About the Art
As a member school of the worldwide Tang Soo Do Martial Way Association under Grandmaster Andy Ah Po, we teach classical Ah Po Tang Soo Do. Grandmaster Ah Po was a direct student of Grandmaster Hwang Kee, the founder of the Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan in Korea, and in the 60’s and 70’s, Grandmaster Ah Po held multiple titles and was Grand Champion of the famous Long Beach Internationals. Over the past half-century in this martial art, Grand Master Ah Po has been a leader, historian, and innovator in the Tang Soo Do community.
History of Tang Soo Do
“Tang Soo Do is a relatively modern martial art. However, it's original basis, the Korean disciplines of Soo Bahk Ki and Tae Kyun, date back many centuries. Tang Soo Do (which means, way of the hand of the Tang Dynasty) is a composite style influenced by the traditional Korean martial art of Soo Bahk Do, Northern and Southern Chinese martial arts systems, and the Okinawan discipline of Karate. The Chinese influences were Basic Training (Seh Bop - method of postures, Bo Bop - method of steps, Ryun Bop - method of conditioning), and form and combat applications (Dhan Toi Sip E Ro, and the "Tae Kuk Kwon"). The Okinawan influences occurred primarily during the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910-1945).
The name ‘Tang Soo Do’ was the term Grandmaster Won Kuk Lee, founder of the Chung Do Kwan, originally applied to his martial art. After meeting with Grandmaster Lee in 1947, Kwan Jang Nim Hwang Kee, founder of the Moo Duk Kwan, decided to integrate the name ‘Tang Soo Do’ into his Hwa Soo Do discipline. Tang Soo Do kicking techniques are based on the ancient Korean style of Tae Kyun, which was later formalized by Grandmaster Hwang Kee, founder of the Korean Soo Bahk Do (Tang Soo Do) Moo Duk Kwan Association (formerly named Hwa Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan). Tang Soo Do is both a hard and soft style, deriving its hardness in part from Okinawan Karate and its soft flowing movements from Soo Bahk and also Northern and Southern Chinese martial arts.
Although Tang Soo Do, and its tremendous combative martial arts applications, can be adapted to competition, ‘it is not a sport’. As both a traditional and classical martial art, its primary focus is to develop the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of the human being. Its primary purpose is on positive and enhanced character development, and the rejuvenation and prolonging of life. This integration of mind, body, and spirit helps to create a person free from inner conflict who is able to deal with the outside world with integrity in a mature, forthright, intelligent, and virtuous manner. Tang Soo Do is the technical art and the Tang Soo Do Martial Way Association an administrative, educational and philosophical organization.”
- excerpted from Tang Soo Do Martial Way Association website | 
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