Hyung Training
Tang Soo Do forms, or Hyungs, are a set of predetermined moves demonstrating a defensive and/or offensive action of which most every movement is taken from Japanese shotokan karate kata. The forms demonstrate a student responding to an attacker.
Pyung Ahn forms are a series adopted from Okinawan and Japanese karate, where they are called Pinan/Heian. They are the creation of Yasutsune Itosu, who also was one of Funakoshi´s teachers. According to Hwang Kee, he learned these forms from studying Japanese books on Okinawan karate. Most scholars agree that the primary text Hwang Kee relied upon was Gichin Funakoshi’s Rentan Goshin Toudi-Jutsu published in Japan in 1925.
Almost all original 5 kwan instructors taught these same forms and had them in their curriculum as they were direct students of Japanese Karate masters, like Gichin Funakoshi or his contemporary peer Kanren Toyama, founder of shudokan karate; or, they were friends and students of the other kwan leaders.
This week, work on your Hyungs. Spend some time drilling them, then think through the applications of various parts of the hyung. Attempt the above flow drill for Pyunag Ahn Sah Dan, or try one of your own. If you come up wit one you are particularly proud of, share it in the comments below. The Hyung is the text book of the art. Get to studying!
Lastly, Happy Star Wars Day! “May the 4th be with you!” LOL.
SOAR Tang Soo Do 