Taekwondo: The State of the Art [Paperback]

Master Sung Chul Whang (Author), Master Jun Chul Whang (Author), Master Dae Sung Lee (Foreword), Brandon Saltz (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 13, 1999

A comprehensive instructional guide to the world's most popular martial art. 16-pp. photo insert. 350 illustrations. Media attention.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press; 1st edition (April 13, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767902149
• ISBN-13: 978-0767902144
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 0.8 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #81,532 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Yet, April 6, 2000

By 

Ken Anstruther - See all my reviews

This review is from: Taekwondo: The State of the Art (Paperback)

Taekwondo The State of the Art

Authors: Masters Sung Chul Whang; Jun Chul Whang; Brandon Saltz; Foreword and contribution by Master is comprehensive and deals with History, Philosophy, Warm ups; Stances; Steps and Footwork; Blocks; Hand strikes; Kicks; Sparring; and Poomse. The authors have chosen to use illustrations rather than photographs and the results are quite good. Korean terms are used throughout as part of the titles. Headings for almost all sections in the book and all the stances, kicks, strikes, blocks, etc. are included. As always, since English sounds don't always match Korean, the spelling is a crap shoot. Of particular note is the use of G instead of K for a palatal consonant in such Korean words as (Gyoroogi) (sparring) here versus Kyorugi in some other books.

Of all the books I've read, I like this one the best-so far. There is more detail and supporting discussion. As I read the material, I felt like I was being coached by someone who was not only very competent, but also someone who understood the problems of junior belt level students such as myself.

This book will appeal to the serious Taekwondo students no matter what reasons they have for taking Taekwondo. It is only missing discussion of self defense. However, there is a frank discussion in the philosophy chapter that addresses the authors' feelings about the thought processes of people in the discipline about the merits of sportized Taekwondo versus martial art. This is an important discussion and should be read by young Taekwondoists as they determine why they are taking TKD. [For the dedicated student, The Martial Artist's Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi interpreted by Stephen F. Kaufman, Hanshi 10th Dan, has even more relevant discussion.]

The book deals with stances, hand strikes and kicks and stresses the rationale behind each. It is detailed in its discussion and maintains the importance of the proper stances and striking technique. The extensive section on steps and footwork is the most comprehensive I've see so far. They discuss transitions from position to position. With these sections the authors build you carefully towards the sections on sparring and poomse(forms) Because of the lengthy build up, only the Taeguk patterns are shown. The authors acknowledge other patterns such as the Palgwe, but focus on the current WTF authorized patterns. The discussion on the patterns is excellent. If read with the preceding material in their book, a student can greatly increase their understanding of why they are doing things and how they may improve. [Please understand that no-one should feel they can learn Taekwondo properly without the instruction of a Master such as Master Seung. No book replaces an experienced teacher, but it offers some insights and additional information that may not come up in the classes very often.]

What makes this book especially appealing to someone like me, is the information about the Taeguk series-the Taeguk is the circle containing the um/yang symbols within the 8 sets of 3 bars. For the first time as a Taekwondo student, I could start to understand the significance. The authors have given us a brief but important opening into the discipline.

In addition, they have advanced an image of the ultimate state to which patterns should aspire. It demonstrates the purpose of each motion.

As a beginning, but serious TKD student, if I could only buy one book on Taekwondo, I would buy this one.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Introduction, October 15, 2000

By 

Moshe Reuveni - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Taekwondo: The State of the Art (Paperback)

I am not the typical reader of the book: I was never a Takwondoist, nor will I ever be one. My main reason for buying the book was to gain a better understanding of the world of a friend, who is heavily involved in the sport.

I was quite surprised to find that the book proved to be an extremely interesting reading. Of most interest to me were the philosophical ideas explaining how the implementation of martial arts helps in improving oneself. Comparison with "Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai" is inevitable, as both discuss similar ideas, yet the Taekwondo book has a pacifist approach, while the book of the Samurai is quite the opposite.

I was surprised to find that even the descriptions of physical moves, which make the bulk of the book, were interesting, despite the fact I have no interest in implementing them. This is mainly due to their deep discussion on the inner workings of the mechanisms involved, which help everyone who moves his body from time to time gain a better understanding of it.

To sum up, I would say that as my case proves, the book provides a perfect introduction to the world of Taekwondo. It does so by providing deep insight into everything it discusses.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BLACK BELT STUDENT LOVES THIS BOOK, April 7, 2002

By 

Ravenous reader (Wyoming) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Taekwondo: The State of the Art (Paperback)

This is a very well written book on all the aspects of taekwando. IT has very detailed drawings for every concept, and covers everything from Sparring to Forms to Self Defense. If you have just started taekwando, this book will show you the basics, the different parts of taekwando, and the history. For older students and black belts, this book will greatly improve your sparring game, and technique.
Also, taekwando: The State of the Art, has some of the most detailed and helpful drawings for forms I have ever seen. I review this book often to check up on the different teguks.
So whether you've just started taekwando, just interested, or have been doing it for years, I highly recommend this book.