Korea's diverse fighting styles include both indigenous martial arts and those borrowed and modified from neighboring countries, principally Japan and China. In "The Way of the Warrior, Martial Arts and Fighting Systems from Around the World," Chris Crudelli mentions nearly two dozen martial arts closely associated with Korea. The best art among these depends on your interests and needs. Like many fighting systems, there is considerable overlap in techniques and combinations of kicking, punching, throwing and grappling taught by different Korean schools.
Wrestling/Grappling and Weapon-Based Arts
Ssireum is a form of sport wrestling with some similarities to the Japanese art of sumo. Contests take place in a circular ring filled with sand. Victory is achieved by forcing an opponent to touch the ground with any part of his body from head to leg above the knee. Yusul, or gong kwon yusul, differs considerably from ssireum; it is much more like Japanese jujutsu in its use of throws and joint locks. Three impressive Korean martial arts that concentrate on swordsmanship are kumdo, a form of fencing closely linked to the Japanese art of kendo, han kum and haedong gum do.
Tai Kwon Do, Tang Soo Do and Hapkido
Tai kwon do provides effective techniques for self-defense and, with the introduction of rules to make it suitable for competition, it has also become a popular sport. The kicks which play a central role in tai kwon do can be traced to the older martial art taekuyon. Its hand techniques can be traced to subak, an ancient Korean martial art, and to Japanese karate. A similar fighting system, tang soo do, has been popularized by Chuck Norris. It stresses the improvement of its practitioners' character. Another popular Korean fighting style is hapkido which is focused less on sport than on self-defense. It employs fighting techniques that cover all fighting distances, from punching and kicking to restraints, locks and throws.
Arts Influenced by Tai Kwon Do
Many fighting styles in Korea have incorporated techniques from tai kwon do. For example, hankido combines elements of tae kwon do and aikido. Kyu ki do techniques are like those used in tae kwon do, jujutsu, judo and hapkido. And han mu do combines techniques from tae kwon do and hapkido. Gwon Guyodo and kun gek do combine other Korean martial arts with Thai kickboxing. Yongmudo is a new martial art combining techniques from hapkido, judo, ssireum and tae kwon do. It was created by researchers at Yong-In University to "enhance physical action, mental endurance, and functions requiring both," according to Crudelli.
Other Hybrid Martial Arts
The first Hwa Rang Do school opened in Seoul in 1960. It is another art that teaches skills for fighting at all distances, standing and on the ground. Crudelli reports that it takes as long as 15 years to achieve the rank of black belt in this martial art. The influence of China is evident in the art of kwon bup, a fighting style similar to Shaolin kung fu. Kwon Bup differs from the native Korean art of taekyon which stresses relaxation and rhythm while striking and applying grappling techniques.
References
- "The Way of the Warrior, Martial Arts and Fighting Systems from Around the World"; Chris Crudelli; 2008
- All Martial Arts:The Lineage of The Korean Martial Arts
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