Rhee Taekwon-Do: Difference between revisions

The neutrality of this article is disputed. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until conditions to do so are met. (Learn how and when to remove this message)

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.

Rhee Taekwon-Do is a traditional martial art school. The Art of Rhee Taekwon-Do thus aims to develop the student both mentally and physically, building up both practical self-defence skills and honourable character. Rhee Taekwon-Do does not train its members for martial sport competition.

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.

People from a wide range of ages are able to train in Rhee Taekwon-Do. Rhee Taekwon-Do members are not permitted to study any other form of martial art. This indicates loyalty to Rhee Taekwon-Do and Master Rhee, as well as helping to keep students focused on their chosen style.

World Master Chong Chul Rhee, 8th Dan, Father of Australian Taekwon-Do, is the founder and head of Rhee Taekwon-Do. He is one of the original twelve Masters of Taekwon-Do (http://www.itfnz.org.nz/ref/documents/masters.htm) hand picked from the South Korean military to develop and formalise Taekwon-Do under General Choi Hong Hi and the then Korea Taekwon-Do Association (KTA) supported by the Republic of Korea (South Korean Goverment).

Two of Master Rhee's brothers also hold the title of Master in Rhee Taekwon-Do. Master Chong Hyup Rhee is based in Victoria, Australia, and is also one of the original twelve Masters of Taekwon-Do. Master Chong Yoon Rhee is based in New South Wales, Australia, and is also a past South Korean Army officer. Master C. H. Rhee does not appear to have had as much military background as his brothers, and Master C. Y. Rhee is not one of the original Masters of Taekwon-Do.

Master Rhee should not be confused with Master Ki Ha Rhee, Father of British Taekwon-Do, or Master Jhoon Goon Rhee, Father of American Taekwon-Do (or more specifically, North American Taekwon-Do). Rhee is a common Korean surname (and often also translated into English as Lee or Li), so it would not be correct to assume that these three masters are closely related to each other.

The title of Master in Rhee Taekwon-Do is also held by Master Vernon Low, who is in charge of Rhee Taekwon-Do South Australia. Master Low is also known as Master Chong Chul Rhee's number one student.

Rhee Taekwon-Do, as with many other martial art schools, uses different kinds of belts to denote rank. These give some indication of a member's stage of learning and level of responsibility within the school. 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:

Rank is not necessarily comparable between different martial art schools (even if they supposedly teach the same martial art). This phenomenon is not unprecedented in military rank systems. For example, the Navy rank of Captain is considerably higher than the Army rank of Captain (in many navies and armies), even though the actual title used is the same. Similarly, the rank of 1st Dan in one martial art school is not necessarily comparable to the rank of 1st Dan in another school.

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.

Since the World Wide Web came about, it has become easy to make personal opinions easily accessible to a large audience. Many people have chosen to use this medium to criticise Rhee Taekwon-Do or Master Chong Chul Rhee. The main criticism appears to be the derogatory claim that Rhee Taekwon-Do is a 'McDojang' (a martial art school concerned primarily with making more money, and typically associated with poor standards). To objectively verify this claim would require an independent, educated observer to audit standards across the entire Rhee Taekwon-Do organisation. A more practical option for the individual (in Australia) would be to locate and visit the nearest Rhee Taekwon-Do dojang and decide for him/herself.

Each Rhee Taekwon-Do member receives a membership booklet. This booklet contains some background information on this martial art, including the following notes. (Due to variations in the membership booklet with time, the text below is not necessarily verbatim.)

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.

Master Chong Chul Rhee 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 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 Taekwon-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.

• 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