I have found that early Tae Kwon Do is very similar to Tang Soo Do and Karate. Some of us still teach it as an art and not purely as a sport.

Got to correct you on one thing, the Japanese didn't introduce karate to Korea. The Koreans themselves introduced it. Many Koreans (if you had the financial means) most notably Won Kuk Lee (the founder of Tang Soo Do) lived in Japan to attend high school and university. Lee had studied shotokan under Gichin Funakoshi himself and his son, Gigo. Lee wasn't the only Korean to study shotokan (or shudokan which would be known as Kong Soo Do) in Japan and return to open a school, but he was the first to coin the term. As for anyone who wants to argue that Kee Hwang founded Tang Soo Do. Hwang opened his school after Lee and called his style Hwa Soo Do for the first several years. Hwang's training (who in my opinion) always seemed a bit sketchy claimed that he initially learned Taekkyeon (and "mastered" it) by secretly watching a master off in the distance who refused to teach him. Here's my thing, during the Japanese occupation the practice of Korean martial arts was banned. It was a criminal offense. Why would someone risk being caught training where he could be seen? Second, he claims that when he was in Machuria he secretly (pretty convenient) with a Chinese master whom no one has any way of verifying. Learning some of the kata from a book he found I can believe. Funakoshi did publish his first book in the 1920s. Lee stated in an interview that Hwang had been a student of his briefly. Of course Hwang denied it. Here's the kicker...although Lee's Chung Do Kwan would be a major player in the founding of taekwondo, some CDK schools still teach the old Japanese forms. The Moo Duk Kwan versions of the shotokan forms are virtually the same as the CDK ones. Kicks added in the exact same spots, hand techniques switched for different ones, etc. Is the Moo Duk Kwan branch of Tang Soo Do 100% the same as Lee's? No, I'm sure Hwang made his changes to make it his own. But if you look at some of that 1950s footage floating around it looks a lot like old school shotokan more than a predominantly Chinese based one. Can Hwang truly be considered the founder of Tang Soo Do when there was clearly someone else long before him using it? Hell no. Do we owe him a debt of gratitude for keeping Tang Soo Do? Hell yes.

Awesome video! Thanks for educating me this morning :)

Nice overview of martial arts

Well, it started with Moo Duk Kwan's Hwang Kee, while he originally joined the 5 kwans to form KTA(Korean Taekwondo Association), using his MDK Tang Soo Do, he quit the organization and continued the separate art. While there are conflicting stories about which organization started Tang Soo Do, the other faction, Chung Do Kwan was fully integrated with KTA, the Moo Duk Kwan branch became more well known world-wide, due to Chuck Norris's contribution. As there were other splinters of Tang Soo Do (Karate-based), Hwang Kee decided to add Subak, another ancient Korean Martial Arts, along with Northern Chinese elements, he decided to name his art, Soo Bakh Do. Meanwhile, Hwang Kee's students, Kim Young-taek, Hong Chong-soo, and Lee Kang-ik, wanted to remain with Kukkiwon or then KTA, hence retaining the membership of Moo Duk Kwan Taekwondo in the organization. Together with Chung Do Kwan, MDK-TKD defined some of the techniques in modern Kukkiwon TKD, hence, unofficially, TKD is the direct descendant of TSD. Unofficially, because Kukkiwon is a bit hush about it, and wants to retain TKD as the official Korean Martial Art that is recognized by the state of South Korea.

another great KZfaq video. but you forgot the photo of ed sell in front of the Tae Soo So sign.

I trained MOO DUK KWAN ..I’m so glad you made this video really opens up and explains things as to why they are why they are …. Even though I have taekwondo tattooed down my shoulder I still consider myself Korean karate

I thought you did an excellent job of explaining the etymology and meaning of the name Tang Soo Do. Many people do not make the connection that it is simply the translation of the word karate in it’s original form. It simply means way of the China hand. Well done!

I'm curious as to if you teach any difference between the TSD vs TKD kicks, especially the side kick? Or are the kicks all the same?

This was interesting. I studied TSD for 7 years then moved to TKD (mixed with Hapkido) for another 6 years and other than a few minor differences I would not be able to tell someone how they differ. Hapkido has very obvious differences but it was very easy to transition from TSD to TKD. Thanks for the info!

Taekwondo is simply a political organization. It was a way to unify all the 5 (9) kwans. Tang Soo Do is from the Moo Duk Kwan. It is the so-called precursor to Soo Bahk Do, which is the same darn thing. There are Moo Duk Kwan TSD, TWD, and SBD organizations simultaneously. Most of the 9 Kwans' styles were only slightly different, and they modified to form TKD....but not all.. Basically....TSD and TKD are the same thing exactly. I studied under Sok Ho Kang and he calls it karate most of the time. lol We trained traditionally, but also sport style. After all, Kang was head of the Olympic committee. He kinda had to teach both The real kicker. Even if you train traditionally, the hyung get distorted quite quickly from teacher to student. You can have one teacher with six students, then in the end...you'll end up with 6 masters with completely different hyung due to personal faulty mechanics.

This is great video, very nice presentation.

Tang Soo Do, Shotokan and Shorin Ryu all have a common ancestor in Shuri-Te. Tang Soo Do is the Korean transliteration of Okinawan Karate's former name To-te which means "China Hand."

I practiced tsd for 4 years in college. My teacher explained tae Kwon do and straighter angles with everything and tsd has both. It was a long time ago though 😅 I wish I could start again.

I'm a green belt in Tang Soo Do. I bought a martial arts book called "American Tang Soo Do Hyungs: A Guide to Black Belt." It is a very good book to buy if you are looking to learn each form step-by-step. That is the book I recommend to everyone.

Yes, thank you, some tsd kicks are applied differently and with more power.

I took both taekwondo (moo duk kwan) and tang soo do lessons as a kid, and even then was struck by the fact that the basic movements and forms were virtually identical. This was right around the time that the new taegeuk forms were being introduced, and I don't know if that had any effect on what we were taught.

Thank you. This has helped me make my decision.

Thx Man! That was great.

Main difference, is the pivot foot.

In Korea both north and south, Taekwondo training is mandatory for the military and many law enforcement agencies. That says a lot about how effective it is for self defense and unarmed combat. Any solid practioner will be able to hold their own against an opponent on the street or battlefield regardless if that opponent is trained in martial arts or not.

Through out my years of doing martial arts (Kosho Ryu, Capoeira, Jeet Kun do and Muay Thai) I always looked at TKD and TSD and wondered what the difference was. So I decided to join a TSD school and give it a shot. Well it's been over years now and I still have no idea what the difference is between TSD and TKD. I get asked that question every time I tell someone that I do TSD. I've seen the TKD matches and it looks pretty much like the same thing we do in TSD. I guess it's just the forms that are different. We don't use the chest guard when we spar. I'm not sure if that's a TSD thing of if that's just my school.

The forms question is an interesting one. I started learning Korean martial art in 1971, in a small town south of Gwangju called Hwasun (I was a Peace Corps volunteer). That gym called the art moodukwan and sometimes TKD, although the latter was clearly political as an earlier poster stated. We learned the first couple of the Taeguek forms, but primary emphasis was on the Pal-gueh forms. Those did get shuffled around in 1972 - all of the instructors went up to Seoul for retraining, and when they came back we relearned Pal-gueh 8 as Pal-gueh 6, Pal-gueh 6 (which starts with the scissors block) as 4, and so on. Later, in the 80s, I studied with Master Roh in Minneapolis, whose father, a man from Kaesong just across the border with northern Korea, also studied with Funakoshi. His style, called Songmoogwan, included not only Taeguek, and Pal-gueh for the colored belts, but a third set called Chungbong (kzfaq.info/get/bejne/gdh0f7SklsWpYKM.html) that are a lot of fun.

Hey teach I think you may be dealing with KZfaq unsubbing folks.

My dojang also teaches both TKD and TSD. The biggest difference Ive seen is politics. Its maddening.

Tang soo do means Way of the china hand during the Tang Dynasty. Monks practicing tang soo do were enlisted in the army and fought with great success

Like Baseball and Softball?

I practice both styles of WT style forms pagwee and taagulk. So I learned both's WT styles. I also know the ITF forms also. Is so I know all 3 main styles of taekwondo.

Both Tang Soo Do and Taekwondo are great for self defense. I've practiced Tang Soo Do for about a decade total and was a Cho Dan before leaving my Dojang in 2012. I just joined a WT Taekwondo Dojang in my hometown and very much enjoy the training. It's important for a Taekwondo teacher to emphasize both the self defense and sport aspects of the art. Because it is really both a traditional martial art and a sport. The same goes for any other martial art that's considered a sport like Judo and now even Japanese Karate.

Is different versions of taekwondo and hopkido So yeah there's lots of different styles and also they're very similar to each other each of those smart parts that I just mentioned.

The school I go to teaches both Taekwondo and Tang Soo Do also. We're also able to compete in open martial arts tournaments and closed Taekwondo tournaments too. We also have separate Judo and Jiujitsu classes by a jiujitsu black belt and a judo coral belt. Its all the traditional styles too, not MMA.

I have no idea about which style is more practical. Aside from my training in Kukkiwon(WT), I agreed that Chang'Hon(ITF) is more practical though. Also someone gave me an opinion that Kukkiwon style looks like took out most part of TangSooDo and rearrange & branding as nowadays not like ITF which unique in Sine-Wave & more practical in hand technics.

19 years training in old-school MooDukKwan TKD which from what I can see is 90%the same as TangSooDo.We do all the same kicks, style of sparring, same forms- Gitchu/Pyeong-ahn/ Basssai/Nianchi etc,, even the same uniforms lol

Tkd has many different forms other than Taeguek. Before Taeguek, Pal-gueh forms were taught and still being taught. And black belt forms.. for WT TKD. ITF has its own set of forms. So, does ATA. Other minor styles must has their own forms. Another thing I like to mention is that "T'ang" doesn't necessarily mean China that commonly known to us. T'ang disappeared over 1200 years ago. There is no clear connection between T'ang and Okinawa. Instead of T'ang it could be either Ching or Ming.

ITF Taekwondo is original Taekwondo, WT Taekwondo is not Taekwondo, they are Tang Soo Do new version..

Myself, I definitely prefer more FREEDOM in the expression of the Fighting Arts! I do not live by all the "Traditional Stiffness." I remain Pliable, and Fluid. My movements flow Smoothly, Swiftly, and Power- fully----Instinctually! It truly IS a feeling of....FREEDOM! Amen.

We do ITF. General Choi founded the system correct?

Cobra Kai teaches Tang Soo Do.

Chuck Norris is a black belt in Tang Soo Do

Taek comes from the Korean triangle that the Chinese children use to establish as a footwork game. The Tang as in Tang Soo Do comes from the Tang Dynasty in China. However Taekwondo had been established along time before it became a sport as with most martial arts. Just because Taekwondo and Karate came from the same ancestry does not make these the same, two main different types of Karate types arrived at the same time for obvious reasons one the imperial version where most Karate types and Tang soo do and Taekwondo, the other was Shaolin monks the imperials rivals with Quan Fa where Kempo/Kenpo originated from.

Tkdo exhibition Martial art, tsdo military Martial art.

Karate originated in the island of Okinawa with the influence of Chinese Gong Fu which, in turn had been influenced by ancient Indian martial arts. Hence, Karate is indirectly related to India. Karate is a striking based martial art, which includes punches, blocks, kicks and open hand strikes.

Yes sir, what I was tought, jokingly, was that Tia Kwon Do is what you'd buy a ticket to watch in Korea, and Tang Soo Do is what you'd get your but kicked with outside the stadium.

Taekwondo je nastao sredinom 20 stoljeća,kada je jedan Korejski general spajao tehnike iz izvornih Korejskih borilačkih vještina : Tang Soo Do,Taeykon,Hapkido itd. Tang Soo Do=Karate Do Shotaokan Ryu( Korea-Japan/OKINAWA)...

I like Tang soo do better than Taekwondo.

What if I told you there is no such thing as styles? A punch is a punch and a kick is a kick.

when you get into a real fight they all look the same period.Real fighting is based on distance and timing.Distance is always changing and if you’re not proficient in said distance with your limb that is closest to the target you will miss your opportunity to score.Peoples who adhere to so called styles who say we do this or dont do that,will be in for a rude awakening when they find themselves out of their comfort zone in a fight.Have you not learned anything from MMA.

So many -lies- myths from Asia!

tang soo do = way of chinese hand.

Way of the Chinese hand......denied

ANDTHE HIGHEST RANKING BLUEBELT, ENCOMPOSING THE. SKÝ . ALSO TSD HAS A HIGHER GATE