Posted by This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , August 1, 2010

The youngster with the wicked hook kick unleashed yet another barrage of techniques, ending with a reverse, whip-like hook to the head of his opponent -- who recovered and responded with a barrage of punches to the head. As you'll see in the video below, it was a fast, exciting sparring match at the 2010 Invitational Charity Martial Arts Tournament. The puncher won, but the two fighters looked evenly matched - and impressive. Through 12 hours of officiating, sparring, patterns, board breaking, and demonstrating self-defense, these two fighters and hundreds of others from Legacy Tae Kwon-Do demonstrated a traditional style of the art that originated in South Korea in the 1950s and 1960s.
 
Around the world, groups of TKD practitioners are maintaining the traditions of the art -- the hardcore style developed in the South Korean military. No fancy movie kicks and no sine wave. No South Korean gangsters. No North Korean agents. In Alberta, Legacy Tae Kwon-Do (www.tkdcanada.com) is into old-style TKD, the style practiced long before Olympic TKD began in 1973. Often, such traditional groups train off the radar, not part of a mainstream association. Maybe it's my imagination, or maybe it's only the letters I receive, but such associations seem to be on the rise. Are they part of a new, purer movement in Tae Kwon Do - a global one that's back to basics? I hope so.
 
I visited the Lethbridge tournament for a book signing for A Killing Art, and to get inspired by Legacy's new association, United Traditional Tae Kwon-Do Canada. In May, 2010, Master Darin Gibson and his partners who run six dojangs invited me to see what they were up to and to share stories about TKD's true history. More than a dozen schools were at the tournament. It was heart-warming to see a group of 200 participants from the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia kick and punch the bejesus out of each other without becoming psychotic maniacs. Most had trained under Grandmaster J. J. Lee, one of the pioneers of Tae Kwon Do. I receive hundreds of letters from around the world, many from groups who practice the traditional style of TKD, and the Lethbridge group stands out.
 
One reason is that they stick to the powerful techniques from the 1960s - no "sine wave," as it's called.
 
Also, they don't have money hang-ups. Profit from the tournament - about $6,500 -- went to KidSport, a charity that works with children (www.kidsportcanada.ca). In an art that's sometimes dubbed "Take My Dough" (for "Tae Kwon Do"), charity goes a long way. Through six tournaments, Gibson and his TKD partners have raised more than $30,000 for charitable works.
 
And the tournament was incredibly well organized -- and hosted in a new, world-class facility, the University of Lethbridge Gymnasium. There were clear tournament areas, clear rules for officials and food for everyone helping out. The sparring was clean and hard, with very little blood. The children fought well, and the patterns were popular. Dozens of winners held up trophies, and losers focused on what they had to improve. The tournament, as one coloured belt told me, was "integrity at its best."
 
In June, 2010, Legacy held its annual instructor-certification camp, reviewing patterns, self-defense techniques, etiquette, organizational planning and school marketing. Plans for the next year include developing a self-defense curriculum for blue and red belts, and looking for other quality schools who want an organization like United Traditional.
 
Tae Kwon Do isn't only about kicking and punching, as 500 spectators saw at the May tournament. The art is self-defense for the body -- and also for the heart and mind. It's a killing art, yes, but an art of empowerment, too -- physically, mentally and in terms of moral character. United Traditional is demonstrating that.