Interview with my Taekkyon Teacher Do Ki-Hyun

[windwalker]

when I was first in Korea, people where still washing in the river on rocks, many of the roads where still rough dirt roads.
Martial law was in effect. The old days,

Lived in Thailand, very nice place about the only thing I could say I didnt care for was that it was always hot, and humid.
Monsoon season lots of rain, nice people, many temples, good food.

[MaartenSFS]

It would be good for you to get a diploma. It's so much easier to travel around, study etc. when you don't have a child (which I do). My plan right now is to finish studying with Zou Shifu (at least to some degree) in the next two and a half years at most and finish exploring this region by motorbike this year and then doing some major trips to other provinces (currently have just explored the immediate border regions). I'm going to take the HSK5 this year, as my reading and writing ability lags behind my speaking, and the HSK6 whenever I'm ready. Then it's time to move on..

[MaartenSFS]

when I was first in Korea, people where still washing in the river on rocks, many of the roads where still rough dirt roads.
Martial law was in effect. The old days,

Lived in Thailand, very nice place about the only thing I could say I didnt care for was that it was always hot, and humid.
Monsoon season lots of rain, nice people, many temples, good food.

According to friends, Korea was like China not too long ago (early 90s)..

I don't mind the heat and humidity here at all. What I mind is the winter without heating or even insulation. It's currently four degrees (C) and I'm sitting in my living room with like five layers of clothing on. Anyways, time for training..

[chenyaolong]

when I was first in Korea, people where still washing in the river on rocks, many of the roads where still rough dirt roads.
Martial law was in effect. The old days,

Lived in Thailand, very nice place about the only thing I could say I didnt care for was that it was always hot, and humid.
Monsoon season lots of rain, nice people, many temples, good food.

It's pretty amazing how much Korea has changed.... you wouldn't recognise it now!

About Thailand, I like the hot weather, I'm so tired of the long, cold winters in Korea and Northern China.

[chenyaolong]

It would be good for you to get a diploma. It's so much easier to travel around, study etc. when you don't have a child (which I do). My plan right now is to finish studying with Zou Shifu (at least to some degree) in the next two and a half years at most and finish exploring this region by motorbike this year and then doing some major trips to other provinces (currently have just explored the immediate border regions). I'm going to take the HSK5 this year, as my reading and writing ability lags behind my speaking, and the HSK6 whenever I'm ready. Then it's time to move on..

Come visit me in Shanghai then! There's loads of stuff to see in the neighbouring provinces.

My plan is to do either HSK5 or 6. I did 4 a couple of years ago, I should have done 5, but my writing held me back.

[windwalker]

when I was first in Korea, people where still washing in the river on rocks, many of the roads where still rough dirt roads.
Martial law was in effect. The old days,

Lived in Thailand, very nice place about the only thing I could say I didnt care for was that it was always hot, and humid.
Monsoon season lots of rain, nice people, many temples, good food.

According to friends, Korea was like China not too long ago (early 90s)..

I don't mind the heat and humidity here at all. What I mind is the winter without heating or even insulation. It's currently four degrees (C) and I'm sitting in my living room with like five layers of clothing on. Anyways, time for training..

When I was there in the late 70s they still had martial law at the time,,,,in the 90s it was quite different.
ha, I can relate to the cold....nothing like waking up in a tracked vec. with icicles hanging down from the ceiling .
Both in Korea, and China, it gets "cold" in Korea, they used to use charcoal brickets to heat the floors, many would die if the floors weren't sealed properly.

yep,,, when I think about those places in the winter i can still feel the cold.....

[MaartenSFS]

It would be good for you to get a diploma. It's so much easier to travel around, study etc. when you don't have a child (which I do). My plan right now is to finish studying with Zou Shifu (at least to some degree) in the next two and a half years at most and finish exploring this region by motorbike this year and then doing some major trips to other provinces (currently have just explored the immediate border regions). I'm going to take the HSK5 this year, as my reading and writing ability lags behind my speaking, and the HSK6 whenever I'm ready. Then it's time to move on..

Come visit me in Shanghai then! There's loads of stuff to see in the neighbouring provinces.

My plan is to do either HSK5 or 6. I did 4 a couple of years ago, I should have done 5, but my writing held me back.

I'm sure it does. Shanghai scares me, though. Too big. I feel like Guilin is way too big now. The air quality has deteriorated considerably as well. Still, cities like Ningbo and Xiamen interest me and Yunnan is like a dream. I'll probably be trying to get into business as my MA studies wrap up.

Nowadays you don't need to write for the HSK, depending on where you take it. I plan to improve my reading and typing (same thing, really). Fuck writing. Actually, I have already begun reading a lesson out of a Chinese book series a night. By the time autumn comes around I'll be ready for the five at least.

[Bao]

Shanghai scares me, though. Too big. I feel like Guilin is way too big now. The air quality has deteriorated considerably as well. Still, cities like Ningbo and Xiamen interest me and Yunnan is like a dream. I'll probably be trying to get into business as my MA studies wrap up.

All of those cities and the major cites in Yunnan have been destroyed by the new building sites and air pollution as well. For only ten years ago, chinese cities had some personality, some character. Now they all look the same, all ugly and polluted.

[MaartenSFS]

Fair enough, but the surrounding country is more important than the city itself. I travel by motorbike and really explore the places well.

[MaartenSFS]

when I was first in Korea, people where still washing in the river on rocks, many of the roads where still rough dirt roads.
Martial law was in effect. The old days,

Lived in Thailand, very nice place about the only thing I could say I didnt care for was that it was always hot, and humid.
Monsoon season lots of rain, nice people, many temples, good food.

According to friends, Korea was like China not too long ago (early 90s)..

I don't mind the heat and humidity here at all. What I mind is the winter without heating or even insulation. It's currently four degrees (C) and I'm sitting in my living room with like five layers of clothing on. Anyways, time for training..

When I was there in the late 70s they still had martial law at the time,,,,in the 90s it was quite different.
ha, I can relate to the cold....nothing like waking up in a tracked vec. with icicles hanging down from the ceiling .
Both in Korea, and China, it gets "cold" in Korea, they used to use charcoal brickets to heat the floors, many would die if the floors weren't sealed properly.

yep,,, when I think about those places in the winter i can still feel the cold.....

In the south it doesn't get as cold in temperature but it is wet for the latter half of the winter with temperatures approaching freezing and absofuckinglutely zero heating or insulation in buildings. It's hell.

[Bao]

Fair enough, but the surrounding country is more important than the city itself. I travel by motorbike and really explore the places well.

That's wonderful. Then you could bike from Kunming to Dali and Lijiang and explore all of the small houses, handmade out of bricks of clay.

[allen2saint]

First saw this style on "Human Weapon" and thought it was great. Distinctly Korean too. With all the moving, kicking, keeping the body limber and the hand/arm stuff, that's a pretty full menu of martial exercise.

On application, I never quite understood the "high kicks are useless" thing. Seeing the speed and power that could be generated here, I'm thinking an unsuspecting attacker would get his lights knocked out if the artist was really training to make impact.

[allen2saint]

Found this documentary which shows a lot more of the vocabulary of the art. His strikes are a little tense for my taste, but I'd study it if there were classes here. Looks fun.

[chenyaolong]

Thanks for sharing.

Regarding high kicks, I think they are very good techniques, but need a lot of training. I will never be good at high kicks, so I wouldnt use them, but I know people who can and do.... just depends on how well trained they are