History of Kantetsu Ryu Karate    

Part 1 - TaeKwonDo

Various forms of unarmed self defense flourished in the ancient land that came to be known as Korea. One of these, Taek Kyon, appeared to employ techniques similar to Japanese jujitsu.  Due to invasions by outside forces, usually Japanese, indigenous Korean arts were either forced underground, assimilated into imported arts, or died off completely.

TaeKwonDo is not a martial art that is thousands of years old. Modern TaeKwonDo came about as a result of the efforts of one man, General Choi Hong Hi. General Choi studied Shotokan karate in Japan beginning in 1938. Choi later returned to Korea and began researching what remained of the indigenous Korean arts. He became convinced that the future of the Korean people rested upon regaining traditional moral and spiritual values.

By 1955, General Choi finished the process of blending Shotokan karate with the resurrected Korean arts and TaeKwonDo was born. Choi chose the name TaeKwonDo, which means foot-fist-art, due to its resemblance to Taek Kyon, to help instill a sense of Korean nationalism to the art.

General Choi insisted on a strong moral code and foundation for the new art. The legendary Hwa Rang warriors were just the source of inspiration and morality he needed.

Between 100 B.C. and the 7th century A.D., Korea was divided into three kingdoms: Silla, Koguro and Baek. During the reign of Chin Heung, the 24th king of Silla, the upper class and warrior class combined to form the Hwa Rang Do, which meant "Youth Movement" or "Flowering Manhood Society."  The Hwa Rang employed extreme training methods, becoming an elite fighting group famous for bravery. A strict code of conduct was established for their behavior based on the teachings of Buddhist monk and scholar, Won Kang. The code of conduct stated:

Be loyal to your king
Be obedient to your parents
Be honorable to your friends
Never retreat in battle
Never make an unjust kill

This strict moral code mirrors the later Bushido code of the Japanese Samurai.

General Choi founded the International TaeKwonDo Federation and was very successful in spreading TaeKwonDo throughout the world, insisting that his art be available to everyone. A later rival group, the World TaeKwonDo Federation, emphasized the sport aspect of the art as opposed to the dictates of General Choi who insisted that TaeKwonDo be, first and foremost, an art that developed the practitioner's character and moral being, as well as being a highly practical means of self-defense.

TaeKwonDo employs a system of patterns, or pre-arranged movements, that are common in many martial arts systems. Called hyung in Korean, set in Chinese, and kata in Japanese, the 24 patterns of Chang Hung TaeKwonDo are the original forms and have very definite self-defense applications that are "hidden" within the movements. These forms are incorporated into the Kantetsu Ryu system.

The system developed by General Choi remains a highly practical method of self-defense that is concerned with the development of character and moral values. The ideals established by General Choi are adopted by our students:

By developing an upright mind and a strong body, we will acquire the self-confidence to stand on the side of justice at all times.
We shall unite with all men in a common brotherhood, without regard to religion, race, national or ideological boundaries.
We shall dedicate ourselves to building a peaceful society in which morality, trust and humanity prevail.

Mr. Wayne Lorance began studying General Choi's system in 1965 under Master Pak of the International TaeKwonDo Federation. Mr. Lorance tested for his black belt directly under General Choi himself. Upon moving to Florida in the 1970's, Mr. Lorance established Olympic Karate Studios.