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We all would agree that Tang Soo Do is fun, but why is it so much fun?  Catherine Price has studied fun and has a TED talk with over 2.5 million views detailing her findings.  She suggests that fun is composed of a sense of playfulness, a sense of connection, and being engaged in a flow state during an activity.  This episode examines how Tang Soo Do ticks off all three of these requirements and results in the fun experience of training in our martial art. Here is link to Ms. Price's TED talk if you want to know more about "fun".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMBJrvEwv8s&t=614s&pp=ygUPY2F0aGVyaW5lIHByaWNl

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Tang Soo Do has a history of incorporating other martial arts styles into our practice.  Founder Hwang Kee himself studied several Chinese and Japanese styles before creating what we know as Tang Soo Do.  As a primarily striking art it may be beneficial for us to study other complimentary styles to improve our overall martial abilities. 

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I am pleased to share my first international interview with a Tang Soo Do instructor, Master Angus Rogers of Wales.  Gus is a listener of this podcast and reached out to me to share his experiences working with autistic students as well as describe his new book on self defense: "Recipes do not make a delicious meal".  Like many of us, Gus trained for some years, stopped for a period of time, then returned to Tang Soo Do with an even greater committment to his training, eventually earning many honors and recognitions. 

 Please enjoy the interview and check out Angus Rogers' school website:           Heads of the Valley" Tang Soo Do https://www.hovtsd.com/.  

 Also Master Rogers has an extensive Youtube channel:    https://www.youtube.com/@HOVTangSooDo.  

This is a direct link to purchase his new book on self defense:  https://www.hovtsd.com/product-page/recipes-do-not-make-delicious-meals-book

Thanks again to Master Rogers for seeking me out and sharing his time with Tang Soo Do Focus.

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The question of whether folks who train in Tang Soo Do ought to be held to a higher standard of behavior and ethics is covered in this episode.  As we recite the creed and practice the philosophy of TSD in our daily lives, we should try to strive to be better people with higher character.  Sadly not all instructors and practitioners are of higher character and we see it in other arenas as well such as teachers, police, religious and other social leaders.  This discussion hopefully will reinforce the imperative that we follow the words and spirit of the TSD creed and try to "bring out the best in myself and others".

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This episode looks at the role of weapons training an dforms in Tang Soo Do.  Using training aids such as staffs, edged weapons, and  other tools can add to our portfolio of abilities and allow us to compete.  This is the first episode delving into the use of weapons and hopefully the first of many.

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As we are now in the thick of tournament season I wanted to re-release this episode highlighting ten ways to improve your tournament preparation. Hopefully some of these suggestions will allow you or your students to perform better on the big day

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In this episode KJN Master Steve Voelker helps us to understand internal and external forms and types of breath.  Often referred to a Weigun and Neigun these differences are the focus of advanced students of Tang Soo Do and help us find the balance in our training.  

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More excerpts from my unfinished book "A few thoughts on Tang Soo Do".  Targeting , footwork, training vs. practice are among the 15 sub topics covered in this episode.

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In 2011 I began writing a book of short ruminations on Tang Soo Do.  Writing and editing a book is a huge undertaking, one that I never finished. However the writing of "A few things about Tang Soo Do " was perhaps the genesis of this podcast.  As I looked back over my writings I decided to share some of the topics I wrote about some 14 years ago.  I hope you enjoy them.

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Martial arts is a difficult pursuit for many reasons. I took an informal poll of fellow students and collected their responses in this episode. From losing abilities due to age and injury to simply remembering Korean terminology, the following episode will give us all some validation that this thing we do is difficult but worth the struggle.