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Zen Beikoku Bujutsu Kyokai
                 全米国武術協会
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Raising the standards of the martial arts

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Korean Karate: Same Same, But Different

7/31/2017

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Author: Bret Gordon
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The most popular martial art in the world today is Taekwondo. I've written numerous articles about its origins, and the politics that are rampant among some of the leading Taekwondo organizations, but never about what it was supposed to be. For those who may not be familiar with the history, or think that Taekwondo is an ancient Korean martial art resurrected from cave drawings, let me give you a quick breakdown. Following the Japanese occupation of Korea, numerous martial arts schools sprang up. Since indigenous Korean arts were banned, these instructors began teaching what they learned during the occupation and in Japan: Karate. 

Karate is a Japanese word, and depending on which kanji you use to write it can mean either "China Hand" or "Empty Hand." The suffix do, meaning "The Way," was added by Funakoshi Gichin (the founder of Shotokan). When the Koreans opened their schools, they naturally spoke Korean. Therefore, they simply translated the word Karatedo into their native language. "The Way of the Chinese Hand" became Tang Soo Do, and "The Way of the Empty Hand" became Kong Soo Do. Some schools also used the term Kwon Bup, the Korean translation of Kempo and a reference to the Chinese art of Ch'uan Fa or "Fist Law." The individual schools themselves were known as Kwans, so therefore you had schools such as Chung Do Kwan Tang Soo Do, or the "Blue Wave School of the Way of the Chinese Hand." Five original Kwans sprang up prior to the Korean War, and an additional four were created before the Korean government forced the Kwans to unify and the term Taekwondo was coined.

Now that I got that out of the way, let's talk about what Korean Karate truly is.


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Jack Of All Trades

7/30/2017

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Author: Bret Gordon
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There is an overwhelmingly prominent feeling in the martial arts world that it takes a lifetime to master a martial art. I guess that all comes down to how you define mastery, a long debate which I won't attempt to dissect in this article. Following this line of thinking, those who claim high ranks in multiple arts are ridiculed as frauds and/or having bought their ranks from a diploma mill rather than earning them.

Instead, I'd like to present the historical precedent for studying, and achieving high proficiency in, multiple arts, and how this mindset is actually a modern phenomenon (and most likely a reflection on the capabilities of modern practitioners vs. their historical counterparts).

Because I primarily study Japanese martial arts, let's start with the famed Samurai...


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Martial Arts, Inc.

7/23/2017

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Author: Bret Gordon
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Do you ever get the feeling that you don't belong? Lately, this has become not just a passing thought but an all-encompassing, gut wrenching emotion that has driven this article. What I'm about to talk about will ring true for some, but I'm sure will offend most. And let me apologize now, because this will be long.

Everyone talks about the martial arts community. They throw around marketing words like brotherhood, family and integrity. They say they teach martial arts in order to make a difference in someone's life. To inspire them. To give them confidence. To teach them real world skills. They say all of their students are like family, that no one is just a number on the mat. However, after being involved with other school owners for the last decade, I can only say one thing. They're all lying.

I belong to several martial arts groups on social media, some of which are only for instructors and school owners. The ones that are open to everyone of all experience levels are frustrating for someone looking to have a deep discussion about Budo, yet understandable. But no matter how understandable it is, there's only so many "Which style is better?" posts that I can take before I start removing myself from those groups. However, in a group that is solely comprised of instructors, you would think there would be some great discussions. Yet the more I observe, the more it becomes apparent that these groups are run by mega-school owners talking about the next marketing scheme or hustle to attempt to satisfy their ever-growing greed while looking down on anyone who doesn't have enrollment in the triple digits. After careful observation and numerous interactions, I can only come to one conclusion. The martial arts community as we know it is dead, and what we're left with is the martial arts industry.


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