What is Tradition?

We often take pride in the fact that as Tang Soo Do students, we practice a martial art with roots that can be traced back hundreds of years. One of the most unique attributes of our training is following traditions and rituals that have been passed down from teacher to student through the years.

As a long time student of Tang Soo Do, I have seen and heard many students and instructors attempt to modernize the art. I myself have from time to time attempted to improve certian things. We often see ‘quick’ and ‘fast’ or ‘new’ other systems and want to try to incorporate these into our training.

Recently, two events in my training have caused me to re-think trying to modernize our art. First, I found archival footage of our forms from the 1940’s. What really made me take notice was the style was not Tang Soo Do (it was shotokan), but the forms were exactly practiced and demonstrated the same way we do them now. Wow! I thought to myself, if I am watching something over 60 years old I must do my best to have someone 60 years from now view my students and see the same thing. It’s my turn to pass on the legacy.

The second event was very emotional for me. I had the opportunity to train with my original instructor while both of us were visiting an event in Europe. What I learned was that there was very little difference in the way he teaches today from how he taught me many, many years ago.

Although I’ve added programs like Jr. Black Belt and weapons, and have completed re-vamped warmups and stretching exercises for safety reasons, I can see that tradition is so very important in what we do.

I hope as martial artists, we all come to realize that the techniques and training we have come to learn and love are the result and synthesis of hundreds of years of training and learning. It’s our responsibility to add to our art in little adjustments, but if we radically change what we do then it’s no longer Tang Soo Do.

Tang Soo!

Kevin Case is president of the United Tang Soo Do Association & United States Haedong Kumdo Association. He is also the host of the Black Belt Radio podcast (www.blackbeltradio.net). Visit Master Case’s Association website at www.unitedtangsoodo.com