Tang Soo Do
Tang Soo Do is a relatively modern martial art based on the Korean art of Soo Bahk Do, which has existed for many centuries. Soo Bahk originated during the Silla Dynasty (618 to 935 A.D.). "Tang Soo Do" translates to mean "way of the China hand". "Tang" represents the Tang Dynasty of China while "Soo" means hand and "Do" is a way or system.
Grand Master Hwang Kee, founder of Tang Soo Do, mastered Soo Bahk Do and Tae Kyun, a Korean system known for its powerful kicks by the age of twenty-two. In 1936, he traveled to Northern China where he encountered a martial arts style called the Tang Method. From 1936 to 1945 he combined the techniques of Soo Bahk Do with those of the Tang Method and developed Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do. It was officially registered in Korea on November 9, 1945 as the Korean Soo Bahk Do Association.
Tang Soo Do is a composite style made up of 60% Soo Bahk Do and 40% Chinese arts. It is both a hard and soft style. The term hard refers to the overt power and strength of the various techniques which are derived from the movements and the lack of direct confrontation. The softness of Tang Soo Do comes from the Northern Chinese influence.