What exactly is Tang Soo Do?

Question

I take Tae Kwon Do, i wanted to know exactly what Tang Soo Do is. Is Tang Soo Do similar to Tae Kwon Do?

Answer 1

Tang Soo Do is very close to Tae Kwon Do, you could say that they're fraternal twin disciplines because they are so much alike with only slight differences in forms or techniques.

they were based from the original discipline of Hwa Rang Do which were the "Flowering Knights" or "Chosen Knights" but later taken durning the rule of the Tang Dynasty as the main influence in it's techniques (called the way of the Tang hand). these were a core group of mainly aristocratic warriors who were the driving force at the development of the discipline which still holds much of it's true name today.

this was brought about during the Silla Dynasty which united the three kingdoms (Goguryeo, founded in 37 BC in northern Korea, Silla Dynasty,founded in 57 BC in the southeast peninsula, and Paekche founded in 18 BC) that Early Korea had been divided into for many years after long periods of war. after the unification, many of the aristocratic warriors that founded the Hwa Rang Do became the leaders in the countries before the eventual overthrow by a warlord (Wang Kun, 918 AD) which became the Koryo kingdom and finally the Yi Dynasty which during that time, the discipline became popular with the military as well as the public which it was often known as Kwon Bop, Tae Kyun, Soo Bahk, Tang Soo and several others

Grandmaster Hwang Kee has been traced back as the Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do founder (where most or nearly all practitioners trace the disciplines lineage to) and in 1945 organized the Korean Soo Bahk Do Association, after renaming it to Soo Bahk Do.

this was after the KTA attempted to unify all the Kwans under one organization, but those loyal to Grandmaster Hwang Kee broke from this to remain independant and still teaches their own individual versions today..

since it is heavily influenced by Chinese (Kung Fu), as well as Karate from the Japanese's occupation of Korea it's retained the similarities to those disciplines, but also retains some of Taekyon and Subak which were originally indigeounous Korean disciplines.

today the art is practiced on all six of the livable continents by close to 300,000 practitioners worldwide with close to 45,000 having attained at least the first degree Dan ranks

Answer 2

I applaud the 2 detailed answers above and appreciate their depth of knowledge. My 3rd party experience with Tang Soo Do is by way of 2 siblings that received their black belts in it. My impression is that it is very similar to TKD. I wouldn't be able to differentiate between the two. Whatever subleties there are are lost when you watch the techniques performed in sparring/practice. Just my 2 cents.

Answer 3

Tangsoodo or Tang Soo Do ("Way of the Chinese hand") is a Korean martial art that has been largely incorporated into modern Taekwondo.

Answer 4

It is generally accepted among practitioners that Tang Soo Do was a Koreanized version of Japanese Karate, and that the Moo Duk Kwan style originated as a combination of three major styles: Yang Tai Chi Chuan, Northern China and Southern China Kung Fu, combined with the Okinawan/Japanese discipline of Karate and its modified Forms by Grandmaster Hwang Kee (1914 - 2002)

The first recorded usage of the term "Tang Soo Do" in contemporary history was by Chung Do Kwan founder, Won Kuk Lee . Prior to the unification of the "Kwans" under the Korea Taekwondo Association, most of the major Kwans called their style Tang Soo Do, or Kong Soo Do. The Chung Do Kwan, along with the rest of the Kwans ceased using the name Tang Soo Do, and Kong Soo Do when they unified under the name Taekwondo (and temporarily Tae Soo Do). The Moo Duk Kwan, being loyal to Hwang Kee, pulled out of the Kwan unification and remained independent of this unification movement, and continued to use the name Tang Soo Do. The majority of Moo Duk Kwan members followed Hwang's senior student, Chong Soo Hong to become members of a unified Taekwondo. Their group still exist today and is known as Taekwondo Moo Duk Kwan (Moo Duk Hae) and has it's office in Seoul, Korea.

The ancestral art of Korean Soo Bahk Do can be traced back to the period when Korea was divided into three kingdoms:

Goguryeo was founded in 37 BC in northern Korea. The Silla Dynasty was founded in 57 BC in the southeast peninsula. The third kingdom, Paekche was founded in 18 BC.

Finally, after a long series of wars, the Silla Dynasty united the three kingdoms in 668 AD. During this period, the primitive martial arts were very popular as a method of self-defense in warfare. This is evidence in the many mural paintings, ruins, and remains, which depict Tang Soo Do in those days. Among the three kingdoms, the Silla Dynasty was most famous for its development of martial arts. A corps composed of a group of young aristocrats who were called "Hwa Rang Dan" was the major force behind the development of the art. These warriors were instrumental in unifying the Korean peninsula under the new Silla Dynasty (668 AD - 935 AD). Many of the early leaders of that dynasty were originally members of the Hwa Rang Dan. Most Korean martial arts trace their spiritual and technical heritage to this group. In fact, the names of some martial arts such as Hwa Rang Do or Hwa Soo Do, still reflect this origination.

The united Silla Kingdom was ultimately overthrown by a warlord, Wang Kun, in 918 AD. The new kingdom, "Koryo", lasted for 475 years (918 AD - 1392 AD). In 1392, the Yi Dynasty succeeded the Koryo kingdom. The Yi Dynasty remained intact for 500 years. During the 1000 year period of the Koryo Kingdom and the Yi Dynasty, what we today know as Tang Soo Do was increasingly popular with the military. More importantly however, the art also became very popular with the general public. During this period, Tang Soo Do was referred to as Kwon Bop, Tae Kyun, Soo Bahk, Tang Soo and others. The first complete martial arts book was written at this time. This most important book is called "Mooyae Dobo Tangji". It was written in 1790 and contained illustrations that substantiated the theory that Tang Soo Do (formally called "Soo Bahk Ki") had quickly developed into a very sophisticated art of combat techniques.

Answer 5

A Korean Martial Art.

Answer 6

Kids who are black belts raises red flags for being a McDojo. You just have to try and remember your forms by remembering the moves in your head. I don't know any solid advice for remembering forms though.

Answer 7

Watch any Chuck Norris movie. It's Chuck's style.

Answer 8

They are brothers. There are more differences among schools in the same art as there are differences between TKD & TSD.

Answer 9

Like as Tae Kwon Do, it's mostly Korea trash. I wouldn't take any styles that have been so heavily commericalized.

Answer 10

instead of all this crap why did'nt someone just say"its a form of freestyle karate that has some of its origins in tae kwon do?duh!