Our lineage does go through the Han Moo Kwan, but doesn't necessarily look like HMK TKD since they now really focus on sport (for decades now). We do/have used the Mu Shin Kwan which better describes what we do as far as TKD and/or HKD.
Han Moo Kwan is a fraternal order, actually it is so small now that they do not have an annual gathering anymore. So when we speak about Han Moo Kwan these days, we are really talking about GM Lee.
Several times I have been to what could be considered the main Han Moo Kwan dojang in Seoul, the Dongdaemoon Dojang, and they are not focused on tournaments. What I did see there was Poomsae and Mommakki (Hoshinsul).
Grandmaster Lee's focus is not on tournaments either. He writes very little about competitions. As a man in his 80's, he is very old school. I asked him personally about many things like Kwan's, competition, old and modern Poomsae, Kukkiwon, WTF, etc.
GM Lee believes that the current Taegeuk Poomsae and Dan Poomsae created by the KTA Poomsae Committee, of which he was a member, are the most comprehensive forms ever created for any martial art. He said never in the history of martial arts had such a project taken place and the men on this team were the best and brightest martial artist of their time, well versed in Okinawan, Japanese, Chinese and Korean versions of martial arts. He said the knowledge brought together by this group was unparalleled in the history of marital arts.
No one was thinking of tournaments when they created the Taegeuk and Dan Poomsae, they were thinking of the scope of history and the sequence of development over time and nations to create a truly valuable set of forms. Sure Poomsae recently now has a WTF World Poomsae Championships, which is excellent as this sporting event is a show case for Taekwondo's martial art element of Poomsae.
Just like breaking. It has been around before tournaments, but, it appears in events today, like the Hanmadang. Let me tell you, I was pretty good at breaking at one time, but when I went to the Hanmadang in Dangjin, I was intimidated. This was serious, psycho breaking stuff, no tricks, the Kukkiwon chose the materials, granite, oak and hardened tiles. A number of guys failed on their breaks and I could see for some it was physically, devastatingly painful. I am almost never impressed by breaking, but I left the Hanmadang with a whole new view of that part of Taekwondo.
I will also say this about sparring. Taekwondo has within it, many types of sparring. However, some people are critical the most well known type, Shihap Kyorugi, the type of Taekwondo competition found in the Olympics. But Shihap Kyorugi was invented with Self Defense in mind just as much as it was hoped to be an international sporting event. Our intelligent seniors made it both a self defense practice, and an international sporting event.
Here was their thinking, according to GM Chong Woo Lee, also in his 80's
- bare fist and foot to strike the target forces the use of correct shape of technique, not a covered hand and foot which changes the technique and allows it to be sloppy.
- full force blows, as used in self defense because we must learn to deliver them as well as roll with them to survive a fight
- limit techniques to the most basic gross motor striking skills, as fine motor skills usually go out the window in a fight, and the most dangerous and violent attacks that do the most damage to humans come from those gross motor striking skills, we must learn to defend against them
- limited target area, making that area easier to defend and harder to successfully attack, thereby forcing the attacking techniques to a higher skill level in order to defeat the well defended target area
- allowing knockout, thus adding intense psychological pressure. This places REAL fear into the equation, and fear is the emotional obstruction to a clear mindset, where decision to action has to occur seamlessly, without hesitation. Indecision is the Grim Reaper of self defense and fear brings it forth at the worst time
The International Olympic Committee considered these factors of realism (along with other factors) and accepted Shihap Kyorugi as an Olympic event.