On November 9, 1945 a new martial art arose from the ashes of the beaten and battered nation of Korea. The style was called Tang Soo Do-Moo Duk Kwan, which is translated as "a brotherhood and school of stopping inner and outer conflict and developing virtue, according to the way of the worthy hand" . To break it down even further Tang Soo Do means "Chinese hand way" and Moo Duk Kwan stands for "house of martial virtue" and the Moo Duk Kwan is a school or group that teaches Tang Soo Do. Tang Soo Do, when translated into Japanese, means Kara-te that, in turn, means "open or empty handed fighting."

Tang Soo Do is both a hard and soft style deriving its hardness from the styles of Soo Bahk Do and Tae Kyun (style not related to Tae Kwon Do) and its soft, flowing movements from a Northern and Southern Styles of Kung-Fu. Hwang Kee says that Tang Soo Do is sixty percent Soo Bahk Do, thirty percent Northern Kung Fu and ten percent Southern Kung Fu. The style gets its arts of self-defense from Soo Bahk Do and Tae Kyun, its fighting principles from Northern and Southern Chinese Kung-Fu, and its "moral guidelines" such as philosophy from the Tao, Lao Tzu, and Confucious. The style was created as a traditional style, meaning that the training is primarily directed towards the practice of self-defense, as opposed to its younger sister style of Tae Kwon Do that was created as a sport with its training primarily directed towards competition. Tang Soo Do practitioners strive to always better themselves both outside (physically) and inside (spiritually). To this day Tang Soo Do remains traditional and continues to maintain the high standards of a traditional martial art.

The origin of Tang Soo Do is still unknown but the style can be traced back well over 2000 years to the period of the Three Kingdoms. These kingdoms were the Koguryo (37 B.C.), the Paekche (18 B.C.), and the Silla (57 B.C.). Murals of people practicing Soo Bahk Do and Tae Kyun have been discovered in tombs from this period. The murals also prove that the traditional Tang Soo Do uniform that is worn today is the same as the ones that were worn during that period.

The founder of our style, Hwang Kee (November 9, 1914-July 14, 2002), was a legend among the martial arts. He became interested in the martial arts at a very young age of seven or eight when he witnessed a group of hoodlums roughing up a shopkeeper. Hwang Kee states, "Although I didn't respect what they were doing, the martial arts techniques they used attracted me". By the time Hwang Kee was fifteen he had mastered the style of Tae Kyun and by 22 he had mastered the style of Soo Bahk Do. Due to the Japanese occupation of Korea (1909-1945) Hwang Kee had to practice the martial arts underground since the Japanese banned all martial arts and imprisoned all who defied the ban. When Hwang Kee started attracting the attention of the Japanese secret police he chose to climb over the great wall and flee into Manchuria and on into Northern China. There he studied primarily in the Northern Yang style of Kung Fu, or Nei-ga-ryu, from a Chinese Kung-Fu Master named Kuk Jin Yang.

From 1936-1945 Hwang Kee transformed the styles of Soo Bahk Do, Tae Kyun, and Kung Fu into what is now known as Tang Soo Do. Each of the styles is traditional and has very special elements that make the art of Tang Soo Do strong physically, mentally, and spiritually.

The Northern Yang style of Kung Fu is strong yet passive and is for close quarters combat. The training consists of postures, steps, conditioning, and forms along with their applications. A prominent Kung-Fu instructor once stated that:

"In Northern China the temperatures are much colder than Southern China causing the people to bundle up more. Because of all of the clothing the Kung-Fu practitioner could not move as freely to use flowery jumping kicks. They also had on thick gloves, which were not as good for punching. Because of this the Northern Chinese styles use more open-hand techniques such as knife-hands and they concentrated more on their stances since they could not move as freely."

 

Hwang Kee also studied some Southern style Kung-Fu, or Wei-ga-ryu, which is a faster and more active than the Northern style and can be used in a more open environment. Because of the lower temperatures and less clothing the Southern styles practiced more hand techniques and dynamic kicks. They were also capable of moving much faster.

Soo Bahk Do, which translates as "hand fighting method," was originally known as Subyokch'igi or "clapping hands". It is based on three principles- Heaven, Earth, and Humankind- and incorporates the dualism of yin and yang as found in nature. It also encourages courtesy, loyalty, and harmony and is recognized as the oldest traditional martial art of Korea. Subyokch'igi is a very powerful martial art but it forbids killing and tries to transmute the killing forces into life-affirming forces.

Soo Bahk Do can be traced back as early as the Three Kingdoms period (37 B.C.-A.D. 668). During this period the military trained in Soo Bahk Do due to its popularity as a unique martial art and its self-defense technique. Warriors competing to become knights were tested in their skills and grace in the ancient martial art. The style was often demonstrated as a spectator sport at royal banquets.

Soo Bahk Do is based on the principle that hand movements are directly linked to the brain and can exert a positive effect on blood circulation and brain movement. Soo Bahk Do uses "ki" or "chi" energy, a universal force that exists in all things, through light sound and vibration to create a clear and healthy energy in the body, both physically and spiritually.

Tae Kyun is a traditional martial art native to Korea that originated around Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula. The name is derived from "kick" and, as can be seen in the style, it does not apply any hand techniques in its practice. There is no record of when Tae Kyun actually came into being; however, there are books that mention Tae Kyun as far back as the Three Kingdoms period. There are also murals that depict what seems to be Tae Kyun in tombs of the Koguryo era.

What started out as a form of military training for warriors in the Three Kingdoms period had gradually evolved into a sport during the Koryo Dynasty (935-1392). It was enjoyed not only by the royal court but also by the common people. Whole villages would gather together to hold Tae Kyun competitions. "The purpose of the sport," states Grandmaster Lee Yong Bok, "isn’t to knock down one’s opponent absolutely, but to provoke one’s opponent so you can grow together".

As with all the other Korean martial arts, Tae Kyun almost died due to the Japanese Occupation of Korea. Since it was illegal to practice the martial arts there were only a handful of practitioners that kept the martial arts alive. Tae Kyun nearly became extinct because the only two living masters of the style barely had time to pass down the entire lineage to the current Grandmaster of the style, Lee Yong Bok. He met the masters in 1983 and both of the masters died in 1987.

Tae Kyun was not recognized as a true martial art until recently because of its lack of mental discipline. It had a reputation as a form of street fighting used only by hoodlums and thieves. This has since changed and now the art is recognized as one of the first true traditional martial arts native to Korea.

Tang Soo Do is a very versatile art that prepares the practitioner for self-defense no matter what the situation may be. The art has survived through many trials and tribulations and remains very strong in its pursuit to remain a traditional martial art. There are several associations and federations of Tang Soo Do today. The largest association being the Soo Bahk Do-Moo Duk Kwan Federation, has well over 200,000 students and 20,000 black belts spread out over 16 countries. The training is not only physical but also spiritual, and unlike Tae Kwon Do, which uses mostly kicks, Tang Soo Do is well balanced using both hand and foot techniques equally. Here is what Grandmaster Hwang Kee said about his art:

"It is not a sport. Though it is not essentially competitive, it has great combat applications. It is a classical martial art, and its purpose is to develop every aspect of the self, in order to create a mature personality who totally integrates his intellect, body, emotions, and spirit. This total integration helps to create a person who is free from inner conflict and who can deal with the outside world in a mature, intelligent, forthright, and virtuous manner."

 

Not only does the style of Tang Soo Do teach self-defense, but it also teaches a person to develop into a well-rounded, mature, and responsible individual who will continually strive to grow physically, mentally, and spiritually throughout his or her lifetime.