Vintage video of Moo Duk Kwan 1950-60s

Hi. Just had to share this on the blog. I went "youtubing" and found a whooping 39 minutes long clip of vintage video footage of Moo Duk Kwan filmed in the late 50s or early 60s in Korea. The clip is the longest and most comprehensible video footage I have ever seen of early "Taekwondo". It contains a lot of forms, impressive breaking demonstrations, sparring, self protection, etc etc..


I am not sure wether I should be happy for finding this clip or sad because this clip shows a martial art that is so incredibly more well rounded than the poor mainstream versions that passes for Taekwondo today. Well to be frank the clip does show "Tang Soo Do" and not "Tae Kwon Do" but Moo Duk Kwan was simular to the other hard style schools at the time, borrowing heavily from Karate (wich actually is "Tang Soo Do" in Korean by the way). The forms contained in the clip as well as the uniform shows this "borrowing" very easily. There are minor differences of course and the Korean innovations that I have mentioned before can be seen in this clip. Self protection, leg techniques, free sparring is all new and part of what made this martial art apart from Karate at that time at least.

Anyway here is the clip. I ask you to please sit back, have a cup of coffee, tea or soda (depending on your age and mood) and enjoy the clip from the days gone by....