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Adam Cattillion's September 1998 letter
titled "Down with the Korean Arts!" brought up a
number of questions concerning the martial arts. What
constitutes a "true" martial art, and does the art's
country of origin have any bearing on whether it is a true
martial art? What constitutes a "sporty" art,
and does the art's country of origin have any bearing on
whether it is sporty? What tenets do these arts teach?
And finally, what arts should Black Belt cover?
Each of these questions could be
elaborated upon, and indeed they have been - in much longer
forums than this one. So I will try to address these
questions while replying to Cattillioin's letter in a short
and simple manner.
Cattillion stated that only
Japanese and Chinese styles are traditional. He listed jujutsu,
karate-do, tai chi chuan, kung fu, kobudo,
judo, aikido and kendo as traditional
arts that are true martial arts. He then listed several
Korean arts - hapkido, taekwondo and tang soo
do - as sport-style arts and called for Black Belt to
stop covering them.
I'll point out the most obvious
errors first. Judo is a sport. In fact, it has
been recognized as an Olympic sport since the 1964 Tokyo
Olympics. And while taekwondo will also join the Olympic
Games in 2000, hapkido is not considered a sport and is still
taught as self-defense. You will also find karate and
kendo tournaments, as well as taekwondo and tang soo do
purists who have nothing to do with the sport aspects of their
arts.
So which are sport and which are
traditional? This question cannot be answered by simply
considering the style's country of origin. There are
Korean and Japanese martial sports, just as there are Korean
and Japanese traditional martial arts. This applies to
the arts of other countries, too.
It seems that Cattillion's
objection to the sporty Korean arts is that he believes that
they teach competition and hatred. He believes the
traditional arts teach peace, self-defense, self-confidence
and ways to prevent a fight before it starts.
Cattillion's motives are in the right place; it's just his
knowledge of the martial arts that is askew.
Let's first look at competition.
There is nothing wrong with competition, and many would argue
that it is good for participants. We compete in things
every day, and sport is just one area of this. One hopes
that Cattillion is not calling for the dismissal of all
sports, for these are the arenas in which people learn
sportsmanship, fair play, teamwork and a host of other
positive traits - as well as enjoy various health benefits.
This is why there are sport programs in all schools. In
fact, high school physical-education classes in Japan often
consist of martial arts, including judo, kendo and sumo.
Stating that sporting arts teach
hatred couldn't be more erroneous. When I competed in
judo, I discovered that the tournaments were a place of
sportsmanship, camaraderie and fellowship between players of
different teams. I have seen the same at taekwondo
tournaments. Even in toughman contests - which I have
entered - hatred is absent. All the participants get
along and congratulate each other after the bouts, and they
sit with each other offering encouragement between bouts.
In general, it is an enjoyable time for all.
Since Cattillion singled out
taekwondo and hapkido as two arts that teach this hatred,
let's look at what these arts do teach. Most of the
taekwondo schools with which I am familiar teach courtesy,
integrity, perseverance, self-control and indomitable spirit.
Some go further and add humility and various other tenets
which the instructor believes are important in the development
of the whole person and not just his physical side.
When I studied hapkido in Kangnung,
Korea, I learned not only the physical techniques of the art,
but also the hapkido oath, which consists of nine parts:
filial duty, brotherhood, faithfulness, loyalty, humility,
knowledge, integrity, justice and courage. The roots of
the taekwondo tenets and the hapkido oath can be traced back
to the Hwarang warriors of Korea's Silla dynasty (57
B.C. - A.D. 935).
The Hwarang was a class of
warriors that followed a code characterized by determination,
simplicity, honesty, honor, bravery and absolute loyalty to
the state. During the reign of King Chin Pyong, a
Buddhist monk and scholar named Won Kwang incorporated the
principles of the Hwarang and his Buddhist teachings into the sesok
ogye, or five secular commandments. This became the
Hwarang warriors' code of conduct:
- Be loyal to your king.
- Be obedient to your parents.
- Be honorable to your friends.
- Never retreat in battle.
- Make a just kill.
If following these tenets or
others based on them is not traditional, then what is?
Finally, I would like to address
the subject of which arts Black Belt should cover.
The simple answer is . . . all of them. Martial artists
practice their arts for various reasons, including
self-defense, exercise, fitness, sport, self-improvement and
spirituality. Not every art addresses these in the same
way, and indeed some schools concentrate on one or two more
than on the others. So what? That's part of the
uniqueness of the martial arts. There is enough variety
for everyone. It is up to each person to choose the
goals he or she wants to obtain from the martial arts and then
study a style under an instructor who will help with the
attainment of those goals.
Sometimes our goals change or our
arts don't focus on everything we want to learn, so we start
practicing another art. Some of us choose to practice
multiple arts at the same time - often with one as the base
and the others as a complement. Again, this is a
personal choice based on each practitioner's objectives and
goals. I've encountered martial art from many countries,
and all of them are worthy of study. There is a popular
saying: There are no superior martial arts, only
superior martial artists.
One of the benefits a person can
gain from reading Black Belt is being introduced to
various arts that thrive around the world. It is a forum
to learn about that variety and to help martial artists
understand one another. Additionally, it is a forum to
learn concepts and techniques from other arts that may
compliment your own.
Should Black Belt cover the
traditional and sporting arts of Japan? Yes.
Should it cover the traditional and sporting arts of Korea?
Yes. Should it cover the arts of China? Yes. And
it should cover the arts of Thailand, India, Indonesia,
Brazil, Israel, and every other country in the world - the
sporting as well as the traditional.
About the author: Alain Burrese is a Missoula,
Montana - based martial artist who has trained in judo,
hapkido, taekwondo and karate over the past 16 years.
This appeared as the Guest Editorial or Commentary in the
January 1999 issue of Black Belt magazine.
I wrote this editorial in response to the following letter
that appeared in the September 1998 edition of Black Belt,
that also featured an article on Chokes and Sleeper Holds that
I wrote. (Tokey Hill on cover) The
Letter: Down with Korean Arts
I have a few things to say about Black Belt's
coverage of the martial arts. You should concentrate on
the true martial arts like jujutsu, karate-do, tai chi,
kung fu, kobudo, judo, aikido, kendo and all the
other Japanese and Chinese styles. Stop with the Korean
arts altogether. Stop showing hapkido, taekwondo,
tang soo do and the other sport-styled martial arts.
They concentrate on nothing but sport, and even though they
call themselves traditional, they're not. Please show us
traditional arts like the ones listed above. The
"sporty" arts don't teach us anything but
competition and hatred. The traditional arts teach us
about peace, self-defense, self-confidence and how to prevent
a fight before it starts.
Adam Cattillion, Sarasota, FL
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