KemerlyTony - Taekwondo Grappling Techniques: Hone Your Competitive Edge for Mixed Martial Arts

Taekwondo History and Development
The Shotokan Connection

Regardless of the romantic nature of the Taekkyon Derivation Theory, most Taekwondo practitioners accept the fact that their art is a Korean version of Shotokan Karate-do or Kongsoodo in Korean. Even the name Taekwondo is only a little more than 50 years old, having been developed by a group of masters on April 11, 1955. The Japanese martial arts have had an influence on Korean martial arts for some time. In fact, until the year 1909, all Korean boys learned the Japanese arts Judo and Kendo while in school. Before the Korean War, the original kwans or schools used the name karate along with Japanese terminology and Japanese kata from the Shotokan, Shorin-ryu and Shorei-ryu schools.

The individual kwans that were eventually united to form Taekwondo were led by men who received most if not all of their martial training from the Japanese martial arts. The Chung Do Kwan or Great Blue Wave School, which became the largest of the civilian kwans, was founded in 1945 by Won Kuk Lee. Lee earned his black belt from the founder of Shotokan Karate, Gichin Funakoshi. He also trained in Okinawa, Henan, and Shanghai. The Chung Do Kwan taught that movements should mimic the power of water. The Moo Duk Kwan or School of Martial Virtue was founded in 1945 by Hwang Kee. Kee received martial arts training in Manchuria under Tai Chi master Kuk Jin Yang. The Yun Moo Kwan or Way of Wisdom School, which later became the Ji Do Kwan was founded in 1946 by Chan Sup Sang. Sang began his martial arts education in Judo and began by teaching Taekwondo to Judo black belts. This school was the first mixed martial arts school as karate and judo were taught there. The school patch of the Yun Moo Kwan is very similar to the Shotokan patch as a tribute to its source. The Chang Do Kwan was founded in 1946 by Byung Yun, a 4th degree black belt in the Okinawan Shudokan karate style under Kanken Toyama and Nam Suk Lee, who learned Okinawan Shotokan Karate from an old Chinese text on the subject. This school was considered to be the premier self-defense method in post-war Korea, quite different from todays modern Taekwondo. The Song Moo Kwan or Ever Youthful House of Martial Arts Training, was founded in 1946 by Byong-Jik Ro, a contemporary of Won Kuk Lee, the founder of the Chung Do Kwan. Ro earned his black belt in Shotokan Karate under its founder Gichin Funakoshi. To further illustrate its roots, The Song in Song Moo Kwan refers to Song Do Kwan, the Korean name for Shotokan. Lastly, the Oh Do Kwan or School of My Way, was founded in 1953 by Choi Hong Hi who held a 2nd degree black belt in Shotokan Karate and Nam Tae Hi. The Oh Do Kwan was militaristic in nature and was a product of the Republic of Koreas army. This kwan was closely linked to the Chung Do Kwan, of which Nam Tae Hi was a member. These early kwans that eventually became Taekwondo were obviously influenced by the Japanese martial arts. This is because the men who played a large part in the development of Taekwondo had their foundation in Japanese martial arts.