USKF NEWSLETTERSpring 2014 • Volume 2 • iSSue 1

A publicAtion of the united StAteS Kido federAtion

14205 U St., Omaha, NE 68137 • Tel: (402) 215-6003 • E-mail: info@uskido.org

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preSident’S note

When we started the United States Kido Federation (USKF) a few years ago, we had no idea how much it would grow or what amazing partnerships we would develop. It is an amazing journey and we are grate-ful to our membership for helping us become one of the premier federations in country. Our growth is only limited by our imaginations and our compassion. The USKF mission to provide fraternal support, networking opportunities, safe competitive events, and reputable promotional tracks for our members is bearing fruit. I am happy to report that the United States Kido Federa-tion has a lot of great events coming up this year.

Join us April 25, 2014 for a number of amazing FREE seminars the night before the Omaha National Mar-tial Arts Championship in Omaha, Nebraska. At 1:00 PM GM Rodney Kauffman from Ohio will be teaching a great seminar on self-defense concepts. Find out why GM Kauffman is a highly sought after international seminar instructor. This seminar will be followed at 1:55 PM by Ninjitsu expert GM James Rosenbach who will be teaching self-defense concepts unique to his style. At 2:50 PM meet Martial Artist, Actor, and Radio Show host Allen Woodman. Learn the art of Hojojutsu The Art of Tying Your Enemy a rare and intricate art form from the jujitsu lineage. At 3:45 PM join GM Troy Trudeau, head of the World Tae Sool Association, will teach a short seminar on defense against clothing grabs. Last but not least, join GM Robert Dunn president of the International Jun Tong TaeKwon-Do Federation. Learn how to increase technique power and definition from this TaeKwon-Do pioneer and legend.

On Saturday, April 26, 2014 join us at the USKF Flag-ship Tournament the Omaha National Martial Arts

Championship. This amazing open event will offer over 117 separate division including: Traditional Forms, Light Contact Point and Light Contact Continuous Sparring, Creative Forms, Team Forms, Weapons, and self-de-fense. The day will wrap up with the United States Kido Federation Black Belt Hall of Fame where some of the country’s best and brightest martial artists will be hon-ored for their contributions to the arts. In early May 2014 the USKF Hall of Fame festivities will continue in Puer-to Rico with our affiliates in the Jun Tong TaeKwon-Do Federation. Also, the USKF will hold our annual train-ing retreat on May 24 and 25, 2014. This year’s event will be held at Barcelo Maya in Riveria Maya, MX. Join us for morning training on the beach in one of the most beautiful resorts in the world. Call (402) 215-6003 for more information on the retreat. Also, on the agenda are the Open Circle Martial Arts Tournament in June and the SDY Tournament in August. More on these amazing events and tournaments as they come closer.

Last, but not least I want to remind our Charter School owners to get the most out of their memberships. Talk to our staff on how we can help you grow your schools and your profits without sacrificing quality. Help your students get all of the benefits available from their membership in the USKF.

cAlendAr of eVentS

April 25-26 • Omaha, NE • Seminars, Tournament, Hall of Fame

Early May • Puerto Rico • Hall of Fame

May 24-25 • Riveria Maya, MX • Training Retreat

June • Open Circle Martial Arts • Tournament

August 9 • Hoffman Estates, IL • SDY Tournament

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the deVelopment of the KwAnSBy: Grandmaster Robert Dunn

Kwan in Korean literally means building or hall, but when used in martial arts it can also refer to a school or clan of martial artists who follow the same style and/or leader. At the time, there were 9 major Kwans through-out Korea and once someone joined a particular Kwan, it was very difficult to transfer to another Kwan. When someone wanted to transfer to another Kwan, his origi-nal Kwan Jang had to authorize and approve the trans-fer, but in reality the Kwan Jang usually threatened the member using authoritative means in an effort to per-suade the potential transferee to not leave. This was a critical issue in those days.

Song moo KwAn

The Song Moo Kwan was founded by RO Byung Jick in Kae Song on March 11, 1944. Song Moo Kwan founder RO Byung Jick studied together with Chung Do Kwan founder LEE Won Kuk in Japan. They both studied Karate under Gichin Funakoshi. Right before Independence Day, he returned to Korea and taught youngsters Karate as a hobby at an archery place, the Kwan Duk Jung.

RO Byung Jick explained his school’s name, Song Moo Kwan. “The word Song meant pine tree, which meant green and a long life. Also, Song was one of the Ko-ryo capital city names, Song Do. And Song was also borrowed from the Song Do Kwan Shotokan when I learned Karate under Gichin Funakoshi while studying abroad.”

RO’s practice sessions started one hour earlier with warm up exercises consisting of lifting weights and then practicing on the Kwon Go (maki-wara). He was known as a powerful puncher and kicker from his stu-dents.

RO always let his students punch the Kwon Go at least 100 times and then started the real practice. If students received the 4th Gup or higher, he let them spar. Like any other dojang, he was known to let his students practice in cold weather during winter and in the hot weather during summer.

Grandmaster RO Byung Jick

RO Kwan Jang’s student, and the 2nd Kwan Jang, LEE Young Sup reflects, “Every six months, there was pro-motional testing. Mainly one step sparring, three step sparring, free sparring and patterns were used to de-cide promotions. But free sparring was for 4th Gup and higher, and 1st Dan required breaking boards. If these rules were broken, the Kwan Jang was very upset.”

The Song Moo Kwan graduates were: 1) LEE Hwae Soon; 2) LEE Young Sup; 3) KIM Hong Bin; 4) HAN Sang Min; 5) SONG Tae Hak; 6) LEE Hwi Jin; 7) JO Kyu Chang; 8) HONG Young Chang; 9) KANG Won Sik and others. However, its power and customs were the weakest among the first five big Kwans.

oh do KwAn

The Oh Do Kwan is a product of former ROK Army members CHOI Hong Hi and NAM Tae Hi. NAM Tae Hi made a big contribution to the Oh Do Kwan, which was founded by CHOI Hong Hi in the 3rd Army Yong Dae Ri base. For General CHOI, NAM Tae Hi was a treasure.

Gen. Choi Hong Hi GM Choi Chang Keun GM Young Il Kong

GM Rhee Ki Ha GM Jong Soo ParkNAM registered at the Chung Do Kwan right after In-dependence Day. After he learned Tang Soo Do from LEE Won Kuk, he taught Tang Soo Do at the Military Signal School in 1947. This led to his faith and loyalty with the military. A handsome man with excellent administrative skills, NAM’s Tang Soo Do was great. After he met General Choi of the 29th Infan-try Division in Chejudo, this was the beginning of his changing life. The Oh Do Kwan “Gym of my way” had new members that were mostly former members of the Chung Do Kwan. They were: 1) NAM Tae Hi; 2) HAN Cha Kyo; 3) WOO Jong Rim; 4) KO Jae Chun; 5) KIM Suk Kyu; 6) KWAK Kuen Suk and others. Instructors were HYUN Jong Myun and others who were from the Chung Do Kwan. After HYUN Jong Myun taught for more than 10 Continued on page 6

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KidS firSt

Omaha, NE - On Saturday, January 18, 2014 over 20 members of the United States Kido Federation (USKF) attended a free continuing education workshop at Project Harmony entitled: Child Abuse Prevention and Recognition 101. Project Harmony is a child advoca-cy center that houses law enforcement, social service, and medical personnel. It was created a one-stop ad-vocacy center for abused and neglected children. The 3 hour workshop was designed to aid USKF instructors in the recognition of child abuse and neglect indicators. Participants were, also, taught minimally invasive inter-view techniques to obtain possible abuse information without further traumatizing a potential young victim.

Additionally, the class covered reporting laws for both Nebraska and Iowa. Of note for the instructors of 10 USKF schools located in Nebraska was the fact that all adults over the age of 19 are considered mandatory reporters by the state. Iowa martial arts instructors are considered voluntary reporters. Grandmaster Jeff Hel-aney said, “It is important for the on-going profession-alization of the martial arts industry that we continue to ensure our instructors are getting the best information available on issues that they may encounter at their schools.” He added, “The USKF is encouraging affili-ates throughout the country to set up similar regional trainings to help all of our instructors gain insight on child abuse recognition and prevention.”

the eSSence of teAching: plAnningBy: Grandmaster Robert DunnFrom The Jun Tong TaeKwon-Do Federation Instructor Develop-ment Course

The foremost element in teaching is careful planning. Plan the objectives for each class and delegate the amount of practice time allotted for each objective. For effectiveness and safety, carefully consider the type and number of exercises and skills you have selected to teach in a particular class.

Set goals for each class. Students can perform bet-ter and learn more quickly when they have goals to work toward. Using the student testing requirements may serve as one method of goal setting. A qualified instructor will always assess the student’s strengths and weaknesses before setting classroom goals; this will avoid unnecessary frustration and promote student progress. For the greatest motivational value, goals must be specific and reasonably difficult to accomplish, but within the realm of the student’s capabilities.

With your curriculum structure in mind, it is easy to cre-ate a lesson plan. Daily planning is essential to effec-tively implement your ideas. To create a lesson plan, first consider your objectives. List your objectives for the class in a simple format. Based on your objectives, plan the subject material that will enhance those objec-tives for that particular class.

Highlight new skills and prepare a brief introduction for each. Be prepared to designate ample time for the practice of these new skills. Next, consider the rhythm of the class. You may want to alternate periods of ac-tivity with periods of rest for best results. There are two complementary methods of setting the rhythm. High intensity with frequent rest periods: high intensity training is best for reviewing skills and endurance train-ing. Low intensity with few rest periods: low intensity training is recommended for new skills.

After you have considered your objectives, decide which new skills you will teach and determine the rhythm of the class, including subject material, teach-ing methods, training aids and the amount of time allo-cated to each subject.

Be sure to check future editions of this newsletter for more ofThe Jun Tong TaeKwon-Do Federation Instructor DevelopmentCourse.

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A hArd leSSonBy: Grandmaster Jeffrey Helaney

For the real instructors out there a bit of hard earned wisdom…(and to the one instructor who needs to hear this today)

I know you don’t want to hear an-other lengthy lecture from me, but I think it helps to put things in con-text. You are unique and your love of the arts (of what you do) is laud-able. Still none of us are complete-ly perfect, although there are days when I come close. <grin>

Relationships are difficult at best and the martial arts student-teach-er relationship can be extremely complex. Not so many years ago martial arts instruction looked very different from what it does today. The relationship often times took on a familial aspect and engendered a sense of fierce loyalty to the school and instructor. Martial arts were not a weekend sport, but a way of life.

Fast-forward to the 20th Century and the promulgation of the com-mercial school. Things changed … what was once exchanged solemn-ly with fidelity was now purchased. The trappings of the past remained in many traditional schools, but the relationship was forever altered by this new dynamic. The more com-mercialized things became, the less tradition held sway.

You would have been a great teach-

er 300 years ago. Today they would be writing books about you. Unfor-tunately you live today and nobody reads books just blogs. There goes your hope of being famous. Finding a balance between the past and the present is precarious for the career martial artist and you are no excep-tion. The goal to keep tradition alive is often in conflict with the need to keep the doors open. Long past are the days when students took a po-sition of servitude within the school. Today, it is more common to see feelings of entitlement than loyalty. It is not a reflection on you, but rath-er a reflection on our society and current values. So get over it.

You have taken up the mantle of a teacher you need to see itas a calling and nothing less. It is an amazing thing. True martial arts in-structors are a rare breed because they do what they do out of love of the art, not love of money. To them money is just a vehicle to be able to pass on what they love, it is not the ultimate goal. Unfortunately, most students do not view the gift they are being given in the same light. For many it is a transaction to be made as long as it is convenient and does not conflict with softball (football, soccer, piano, dance, act-ing, track, … ad infinitum) practice. It is that complex and that simple. You are not special because of how ‘everyone’ sees you, but because you are an amazing person.

As teachers we invest our hearts, our spirit, and our love of what we do for our students. It is a door that

we open for them. Some will walk through the door and understand the gift. A slightly larger group will step through the door, but never truly understand what being offered and walk away. Unfortunately, the vast majority will just see door and never go in. This does NOT mean you are a failure. It just means that your gift was not the right gift for everyone who came to your door.

So listen up! It is a hard lesson, but a valuable one. A teacher is like a parent. You can dream for your children, but it is their dreams that matter. When you teach your child you hope they get what you have taught them. You pray that they do well and keep your lessons close. It doesn’t always happen with chil-dren and it doesn’t always happen with students.

To the instructor that needs to hear this today, let it go. Encourage those students who share your love of the art and let them carry it forward while recognizing that not everyone will take what you offer. If you are a good teacher (and I know you are) you will get this and it will take away some of the sting you are feeling right now. Enjoy the successes and the students whose eyes look to you in wonder and dream of being just like you.

Instruction at Omaha Blue Waves

Instruction at SDY TaeKwon-Do

Instruction at Jun Tong Taekwon-Do Federation

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whAt iS A blAcK belt?By: Grandmaster Jeffrey Helaney

This summer will mark my forty-fifth year as a martial artist. In that modest amount of time I have been for-tunate enough to meet a number of the contemporary legends and leaders of the martial arts world. Great men and women, through their sweat and sacrifice, have accomplished amazing things. These visionaries helped shape a generation. While keeping their roots firmly planted in the past, they helped define a new paradigm for the practice and growth of their individual styles. It is upon these accomplishments that the ma-jority of us exist. Perhaps we do not possess names that will be written in history book or faces that are immediately recognizable by our peers, but this does not lessen us ... rather it establishes a benchmark that we are obligated to maintain regardless of notoriety or anonymity. When we accept that we are part of an unbroken chain that extends backwards and forward through time it is humbling. It creates an imperative that we maintain standards. It is a message to carry to the next generation.

So in light of this obligation, what is a black belt? Is it just a piece a cloth or is it an extension of the wearer? Is it something to be coveted, respected, or admired? Too often the trappings of rank are confused for the substance of rank. There is an unfortunate tendency in our modern society to seek expediency in the attain-ment of goals. Therein lies the rub, when something is bought, sold, or stolen rather than earned it no longer has the same value. When integrity is traded for instant gratification then core of what we hold to be true is lost.

It is the burden and duty of each of us to define the parameters of what we find acceptable in the delega-tion and achievement of rank within our arts. Set aside unusual physical skills, does even the most amazing 6 year old possess the depth of knowledge, maturity, or understanding to adequately represent the spirit and rank of a true ‘black belt’? Is the self-promoted 25 (or 85) year old “umpteenth” degree supreme grandmaster ultimate puba cum guru worthy of the rank they hold high and espouse loudly? What are the standards we wish to pass on to those who come after us?

So what is a black belt? Perhaps a true ‘black belt’ is just an individual who has made a significant, knowl-edgeable commitment to themselves (and to others of like minds) to uphold the spirit of their art. Certainly they have dedicated countless hours to the perfection of esoteric skills and opened their minds and hearts

the prActice of power: pArt iBy: David Rossiaky III DanFrom The Practice of Power: A Deconstruction of the Theory of Power and Its Application to Patterns

Why do you practice TaeKwon-Do? Some people find this to be a very simple question to answer. Others find it to be profoundly daunting. A surprising num-ber of practitioners have not given the question much thought. It is a question we ask routinely at the do jang where I primarily train. The answers are as varied as the people who, for a few hours every week, don their doboks and ki-hop in a gymnasium together. It keeps me in shape says one. I want to gain flexibility tells you another. Children will often respond with their favorite segment of training: I like the rolls! I like to spar! My mom says it helps me burn off energy! As telling and honest as these answers may be, they are incorrect for our purposes. The workout may be intense, but for all practical purposes you could garner the same benefits from any respectable aerobics class. In order to transcend being an athlete and become a martial artist, you must always practice with the mindset that you train for the fight for your life that you hope never comes. This is the ultimate goal.

To do this you will forge your body into a weapon. You will learn to stop thinking with your brain and start think-ing with your muscles as you become a machine of maximum efficiency (more on mushin later). In the En-cyclopedia of TaeKwon-Do, the first page of the theory of power claims, metaphorically, that you will become Powerful enough to uproot mountains. Where can one acquire such great power? In fact, you already have it, whether you realize it or not. TaeKwon-Do is funda-mentally about utilizing your full potentiality. This is a point I will return to several times throughout this paper.

While TaeKwon-Do is often translated literally to some-thing akin to the way of the hand and foot or hand and foot fighting, it could just as easily be considered the mathematical martial art or the art of body mechan-ics. Though TaeKwon-Do has origins in ancient mar-tial arts including Taek Kyon, Soo Bak-Gi, and Karate, TaeKwon-Do itself is a modern creation, dating back to World War II era Korea. As such, “…the fundamental theories and principles of Taekwon-Do are totally differ-ent from those of any other martial art in the world…The physical techniques of Taekwon-Do are based on the principles of modern science, in particular Newtonian physics which teaches us how to generate maximum power” (Condensed Encyclopedia of TaeKwon-Do, 4th ed., p. 24). TaeKwon-Do’s strong foundation in scientif-ic principles is another theme that will

Continued on page 6Continued on page 7

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years since 1954, he became the Kwan Jang. There was a rumor that this relates to General CHOI Hong Hi; it is said he became the Chung Do Kwan’s Honorary Kwan Jang.

After ROK President RHEE Syng Man sponsored Gen-eral Choi, the Oh Do Kwan grew rapidly beginning in 1955. His plan to teach Tang Soo Do to everyone in the military led to changing Tang Soo Do’s name to Tae-Kwon-Do. When he taught TaeKwon-Do, he instructed his students to yell out Tae Kwon. When the Vietnam War broke out in the early 1960’s, General Choi sent TaeKwon-Do instructors to Vietnam. This led to the dis-crimination against civilian dojangs and the growth and reputation of the military dojangs. TaeKwon-Do instructors were sent to Vietnam in De-cember 1962. NAM Tae Hi was the head of the group, and KIM Seung Kyu, JUNG Young Hwi, and CHOO Kyo were the instructors. Until the evacuation of the ROK military, 657 instructors were dispatched. Successive generation TaeKwon-Do instructors were 1) NAM Tae Hi; 2) BAEK Joon Ki; 3) CHOI Dong Hee; 4) KIM Suk Kyu; 5) KO Jae Chun; 6) KIM Bong Sik; 7) JUNG Byung Kil; 8) KIM Sueng Kyu. Mostly, they were former Chung Do Kwan members.

However, when new military recruits who had Tae-Kwon-Do Dan rank joined, the Oh Do Kwan only ap-proved Chung Do Kwan Dan ranks. The Dan ranks from other Kwans were not approved and they were called civilian Dan rank, so the new recruits had to pass another test to receive Dan rank in the military. This caused complications between the Oh Do Kwan and other Kwans. Regarding this issue, General Choi defended the ac-tion and said, “The Oh Do Kwan had frequent exchang-es of basic patterns and similar practice sessions with the Chung Do Kwan, but the Ji Do Kwan, Chang Moo Kwan, and other schools had different structural pat-terns. So the military needed to test their members.” HYUN Jong Myun was the second Oh Do Kwan Kwan Jang, KWAK Byung Oh (Jak Ko) was the third, and BAEK Joon Ki was the third Kwan Jang for the Oh Do Kwan.

After CHOI Hong Hi founded the International Tae-Kwon-Do Federation, CHOI deviated from the KTA and this weakened the Oh Do Kwan because his attention was now on the ITF. Be sure to check future editions of this newsletter for the rest of The Development of the Kwans.

Kwans, continued from page 2

to learning. A ‘black belt’ can be seen as the wheat separated from the chaff. A true ‘black belt’ represents something of worth, but belt ranks and titles in and of themselves hold no value. It is the wearer who creates or loses the respect of his or her rank. A black belt is not found in a piece of cloth or stamped upon a doc-ument of any size, but is built upon the integrity of the wearer.

Black Belt, continued from page 5

tribute to gen. choi hong hi

By: Grandmaster Robert Dunn General Choi Hong Hi, Founder and President of the International TaeKwon-Do Federation, died on June 15th, 2002, in Pyongyang, People’s Democratic Repub-lic of Korea.

On April 11th, 1955, a special board of masters, histo-rians, and other important members of Korean soci-ety held a meeting. Their purpose was to coordinate the various Kwans (schools) and select a name for the newly-organized Korean style martial art. After re-viewing several different names for the new style, they chose the name submitted by General Choi Hong Hi. That name was TaeKwon-Do.

General Choi is recognized around the world as the Father of TaeKwon-Do and the Founder of the Interna-tional TaeKwon-Do Federation (ITF), and he created the ITF system that we know today.

General Choi Hong Hi Father of Taekwon-DoBorn 1918, Kilju Died 2002, Pyongyang

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crop up throughout this paper.

However, before further discussing the theory of power or how it relates to practicing patterns, we must first briefly review the purpose of performing patterns to be-gin with. After we understand why we practice forms, we can delve into how the theory of power, as a gen-eral concept, relates to forms as well as our ultimate goal, always in mind, of training for the fight for your life that you hope never comes. Finally, with the theory of power’s relationship to patterns firmly established, I will dissect the theory of power into its six constituent segments, specifically explaining how each relates to the practicing of patterns. Along the way I will include miscellaneous notes relating to the theory of power that are, in my opinion, often misinterpreted or misun-derstood.

Why do we practice patterns? A question almost as fundamental as why do we train?, and one with as many answers, in varying degrees of correctness. Of course, patterns, like all components of our training, must in some way prepare us for our ultimate goal (see above). Patterns accomplish this through muscle mem-ory. As the name would suggest, each pattern consists of a specific sequence of precisely defined techniques which, through practice, we repeat many hundreds and thousands of times. The aim is that, like learning to walk, the motions become so deeply entrenched in our minds through vigorous practice over an extended period of time we become able to perform them with minimal conscious effort. In this way, calculated re-

sponses to an attack become automatic reactions, crit-ically eliminating the decision-making processing time between the acknowledgement of an attack and the execution of the counterattack, block, dodging motion, or some combination thereof.

Though it may not be patently obvious to an outside observer, patterns can accurately be described as sim-ulated fights. It is relevant that a non-martial artist may have difficulty in seeing the connection between forms and actual fighting; in fact, patterns fall into a grouping of drills broadly described as traditional style, as op-posed to the counterpart category, fighting style drills. These two styles of drills complement each other. Prac-ticing in fighting style often includes kicking drills, hosin sul, and combat sparring. These are live action drills where, in many cases, another practitioner will respond to your techniques in real time. Traditional style drills, on the other hand, include fundamental exercises, short memorized routines like series hand techniques and initial moves, and, most notably, patterns. To the casual observer, the most prominent difference be-tween these two methods of practicing is the speed at which they are performed, although a keen martial art-ist will also notice equally important differences in the utilization of reaction force, equilibrium, mass, breath control, and concentration of force. Together, these are the six components of the theory of power. But how do they relate to the practicing of patterns?

Power, continued from page 5

Be sure to check future editions of this newsletter for the rest of The Practice of Power: A Deconstruction of the Theory of Power and Its Application to Patterns.