Blood on the Kukkiwon Floor

by Jason Gaillard

Jason Gaillard at Dongyang Taekwondo in Jeju Island, South Korea

We arrived at the world headquarters of Taekwondo on a sunny hot afternoon. The Kukkiwon building has the presence of a college campus. As we entered the front door some people went down the steps to change and I followed a group that went over to look down onto the floor of the Kukkiwon. I had a similar feeling in Rome when I was looking down into the Colosseum. The ceiling was draped with the flag from every country. After we changed downstairs, Master Cook asked Bill and me to join him in the office and bring the gifts to present to the heads of the Kukkiwon. Master Cook was invited to sit down at a round table with Grandmaster Hong(head of poomsae instruction for the Kukkiwon) and one or two other men. People who walked by were smiling and welcoming and I bowed deeply greeting them all. In the Kukkiwon, Grandmasters roam the halls and offices in plain clothes so you never know who is before you. When in doubt bow and bow deep. From there, we went down to the main arena. Grandmaster Hong greeted us with a big smile joined by a 22 year old woman in uniform. After a warm up we began learning basics stances and techniques and then onto poomsae. The training was intense and laser precise. The woman demonstrated every form with phenomenal technique and power. Grandmaster Hong had a firm command with a big smile. Each of us did the poomsae up to our level and then dropped off to the sideline to watch the rest. At the end we were witness to an extraordinary event. We watched 9^th dan Grandmaster Hong instruct 7^th dan Grandmaster Alejandro and 6^th dan Master Cook. I can’t emphasize how extremely rare it is to witness a master and grandmaster being taught at this level. As I was sitting off to the side soaking it all in I began noticing the dark spots and smears all over the mats. The mats are dirty I thought until it hit me... it was blood. I always thought the Kukkiwon would be a polished showpiece for Taekwondo and when the reality of the space hit me, I realized this place is no joke and the people who enter this domain are warriors of the highest caliber. 

Centered Movement - Week of August 6, 2014 at Chosun Yoga

"Centered Movement"

One of the gifts that yoga offers us is a means to work from our own center. We know that when motion springs from this place, the body follows in an organic way and the resulting movements are joyous! In our yoga class this week, we will explore seated poses such as 

Eka Pada Rajakapotasana or King Pigeon Pose with a "beginners mind" to see how the body's natural fluidity can be enhanced.

Join us and go with the flo...

Chosun Taekwondo Academy & Hatha Yoga Center

62 Main Street Warwick, NY

Class Schedule:

Tuesdays 9:30am

Wednesdays 6:30pm

Saturdays 9:30am

First Class is Free

$15 per class / $130 for 10 classes

Chosun e-Newsletter Archive Volume 5 #8 August, 2014

Dojang News and Events
2014 Chosun Taekwondo Academy Korea Training & Cultural Tour: Mission Accomplished

The long anticipated Chosun Korea Tour has concluded and now the work begins on the documentary film that will capture the extraordinary experiences of these thirty martial pilgrims.Our journey took us all the way from the spectacular volcanic Jeju Island (the actual birthplace of taekwondo) to the cultural and historic region of Gyeongju.  We then traveled through the gorgeous mountainous area of Muju to the brand new Taekwondowon and then to the capital city of Seoul. We trained at six different venues,with world renowned masters. We sampled the delectable Korean cuisine, visited ancient palaces and temples and thoroughly immersed ourselves in the culture and history of the country that gave birth to our beloved art of taekwondo. It was a rewarding and inspirational journey beyond measure and now we can share the experience with others through our documentary film. 

Visit our shared photo stream
Visit our Korea 2014 Travel Blog 

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