss the days when black belts looked like black belts because instructors weren't afraid to fail their students. I understand that this is a lot of people's livelihood, but it just kills me when I see a "black belt" at a studio that looks like they ought to be maybe a blue belt at best. Luckily for me, I teach at a University (i.e., a college) and - since the school has already gotten all the tuition they want from my kids - I can fail 'em all I want to and make sure I'm creating real quality martial artists without worrying about my income. It's a luxury, I understand. But I also think it's really a necessity, lest a) our art become more and more watered-down by embarrassing "black belts" and b) our students grow a false sense of security regarding their own abilities to defend themselves if needed.
Off that horse. I think I think I've answered your question and probably then some, eh? ; ) Nice meeting you!
FKJP
