# Authentic Korean Martial Arts in Los Angeles, California



## Mider1985 (Jul 22, 2010)

So when i look up Hapkido, Taekwondo, even older arts like Taekkyon (sorry if thats spelled wrong) and Hwa Rang Do. in Los Angeles i get alot of names i get

ATC Commando martial arts= suppose to teach Hapkido, and Taekwondo as well as BJJ

Il-Do and Elite Fitness= Is suppose to teach Taekwondo

Songs International Hapkido= Grandmaster Song is suppose to be a black belt to high degree's in Hapkido and Taekwondo as well as a Taekkyon expert

Kim's Hapkido (Grandmaster Kim has passed one R.I.P.) is also suppose to teach authentic Hapkido

and West Coast Hwa Rang Do is suppose to teach authentic Hwa Rang Do.



Do has anyone been to these places and if so are they legit?


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## terryl965 (Jul 22, 2010)

What do you consider real Korean art, this way we can point you in the right direction. Every single person views will defer on the matter so your inout is what is needed for your individual needs.


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## Mider1985 (Jul 22, 2010)

Real Korean? Well if im talking about Taekwondo im guessing it would have roots in the kukkiwon or certification from that.

Im talking about traditional hapkido authentic hapkido

Im talking about authentic Taekkyon and Hwa Rang Do


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## terryl965 (Jul 22, 2010)

Mider1985 said:


> Real Korean? Well if im talking about Taekwondo im guessing it would have roots in the kukkiwon or certification from that.
> 
> Im talking about traditional hapkido authentic hapkido
> 
> Im talking about authentic Taekkyon and Hwa Rang Do


 

Well TKD would be the ITF then because that was here before the KKW, beside before the KKW it was the KTA. This is why I am asking, as far as Taekkyon alot of people say they teach it but ask them who was their instructor because the Taekkyon age has been pooping up alot lately people claiming roots to it but frankly they just tought themselfs. Sorry reall Korean art would be in Korea now because every single Korean art here in the states have been westernized.


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## Flying Crane (Jul 22, 2010)

well, there's a WHOLE LOT of politics in martial arts, and from what I've read, some of the most intense can be in TKD.

Los Angeles has a huge number of martial arts schools, including Korean systems.  I'll bet a whole lot of them are lousy, and some are quite good.  You might need to just go check them out and see what you think.

Remember: everyone sucks to somebody...


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## dortiz (Jul 22, 2010)

I would recommend letting this authentic business go and focusing on what style fits how you like to move. Kicking vs more grappling, joint locks etc.
Then find a school or two in that genre and visit and see what classes are like.
Thats all that matters.


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## dancingalone (Jul 23, 2010)

dortiz said:


> I would recommend letting this authentic business go and focusing on what style fits how you like to move. Kicking vs more grappling, joint locks etc.
> Then find a school or two in that genre and visit and see what classes are like.
> Thats all that matters.



Agreed.  Trying to find an 'authentic' Korean MA to train in is a slippery slope...  Just find something you like and train hard, whether the style is Korean, Japanese, or Martian.


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## IcemanSK (Jul 23, 2010)

I live in the L.A. area, but I don't know the schools you're talking about. What I'd recommend you do is go to each of these schools & check them out. You seem to have a specific idea of what you're looking for in "authentic" KMA schools.


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## Daniel Sullivan (Jul 28, 2010)

Mider1985 said:


> Real Korean? Well if im talking about Taekwondo im guessing it would have roots in the kukkiwon or certification from that.
> 
> Im talking about traditional hapkido authentic hapkido
> 
> Im talking about authentic Taekkyon and Hwa Rang Do


Just a heads up: Hapkido and taekwondo developed concurrently, so one is likely to be as 'traditional' as the other. Hwarangdo came along after hapkido and has some roots in hapkido if I am not mistaken (pretty sure that this applies to Kuksulwon too), so again, it is as likely to be as 'traditional' as hapkido or taekwondo.

Taekkyeon is the only one of those you mention that has an actual prewar history. Hapkido's prewar roots are in Daito ryu aikijujutsu according to hapkido founder, Choi Yong Sul, and that is, of course, Japanese.

So, I suppose that I need to ask you to define 'authentic' and 'traditional' for the purpose of this conversation.

On a side note, I guess we finally found you out, ATC. I had no idea that you were a commando.

Daniel


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## Daniel Sullivan (Jul 28, 2010)

dancingalone said:


> Agreed. Trying to find an 'authentic' Korean MA to train in is a slippery slope... Just find something you like and train hard, whether the style is Korean, Japanese, or Martian.


All martial arts are Martian.  Mars dwells there and handed them down to us lowly earthlings.  He thought about giving us fire, but after seeing what Zeus/Jupiter did to Prometheus (liver eaten daily by an eagle, ouch!), he decided that he'd stick with MA's instead.  Worked out well.  Ol' Zeus is a Greco-Roman wrestler and a boxer, not to mention a serious weapons master, so he found mankind's interest in the arts to be highly entertaining.

Daniel


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## dancingalone (Jul 28, 2010)

Daniel Sullivan said:


> All martial arts are Martian.  Mars dwells there and handed them down to us lowly earthlings.  He thought about giving us fire, but after seeing what Zeus/Jupiter did to Prometheus (liver eaten daily by an eagle, ouch!), he decided that he'd stick with MA's instead.  Worked out well.  Ol' Zeus is a Greco-Roman wrestler and a boxer, not to mention a serious weapons master, so he found mankind's interest in the arts to be highly entertaining.
> 
> Daniel



On the contrary, Zeus/Jupiter ran a mcdojo since all he cared about was attracting the hot chicks.  By the way, if you want the real deal, you have to go straight to the Greek source which is Ares, since we know the Greeks never taught bunkai to the Romans.


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## terryl965 (Jul 28, 2010)

dancingalone said:


> On the contrary, Zeus/Jupiter ran a mcdojo since all he cared about was attracting the hot chicks. By the way, if you want the real deal, you have to go straight to the Greek source which is Ares, since we know the Greeks never taught bunkai to the Romans.


 

Ok you are once again wrong in the details of the past, every single true Martial artist knows that it was not the Romans nor the Greeks it was truely the Vikings that brought the Arts to the limelight and they founded the true Mc Dojo's because nobody could compete on the same level as those massive warriors. :erg:


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## dancingalone (Jul 28, 2010)

terryl965 said:


> Ok you are once again wrong in the details of the past, every single true Martial artist knows that it was not the Romans nor the Greeks it was truely the Vikings that brought the Arts to the limelight and they founded the true Mc Dojo's because nobody could compete on the same level as those massive warriors. :erg:






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## Daniel Sullivan (Jul 28, 2010)

dancingalone said:


> On the contrary, Zeus/Jupiter ran a mcdojo since all he cared about was attracting the hot chicks.


No, that was Apolo.

Zeus was serious, but once Ares and Athena were old enough to run the dojo, Zeus went to Apolo's dojo, beat him down and took all of the hot chicks just to demonstrate that he could. After that beatdown, Apolo reinvented himself as a musician. 



dancingalone said:


> By the way, if you want the real deal, you have to go straight to the Greek source which is Ares, since we know the *Greeks never taught bunkai to the Romans*.


Of course not. Zeus forbade it. 

Daniel


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## IcemanSK (Jul 28, 2010)

Subscribing to this thread. I'm learning so much that my master never taught me!


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## terryl965 (Jul 28, 2010)

Hercules if memory serves me right was the first to incorporate grappling into his system. I mean Conan was like a god to so many with that new sword art he started way back then. I am really learning so much more that I could ever repay.


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## shesulsa (Aug 2, 2010)

Mider1985 said:


> So when i look up Hapkido, Taekwondo, even older arts like Taekkyon (sorry if thats spelled wrong) and Hwa Rang Do. in Los Angeles i get alot of names i get
> 
> ATC Commando martial arts= suppose to teach Hapkido, and Taekwondo as well as BJJ
> 
> ...



What do you mean "legit?" And why do you ask?


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## shesulsa (Aug 2, 2010)

Mider1985 said:


> Real Korean? Well if im talking about Taekwondo im guessing it would have roots in the kukkiwon or certification from that.
> 
> Im talking about traditional hapkido authentic hapkido
> 
> Im talking about authentic Taekkyon and *Hwa Rang Do*



{emphasis mine}

If you know anything about Hwa Rang Do and DJN Joo Bang Lee, you will know that anyone who says they teach Hwa Rang Do who is not a "certified black sash" or running a "sanctioned school/club" or who has been demoted by his judicial committee ... gets sued. Big time.  So if you're looking for "authentic" Hwa Rang Do - if that school is on the list at www.hwarangdo.com then it's approved by the founder.  

You may want to be aware, though, that unless you're UBER talented or ranked in another system (i.e. satisfy their organization's criteria) you will NOT start with Hwa Rang Do. You will have to start with Tae Soo Do - a kinder, gentler version of HRD. Then when you reach 1st Dan, you would start HRD as a yellow belt - if they decide you are a good candidate for the system.  This is as it was explained to me by a dojang in the Portland area a few years back.


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## Lester Paul Churchill (Aug 2, 2013)

Hey, don't worry about the spelling. I've been training in Taekkyon (although my branch spells it Tae Kyun) since 1988, the year after Master Song Duk Ki passed away. My instructor, Daniel D Pecaro, had trained in Korea under Choi Yu Goen, Kwan Su Il, and Do Ki Hyun (the current GM of Kyulyun Taekyun), was awarded his first Dong (1st Dan) before he came back to the states. Like most arts, when the GM dies, most of the senior students end up starting their own organizations- take a look at what happened to American Kenpo after Ed Parker passed away. There are many Kenpo Organizations that sprangu up at that point. In Taekkyon circles, you have Taekkyon, Taek Kyon, Taek Kyun, T'e Kyun, Tae Kyun... just to name a few. I see a lot of good advice posted here, in that you should probably consider what your goals are. Look around and find what suits you. If you like abrupt arts, Taekwondo or Tang Soo Do would be a good choice for you if you are serious about "keeping it Korean." If you like more fluid motion, a Tae Kyun class might be what you are looking for. Here is the World Widae (means "Northern Village," in reference to the competitions they used to have in Seoul a few hundred years ago) Taekkyon organization address in CA: *La Crescenta, CA*: 3130 Foothill Blvd. #2, La Crescenta, CA 91214 and their website, where I got the info, is this: http://www.taekkyeon.org. The Master of that Organization trained personally with Master Song Duk Ki for a number of years, so I believe he's pretty legit. While they are not the same branch of Taekkyon as my own (I believe they take more of a Taekwondo approach to things, including the wearing of a Korean flavored Gi), they would most certainly get you started. I hope this helps.


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