Tae Kyon's kicking influence

bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

The Korean arts are usually known for their extravagent kicking techniques. Korea claims the rights to an art called Tae Kyon, which is an indigenous kicking art. I have never seen much on the style, but it may have been similar to what Caporiea stylists do, but without as many handstands and flips. At one point in its history, it was considered a game, and not entirely a fighting art.

However, the high kicks of arts like TKD and TSD are said to spring from this style. General Choi began his martial arts training with Tae Kyon as a child, and Grand Master Bong Soo Han was known as a great kicker as well, which could have been attributed to his knowledge of Tae Kyon as well.

I do think that Tae Kyon may have played at least some small part in the development of the Korean styles' high kicking and spin kicking. The usefulness and efficiency of these kicks will always be questioned, but these kicks do add a flair to these arts that make them Korean.

Does anyone have any additional information on the art of Tae Kyon, what it consisted of, and how it was done? Does anyone else feel that Tae Kyon played a role in distinguishing TKD and TSD and SBD from Karate?
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DWx · KF Sensei

Wikipedia has a brief article. It seems like the art is still going in Korea:

http://www.taekkyon.or.kr/en/

I think that kicking is an important aspect of these Korean arts. It appears much more in their forms and certain emphasis is placed upon them. After all, even when reading advice on this forum, if someone wants to learn kicking they are more likely to be pointed to TKD or TSD than a karate style. Maybe Tae Kyon was the influence for the Korean kicking arts. I think it seems likely that something influenced them or why do Korean styles place so much emphasis on the legs?
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bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

I wonder how much today's Tae Kyon resembles what was 1000's of years ago. I want to think that it is a close proximity, but I don't know that I can. At any rate, the fact that it did exist, and what General Choi and GM Han learned must have had something to do with the characteristic kicking that fills TKD and TSD today.
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JWLuiza · Orange Belt

bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

Ah, you mean the Muye Dobo Tongi? I have a copy of it at home, and I rather enjoyed reading it. The prints in it are very interesting as well.
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YoungMan · Blue Belt

Interesting and well-debated topic.
I have seen videos of Tae Kyon students kicking, and much of what they do definitely appears in some schools of Tae Kwon Do. For example, one video that I have shows a Tae Kyon student doing: high front kick, jumping front kick, jumping back roundhouse, and what looks like a jumping wheel kick/axe kick technique.
I personally don't believe Gen. Choi studied Tae Kyon as a youth. Conflicting reports (including his own) suggest otherwise. Also, the techniques of Tae Kyon do not appear in what are considered ITF-style Tae Kwon Do. Most of what he taught are Shotokan/Chung Do Kwan derived. I have read reports that Won Kuk Lee did, and one report that he taught Tae Kyon in his Chung Do Kwan curriculum.
I don't know if Tae Kyon-derived kicking appeared in original Tae Kwon Do, but it definitely appeared later as Koreans sloughed off the Japanese influences and incorporated more Korean influenced techniques, especially kicking.

bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

Nice post, YoungMan.

What were the conflicting stories on Choi's childhood martial studies that you have heard? I have only read some, and it included the Tae Kyon training. He did admit that he studied Shotokan in Japan, though.
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DWx · KF Sensei

Gen. Choi was supposed to have studied Shotokan during his time in Japan including spending time at Tokyo University. He gained a 2nd dan and I think I also read somewhere that he did have a few lessons under Gichin Funakoshi himself.

As for TaeKyon, I believe he claimed to have studied it under his caligraphy teacher, Han Il Dong. However, TaeKyon was treated more along the lines of a game and no one could care less who did it. After all, my next-door neighbour could teah me to play basketball and all the big-wigs at FIBA wouldn't have a clue and wouldn't even care.
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bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

Interesting point, DWx. I had heard that Tae Kyon was considered more of a game than anything else.
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YoungMan · Blue Belt

At the close of the 19th Century, Tae Kyon was considered primarily a game, especially one practiced by children.
However, I think this was a result of the Confucian culture that overtook Korea in the past 500 years, as well as the Japanese occupation. How do you make your art look harmless? You play it off as a kid's game. Adults did do it, and it was used to settle conflicts. Not very appealing in a so-called civilized society. From what I have read, young children are allowed to do the basics of Tae Kyon, much like basic Tae Kwon Do, but the advanced techniques are reserved for adults only.
I also think that most of the original kwans, being basically Japanese karate, would have had no Tae Kyon influence. But some of the Kwans did, I think, incorporate indigenous Korean technique. Certainly some of the techniques I've seen my GM practice look very Tae Kyon-influenced.

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