I just reviewed a pre copy of GM CK Choi's updated book. This contains the sparring patterns referenced above he taught recently during his UK Seminar Series for the TAGB which was well attended by more than just the TAGB

Oddly enough during my visit to reveiw the book I of course was ushered downstairs to actually review my own performance of the said patterns.

I should know by now there is no such thing as a simple weekend visit with tea and lunch.

I did not bring my dobok but that didn't matter. After a quick coffee and a reveiw of the material it was downstairs to the dojang to go through everything from the most basic blocking patterns all the way up to the kicking patterns with high jumping reverse kicks and everything.

While unprepared it was great to go through these practical movements and by pass the formal patterns. It is much easier to perform them with realism when the movements are... well... real...

Flynch,

Are you Alex Gillis?

No I am not. I have meet him before and he is a nice guy and a good writer. He was kind enough to sign a copy of his book for me.

OK - you seem to know GM Choi very well, so I thought you were Mr Gillis, writing about his sparring patterns.

GM CK Choi is my instructor

Still??? I thought he had retired.

GM CK Choi is retired in the sense that he does not have a full time dojang to run & he no longer oversees his businesses. But he is still very much involved in TKD, willing to go & help any TKD people or organizations that see a benefit it what he can offer. I would add that he has a really lot to offer!

He did give up his main school after the General Choi issues of the 80's. He gave it to Sun Choi.

He has continued to train and he used his Tae Kwon Do as a bouncer at his own bar in the poorest/roughest area of the country. In addition he has always had a handful of students that he instructs privately, assists with school operations and the testing of senior students. Most of them have been his students for 30 plus years.

And that other Choi (not Sun Soo Choi, another one) ran the school into the ground.

ITF Unity, I once said I studied under a TKD pioneer, and you asked me who that was.

Can you guess now who that was?

Yes the school was mishandled and many of the students left. The top students had been given their own schools to run in the area but away from the main school.

I have always found it interesting that when he left malaysia he gave his school away and when he left his main school he gave it away again. I always asked why he did not sell it as a viable business.

It seems we have a mystery on our hands with the tkdfan mr. unity.