Rhee Taekwon-Do: Difference between revisions

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Rhee Taekwon-Do is a martial art school in Australia and New Zealand that provides tuition in the Korean Art of Taekwon-Do. The school's name is also spelled as Rhee Tae Kwon Do, Rhee Tae Kwon-Do, and Rhee Taekwondo. The founder and head of Rhee Taekwon-Do is World Master Chong Chul Rhee, 8th Dan, Father of Australian Taekwon-Do. Rhee Taekwon-Do was founded in the 1960s, and is widely publicised as being Australia's first and largest Taekwon-Do school. Rhee Taekwon-Do is an independent martial art organisation in its own right, not affiliated to any governing body, although it appears to have been part of the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) in the past.

(Please be aware that parts of this article appear to have been taken verbatim from Rhee Taekwon-Do membership booklets, hence the dispute over this article's neutrality. Clearly, this article is a work in progress.)

Approximately 1300 years ago, during the Silla Dynasty in Korea an ancient form of unarmed combat, known these days as Tae Kyon, evolved. The ancient Art of Tae Kyon is now widely dispersed throughout the world and known as various forms of Taekwon-Do. The definition of Rhee Taekwon-Do involves dynamic techniques of unarmed combat for self-defensive purposes, combining the skilled application of powerful punches, flying kicks, blocks, dodges, and interceptions—the Rhee Taekwon-Do practitioner uses well trained hands, arms, and feet to effect the rapid destruction of any attacker. Master Rhee is the official Founder of Taekwon-Do in Australia, the Master Instructor and Chief Instructor for Australia and New Zealand, and President of the Taekwon-Do Instructors' Federation of Australia and New Zealand.

Rhee Taekwon-Do teaches controlled technique while training in the original style (Chang-Hon) of Taekwon-Do with the focus of training being powerful effective self-defence. It is regarded as one of the most dynamic and effective arts of self-defence and so, during training, all techniques delivered by all parts of the body are properly executed and well controlled.

All ages are able to train in Rhee Taekwon-Do. When studying Rhee Taekwon-Do, students are not permitted to study any other form of martial art. This indicates loyalty to the school and Master, as well as helping to keep students focused on their chosen style.

World Master Chong Chul Rhee, Father of Australian Taekwon-Do, acquired vast international experience before coming to Australia. He was a leading instructor of the Korean Marines, Police Force, students at universities and colleges, and members of the public. Master Rhee developed and taught special unarmed combat methods to the Marine Commandoes, the elite Commandoes' underwater demolition team, Marine Brigade Headquarters and Marine 2nd Infantry Divisions. (The Korean Marines earned a reputation as the world's most feared and courageous troops. Nicknamed "The Demon Hunter Marines," they were easily recognised on the battle fields and were the most disciplined, daring, and highly efficient elite of the armed forces.) Master Chong Chul Rhee and another of Rhee Taekwon-Do's masters—Master Chong Hyup Rhee, 7th Dan (Master Chong Chul Rhee's younger brother)—were two of the very first twelve Masters of Taekwon-Do (http://www.itfnz.org.nz/ref/documents/masters.htm) selected to developed and formalise Taekwon-Do under General Choi Hong Hi. Master Chong Yoon Rhee is another of Master Chong Chul Rhee's brothers teaching in Rhee Taekwon-Do.

Master Rhee then spent some years in South East Asia—including Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Brunei and other countries—teaching the Art of Taekwon-Do. Taekwon-Do is booming in these countries today and many thousands of students are reaping the benefits of Master Rhee's dedication to the Art. Since introducing the Art of Rhee Taekwon-Do in Australia, Master Rhee has led hundreds of demonstrations throughout the nation. He has demonstrated the Art at universities, colleges, air force bases, army and police academies, and to the public. He has been featured in countless newspaper and magazine articles and brought the spectacular Art of Tae Kwon Do to millions of television viewers.

Through unending hard work and perseverance Master Rhee has established a very strong foundation for the Art of Taekwon-Do with the assistance of a massive network of black belt assistant instructors. Master Rhee's wealth of technical and teaching experience and highly skilled technique have contributed substantially to Rhee Taekwon-Do's dynamic expansion throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Master Chong Chul Rhee should not be confused with Master Ki Ha Rhee, Father of British Taekwon-Do, or Master Jhoon Goon Rhee (often abbreviated to Jhoon Rhee), Father of American Taekwon-Do (or more specifically, North American Taekwon-Do). Rhee is a common Korean surname, so it would not be correct to assume that these three masters are directly related to each other.

There are ten coloured belt grades (Kup) in Rhee Taekwon-Do, as well as the black belt degrees (Dan). The tips are represented by a stripe of the higher colour on one end of a belt of the lower colour. Dans are represented by a white stripe embroidered on the black belt, and a black belt without a stripe is a Junior Black Belt, a degree given to members considered too young for a 1st Dan. They are as follows:

Sparring in Rhee Taekwon-Do is different to that in sport style taekwondo schools. Instead of a points-based system while wearing body armour, the sparring is unscored, unarmoured, and non-contact as is the traditional Taekwon-Do way. This means that while attacks are executed with full power and speed, they are stopped just short of the opponent's body. This teaches greater control over attacks, and also prevents the art from descending to the level of a sport, where there are no students, no instructors, only point scored against the opponent. There are also serious consequences if a student intentionally kicks, hits, or strikes their sparring partner; this may lead to demotion in rank depending on the severity of the blow. Extensive “destruction” training using pine boards, clay tiles, and bricks are employed throughout the different belt ranks to develop focus, power, and correct technique.

Students of Rhee Taekwon-Do do not participate in points-based sparring competitions run by the International Taekwondo Federation or World Taekwondo Federation as Rhee Taekwon-Do remains a martial art and not a martial sport.

The Rhee Taekwon-Do membership booklet issued to each member contains background information on this martial art.

• Taekwon-Do
• Interview with Master Chong Chul Rhee, Father of Australian Taekwon-Do
• Master Chong Chul Rhee
• Rhee Taekwon-Do in Adelaide, SA, Australia
• Rhee Taekwon-Do in Bundaberg, QLD, Australia
• Rhee Taekwon-Do in Cooloola, QLD, Australia
• Rhee Taekwon-Do in Canberra, ACT, Australia
• Rhee Taekwon-Do in Illawarra, NSW, Australia
• Rhee Taekwon-Do in Melbourne, VIC, Australia
• Rhee Taekwon-Do in Mildura, VIC, Australia
• Rhee Taekwon-Do in Newcastle, NSW, Australia
• Rhee Taekwon-Do in Perth, WA, Australia
• Rhee Taekwon-Do in Townsville, QLD, Australia
• Rhee Taekwon-Do in Wellington, New Zealand