What is Haidong Gumdo?
Haidong Gumdo is a term used to describe several slightly different styles of Korean martial arts of swords. Haidong Gumdo is sometimes also referred to as Haedong Kumdo and comes from the standard style of Korean Kumdo. The term was created in 1982 and has since grown to a relatively large combat technique with several main organizations that practice their own styles and have their own regulations for fighting. Only about a century ago most of these forms of martial arts were a form of weapons, such as Haidong Gumdo, and only in the recent past have unarmed martial arts techniques began to gain popularity. In modern Korea, martial arts are an important part of culture and styles have been revived like Taekkyeon, Hapkido and Tang Soo.
kumdo is one of these styles and is a discipline of fencing, similar to the Japanese form of Kenda. The name, like Kendo, means literally the way of sword and is focused on Shermin. Soon work with swords owed a lot of Chinese forms, many of which have been exportedInuts directly to face the style of the fighting of Japanese pirates. Over time, Korean sword art has decreased in popularity, both as a result of the Confucian system that devalued military prowess in relation to academic prowess, and the development of modern weapons that cause the swords to a large extent outdated.
At the end of the 19th century, however, Kendo was brought to Korea, especially as a way to train police forces and parts of the army. During the Japanese occupation, Korea could not learn or practice any traditional combat styles, so that Kendo and Judo largely replaced the original styles. Kendo created the basis of a new Korean physical education system at the beginning of the 20th century, and when the occupation ended in 1945, Kumdo flourished even more.
Although Haidong Gumdo undoubtedly owes a decent amount of kumdo, it is a relatively different combat style. There are two main organizations practicing Haidong Gumdo: Daehan Haidong Gumdo Federation, operated by Kim Jeong-Ho and Hangik Haedong Gumdo Federation, under the Han-il. It is generally argued that Haidong Gumdo has its direct line of martial arts practiced warriors known as Samurang, trained by Master Seolbong. Although there is no historical record of this group of warriors or their master, it is still held strongly as a story of origin for a form.
Like many swords' martial arts, Haidong Gumdo has a number of basic techniques that are carried out with different weapons, depending on the level of skills. Beginners use a simple wooden sword, mokgum , middle physicians use bamboo sword, chukdo and advanced students use weighed weapons and wear protective armor. Various forms are practiced, many derived from gicheon