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About Tang Soo Do The martial art of Tang Soo Do is relatively modern. Its basis, however, derives from the Korean art of Soo Bahk Do, which dates back to the 7th century A.D. Tang Soo Do is a composite of the Soo Bahk Do style influenced by the northern and southern Chinese arts. Tang Soo Do contains elements of both hard and soft styles of martial art. The hard, strong elements are derived from the northern Chinese style and the soft, flowing movements from the southern Chinese style. Grandmaster Hwang Kee was a martial arts prodigy, having mastered Tae Kyun -- another Korean style not related to Tang Soo Do -- and Soo Bahk Do at the age of 22. At that time, 1936, he traveled to northern China, where he encountered a Chinese variation of martial art called the Tang. From 1926 to 1945 he combined Soo Bahk Do with the Tang and developed what became known as Tang Soo Do. Tang Soo Do is not a sport. Although it is not essentially competitive, it has significant 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 or her intellect, body, emotions, and spirit. This integration helps to create a person who is free from inner conflict and can deal with the outside world in a mature, intelligent, forthright, and virtuous manner. Grandmaster Hwang Kee founded his first Tang Soo Do school on Nov. 9, 1945. This school significantly influenced the martial art styles of modern times. A brief meaning of the words "Tang Soo Do" is "the art of the knife hand." After the Korean War, many American servicemen were stationed in Korea to help oversee the rebuilding of the nation. It soon became common to see these soldiers learning Tang Soo Do. In 1958, the first American to be awarded a First Dan in Tang Soo Do was our own Grandmaster, Mr. Dale T. Drouillard. After returning to the United States, Grandmaster Drouillard founded the first American Tang Soo Do gym in 1960 in his native state of Michigan. |