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Killing Art, A: The Untold Story of Tae Kwon Do
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By S. Anslow
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is amazing for anyone who enjoys martial arts, it is incredibly well researched and charts TKD for both ITF and WTF and reveals some amazing stuff regarding both the art and it connections to Korean politics (KCIA).
It read like a novel and will be interesting for anyone with a remote interest in how martial arts came to be (ie. their true roots).
The book is as alarming as it is saddening, it shows Gen Choi as a man who fought against the might of Korea for his art, how corrupt SK was and the lengths it went to and also some sad steps he took for that fight!
Highly recommended to one and all! And a must read for all who do TKD!
It read like a novel and will be interesting for anyone with a remote interest in how martial arts came to be (ie. their true roots).
The book is as alarming as it is saddening, it shows Gen Choi as a man who fought against the might of Korea for his art, how corrupt SK was and the lengths it went to and also some sad steps he took for that fight!
Highly recommended to one and all! And a must read for all who do TKD!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By S. Fagence
Format:Hardcover
In short, this is an absolutely fantastic book. If you teach taekwon-do you should own it and read it. No argument.
Political conflicts between instructor groups have lead to so many lies over the years relating to the art of Taekwon-do that the truth has become sadly buried. Also, most groups prefer their students to learn only about the Korea of Dan Gun and Hwa Rang and leave them utterly bereft of knowledge about how the real art of Taekwon-do was developed.
This book cuts through the lies and I hope big organisations can go forward with this and reassess some of the failings in their teaching of taekwon-do. Many groups have only just stopped teaching that "Taekwon-do is 2000 years old and has no link to Karate". I hope these groups press on and emphasise the whole picture and whilst giving Gen. Choi the credit he deserves for making Chang Hon taekwon-do the great art that it is today, to recognise him as human, not perfect and certainly not an incarnation of moral virtue on a pedestal. I also hope that more recognition is also paid to the other taekwon-do pioneers who have been written out of history and who were in their day real legends and phenomenal martial artists who so greatly outperformed their contemporaries on the scene at the time. These pioneers and what they contributed to the syllabus should be known to all dan grades.
To read this book is to feel a great sense of gratitude to Mr Gillis for publishing such a well rendered account of what is usually limited to an oral history. It puts into print with footnotes events that many instructors will deny flat out ever happened.
The only issue is that once you have finished the book and all the skeletons in the closet, you have to remind yourself about all the really good things about taekwon-do and all the really good people that practise it. I hope that Mr Gillis continues to write on the subject - perhaps a book on the more positive and impressive side of Taekwon-do's growth - it really is an art that changed the world after all and this is something that is crystal clear in the book.
Political conflicts between instructor groups have lead to so many lies over the years relating to the art of Taekwon-do that the truth has become sadly buried. Also, most groups prefer their students to learn only about the Korea of Dan Gun and Hwa Rang and leave them utterly bereft of knowledge about how the real art of Taekwon-do was developed.
This book cuts through the lies and I hope big organisations can go forward with this and reassess some of the failings in their teaching of taekwon-do. Many groups have only just stopped teaching that "Taekwon-do is 2000 years old and has no link to Karate". I hope these groups press on and emphasise the whole picture and whilst giving Gen. Choi the credit he deserves for making Chang Hon taekwon-do the great art that it is today, to recognise him as human, not perfect and certainly not an incarnation of moral virtue on a pedestal. I also hope that more recognition is also paid to the other taekwon-do pioneers who have been written out of history and who were in their day real legends and phenomenal martial artists who so greatly outperformed their contemporaries on the scene at the time. These pioneers and what they contributed to the syllabus should be known to all dan grades.
To read this book is to feel a great sense of gratitude to Mr Gillis for publishing such a well rendered account of what is usually limited to an oral history. It puts into print with footnotes events that many instructors will deny flat out ever happened.
The only issue is that once you have finished the book and all the skeletons in the closet, you have to remind yourself about all the really good things about taekwon-do and all the really good people that practise it. I hope that Mr Gillis continues to write on the subject - perhaps a book on the more positive and impressive side of Taekwon-do's growth - it really is an art that changed the world after all and this is something that is crystal clear in the book.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By J. Burgess
Format:Hardcover
I found this was one of those rare books that I just couldn't put down. I read this with a wry smile as it delved deep into the politics of Taekwon-Do, the underhandedness & the dirty goings on behind the scenes as TKD emerged onto the World scene as a fledgling martial art into the powerhouse that it is today. I was aware of many of the issues that this book covered & had heard many of the stories beforehand, but this text contains some real revelations, which are quite, quite startling. Most martial arts instructors will have been touched by MA politics in some way & I am sure, really despise this dark side of the Art. None-the-less, even if you hate this side of the martial arts, this book is highly recommended & illustrates just what a select few sacrificed to make TKD what it is today.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Interesting Read About The True History Of TKD
If your are a Taekwon-Do practitioner and are interested how this Martial Art was 'conceived' this is a brilliant book to read. Read more
Published 3 months ago by UserID
5.0 out of 5 stars
a good read
a good book if you train in " take my dough" or not, interesting stuff . . . . .
Published 4 months ago by Rb
5.0 out of 5 stars
good read
such an interesting book. so much information and history that would have taken countless hours reading different books. a well told history of the art.
Published 5 months ago by tonde
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book
A fascinating read which provided me with a new perspective on taekwon do and highlights the hypocricy that can pervade martial arts. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Simon
5.0 out of 5 stars
Top notch!
This is the best book I have ever read on Taekwondo, and one of the very best in the whole field of Martial Art books - this is what they all should aspire to! Read more
Published 15 months ago by analogifier
5.0 out of 5 stars
A history of taekwondo
A fascinating book. Especially for people who study teakwondo- and have to write an essay for their black belt grading. Read more
Published 22 months ago by L
5.0 out of 5 stars
a jolly good read
On the surface a slightly cringe worthy title, however there is no getting away from the uncomfortable fact that the title is honest about the original purpose of the art... Read more
Published on 25 Aug 2010 by Fenton Claypole
3.0 out of 5 stars
bad title for an interesting book
An interesting read but it is a very poor choice of title. Every martial art can be deadly, but to go the sensationalist route with this title shows very poor judgement indeed. Read more
Published on 6 Aug 2010 by T. J. Fockens
5.0 out of 5 stars
brilliant book
this is a great book,the author has done a lot of research to give such a detailed history not only of taekwondo but korea aswell and this book is well worth buying
Published on 10 Oct 2009 by M. L. Watkins
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well worth the read for any TKD practitioner
This book is a great insight into the creation of the Taekwon-Do we practise today. I would say the book is not biased towards either ITF or WTF but is a great eye opener for... Read more
Published on 30 Sep 2009 by Gj Smith
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