# Choi Kwan Do - What is this?



## Black/Red Block (Jul 23, 2012)

Saw Choi Kwan Do on the Tube and thought nice let's do some research. This is my 9th post and 9 is a special number in Korean methology

What I found was for me the biggest Belt Factory I've ever seen!

The Forms well I could see not much difference between the lower Gup Grade form and a 4th Degree Form I found on You Tube. Seem to be shadow sparring with a few incomplete kicks here and there. Also a Flying Punch put in now and again from Muay Thai.

As far as I am ware the Founder was an ITF Grandmaster but after "falling out" with General Choi created his own stuff

From what I can see, completely no contact at all!!!

Martial Arts without injuries!!!

I though in all my 20+ years of training I'd seen it all but this I'm sorry I can't say a good thing about it.

I think TaeKwonDo, Hapkido and Tang Soo Do are an excellent styles with real forms and excellent structure. 


Would love to see what you guys thing of you're Korean brother?


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## oftheherd1 (Jul 23, 2012)

Do you mean Choi Kwang Do?  I couldn't find a Choi Kwan Do.  I didn't see any explanation of a falling out.  Could you provide a link to that?  I saw one lady BB doing a form that seemed to lack focus, but that may have been my failing.  I did like some of the self defense shown at http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=Id9nq4fFCvY&NR=1.


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## chrispillertkd (Jul 23, 2012)

Black/Red Block said:


> As far as I am ware the Founder was an ITF Grandmaster but after "falling out" with General Choi created his own stuff



FWIW, GM Choi, Kwang Jo was never an ITF Grandmaster. I know he was at least a VI dan when he left the ITF (perhaps a VII dan). You're not a Grandmaster in the ITF unless you're a IX dan. They are pretty rare.

GM Choi was apparently at one time an exceptional technician but suffered from injuries which were training related. Because of this he eventually developed his own system. I have no first hand knowledge of it, nor of the reasons why he left Gen. Choi. 

Pax,

Chris


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## Black/Red Block (Jul 23, 2012)

All

Sorry this is practically a Duplicated Thread, Moderators IS there a way of moving this thread and attaching it ont the Thread of the same name but with the "g" in Kwang added, not too sure how the search function on here properly yet


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## shesulsa (Jul 23, 2012)

Black/Red Block said:


> Saw Choi Kwan Do on the Tube and thought nice let's do some research. This is my 9th post and 9 is a special number in Korean methology
> 
> What I found was for me the biggest Belt Factory I've ever seen!
> 
> ...



Could you provide some links so we can comment on what you're talking about? Other than that, this just sounds like chastising ridicule from a non-KMAist. 

Thank you.


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## Black/Red Block (Jul 24, 2012)

shesulsa said:


> Could you provide some links so we can comment on what you're talking about? Other than that, this just sounds like chastising ridicule from a non-KMAist.
> 
> Thank you.



Would 4 years of Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan be me being a non-KMAist?

Thank you.

I don't have to be a KMAist to know when something is not as good as other Korean MA's.


http://www.atlantamartialarts.com/styles/choikwangdo.htm

Choi Kwang-Do has schools in many countries, though none in South Korea. *I think this makes it not Korean as there are no Dojangs in Korea!!!!!*
[h=2]Ranking system[/h]In the Choi Kwang-Do system there are *eighteen belt ranks until a black belt is achieved*. The belt colors are broken down into Solid and Senior (or striped). Solid color belt (no additional stripes, or tags), and senior is the same color with a large single black stripe down the middle. Black belt progression is more complex than simply training for several years; instead, there are colored stripes placed at the end of the black belt that must be achieved before progressing in Dan Rankings.​Seriously 18 Belts until Black belt if this doesn't make it a belt factory I must be living on a different planet!!!!

Don't need to go there as Bullshido's done it for me!!! 42 pages of it

http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?t=70146&page=1

http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?t=70146&page=42

I like the last post

"His style is like Shadow boxing which in it's self is not bad but if the students aren't taught how to apply the techniques then they're wasting their time."


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## shesulsa (Jul 24, 2012)

Black/Red Block said:


> Would 4 years of Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan be me being a non-KMAist?



This was not on your profile hence it is easy to assume your only art is the Japanese Karate you list.



> I don't have to be a KMAist to know when something is not as good as other Korean MA's.



Of course not, but your post had a certain ring to it ... I'd be hard-pressed to believe otherwise.

Thanks for the links - I'll read them as soon as I have time. You may know, however, that MT is not like Bullshido.


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## Omar B (Jul 24, 2012)

Oh, I did Choi Kwang Do for a couple years as a teen.  It wasn't bad.  I was still doing Seido at the time.  I certainly didnt notice anything of a belt factory because I worked for my belt.  We also competed in tournaments too.  But this was mid 90's Jamaica so there was a smaller martial arts community.  

Frankly, I like it.  It really teaches how to deliver a lot of power really well.  Their tech is also very circular so it pounds the joints less and rechambering a strike is pretty natural to the overall movement.  It's a style I would return to if I could find a school around.


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## Omar B (Jul 25, 2012)

Just to keep the topic alive.  I enjoyed my time in CKD, my instructor was a former TKD instructor, both his sons also taught at the school.  This was back in the days when I would go to CKD in the early morning on a Saturday, then go to Seido later in the evening.

In any case.  The style is built upon circular movements that never lock out the joints.  It's not jolting at all.  The stretching regimen is also really good and gets you really flexible.

The easiest way to explain it is if you took the standard karate way of executing a tech.  You chamber, strike, rechamber.  In CKD this is all one flowing circular movement not separate parts of the same.  Think half way between a karate and boxing punch to get the concept better.  Also because everything is done in the circular way you can get insane amounts of power out of strikes with both hands and feet, as well as get your kicks in same pretty crazy places.

It's a style I would return to and study more in depth as an adult rather than a teen.  The principles of movement, form and stretching are things I apply to pretty much all my fighting.


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