"Conventional Taekwondo: Core Methods, History, and Philosophy" by Doug Cook is a book that all Taekwondo practitioners will need on their book shelf. It is also a book that will appeal to other Korean martial artists and even these who do not practice Korean arts but would like to comprehend much more about the "foot, hand, Way" from the land of the morning calm.
The book is divided into 3 components, the initial is History and Culture, the second is Philosophy, and the final section focuses on Method. The initially two sections had been superb and will assist all these who practice the art of Taekwondo much better have an understanding of the history, culture, and philosophy discovered inside the art. Those are the sections that will also appeal to other Korean martial artists and even other arts. The third component, Strategy, did an alright job of displaying a handful of Procedures from the Taekwondo curriculum, but was not as robust or as intriguing as the very first two components.
It really is really hard to boil a nation's history, specially a nation like Korea that has a extended and fascinating history, into a couple of quick chapters. I consider Cook did a incredibly very good job of narrowing the history down to a handful of of the most relevant and exciting historical references, beginning with the legend of Tan-gun. He briefly covers the 3 Kingdoms and some of the crucial players in Korea's history. He has a bit on the Japanese Occupation from 1910 to 1945 which is crucial relating to Taekwodo's improvement. The subsequent chapter on the Formative Years of Taekwondo is particularly exciting and will be worthwhile for all these that require to know extra history of the art.
The Philosophy aspect had chapters on the function of meditation in Regular taekwondo, the improvement and use of combat ki, and the relevance of poom-se in Standard taekwondo. Those chapters, once more, have been fascinating and educational. I do believe they offer the reader with a a lot more in depth appear at taekwondo than just the well-liked sport sparring.
The third, and longest element, focuses on Method. It's the longest simply because It really is mainly photos, illustrating the Strategies selected for the text. The chapters cover conditioning workouts 1st, and then a chapter describing coaching Procedures. While I agree with most of what was written, there had been a handful of issues that I would have written differently, particularly the description of ho shin sool, or self-defense Approaches. It really is appropriate, that ho shin sool Approaches present methods to grabs as written, but ho shin sool Methods also incorporate defenses to strikes, kicks, and initiating moves.
I liked the suggestions concerning instruction, in particular the emphasis on respect and security. Then, for the Methods in fact demonstrated with images, there are 18 Il Su Sik (One-Step Sparring) combinations, 8 Sam Su Sik (3-Step Sparring) combinations, 18 Ho Shin Sool (self-defense Strategies), and 16 defenses for females. You can appear at this a couple approaches. 1st, just appear at this section as a modest sampling of Procedures you uncover in the taekwondo curriculum. That is what It's. And as a compact sampling, Cook did a excellent job of adding it. Nevertheless, to discover the Approaches from the book would be incredibly challenging, just as studying any martial art from a book is not suggested, you require a reside instructor and a companion to train with. I did have a basic disagreement with the way some of the ho shin sool Approaches have been demonstrated mainly because appropriate physique positions, movement, and weight placement have been not illustrated, and I also have issues with a few the Procedures completely. (i.e. blocking a pipe with your forearm) Nonetheless, It's not the objective of this evaluation to engage in practicality of Approaches and so forth. So sufficient stated.
There is a brief conclusion, and then the appendix sections. Appendix A was particularly intriguing. It told of a education knowledge with Grandmaster Gyoo Hyun Lee in Korea. I located it intriguing and it also created me homesick to go back and train in Korea. It extremely created me yearn for my subsequent trip over there to train. There had been also some Korean/English terms and couple of martial arts organizations listed. Good additions to the book, in particular the education knowledge with Grandmaster Lee.
For the History and Philosophy sections, I rate this book a 5, and for the Tactics section a three. For that reason, the book is a 4 all round and a book I advocate all taekwondo stylists read and discover from. I also advocate it to any other individuals who have to have to improved realize the history, philosophy, and Procedures of Classic taekwondo.
Alain Burrese, J.D. is a efficiency and private improvement specialist who teaches how to reside, take action, and get factors accomplished by means of the Warrior's Edge. Alain combines his military, martial art, and Asian experiences with his company, law, and conflict resolution education into a robust way of living with balance, honor, and integrity. He teaches how to use the Warrior's Edge to Take Action and Attain Outstanding Outcomes. Alain is the author of Tough-Won Wisdom From The College Of Tricky Knocks, the DVDs Hapkido Hoshinsul, Streetfighting Essentials, Hapkido Cane, the Lock On Joint Locking series, and many articles and critiques. You can read additional articles and testimonials and see clips of his DVDs as properly as considerably additional at http://www.burrese.com and http://www.aikiproductions.com
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