What is Tuk Kong Moo Sool?????

[Tukkong]

I don't know what they learn. In the past, some of the special forces groups had their own martial arts - at least, that is what I was told in 1996. However, these days, I believe that Tukkong is the only special forces martial art taught. You might want to check the air force's website. They might list something there.

[tukong]

Firstly, I use different spellings depending upon what association I am talking about. However, 'Teukgong' would be the correct spelling according to Korean Government English policies.

Yup. That's true. But there are many versions I have seen, Tuek Gong, TuekKong, Tukkong, TUKONG ( made that one up myself), Tukgong and Took Gong. There are almost as mamy different "styles" and "versions" and "histories or origin" as there are names of the phonetics.

GM Lim is generally regarded as the founder of Tukkong/Teukgong/Tuk Gong.... Teuk-gong Moo Sul Association for a while.

In Korea, I heard many different stories of who was the founder and the history or origin. It is really amazing how many men founded this thing that I am a 6th Dan in and have trained for over 27 years. But from all my trips and time in Korea and all the Koreans in the SF I know and have met eye-eye, I cannot give you the exact details of who, only how it was created. The President of Korea ordered its creation after either seeing or speaking to someone either in the military or on their security detail (I have heard many variations on both versions and the names of the men change ina ll versions). Once the order went down, time and funding were allocated for certain Generals to make it happen. They then grabbed some knowledgeable military personnel, who actually put the techniques together. Those techniques were then presented to the upper ups that later made it required training in the Korean SF unit called Teuk Gong. So it became the martial arts of the Tueg Kong units and the techniques started to be called Teug Gong Moo Sul. The name was shortened to TUKONG or Tukkong or Tukgong, etc...

In the Korean military system, NOTHING gets done without approval form the top. And no money or radical changes are approved without Presidential approval adn then political approval. So to change from TKD and Hapkido to something more radical, required executive directive and approval. But I am guessing some poor schmuck who was a captian or major with martial arts background, who is NEVER mentioned in ANY version, gave his idea and report to his superior officer, who saw the merits. That officer, took the idea to the General or Head of Security, who had NOT thought of this idea until just then. Then it was presented to the President by the general or Head of Security and approved by him. Then the orders went out to get it done and it was. And that lowly captian or major is never mentioned and all credit is taken by anyone else that might have had the opportunity to say, they did it or they made it happen or they organized it or they made the moves of some parts.

Therefore, Teukgong is virtually identical to Hapkido (in Korea, Kuk Sul Won is viewed as a school of Hapkido).

How true. Tuek Gong in Korea is usually Hapkido or Kuk Suk Won combined)

Anyway, the style your friend is most likely training in, will be very similar to Hapkido. He will learn the same kicks, strikes, throws, wrist locks, etc as any Hapkido person. There are also a number of forms. For blackbelt, he will also learn a knife form.

In my school in Virginia, I taught Tukong with ground fighting. I went through the 7 distances of a fight:

5ft.+ = Weapons range - Too far away for bodily contact
4ft. = Kick Range
3 ft. = Punch Range
2 ft. = Elbow and Knee range
1 ft. = Grappling and locks range
0 ft. Body to Body = Throwing range
Kneeling or Ground fighting.

And my students learned weapons from Glocks, M16, AK47, Sniper Rifles, to throwing stars and knives as well as staff, street weapons, chucks, sword, rope/chain, and archery. They had to know how to defend against these weapons and how to attack with them as well. They learned survival training in snow, water, moutains and desert.

They also learned muscle functions/development, nutrition, Ki breathing, military strategy and tactics along with mediation and philosophy. It took them from zero knowledge to the highest skill levels and training. I did not accept many students and turned away almost 80% of all applicants who wanted to train. Search this site for TUKONG and you will see more.

So in different schools you will learn different information.

[MartialArtist'e]

I study Teuk Gong Moo Sool (Founder/President No-Won Park). I will not get into the politics of who started it first. I will say; however, the style of Teuk Gong Moo Sool I study is very different than any style of Hapkido. During Seminars and such with Hapkido Grandmasters/Chief Masters/Master/etc. always comment on how different we do things. We lift the heel of our foot off the ground when we punch, we turn our shoulders into each punch, when we kick we lean forward, we don't have a bunch of wrist grabs/joint lock techinques. As far as ground work is considered most of our techniques are a final blow type of thing. Grandmaster No-Won Park has developed this style of Teuk Gong Moo Sool as a combat style, facing someone/someones that is trying to take your life. Ground work has been brought into Teuk Gong Moo Sool, because of MMA ground work, but it isn't things such as Guard, Side-Guard, etc. Its more the opponent was able to get you on the ground, you need to finish him off before his troops arrive to support him.

Mention before there are a lot of weapon forms (Entrenching Tools, Police Baton, Handgun, etc.) and most of our empty hand forms can be used just the same if we had a knife in our hand. Its a really amazing martial arts, not just the Teuk Gong Moo Sool orginization I'm apart of, but any version of the style.

I know this thread was posted about 3 years ago, but when you type Teuk Gong Moo Sool into Goggle this question still appears, so I'm hoping to keep it a little current. I hope that helps anyone out there.

[brihno360]

this is a fun demo to watch:

And I guess that this is what was meant by the groundwork comment made earlier:

[Nefron]

Is that takedown defense in the second video?

[brihno360]

That's what it says; though I am not much of a wrestler and only have a couple of years of Judo, I can't picture myself in the position that the receiver is in.

[MaverickZ]

I need to start training in my suit and tie.