LAKEWOOD KARATE

STUDIO

Soo Bahk Do is a Korean traditional martial art whose history dates back many centuries. Kicking techniques, for which Soo Bahk Do is renowned, are based on the Moo Duk Kwan style as developed by Grandmaster Hwang Kee. Soo Bahk Do is both a hard and soft art. The founder of Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan, Grandmaster Hwang Kee, was a martial arts prodigy, having mastered Tae Kyun (another Korean system not related to Tae Kwon Do) at the age of 22. At that time (1936), he traveled to Northern China where he encountered a Chinese variation of martial art. From 1936 to 1945 he combined Eastern wisdom and developed what is now known as Soo Bahk Do. Soo Bahk Do is not a sport. Though it is not essentially competitive, it has great combat applications. As a classical martial art, its purpose is to develop every aspect of the self, in order to create a mature person who totally integrates his/her intellect, body, emotions, and spirit. This integration helps to create a person who is free from inner conflict and who can deal with the outside world in a mature, intelligent, forthright, and virtuous manner. Because of the aforementioned qualities of Soo Bahk Do, Grandmaster Hwang Kee Established and founded his first Soo Bahk Do school under the name 'Moo Duk Kwan'. This school developed into a force that has most influenced the martial art styles in modern times. A brief definition of the words 'Moo Duk Kwan' is a "brotherhood and school of stopping inner and outer conflict and developing virtue through Soo Bahk Do training." The Moo Duk Kwan name gives us direction and focus in our mental training. Soo Bahk Do is the technique, Moo Duk Kwan is the philosophy. Soo Bahk Do technique requires the mental discipline that Moo Duk Kwan offers. The two combined produce a total development that increases the benefits of both. From their harmony is created an awareness of being that makes Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan training a valuable art form. Since 1957, thousands of Americans have studied Soo Bahk Do in Korea. Korean instructors have been sent around the world, and there are now major Moo Duk Kwan branches worldwide. There are roughly 2000,000 Soo Bahk Do students with over 30,000 Dan holders. Anyone who has studied with the Grandmaster knows how demanding he is. (He was once heard to say: "If you want to do front and reverse punches correctly, you must spend ten hours a day, six days a week for three years doing nothing else".) Prior to 1974 there were many Americans holding degrees, teaching and promoting without standardization, regulation, communication, or leadership. The Grandmaster decided that a United States organization must be established to unify and standardize the art. As a result of this decision, the United States Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan Federation, Inc. was formed in 1975, guided by an elected and appointed Board of Directors, and is operated by volunteer members. The Federation is devoted to the growth and continuation of Soo Bahk Do in the United States, and to the maintenance of standards of excellence set by Grandmaster Hwang Kee. It is testimony to the Grandmaster and his teachings that he commands such respect and devoted effort from so many mature, intelligent, independent individuals and Charter Members who worked to create the Federation and those who were elected to the Board of Directors. There are certain qualities that characterize the Grandmaster, the members of the Board, and Soo Bahk Do practitioners in general - openness, personal closeness, independence, rock-hard determination, maturity, and unshakable solidarity. These qualities bind us together as kinsmen. This, more than anything else, assures future generations that they will inherit the way of Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan.