Interview with my Taekkyon Teacher Do Ki-Hyun

[chenyaolong]

http://www.monkeystealspeach.co.uk/taekkyon-master-do-ki-hyun.php

[wayne hansen]

Nice little interview

[MaartenSFS]

Thanks for sharing. It gave me some new insight into the art. Up until now I thought it was just another recent Korean re-write of history.. I also like the included photo. It seems like a nice place. Is the school one of the buildings in that photo? Are there any other surviving lineages of the art? How much of the original art do you think your teacher was able to learn before the master passed and can he use it to fight? Sorry, lots of questions..

[chenyaolong]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I have only been learning a few months, but will try to answer questions as best as I can.

If you mean the photo of the traditional village at the top, then no. That is Yangdong folk village... The school is in downtown Seoul.

From what I understand there are 2 main lineages. Supposedly the art only survived through two men, through which the lineages stem. Both men had several students, and there is a huge amount of politics over who is authentic, who keeps true to the original art etc etc. I dont get involved... I chose the school through the recommendation of a couple of TKD friends who had been living in Korea for a long time.

How much of the art did he learn? It's hard to say, his teacher, Song Duk Ki, had trained Taekkyon during the start of the 20th century, he didnt start to teach the art until the 1980s. So its safe to assume things have been lost. And how much has been added in from outside sources to compensate... also difficult to say, but I would imagine it has.

He comes across as somebody who can handle himself, although in Korea it would be VERY disrespectful to ever ask him to demonstrate his skill in that way. I've felt him hit pads I was holding and he has thrown me (although it was cooperatively), and he has very good power and technique. He has a few instructors under him and I have sparred with some of them... they have some seriously good kicks!

[chenyaolong]

I should mention though, that Taekkyon is not a Combat Art in the same way that Kung Fu is, but is a "Martial Game". It was a competition played between two teams in a winner stays on format. Hand techniques were not allowed. The aim was to either kick the opponent in the head or throw them to the floor to win.

[chenyaolong]

[Patrick]

Thanks. I really like this art.

[wayne hansen]

Nice well balanced class

[windwalker]

I should mention though, that Taekkyon is not a Combat Art in the same way that Kung Fu is, but is a "Martial Game". It was a competition played between two teams in a winner stays on format. Hand techniques were not allowed. The aim was to either kick the opponent in the head or throw them to the floor to win.

I knew some Taekkyon, people a while back. Can you say more about it being a "martial game"

[chenyaolong]

During the Joseon Dynasty, martial arts were looked down upon by the ruling class, and so were mostly practiced by farmers. Taekkyon matches were held alongside wrestling in village fares and big festivals. In the video you posted, during the middle part of the clip it shows the typical Taekkyon match format. Towards the end, they demonstrate what my teacher calls Yeon Bop, which are the more dangerous techniques that are only taught to advanced students. I was told the combative aspect was traditionally only taught to high level students. What confuses is the terminology is different in your clip. They call these techniques Kyulyun, but in our school Kyulyun means "Taekkyon match" and Yeon Bop means "dangerous techniques".

I've only been training in Taekkyon for a short time, so I could be wrong, but this is what I have been told.

[windwalker]

I knew some people who felt is was a martial art, this would be back in the 80s in Korea. Just wondered about a "martial game."

interesting history.

[MaartenSFS]

Thanks for elaborating. It's a shame that there were just the two men to pass it on. Would you say that Korea has, on the whole, preserved its culture better than in China. That is, when you walk around town, do you get more of an impression of days past than in most areas of China? I had a look at the rest of your website. For some reason I was under the impression that you were of Asian ethnicity! How is your Korean coming along? Are you still teaching English over there? I heard that it's mandatory to teach American English there, which is preposterous. The workload is also quite hash compared to China.

[chenyaolong]

Thanks for elaborating. It's a shame that there were just the two men to pass it on. Would you say that Korea has, on the whole, preserved its culture better than in China. That is, when you walk around town, do you get more of an impression of days past than in most areas of China? I had a look at the rest of your website. For some reason I was under the impression that you were of Asian ethnicity! How is your Korean coming along? Are you still teaching English over there? I heard that it's mandatory to teach American English there, which is preposterous. The workload is also quite hash compared to China.

When I first went to Korea, I did think more culture might have been preserved here... but the longer I have been here, I no longer believe that. China is huge, and has many remote places. If you go to some parts of western China, little has changed in peoples lifestyles. Korea has become incredibly Americanised, but retains a heavy dose of nationalism. I get the feeling a lot "traditional culture" is just made up, or over played. China has lost a lot of culture due to Mao's reign, but at the same time, the lateness of their modernisation has enabled a lot of things under the surface to be preserved more. I don't feel in most of Korea you get the feeling of "days past", most of the old buildings were leveled in the Korean war, only a few historic places survive, like Kyeongju and Jeonju.

I don't know who told you it's mandatory to teach American English??? There are many academies specialising in British English. I work as a private tutor, and one of my main selling point is "an authentic British accent".

So to answer your question, on the whole, I feel China retains much more traditional culture than Korea, and does a much better job of preserving than we give it credit for. Although I love a good rant on China, my feeling for China's future on the whole is positive.

[MaartenSFS]

That's good to hear that American English is not required. Is it the same in schools and training centres?

Even though you say that most of the old buildings were destroyed in the war, do you feel like their modern architecture is more true to their ancient structures? In China we get a lot of really shoddy faux-ancient buildings.

My appreciation for China has gone through phases. The first was the honeymoon/culture shock phase where everything was new and shocking and I was having a blast.

The second phase was when I settled in a bit and realised that ancient China was long gone (at least in the city) and so were CMA.

The third phase was when I started doing a lot of travelling to the country and finally found the CMA and all of the traditions and culture associated with it.

The fourth phase was when even though I had found those things, I began to reflect on how much has been lost and how bad the environment is getting (took longer out West) and how at little is left probably won't make it much longer.

The fifth phase is now where ten years later I realise what an incredible journey that I've been on this whole time and that I don't want it to end any time soon, whether or not I stay in China and that sometimes living in the now is just more fun.

[chenyaolong]

Your phases are exactly the same as mine hahaha!

Korea, like China, has a love affair with high rises. At least in Seoul. In rural areas people do still build houses in the old way, and some are very nice, with heated flooring.

I often think the same as you.... just dont want the adventure to end. I've been away from "normal life" for so long, I could never imagine going back. My plan for now is to move to Shanghai in March to study at Shanghai University of Foreign Studies. With a degree under my belt it will be much easier to get work anywhere in Asia. Me and my girlfriend are thinking about Thailand or Malaysia after that. I quite fancy taking a course to become a diving instructor.