Quick book review if you will

[IcemanSK]

I'm looking for thoughts on whether the following books are worth buying. Or rather, your thoughts on the books themselves.

Taekwon-Do: The Korean Art of Self-defense. by General Choi, Hong Hi. Is this a good condensed version of the Encyclopedia?

Taekwondo: Ancient Wisdom for the Modern Warrior. By Doug Cook

Traditional Taekwondo: Core Techniques History & Philosophy. By Doug Cook

Thanks.

 

[exile]

I'm looking for thoughts on whether the following books are worth buying. Or rather, your thoughts on the books themselves.

Taekwon-Do: The Korean Art of Self-defense. by General Choi, Hong Hi. Is this a good condensed version of the Encyclopedia?

Taekwondo: Ancient Wisdom for the Modern Warrior. By Doug Cook

Traditional Taekwondo: Core Techniques History & Philosophy. By Doug Cook

Thanks.

All I can tell you about is my view of Cook: embarrassingly over-earnest, full of MA-pieties, repetitive, and interminably dull, in the first book; unable or unwilling to separate reliable history from legendary fairy-tales, maddeningly vague and semi-mystical about the combat content of hyungs, and kind of stagey-artificial in the SD applications he gives, with no systematic strategic/tactical core ideas or realistic testing, in the second one. All in all, way less there than meets the eye...

 

[Kacey]

I'm looking for thoughts on whether the following books are worth buying. Or rather, your thoughts on the books themselves.

Taekwon-Do: The Korean Art of Self-defense. by General Choi, Hong Hi. Is this a good condensed version of the Encyclopedia?

Very. I have both the condensed and the complete versions, and the primary difference between them is that there are way fewer pictures in the condensed version - in the complete version, there is a picture of every technique in each tul; in the condensed version, there is a picture of each technique the first time it is introduced. All of the theory, history, and philosophy is in both versions, although there is a little more detail in the complete version - but not enough to buy it if you don't want to spend $300-400. The step-by-step diagrams and pictures of the tuls is what takes up much of the extra space in the complete version, and is absolutely wonderful when refining tuls in individual practice, but not really necessary in a reference text.

There is the occasional typo in either the text or the pictures, where they don't agree with each other - but that's as much a translation problem as anything else, and also due to evolution of the art over time since the text was last edited. If you're looking for a solid, definitive, and detailed text about ITF/Ch'ang H'on TKD, then this is the text to buy.

I haven't read the other two, sorry - but I'd be interested in hearing reviews from those who have.

 

[IcemanSK]

Very. I have both the condensed and the complete versions, and the primary difference between them is that there are way fewer pictures in the condensed version - in the complete version, there is a picture of every technique in each tul; in the condensed version, there is a picture of each technique the first time it is introduced. All of the theory, history, and philosophy is in both versions, although there is a little more detail in the complete version - but not enough to buy it if you don't want to spend $300-400. The step-by-step diagrams and pictures of the tuls is what takes up much of the extra space in the complete version, and is absolutely wonderful when refining tuls in individual practice, but not really necessary in a reference text.

There is the occasional typo in either the text or the pictures, where they don't agree with each other - but that's as much a translation problem as anything else, and also due to evolution of the art over time since the text was last edited. If you're looking for a solid, definitive, and detailed text about ITF/Ch'ang H'on TKD, then this is the text to buy.

I haven't read the other two, sorry - but I'd be interested in hearing reviews from those who have.

Thanks for this Kacey. I hoping to get your thoughts on the condensed version as a Chang Hon authority on MT. As for the typos, there are also tons of them in the KKW textbook.

 

[IcemanSK]

All I can tell you about is my view of Cook: embarrassingly over-earnest, full of MA-pieties, repetitive, and interminably dull, in the first book; unable or unwilling to separate reliable history from legendary fairy-tales, maddeningly vague and semi-mystical about the combat content of hyungs, and kind of stagey-artificial in the SD applications he gives, with no systematic strategic/tactical core ideas or realistic testing, in the second one. All in all, way less there than meets the eye...

Wow, don't hold back. Tell me how you really feel?:rofl:

I've read a bit of his stuff. He seems passionate, that's for sure.