World Tang Soo Do Association

The World Tang Soo Do Association is an international Tang Soo Do association headquartered in Burlington, North Carolina.[1] As of 1996, the organization claimed to have over 160,000 members.[2]

World Tang Soo Do Association
WTSDA
Logo of the World Tang Soo Do Association
Membership160,000+
Founded1968 by Jae Chul Shin
HeadquartersBurlington, North Carolina
ChairmanWilliam Strong
Official website
worldtangsoodo.com
Named after the Tang dynasty

Etymology

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"Tang Soo Do" (당수도) is the Korean pronunciation of the Hanja 唐手道 (pronounced Táng shǒu dào in Chinese[3]), and translates literally to "The Way of the Tang Hand." The first character of the Hanja form is 唐, referring to the Tang dynasty of China (618-907). In the early 1930s, roughly 55 years after the Imperial Japanese occupation of Okinawa,[4] Gichin Funakoshi in collaboration with others[who?] changed the first character to 空, signifying "empty"; both characters can be pronounced "kara" in Japanese, though 唐 is more commonly rendered as "Tou".[5] The Chinese pronunciation of 空手道 is kōng-shǒu-dào, and the Korean is pronounced [koŋsʰudo](공수도). Outside of the Far East, the term "Tang Soo Do" has been synonymous with the Korean martial arts style promoted by grandmaster Hwang Kee; who learned martial arts in Manchuria.

History

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In 1968, Master Jae Chul Shin traveled to the United States as a representative of the Korean Tang Soo Do Association, where he then established the United States Tang Soo Do Association.[6][7][8] In 1982, dissatisfied with the direction that the organization was headed, Shin resigned from the board of directors and with Ki Yun Yi and William D. Clingan, founded the World Tang Soo Do Association.[9][7][10][11] This coincided with his instructor, Kwang Chang Nim (grandmaster) Hwang Kee's release of new hyungs (forms) which also occurred the same year.[12]

Organization

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References

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  1. ^ "World Tang Soo Do Association Reviews and Ratings | Burlington, NC | Donate, Volunteer, Review | GreatNonprofits". greatnonprofits.org. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  2. ^ "About". World Tang Soo Do Association. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Tang Soo Do World Championships in Adelaide this weekend - ABC (none) - Australian Broadcasting Corporation". www.abc.net.au. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
  4. ^ "History of Okinawa" (PDF). Kadena Air Force Base. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 December 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  5. ^ Funakoshi, Ginchin (25 January 2013). Karate-do Kyohan. Vertical. p. 3. ISBN 978-1568364827.
  6. ^ Buttitta, Bob (March 1984). The World Tang Soo Do Association: The Last Bastion For Traditional Korean Martial Arts?. Black Belt Magazine, Pages 28–32
  7. ^ a b Coleman, Jim (September 1984). Tang Soo! The Evolution of Tae Kwon Do‘s Bitter Rival. Black Belt Magazine, Pages 20–24 & 120–121
  8. ^ The World Tang Soo Do Association. Korean Martial Arts Tang Soo Do Black Belt Manual. Philadelphia, PA: World Tang Soo Do Association, Inc, 1990,2000. 19. Print.
  9. ^ Wasserman, Bill (December 1999). Jae Chul Shin: The Ambassador of Tang Soo Do Talks About Chuck Norris, Taekwondo and the State of the Arts in American. Black Belt Magazine, Pages 48–53
  10. ^ Nagel, J. (February 1983). Jae Chul Shin: Chuck Norris‘ Teacher. Black Belt Magazine, Pages 46–49 & 104
  11. ^ Vandehey, Tim (October 1989). A House Divided: The Broken Family of Tang Soo Do. Black Belt Magazine, Pages 24–28
  12. ^ "Brief History of the Moo Duk Kwan. World Moo Duk Kwan Official Web Site". Archived from the original on 2008-05-31. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
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