Kong Soo Do is an older term for a range of Korean Karate arts. Mul Moo Kwan is our specific branch or substyle. Kong Soo Do - Mul Moo Kwan essentially means Karate - school of the water way. This system was founded in 1995 by Mr. Boxx (then called Bak Yong Kong Soo Do). The style incorporates a variety of hard and soft style techniques. The art offers strikes, kicks, joint locks, self-defense and more. Our unique approach to self-defense integrates you into an endless variety of self-defense scenarios and teaches you to think your way out of them. We aren't just teaching you to memorize lengthy techniques that may or may not work in a given situation, we are teaching you to think and act appropriately, based on the circumstances you face. These circumstances can change at any second, with the addition of multiple attackers, a momentary slip in footing, the drawing of a weapon, the immobilization of a limb - the list goes on. We aren't interested in teaching you to memorize lengthy scripted self-defense techniques. That approach is no different than attempting to memorize your role in a conversation - before you know what the other party will do. A sole focus on memorization of lengthy predetermined techniques is not the most effective way, since every self-defense situation is different. We are interested in teaching you smart and effective ways to prevent and react to attacks. This makes our self-defense methods very different from conventional styles.
With punches to the faceshield, and light kicks to the side of the leg, our sparring is also different from most sport oriented traditional sparring. KSD-MMK as an art is primarily concerned with total mind-body health and self-defense skills, and not sport competition.
Adult students are not required to spar with contact, although we rarely have one choose not to do so. We are very concerned about safety, and those who contact spar will wear full protective gear. Students are required to strike with control, using touch contact in class. As students advance and become familiar with each other, contact can be escalated among students who wish to spar more aggressively. No student is bullied or intimidated.
A note about Nonviolence:
Kong Soo Do - Mul Moo Kwan stresses nonviolence. We feel it is inapporpriate to use martial techniques for anything other than defense. Thus we do not train for or allow our students to participate in MMA/No Holds Barred fighting.
All Kong Soo Do students wear our style-specific uniforms and participate in belt ranking.
The rank system:
10th degree white (Beginners start here)
9th degree yellow
8th degree orange
7th degree green
6th degree blue
5th degree purple
4th degree brown - low brown
3rd degree brown (brown with black stripe) - high brown
2nd degree red - low red
1st degree red (red with black stripe) - high red
Provisional Black Belt - (a temporary rank)
1st degree through 10th degree black belt
History and overview:
For a slightly more historical overview, we might begin shortly before the formation of the "Taekwon-Do" (generally known as Tae Kwon Do today). Without going into great historical detail we could note that Korea was occupied by Japan from 1910-1945. During this time the practice of traditional Korean martial arts was banned. Sources suggest that some Koreans had access to Kendo and Judo only in Korea, both of which are Japanese martial arts. In order to continue in martial art training, most people would be forced to practice their Korean martial arts in secret. Some who served in the Japanese military would be allowed to train without restriction in Japanese martial arts, such as forms of Karate. In 1945 when Korea was no longer occupied by Japan, the practice of martial art was suddenly unrestricted and open. By this time many Korean martial art Masters held black belts in Japanese martial arts, after having served in the military. At this time you had perhaps some Korean traditionalists who had practiced Korean arts in secret, and others whose styles were now influenced by Japanese styles.
Many began to call for a unificiation of all kwans (schools) and styles under a single Korean identity. The primary motivation appears to be the removal of all Japanese identity from Korean culture, although standardization and organization of training appear to be lesser concerns. In 1955 a unificiation meeting was held and Gen. Choi Hong Hi reportedly suggested the name "Taekwon-Do." We will skip through a lot of details here and simply state that the name was accepted, and Gen. Choi became the government recognized leader. At the time of the unificiation many masters were teaching under the style names of Tang Soo Do (China hand way), Kong Soo Do (empty hand way), Kwon Bop (Fist law), and others. Gen. Choi and those who agreed to unite changed their style names to reflect the new choice. Gen. Choi himself had been teaching and considering his art "Tang Soo Do" up to this point.
It is important to note that while many kwans united under the new name, many refused. Some Korean martial art instructors continued teaching under the same style names or created new ones. Tang Soo Do is one example of a Korean art form that did not participate in the unification, and thus carries many preserved traditions from the old styles to this day. Those that did unite would use Gen. Choi's patterns, some of which he apparently created, and others which he simply modified from Tang Soo Do. His organization would eventually be named "International Taekwon-Do Federation." Gen. Choi eventually fell into political disagreement with the South Korean government and he moved to Canada, and his association with him. The "World Taekwondo Federation" would replace the ITF as the national governing body of Tae Kwon Do. New forms would be created, and many stylistic changes would take place. Perhaps the most notable of these changes is that punching to the head during sparring would become illegal for the WTF. This produced an art primarily concerned with kicking. The two styles are very different in methodology of sparring. Although Gen. Choi died in 2002 and his organization split several ways, his ITF does live on today. South Korea's WTF also survives, and due to its inclusion in the Olympics has become the most widely recognized form of what is typically called Tae Kwon Do.
Kong Soo Do - Mul Moo Kwan:
Because I've been fortunate enough to study traditional Taekwon-Do as it was practiced in the 1950's, WTF Olympic style Taekwondo as it is practiced today, and Tang Soo Do/Chun Kuk Do, I've had a rare opportunity to study Korean Karate as it existed before the unificiation, as well as how it existed after the unificiation. I've studied Tang Soo Do, which you may remember was at the root of Korean Karate arts before the unificiation movement. I've studied the original Taekwon-Do of Gen. Choi which was formalized after the unificiation. I've also studied the WTF form of Taekwondo which splintered from the original in the 1970's. This lends interesting insight into the nature of the Korean arts as they existed in the early days all the way up until now. I've had the opportunity to see how each style developed, what changes they made, which aspects they preserved, and how it is put into use. Standing at such a point in training, you realize that your experience represents a convergence of perspectives, philosophies, and benefits from three pure and distinct sources.
It is primarily from these sources that the foundation of our system is composed. I have taken the more stringent expectations of the older Korean Karate arts, as well as their mechanics, and attempted to combine that knowledge with what I learned about the intricate art of kicking from the newer WTF style. I have retained the emphasis on humanist ethics and the philosophical approach from the earlier forms. All three formats of Taekwon-do, Taekwondo, and Tang Soo Do are represented in our selection of required forms (hyung or kata). I've combined more minor aspects of trapping from Jeet Kune Do, grappling from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and joint locks from Aikido/Hapkido to form what I believe to be a safe, effective system of personal refinement.