Opinions on GM Richard Chun's books?

[sopraisso]

Thank you everyone for the help.
I was mainly hoping for opinions from people who had read the books. Anyway, there was much valuable information here, as usual.
After reading a majority of good reviews, I decided to buy them. Well, now just about two months for them to get to Brazil.
The Kukkiwon Textbook is always on my list. I just haven't felt ready to buy it yet -- it alone is more expensive than the three I mentioned together!
Not long ago my GM has brought changes to our classes, to fit us in Kukkiwon standards. He was honest to show those changes, in the truth, were not new, but anyway it was not how he was initially taught. I feel pretty ok with that.

 

[puunui]

I was mainly hoping for opinions from people who had read the books. Anyway, there was much valuable information here, as usual.

I have all his books.

The Kukkiwon Textbook is always on my list. I just haven't felt ready to buy it yet -- it alone is more expensive than the three I mentioned together!

There is a paperback version of the Kukkiwon Textbook that you might try investing in. It is from the version right before the most current one, but is still good. They sell it on Amazon for $7.30:

http://www.amazon.com/Kuk-Ki-Taekwo...=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326240687&sr=1-8

try that.

In addition, the latest kukkiwon dvd series is available for free on youtube.

 

[puunui]

However, this doesn't have to be an either or - either "I was wrong for 15 years" or "the Kukkiwon keeps changing". It could be easily explained as "I've been teaching as I was taught by my instructor, keeping things as faithful as I could to that so you weren't taught a watered down version. However, there is now a growing push for standardisation, so we're going to switch to the way that the world headquarters is pushing to have everyone do things, so everyone learns the same things to the same standards".

That is a good approach too, which is honest as well. Like you said, the important part is changing, for the better.

 

[sopraisso]

I have all his books.

Good to know. Notice I couldn't guess it from your previous post . The edition I'm buying (different from the first issued) is has been said to be "updated according to KKW standards" (although I'm not sure this is not only about taegu, so I have hope that this could be true. Nevertheless, I don't plan to take those books as a standard guide for Kukkiwon, and I'll always remember something could not fit its standards.

There is a paperback version of the Kukkiwon Textbook that you might try investing in. It is from the version right before the most current one, but is still good. They sell it on Amazon for $7.30:

http://www.amazon.com/Kuk-Ki-Taekwo...=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326240687&sr=1-8

try that.

In addition, the latest kukkiwon dvd series is available for free on youtube.

Hey, that's a nice and afordable beginning! I would say, the YouTube version, mainly! I think I can wait some time to purchase the latest textbook edition. I know I won't have time to read all this stuff so fast, anyway.
I'm looking for the textbook videos on YouTube. Unfortunately, the ones I've already found don't seem to show details I'm really interested about on techniques (including stances, not only strikes!), but I should make a systematic search so maybe I would find the good stuff.

Thank you again!

 

[puunui]

After training 18 years in General Choi's system with top ITF guys in the world who had trained with him I went to an instructor course taught by him. Often I would hear stuff and my brain would scream "That's wrong" because it was different than wnat I learned. When I checked the books I found he was 95% consistent with what it said. The 5% ha to do with about 2-3% errors in the books and the rest were refinements or issuse with language. You could see how stuff either got changed as it passed from person to person, like the old "Telephone game", or in some cases if you were familiar with an instructor's lineage how it was a holdover from their habits developed thru training in another Kwan system which were never changed.
I wrote down over 150 things I needed to fix.

Good for you.

I tell people our instructors taught us as best they could. If , as instuctors we do things right, our students should be better and more knowledgeable than their instructors because our students will have had better instructors than we had (Just as hopefuly our instructors had better instructors than their instructors instructors.)

I don't think I will ever be better or more knowledgeable than my teachers.

 

[RobinTKD]

Referencing the ball of the foot/heel strike in the same kicks, I've was taught that you'd use the heel for a KO as it's the harder surface and slightly easier to transfer body weight through (just because it's directly at the bottom of the leg rather than at an L shaped angle where the ball naturally sits), and to use the ball of the foot for point sparring because it give's you a couple of inches extra reach, and in ITF sparring, you only (officially) fight for points.

 

[chrispillertkd]

Referencing the ball of the foot/heel strike in the same kicks, I've was taught that you'd use the heel for a KO as it's the harder surface and slightly easier to transfer body weight through (just because it's directly at the bottom of the leg rather than at an L shaped angle where the ball naturally sits), and to use the ball of the foot for point sparring because it give's you a couple of inches extra reach, and in ITF sparring, you only (officially) fight for points.

There are plenty of people who use the back heel when performing a bandae tollyo chagi or bandae tollyo gorochagi in ITF sparring. I know some fighters who have gone to the last few WC's and they generally kick with the back heel. Attacking with the ball of the foot does give one a bit of extra reach, but it's not too commonly used in my experience. YMMV, of course.

Pax,

Chris

 

[puunui]

Referencing the ball of the foot/heel strike in the same kicks, I've was taught that you'd use the heel for a KO as it's the harder surface and slightly easier to transfer body weight through (just because it's directly at the bottom of the leg rather than at an L shaped angle where the ball naturally sits), and to use the ball of the foot for point sparring because it give's you a couple of inches extra reach, and in ITF sparring, you only (officially) fight for points.

When pointing your toes (like an instep roundhouse kick) on the spin hook kick doesn't necessarily mean you kick with the ball of the foot. For example, we kick that way because the heel then extends outward, so if someone tries to block, you have that extra reach, sort of the same theory as doing a ball of foot roundhouse, except in reverse for spin hook kick. We also break using spin hook kick in Hapkido pointing the toes and connecting with the heel. Less chance of injury to your heel and achilles tendon that way.

 

[mastercole]

I don't think I will ever be better or more knowledgeable than my teachers.

I am certainly no one to know your mind, but my guess is that even if the reality was that your skills, knowledge of of your martial arts, etc, was in fact in someway beyond that of your teachers, in your mind, such a condition would not even be recognizable, or acceptable and in fact never even be a momentary thought. Correct me if I am guessing wrong

 

[mastercole]

Referencing the ball of the foot/heel strike in the same kicks, I've was taught that you'd use the heel for a KO as it's the harder surface and slightly easier to transfer body weight through (just because it's directly at the bottom of the leg rather than at an L shaped angle where the ball naturally sits), and to use the ball of the foot for point sparring because it give's you a couple of inches extra reach, and in ITF sparring, you only (officially) fight for points.

The shape of movement of kicking skills has become so highly developed that knockout with the bottom of the foot, and instep of the foot are the most common kicking knockouts by far. Ball of foot and heel knockouts are rare, simply because those who still train in that old way have an old mind set and that hampers them from reaching the highest levels of kicking skill.

 

[puunui]

I am certainly no one to know your mind, but my guess is that even if the reality was that your skills, knowledge of of your martial arts, etc, was in fact in someway beyond that of your teachers, in your mind, such a condition would not even be recognizable, or acceptable and in fact never even be a momentary thought. Correct me if I am guessing wrong

I think that in bits and pieces here and there, I *may* be "better". For example, I may be more flexible than some of my teachers. I may speak english better, and explain in english better. But overall better and more knowledgeable? I don't think so. I sometimes entertained those kinds of thoughts when I was much much younger, but now I realize how wrong I was. I've had some really amazing teachers though, I have to say. You too have had your fair share of amazing teachers, the kind that blows you away with the quality, depth and height of their perceptions and perspective. It's like learning about the declaration of independence from thomas jefferson, george washington and/or benjamin franklin.

Taekwondo and Hapkido suffers today because our pioneers were such great men, and we who follow pale in comparison. The best that we can hope for is to continue in their line, as they would want, for one more generation.

 

[RobinTKD]

The shape of movement of kicking skills has become so highly developed that knockout with the bottom of the foot, and instep of the foot are the most common kicking knockouts by far. Ball of foot and heel knockouts are rare, simply because those who still train in that old way have an old mind set and that hampers them from reaching the highest levels of kicking skill.

Doesn't this just go to show how powerful the elite fighters are kicking now? In all the tournaments I've been to (mostly open styles it must be said!) all spinning hook kicks that used the ball of the foot were not much more than a slap across the face, at best a medium strength punch, but when the heel was used people dropped like a sack of spuds. I suppose it all comes to training, I train to use both parts of the foot equally, and there isn't much difference in power, but using the heel feels more natural.

Puunui, we also extend the foot to break for exactly the same reasons. Same when breaking with an axe kick.

 

[lifespantkd]

I think that in bits and pieces here and there, I *may* be "better". For example, I may be more flexible than some of my teachers. I may speak english better, and explain in english better. But overall better and more knowledgeable? I don't think so. I sometimes entertained those kinds of thoughts when I was much much younger, but now I realize how wrong I was. I've had some really amazing teachers though, I have to say. You too have had your fair share of amazing teachers, the kind that blows you away with the quality, depth and height of their perceptions and perspective. It's like learning about the declaration of independence from thomas jefferson, george washington and/or benjamin franklin.

Taekwondo and Hapkido suffers today because our pioneers were such great men, and we who follow pale in comparison. The best that we can hope for is to continue in their line, as they would want, for one more generation.

A great deal depends on the quality of the teacher. If teachers are also intensely searching for the most comprehensive knowledge possible throughout their lifetime, even their most intensely-searching students will forever lag behind them while the teacher lives. And, if knowledge in the field of study itself is forever expanding, then even the most dedicated learners can never know everything. But, if the teacher stops learning, then, yes, I believe that students can surpass their teachers. And, certainly, this surpassing can happen in specific areas rather than in regard to an entire base of knowledge.

What really matters, in my view, is the dedication of the search on the part of both student and a teacher who also views him- or herself forever as a student. Lucky is the student whose teacher never stops learning and growing with a spirit of humble and earnest inquiry.

Cynthia

 

[lifespantkd]

I am certainly no one to know your mind, but my guess is that even if the reality was that your skills, knowledge of of your martial arts, etc, was in fact in someway beyond that of your teachers, in your mind, such a condition would not even be recognizable, or acceptable and in fact never even be a momentary thought. Correct me if I am guessing wrong

Such cognitive dissonance is certainly theoretically possible if a reality conflicts with a deeply held belief about the impossibility of that reality.

Cynthia

 

[puunui]

What really matters, in my view, is the dedication of the search on the part of both student and a teacher who also views him- or herself forever as a student. Lucky is the student whose teacher never stops learning and growing with a spirit of humble and earnest inquiry.

I find it sad when I hear a teacher say or a student say of their student -- "We have been doing the same thing for fifty years!", the implication being that both teacher and student are thinking the same thoughts from fifty years ago. That to me signals no growth, no progress.