Revisiting Taekkyeon Basics

Although I have around ten years of intermittent Taekkyun experience, I joined some friends last month for an introductory workshop in Taekkyeon. This year (#2020) presented few opportunities to train martial arts with friends, so when the Kyullyun Taekkyeon Headquarters asked me if I wanted to introduce a few of my friends to Taekkyeon I was more than eager.

Let me first give some context. The City of Seoul sponsors a certain number of foreigners to take introductory lessons in selected traditional Korean activities. One of them is Taekkyeon and due to the pandemic, the Kyullyun Taekkyeon Headquarters had not filled their quota for the year, so they asked me if I knew of a couple of foreign friends in Seoul who'd be interested. I immediately had two people in mind, acquaintances that I knew through social media. The one is a dancer with experience in traditional Korean dance and the other one is a model with experience in Hapkido. They were perfect candidates, I thought, to appreciate this traditional Korean activity. I was particularly curious to see which of the two would catch it the quickest, the one who understood Korean body culture the best or the one who practised a Korean martial art, albeit quite a different style.

I expected the class to be taught by one of the lower ranking instructors, but to my surprise Master Ki-Hyun Do (the president of Kyullyun Taekkyeon) graced us as the teacher on the day.  Master Do is one of my favourite grandmasters. Always friendly, always humble, always passionate. 

Dr. Sanko Lewis & Master Ki-Hyun Do

The lesson included some theory, basic etiquette, traditional breathing, the basic stepping pumbalbgi, some kicks and simple strikes. It was a very well structured workshop aimed at people with no prior knowledge of Taekkyeon. While I was quite familiar with these basic movements, I found it delightful nonetheless. It is also nice to be a student sometimes. I've been an instructor for over 20 years and also work as a professor, so most of my life I spend in teaching mode. I therefore really enjoy those times when I can just step back and be a student. 

While I'm beyond the basics, it was still sweet of them to also give me a certificate to prove that I can do pumbalbgi #품밟기! 😅 

Thank you to the Kyullyun Taekkyun Federation, Master Do and my friends Josh and Alessandro for a fun afternoon.

New ITF Taekwon-Do & Hapkido Gym: Soo Shim Kwan ◦ Seoul

Master Kim Hoon

After about two decades of running gyms in Seoul, Master Kim Hoon has decided to take a sabbatical and a well-deserved rest. Therefore, the 'The Way' gym has closed at the end of May. I have been part of Master Kim Hoon's gym for nine years and have taught ITF Taekwon-Do and other martial arts at 'The Way' for most of that time.

With the closing of 'The Way', I suddenly needed a place for myself to train, and also assist my students in their journey towards black belts and beyond.

At first I thought of getting a training space close by my home. However, 'The Way' dojang was the only ITF Taekwon-Do space in central Seoul; we often received international visitors that wanted a place to practise ITF Taekwon-Do in the city of its birth. I thought it would be a terrible shame not to continue to have a "home" for ITF Taekwon-Do in Seoul that is accessible to most people. Although I live in Seoul, I live on the eastern outskirts, which might be a little difficult to access for tourists and other people interested in ITF Taekwon-Do.

I therefore decided to find a place more centrally located. I found a rooftop one-room apartment that I think will do the job. It is located in the Yongsan District, which is in central Seoul, close by the Itaewon and Noksapyeong neighbourhoods that are well-known among foreign residents in Korea. During the pleasant summer months one can exercise outside on the rooftop, with Namsan Mountain and Seoul Tower in the background. And on rainy days and during the cold months one can train inside. The idea of a rooftop training space has always appealed to me as historically that is where many martial artists in cities used to practise their discipline.

Dr Sanko Lewis going through a personal exercise routine

Soo Shim Kwan ◦ Seoul will function as my private dojang where I can continue my own martial arts practise. I'll also use it for private teaching and to continue the monthly "Seoul Martial Arts Circle" workshops that I've been hosting for several years. My focus will continue to be Korean martial arts, with emphasis on ITF Taekwon-Do and Hapkido, but also Taekkyeon and Yusul when time allows.

I will move into the new premises early July 2017. The first week or so will probably be dedicated to renovations, but I plan to get training there as soon as possible and will spend much of my time during my summer vacation at Soo Shim Kwan ◦ Seoul.

Introductory Workshop in Seoul

I'll be teaching an Introduction to ITF Taekwon-Do Workshop on behalf of the Seoul Global Village Center, Yeoksam Branch, in Gangnam, Seoul next Friday, 31 July. Participation is free but the space is limited. There is still some space left though, so if anyone is in the area and interested, please contact the Yeoksam Global Village Center directly via the contact details provided in the image below.

ITF Taekwon-Do -- Dojang in Seoul, South Korea

One of the searches that attracts visitors to this blog is people searching for a dojang where they can practise ITF Taekwon-Do in Seoul, South Korea, so I thought I'll post some details about it here.

Master Kim Hoon

There is one dedicated ITF Taekwon-dojang in Seoul run by Master Kim Hoon. He is a 4th Dan in ITF, 7th Dan in WTF and former captain of the Korean Tiger Demonstration Team. Master Kim is the owner of the 'The Way' Martial Arts & Fitness Gym, which is located close to Kunkuk University (Kunkuk University Station). 'The Way' also have classes in stand-up fighting (based on kickboxing, Muay Thai and ITF Taekwon-Do) and grappling (based on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Yusul -- Korean jujitsu). All classes are taught in Korean and English and are very foreigner friendly with a nice group of Koreans and foreigners training together.

Taekwon-Do is taught Monday through Friday in the morning from 10:45 to 12:00 for adults and again from 19:10 to 20:20 (7:10-8:20 PM). There is also a Saturday afternoon session. Taekwon-Do classes are often augmented with self-defence techniques derived from Hapkido. Directly following the evening Taekwon-Do classes there is a cross-fit session to improve general fitness and conditioning.

Children classes follows a WTF Taekwondo curriculum. Class times are in the afternoons.

The stand-up fighting are on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings  and grappling classes are on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Both begins with a cross-fit session, starting from 20:30 (8:30 PM) with the actual stand-up fighting or grappling starting around 21:00 (9pm).

You can find more details for 'The Way' here. (And on Facebook.)