Hwarang Ground Fighting Demo

[Tom Yum]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UoghCk_8FE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFwNrx1CkLY

Good stuff! In some Traditional Korean arts, you won't learn this until you've paid your dues (and a lot in tuition). The chief master instructor has almost flawless technique!

My experience with the Traditional Korean arts, is that they have a lot of techniques for a lot of situations. In some cases, nearly 300 techniques up to the 1st dan black belt level. Being able to recall one of the 300 techniques and use it on the spot, requires a great deal of practice.

It certainly adds variety, but at the intermediate levels and lower, the students do not understand how to apply the concepts from their techniques or flow from one to another. Can they use their wrist lock or elbow lock while sitting down next to their opponent, while on the ground?

If one of their techniques doesn't work, can they use what their opponent gives them to flow into another one? If the opponent is physically different than they (wider, taller shorter etc.) some techniques will work better than others.

The escapes they learn are good and effective as are the strikes and kicks, but there seems to be a challenge in putting it all together and then doing it in an unpredictable, dynamic environment.

Perhaps things have changed since I studied?

[Tom Yum]

I stand corrected. It looks like cirriculum has changed. Back when I practiced, grappling wasn't practiced until higher levels and even then it was only done with some resistance, say an opponent resists once or twice throughout the sequence

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_AArS7GocU

[darrianation]

Looks like Jujitsu.

Tom, When it comes to the throws and grappling what are the major difference, if any, between Japanese jujitsu and Hwa rang do?

My experience with the Traditional Korean arts, is that they have a lot of techniques for a lot of situations. In some cases, nearly 300 techniques up to the 1st dan black belt level. Being able to recall one of the 300 techniques and use it on the spot, requires a great deal of practice.

Wouldn’t it be better (more effective and efficient) to have a few techniques to counter many situations (understanding some situations will require special counters)?

[Tom Yum]

Darrianation, my best guess is that the difference in jiujitsu and hwarang grappling lays in where they inherited their techniques.

Hwarang do claims heritage from the Suk Wang Sa temple in North Korea, which was probably established by a Buddhist monk who fled China. The techniques are probably influenced from whichever styles came from that temple, not to mention that Koreans have their own system of wrestling like the Mongolians. No suprise considering that they border each other and have cultural simularities, afterall Koreans are traditionally expert horseriders and archers.

Jiujitsu was spread to Japan in a similar way, via expansion of Chinese Buddhism but obviously a different lineage was used and probably refined or simplified by the Samurai, whom had to use it when they lost their swords.

I agree that it would be better to have fewer techniques - unfortunately, instruction in these arts emphasizes number of techniques as powress & tradition of its system, rather than the concept method - applied for different situations.

In my humble opinion, Hwarang do looks like a very reliable fighting system; the instructors (who train full-time) have flawless technique, dedication to their art, can grapple like jiu-jitsu/judoka black belts, can kick like TKD guys and strike you like gong-fu masters.

[darrianation]

I agree it looks to be quite profoundly devastating but in all my experiences with violence the basics win fights. That is not to say that someone who is acutely skilled in Hwa rang do cannot win a fight it is just that 85% of what he has learned will never be brought into play in a fight.

[Tom Yum]

I agree it looks to be quite profoundly devastating but in all my experiences with violence the basics win fights. That is not to say that someone who is acutely skilled in Hwa rang do cannot win a fight it is just that 85% of what he has learned will never be brought into play in a fight.

If you learn one concept, say "choke" and how to apply it to several scenarios, you simplify the number of techniques you have to learn, since they circle around the same concept and are easier to pull off in a reaction.

I remember learning 15- some 'techniques' as a white belt designed to either control or takedwon the opponent. If we would have focused on concept (my suggestion) and simplification/effectiveness (your suggestion) we would have been fine with about 5-6 techniques.

I agree. You shouldn't have to learn 300 different techniques up to the black belt level. Its too much. 30-40 techniques that work and could be applied in different angles/scenarios would be more than enough in my humble opinion.