Currently I hold a second degree black belt in this art, so let's begin the review.


Haidong Gumdo is a Korean sword based martial art, which according to most Korean masters is about as old as the Goguryo Kingdom. In reality, it was compiled from Sword techniques, both Japanese and Korean, in 1982. Practioners are referred to as Samurang (no really) and dress in a manner similiar to the Japanese sword practioners.
The art was initially popularized in Korean by one of it's founders, Na Hanil, who used the art when he starred in a live action TV show about "brave korean drama heroes". No footage is available, much like the historical evidence of anything pruported by the various organizations promoting the art.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haidong_Gumdo
That's it for the wikipedia portion, now the review.

Despite all the bull that you get when it comes to history and etymology, you'll find that Haidong Gumdo is actually pretty good for some things. Like most sword arts, it builds fore arms and upper body strength. The sword is exactly like a Katana. (Though the Korean masters will say it's 3 inches longer. No really, they actually say that. Get it?) There are forms, of course, but they serve a purpose and make for a good workout. There's also a focus on meditation and concepts such as "Shimgum." Shimgum is like the concept of Duende which refers to a sort of mental unity with your movements. More on that nonsense later. Now, since it's almost impossible to judge how well it would work in a real fight, since no one really fights with swords anymore and I'm not sure there are that many people alive who can testify to winning a sword fight with Gumdo, I have to find another aspect to talk about. For this we turn to cutting techniques. There is a heavy emphasis on cutting in Gumdo. Straw, Bamboo, Fruit, and Newspaper especially. The news paper cutting is done with a blunt wooden sword where the purpose is to cut as straight and as accurately as possible, without tearing the paper. You'll see a lot of focus on precision in Gumdo, for example the candle snuffing practice. In candle snuffing practice, you try to put out as many candles as you can by cutting downward and stopping the tip just close enough to put them out. It's hard. Then there's the fruit cutting, though sometimes we use play dough, where you throw a piece of fruit in the air and try to cut it. The goal is, again, to be accurate.
In short, it's pretty much what you expect from a sword art.
Now, keeping that in mind, there are a lot of way to make Gumdo look really stupid.
For starters it's one of those martial arts that has a lot of philosphical sounding buzz words.
From the World Haidong Gumdo Federation:
"The true principles of Haidong Gumdo is to execute justice with the 'sword light' that is obtained at the break of day from majestic and brilliant sunlight"
Oi...
A lot of the non pseudo philosophical stupidity comes from the forms, or more specifically, really stiff, awkward looking preformances.
Go on youtube and look up Haidong Gumdo, and you'll find some real "gems" or jerky, out of sync, and honestly clumsy stuff.
Now, since this is Bullshido.com, I should probably talk a little bit about the sparring.
There are two kinds, Kumdo and Regular Sparring.
Kumdo is a straight rip off of kendo, gear and everything.
Regular sparring is more excited and typically done with either wooden swords and light contact or foam swords with the TKD sparring helmets.
And then there are the demos.
Yeah, you'll find some beautiful choreographed sword fights in Gumdo, but none are very realistic.
This one that I saw in person involved a flute playing girl (that later did a scarf routine), assisting brave samurang fighting evil ninjas the came out of te bleachers. No really. I wish I had footage of this. If anyone can find this on the internet, post it post haste.
It's too funny.
One of the ninjas has an afro.
It's a riot.
But if you want to see some good straw and bamboo cutting, Gumdo can give you a lot of youtube footage.
As a whole, I guess Gumdo really does live up to it's tokusatsu, martial arts movie roots.
It's not fantasy warrior, but it is very demo friendly.
Of course, this IS a sword art.
Hard to test it.
Why do people take sword arts anyway?

ju mong, anyone?

This thread needs more kim-chi.

ju mong, anyone?
Only REALLY REALLY Japanese looking...

I keep thinking gumbo.... hmmmm gumbo. Ain't no swords in gumbo, but there' crawfish.....

http://www.cajuncrawfishpie.com/gumbo.jpg

I keep thinking gumbo.... hmmmm gumbo. Ain't no swords in gumbo, but there' crawfish.....

http://www.cajuncrawfishpie.com/gumbo.jpg
You'd be surprised how many people make that association...

Only REALLY REALLY Japanese looking...

damn, i saw a locally dubbed version of it, they pronounced prince dae so's name as DESU!:icon_mrgr

we spent hours and hour rotfl over it, having watched the friggin anime!

how's that for japanese-ness!

You'd be surprised how many people make that association...

Disapointingly, I have no stories about gumdo, but about gumbo... Beer, blues festival, skanky women, table dancing (me), and gumbo. Ahhh, fond mostly memories (there are some gaps from that night).

I keep thinking gumbo.... hmmmm gumbo. Ain't no swords in gumbo, but there' crawfish.....

http://www.cajuncrawfishpie.com/gumbo.jpg


oh man, why did you have to post that, i haven't eaten yet.

*drooling*

Why do people take sword arts anyway?

http://xc4.xanga.com/2aab864b3153053363181/b35785519.jpg

You need to shut the **** up.

aw shite, man

now you did it.

* drools even more*

The news paper cutting is done with a blunt wooden sword where the purpose is to cut as straight and as accurately as possible, without tearing the paper.Try this simple variation: instead of holding the paper up in the normal way, ie the way you'd read it, hold it up at 90 degrees to that and cut straight down. It will tear every time unless you are using something sharp. That's because it's not a cut, it's a party trick. You're just tearing the paper with the grain. You can do it with a saya or a shinai, if you like. We do this as a demo, and I can get any reasonably coordinated kid from the audience to "cut" the paper with a iaito within a handful of tries.

Unless you are really cutting across the grain with a bokken, in which case I will be duly impressed.

Try this simple variation: instead of holding the paper up in the normal way, ie the way you'd read it, hold it up at 90 degrees to that and cut straight down. It will tear every time unless you are using something sharp. That's because it's not a cut, it's a party trick. You're just tearing the paper with the grain. You can do it with a saya or a shinai, if you like. We do this as a demo, and I can get any reasonably coordinated kid from the audience to "cut" the paper with a iaito within a handful of tries.

Unless you are really cutting across the grain with a bokken, in which case I will be duly impressed.
That we do.
It's a horizontal cut through the paper using a wooden sword, 90 degrees turned from the normal reading position. It takes them quite a bit of practice to get it right without tearing or ripping it.We also try to get as many cuts per sheet as possible. We do however use thin metal imitation swords for the demo, since from afar, most people can't tell the difference. Seriously, I was using a 1lb aluminum imitation and the people in the crowd still thought it was a real sword at first.
Geeze.
One technique we used to use, which was utter parlor trick, would be taking a strip of particle board, balancing it inside two paper strips and then suspending the strips on the sharp ends of two swords. The student would then see if they could break it using the wooden sword without cutting the paper. I actually tested for my green belt with this technique. Of course, years later when I was a black belt we started using it at demos, inviting little kids to try it.
THAT is the definition of getting screwed.

That we do.
It's a horizontal cut through the paper using a wooden sword, 90 degrees turned from the normal reading position.If it's a horizontal cut when the paper is turned 90 degrees, you are ripping the paper with the grain. A cut 90 degrees to the grain would be parallel to the lines of text.

. That's because it's not a cut, it's a party trick. You're just tearing the paper with the grain...

...Unless you are really cutting across the grain with a bokken, in which case I will be duly impressed.

I think this point hasn't been addressed properly. Rather than talk about grains and angles, I'll say this: The paper is held from above by two metal clips so that the top of the paper hangs on a cord. The paper is held just like one would read it (as you say). Next we use a mokgum (bokken) to make cuts in the direction of the text, that is from left to right (or right to left) across the paper.

If you think that's a party trick, then maybe it is, but I find that bringing the mokgum straight down, from top (banner headline) to bottom of the paper is much easier. I think that that's the cut you are describing, and in my experience that cut is only done at white-belt level (6th or 7th gyup) and all other cuts are across the paper, or up and down at a 45 degree angle.

Edit: I read the previous post, and that's what I mean: We cut the way the text goes. We also allow kids to join in demos by cutting down the paper with a wooden sword, and most can do it; I've never seen a new student manage a cut across the paper.

On a side note I was part of a 15 minute tv program where I played the new foreigner who decided to learn Kumdo after seeing it on TV, starring Na Han Il. At one time it was floating around on the internets, bonus points to anyone who can find it!