A synthesis of t'aekyon and karate Two-star general, ambassador, 1st prize won calligrapher, the author of 'military intelligence' and 'Taekwon-Do' in Korean now presents an English edition of Taekwon-do for English speaking students. Taekwon-do is a contemporary version of an ancient form of unarmed combat practiced for many centuries in the Orient. The master of both T'aekyon which mainly employs feet and Karate which chiefly employs hands synthesized the both and theroetically systematized in new intelligible terminology. Through his own experiences with the art for three decades and in teaching foreign students for twenty years, the author has originated logical new patterns or forms which will be found only in this edition. Taekwon-Do is a Mudo, a martial art, not a mere sport. Taekwon-Do is a lethal weapon like TNT, but not for a war. The author emphasizes it must be used for peace, for the justice and the weak. Through this book with more than 1,300 photos and illustrations, you will meet a good teacher who will lead you from the very beginning to the core of the art. General Choi was born in 1918. Little Choi's delicate constitution was a constant worry to his parents. HIs father sent him to Mr. Han, a noted calligrapher and also a verteran combat art. During his stay in Kyoto, Japan for study, he became a Karate expert which would give him chances to prove himself to be a mighty friend for the justice and the weak. As any brilliant and patriotic young Korean did, Choi joined variouis independence movements and led the resistance groups. In 1945, ambitious Choi came to Seoul and was commissioned to Leutenant of the Republic of Korea Army. Prospective young General Choi wrote 'Military Intelligence' in 1953. Wherever the master once visited or stationed or commanded, there was and is still a boom of Taekwon-Do. When Ambassador Choi was assigned to Malaysia, he was an ambassador of the art as well. Now his old students are spreading the art wherever they station, Asia, America, Europe, any part of the world. The father of Taekwon-Do sincerely hopes that the people of the world would learn this wornderful art of self-defence, longevity and peace and stand for the world justice and the weak. Regarding a reissue of a Classic on Modern Korean Martial Arts published by Masters Publications (305 pages) Review An absolute essential for every Tae Kwon Do practitioner in the world! --Risingsunproductions.net This master text is finally available for the first time in over 40 years! --Fightingspirit.com Product Description This is the original master text written by General Choi Hong Hi in 1965. The book is one of the most complete books ever written on this wonderful Korean art including chapters on all the kicking techniques as well as hand and throwing techniques of this the art the General named in 1955 including a brief history and just so much more.Out of print for more then 40 years it is now back in print for the first time. Featured in this text is one of the most skillful Tae Kwon Do Masters ever Master Jong Soo Park. History Preserved for all, YES! Written before the break-up between _Choi_ Hong-hi (sometimes called 'General Choi' in recognition of his status as a 2-star general in the S. Korean Army) and the South Korean government over his attempts to include North Korea as a part of the Taekwondo Association, it is interesting to note there is no reference yet in English to 'International Taekwon-Do Federation' here. In this early edition, the first translated into English from Korean, Choi is listed as 9th dan and 'President, the Taekwon-Do Association'(page 12). I don't recommend reading too much into that, as it simply suggests that at the time, there was only one Taekwondo Association in Korea outside the individual Kwan (schools) led by their various headmasters. But I digress. All of the photo models and Choi himself are clad in tradition white karate-type Do-bak (gi, or uniforms), no black trim. I actually prefer the layout of this first edition, it isn't as cluttered as the two editions that followed (1972, 1988-92). Choi himself is shown performing some of the techniques, notably breaking boards on page 13, and in a very youthful looking portrait on page 7. This is also the first time that the Chang-Hon Hyung (forms of combat, or patters) are referred to in English and described in total with complete written sentances documenting each move, often with some photographs (page 174-215). Chang Hon was Choi Hong-hi's penname, and means 'blue cottage'. These forms were devised through the efforts of Choi and his contemporaries to varying degrees, and reflect the influence of Japanese style Karate and Korean innovation. All of the Chang-hon names refer to historic Korean people, places, groups, or dates. The Twenty original Chang-Hon forms described are are: Chon-Ji, Tan-Gun, To-San, Won-Hyo, Yul-Gok, Chung-Gun, Toi-Gye, Hwa-Rang, Chung-Mu, Kwang-Gae, Po-Un, Kae-Baek, Yu-Sin, Chung-Jang, Ul-Ji, Sam-Il, Choi-Yong, Ko-Dang, Se-Jong, and Tong-Il. In the later 1972 edition, Eui-Am, Yon-Ge, Moon-Moo, and So-San had been devised and were also included. In the 1988-92 edition, Ko-Dang was replaced (not renamed) by Juche, a move which Choi in later interviews and his autobiography said was done to reflect good will and inclusion towards stand-offish closed North Korea. It was interpreted by South Korea as another proof that Choi was disloyal to the South. Today among Taekwondo practitioners there is still some debate about Choi's politics, etc. My advice would be to read his autobiography and later interviews and make your own decision. Also included, interestingly enough, are 15 Hyung of the 'Sho-rin and Sho-rei Schools', basically the 15 'orthodox' Kata or forms, of Funakoshi's original Shotokan (pg. 216-239). The fifteen forms may have been practiced by Choi when he learned Karate in Japan, and were/are also common to other Kwan such as the Chung Do Kwan, Moo Duk Kwan, Ji Do Kwan, etc. These also include complete written descriptions covering (in their Korean pronounciation): Heian (1-5), Batsai, Enpi, Rohai, Kouh-Shang-Houh, Tekki (1-3), Jitte, Hangetsu, and Jion... All in all, a good volume on early Taekwondo published before the worst of the political schisms occurred. The techniques are the same as one would find in most of the early kwan (schools), Moo Duk Kwan, Chung Do Kwan, Song Moo Kwan, Ji Do Kwan, etc. On another side note, the Kwan attributed to Choi was called the Oh Do Kwan, meaning 'My Way School'. Not to reflect that people had to do things _Choi's_ way, but so that each man, brough together by the military, often from different kwan background, would feel he had a school that was too, HIS own individual path (way). Reprinted from a 1968 English translation of 1965 Korean edition.-C.J. Hardman I bought this book when it first came out and only paid $29.95 for it. I noticed that the price has doubled. This was the first book about TKD in English and therefore is important for all of those that practice Ch'ang Hon Ryu. The only problem is the size of the book. The reprint is much smaller then the original and suffers because of it. The photos were not always the best to begin and suffer from the lost in size. It would have been nice if it was an exact reprint. I have since found an original and much prefer it. I thought this was great at thirty dollars but am not sure about sixty dollars. One can find the condensed ITF book for sixty. -W. McMillin As the title states, this is a reprint of General Choi's 1965 book. It was a good book for it's day. He later wrote better books with more detail. I bought this book just to add it to my collection. If you have always wanted a copy of General Choi's first book, now you can have the reprint.-Kevin Roberts Contents Preface Part I Introduction 1 The meaning of taekwon-do 2 Theory of power-reaction force; concentration; Equilibrium; Breath control 3 Moral culture 4 A brief history of taekwon-do 5 Structure of taekwon-do A. Striking and blocking points Hand parts (sangbansin) Foot parts (habansin) Miscellaneous parts B. Vital spots (kapso) 6 Stance (sogi) Parallel stance (narani sogi) Close stance (moa sogi) Open stance (p'alcha sogi) Forward stance (chon'gul sogi) Back stance (Hugul sogi) X-stance (kyoch'a sogi) One-leg stance (oebal sogi) Riding stance (kima sogi) Fixed stance (kojong sogi) Diagonal stance (sason sogi) Crouched stance (oguryo sogi) Low stance (natch'a sogi) Rear foot stance (twitpal sogi) Part II Essential techniques (chuyogi) 7 Hand techniques (sugi) A. Attack techniqeus (konggyokki) Punching techniques (chirugi) Thrusting techniques (Ttulki) Striking techniques (Ttaerigi) B. Defence techniques (pang'ogi) Blocking (Makki) Dodging (p'ihagi) 8 Foot techniques (chokki) A. Attack techniques Destroying kick (ch'a pusugi) Thrusting kick (ch'a chirugi) Pressing kick (ch'a nurugi) Consecutive kick (yonsok ch'agi) Flying kick (Ttwimyo ch'agi) B. Defence techniques Blocking Dodging Part III Training (taeryon) 9 Equipment (changbi) A Practice suit (tobok) B. Training aids (tallyon ku) C. Free training (tosu tallyon) Part IV Fundamental exercise (kibon suryon) 10 General guidance 11 Methods of exercise (suryon pop) Part V Patterns in taekwon-do (hyong) 12 The Ch'ang-hon School (ch'ang-hon yu) Chon-ji Tan-gun To-san Won-hyo Yul-kok Chung-gun T'oi-gye Hwa-rang Ch'ung-mu Kwang-gae P'o-un Kae-baek Yu-sin Ch'ung-jang Ul-ji Sam-il Kodang Ch'oi--yong Se-jong T'ong-il 13 The Sho-Rin and Sho-Rei Schools (sorim mit soryong yu) Hei-an Bat-sai En-bi Ro-hai Kouh-shang-kouh Tet-ki Jit-te Hang-getsu Ji-on Part VI Sparring (taeryon) System of sparring (Taeryon kusong) 14 Pre-arranged sparring (yaksok taeryon) A. 3-step sparring (sambo taeryon) B. 2-step sparring (ibo taeryon) C. 1-step sparring (ilbo taeryon) 15 Semi-free sparring (panjayu taeryon) A. Foot techniques sparring (chokki taeryon) B. 1-step free sparring (ilbo chayu taeryon) 16 Free sparring (chayu taeryon) Part VII Self-defence techniques (hosinsul) 17 How to release from grabbing (chap'yossulttae) A. When standing B. When kneeling C. When lying down 18 How to defende against sudden attack (puri konggyok ttae) A. When kneeling B. When sitting cross-legged C. When sitting on a chair D. When sitting on an armchair E. When sitting on a bench F. When lying down 19 How to throw the attacking opponent (tonjigi) A. When standing B. When kneeling C. When lying down 20 How to defend against an armed opponent (tae mugi) A. Against dagger (tae tando) B. Against bayonet (tae ch'onggom) C. Against club (tae konbong) D. Against pole attack (tae mongdung'i) E. Against pistol (tae kwonch'ong) Appendices Importance of taekwon-do System of rank Test Training schedule Match Match rules Note on the author Abbreviation table Romanization table (McCune-Reinschaure System) Glossary Index