Brief History of Moo Duk Kwan
Moo Duk Kwan is the trademarked name of the martial art school founded by Hwang Kee in Korea in 1945.
Often referred to as a "martial arts prodigy" the Grandmaster was widely acknowledged as a gifted martial artist, due in large part to his inquisitive nature and scholarly approach to the development and refinement of his art. It began at the age of seven, when he attended a traditional holiday festival and witnessed a confrontation where one man defeated seven or eight attackers using various martial techniques.
He followed the man to his home and a few days later began to observe the man practicing from a distance and imitated what he saw. Later, he approached the manand asked to be taught the techniques he witnessed. The man refused because of his young age. This did not end the Kwan Jang Nim's interest. He continued to observe the man training from afar, and practiced what he saw.
On November 9, 1945 he founded the Moo Duk Kwan and named his art Hwa Soo Do (art of the flowering hand). Unfortunately, it was not immediately popular so it struggled to gain and keep students. He later met Won Kuk Lee, the founder of Chung Do Kwan, whose art was Tang Soo Do. Lee had trained in Karate in Japan, was very successful and had many more students than the Moo Duk Kwan. Because Tang Soo Do had a more recognizable name, it was better received by the public. The Grandmaster decided to combine it with his Hwa Soo Do and what he learned from the Okinawan books. In 1947 he began teaching his new art of Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan to the public.
Often referred to as a "martial arts prodigy" the Grandmaster was widely acknowledged as a gifted martial artist, due in large part to his inquisitive nature and scholarly approach to the development and refinement of his art. It began at the age of seven, when he attended a traditional holiday festival and witnessed a confrontation where one man defeated seven or eight attackers using various martial techniques.
He followed the man to his home and a few days later began to observe the man practicing from a distance and imitated what he saw. Later, he approached the manand asked to be taught the techniques he witnessed. The man refused because of his young age. This did not end the Kwan Jang Nim's interest. He continued to observe the man training from afar, and practiced what he saw.
On November 9, 1945 he founded the Moo Duk Kwan and named his art Hwa Soo Do (art of the flowering hand). Unfortunately, it was not immediately popular so it struggled to gain and keep students. He later met Won Kuk Lee, the founder of Chung Do Kwan, whose art was Tang Soo Do. Lee had trained in Karate in Japan, was very successful and had many more students than the Moo Duk Kwan. Because Tang Soo Do had a more recognizable name, it was better received by the public. The Grandmaster decided to combine it with his Hwa Soo Do and what he learned from the Okinawan books. In 1947 he began teaching his new art of Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan to the public.
**copied from www.tangsoodoworld.com**
