Choi Kwang Do
Encyclopedia
Choi Kwang Do is a martial art developed by Kwang Jo Choi
. The style relies more on flexibility and fluidity of movement as opposed to the more rigid lines of some other martial arts. To achieve this it employs yoga
-based stretching to develop the flexibility of practitioners.
on March 2nd 1987. Kwang Jo Choi
was born in South Korea
before emigrating to Canada
in the early 1970s. Choi was a successful ITF Tae Kwon Do practitioner and trainer (serving as a chief instructor) before establishing his own style.
While teaching and demonstrating ITF Tae Kwon Do in South East Asia, Kwang Jo Choi became injured through his training and demonstrations to the point where he was unable to continue with the discipline. So he left Malaysia (where he was demonstrating at the time) for North America
, in the hope of finding orthopedic surgeons who would be able to help with his injuries. Determining that the injuries were caused by the way he was performing martial arts, Choi undertook rehabilitative exercises, attended various seminars and studied techniques for rehabilitation. Choi claims that he incorporated these techniques into his own fighting style, and from that he developed Choi Kwang Do.
Today, Choi Kwang-Do is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia
, and is taught in numerous countries including the United Kingdom with schools in England, Scotland and Wales.
and psychology
, in its design. The result is a tendency towards the use of natural bilateral movement and fluid sequential motion to develop optimum force on impact to place less pressure on the joints. The style also incorporates breathing and stretching exercises from yoga.
Choi Kwang Do is not designed for competition, but for a natural and effective response to everyday stimuli and training is a mix of contact drills using pads and shields, non-contact drills and "in-fighting" close-quarter drills.
Prior to 1999 CKD had 11 colored belts before introducing "senior" belts for each colored belt. The new curriculum increased the total number of colored belts to 18. Each senior belt retained the original pattern, while the solid colored belts were altered to a simplified one directional pattern. There are no patterns past fourth degree black belt. The copyrighted CKD Student Guide states coloured belts are eligible to sit for belt exams each 2 months. A student therefore can receive their black belt after 3 to 3½ years depending on their schools closure times over christmas /New Year periods. However, becoming an Assistant Instructor gives the person entitlement to grade every month thus halving the period needed to acquire black belt. Anyone can become an Assistant Instructor after being recommended to the international headquarters by a school owner who has first received and then accepted the application based on their recommendation of the applicant and an essay they have submitted on why the applicant wishes to be an assistant instructor. The applicant must then pay an Assistant Instructor certification fee. There is a minimum rank required by Choi Kwang Do international regardless of previous experience and expertise of the applicant as stated here as gold belt which is the 5th rank (including white belt which all students start on) and only the second solid colored belt (not including white belt) in the system as shown on the rank table attached to this article.
Kwang Jo Choi
Choi Kwang Jo is a former South Korean national champion in taekwondo, and is one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association. Following a career in the South Korean military, he emigrated to the United States of America in 1970...
. The style relies more on flexibility and fluidity of movement as opposed to the more rigid lines of some other martial arts. To achieve this it employs yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
-based stretching to develop the flexibility of practitioners.
History
Choi Kwang Do was founded by Kwang Jo ChoiKwang Jo Choi
Choi Kwang Jo is a former South Korean national champion in taekwondo, and is one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association. Following a career in the South Korean military, he emigrated to the United States of America in 1970...
on March 2nd 1987. Kwang Jo Choi
Kwang Jo Choi
Choi Kwang Jo is a former South Korean national champion in taekwondo, and is one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association. Following a career in the South Korean military, he emigrated to the United States of America in 1970...
was born in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
before emigrating to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in the early 1970s. Choi was a successful ITF Tae Kwon Do practitioner and trainer (serving as a chief instructor) before establishing his own style.
While teaching and demonstrating ITF Tae Kwon Do in South East Asia, Kwang Jo Choi became injured through his training and demonstrations to the point where he was unable to continue with the discipline. So he left Malaysia (where he was demonstrating at the time) for North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, in the hope of finding orthopedic surgeons who would be able to help with his injuries. Determining that the injuries were caused by the way he was performing martial arts, Choi undertook rehabilitative exercises, attended various seminars and studied techniques for rehabilitation. Choi claims that he incorporated these techniques into his own fighting style, and from that he developed Choi Kwang Do.
Today, Choi Kwang-Do is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, and is taught in numerous countries including the United Kingdom with schools in England, Scotland and Wales.
Style and training
Choi Kwang Do claims to emphasize the use of biomechanics, and to employ a number of modern disciplines, such as kinesiologyKinesiology
Kinesiology, also known as human kinetics is the scientific study of human movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, mechanical, and psychological mechanisms. Applications of kinesiology to human health include: biomechanics and orthopedics, rehabilitation, such as physical and occupational...
and psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, in its design. The result is a tendency towards the use of natural bilateral movement and fluid sequential motion to develop optimum force on impact to place less pressure on the joints. The style also incorporates breathing and stretching exercises from yoga.
Choi Kwang Do is not designed for competition, but for a natural and effective response to everyday stimuli and training is a mix of contact drills using pads and shields, non-contact drills and "in-fighting" close-quarter drills.
Practitioners
Notable practitioners of the Choi Kwang Do style include:- Kwang Jo ChoiKwang Jo ChoiChoi Kwang Jo is a former South Korean national champion in taekwondo, and is one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association. Following a career in the South Korean military, he emigrated to the United States of America in 1970...
(founder) - inducted into the Taekwondo Times Magazine Hall of Fame, 2006.
- Lynne RussellLynne RussellLynne Russell was a radio host on the Toronto AM radio station 1010 AM CFRB News Radio, part of the Astral Media...
- Deputy Sheriff, Private InvestigatorPrivate investigatorA private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
and author of How to Win Friends, Kick Ass and Influence People.
- Silvio SimacSilvio SimacSilvio Simac is a Croatian/Italian martial artist who has appeared in many mainstream American action movies. He is a 14 times British Taekwondo Champion . He holds 4th Dan Black Belt in ITF Taekwondo, 5th Dan in Choi Kwang Do, 3rd Dan in Kickboxing, 1st Dan in Brithai Karate and 1st Dan Black...
, ActorActorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, Famous martial artist, 1999 ITFInternational Taekwondo FederationInternational Taekwon-Do Federation is a Taekwondo organization founded on March 22, 1966, by General Choi Hong Hi in Seoul, South Korea. The ITF exists to promote and encourage the growth of the Korean martial art of Taekwondo...
(non-olympic) TaekwondoTaekwondoTaekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
world champion. He holds 4th Dan Black Belt in ITF TaekwondoTaekwondoTaekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
, 5th Dan in Choi Kwang Do, 3rd Dan in KickboxingKickboxingKickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
, and 1st Dan Black Belt in Combat Self-Defence. He starred along side Jet LiJet LiThe fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce...
(WushuWushu (sport)The sport of wushu is both an exhibition and a full-contact sport derived from traditional Chinese martial arts. It was created in the People's Republic of China after 1949, in an attempt to nationalize the practice of traditional Chinese martial arts...
practitioner) in UnleashedUnleashed (film)Unleashed , is a 2005 American-British-French martial arts action thriller film directed by Louis Leterrier and written by Luc Besson. Film stars Jet Li, Bob Hoskins, Morgan Freeman and Kerry Condon...
and other feature movies.
Principles of Choi Kwang Do
- Humility
- Honesty
- Gentleness
- Perseverance
- Self - Control
- Unbreakable spirit
Choi Kwang Do commands
| Word | Hangeul | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Charyeot | 차렷 | Attention |
| Gyeongnye | 경례 | Bow |
| Baro | 바로 | Return |
| Swieo | 쉬어 | At ease, relax |
| Kihap | 기합 | Spirit Yell |
| Chunbi | 준비 | Ready |
| Sijak | 시작 | Begin |
| Kallyeo | 갈려 | Break (separate) |
| Kaysok | 계속 | Continue |
| Kuman | 그만 | Finish (stop) |
| To Rah | 뒤로 돌아 | Turn around (about turn) |
| Haesan | 해산 | Dismiss |
Belt system
Color Belts- White
- White Senior
- Yellow
- Yellow Senior
- Gold
- Gold Senior
- Orange
- Orange senior
- Green
- Green Senior
- Blue
- Blue Senior
- Purple
- Purple Senior
- Red
- Red Senior
- Brown
- Brown Senior
- Black BeltBlack belt (martial arts)In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
1st Degree (Il Dan) - Black Belt 2nd Degree (Ee Dan)
- Black Belt 3rd Degree ( Sam Dan)
- Black Belt 4th Degree - International Instructor level ( Sah Dan)
- Black Belt 5th Degree - Master level (Oo Dan)
- Black Belt 6th Degree (Yuk Dan)
- Black Belt 7th Degree - Senior Master level (Chil Dan)
- Black Belt 8th Degree - Grand MasterGrandmaster (martial arts)Grandmaster and Master are titles used to describe or address some senior or experienced martial artists. Such titles may be, to some extent, aligned to the elderly martial arts master stock character in fiction...
level (Pal Dan)
Prior to 1999 CKD had 11 colored belts before introducing "senior" belts for each colored belt. The new curriculum increased the total number of colored belts to 18. Each senior belt retained the original pattern, while the solid colored belts were altered to a simplified one directional pattern. There are no patterns past fourth degree black belt. The copyrighted CKD Student Guide states coloured belts are eligible to sit for belt exams each 2 months. A student therefore can receive their black belt after 3 to 3½ years depending on their schools closure times over christmas /New Year periods. However, becoming an Assistant Instructor gives the person entitlement to grade every month thus halving the period needed to acquire black belt. Anyone can become an Assistant Instructor after being recommended to the international headquarters by a school owner who has first received and then accepted the application based on their recommendation of the applicant and an essay they have submitted on why the applicant wishes to be an assistant instructor. The applicant must then pay an Assistant Instructor certification fee. There is a minimum rank required by Choi Kwang Do international regardless of previous experience and expertise of the applicant as stated here as gold belt which is the 5th rank (including white belt which all students start on) and only the second solid colored belt (not including white belt) in the system as shown on the rank table attached to this article.