Tang Soo Do

Member Organization(s)

Introduction

History

The fighting art of tang soo do is believed to have originated 2,000 years ago during Korea's Three Kingdoms period. Silla, the smallest and least populated region of the peninsula, was under constant attack from the larger and more powerful Baekje and Goguryeo kingdoms. After a few centuries, the Silla rulers are believed to have allied themselves with a skilled fighting force created by the Tang dynasty monarchs of China (618-907). It was then that the tang soo warriors were born. Their combat system was a combination of a traditional Chinese art known as the “Tang method” and a set of powerful kicks native to Korea.

In the middle period, following Korean independence in 1945, the Korean political leader was concerned about establishing Korean values based on Korean nationalism. At the beginning of the modern era of the Korean martial arts, Tang Soo Do was the most popular term for these arts, however, the political leaders at that time were opposed to the use of the name Tang Soo Do for the art, as it sounded like Chinese martial art, because it could be representing the Chinese Tang Dynasty. In 1964, a government-sponsored small group created a new name for the Korean martial arts: Tae Kwon Do.

Meanwhile, Tang Soo Do has kept traditional. Grandmaster Hwang Kee just followed his own path. This was the path of traditional martial arts so as to preserve history. That is the history of what the Western world came to know as Korean Karate.

References

“About Us”. World Tang Soo Do General Federation.

Nicky DeMatteo (4 August 2014). “Power vs. Speed: The Evolution of Tang Soo Do Fighting”. Black Belt.

Reverend Wilfredo Benitez (March 2002). “Tang Soo Do History: Understanding Its Past”. Taekwondo Times.

“What is Tang Soo Do?”. World Tang Soo Do Association.

World Tang Soo Do General Federation (2013). WoMAU membership application form.