|
Grandmaster
Kwang Jo Choi first graced the cover of Tae Kwon Do Times in July
1986,with the article “Revolution or Evolution?” His system Kwang Duk Kwan
was the forerunner to today’s Choi Kwang Do.
For nine years, starting in 1978, Grandmaster Choi studied, consulted, and
trained, and after exhausted research, Choi Kwang Do was born. The art was
introduced on March 2, 1987 from CKD headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.
Differences in CKD from other arts include the abandonment of tournaments,
free sparring, board breaking and competition. The only competition in CKD
is within the practitioner, challenging one’s self to be the very best.
Long gone are the traditional methods of partner stretching, knuckle
pushups, forearm conditioning exercises and the myth that hard physical
training was the only and best way to become proficient in martial arts.
In essence, activities and practices that are detrimental to one’s mental,
physical and spiritual well being have been eradicated.
Why? Because “Choi Kwang Do is not scripture,” states its founder,
Grandmaster Kwang Jo Choi. As science and technology advances, so must
martial art techniques, training practices and teaching methodologies;
Choi Kwang Do is an evolving martial art.
So the question is: “What makes Choi Kwang Do so different from other
styles that are available today?”
The answer is S.I.M.P.L.E© or Special Integrated Movements Promotes
Learning Efficiency.
This is a concept unique to CKD. Simply put, the techniques found in CKD
are designed to “switch on” both hemispheres of the brain at the same
time. These movements are known as integrated movements which facilitate
whole brain learning.
Whole brain learning occurs when the brain is functioning at its best and
promotes learning efficiency. In contrast to CKD, the majority of styles
tend to perform basic techniques that only work one hemisphere of the
brain at a time. This practices over stress the brain and the individual,
diminishing learning efficiency.
But S.I.M.P.L.E© is only one part of the equation. CKD training not only
challenges the brain but simultaneously works the cardiovascular system.
This method of training releases a series of neurochemicals, known as
neurotransmitters and neurotrophins, which bolsters existing connections
while creating new connections in the brain; all of which can be directly
related to enhancing an individual’s holistic well being, academic
performance and character.
Currently in the United Kingdom, Master Keith Banfield of Wembley Choi
Kwang Do is conducting a six month study: “How Exercise (Choi Kwang Do)
Can Boost Academic Performance and Develop Character.”
Overseeing and guiding this research is Professor John Ratey, a clinical
associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and author of
several books including Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of
Exercise and the Brain.
Choi Kwang Do has introduced a training method known as P.A.C.E. or
Progressively Accelerating Cardiopulmonary Exertion. This method fits
perfectly into CKD’s current methods of Speed Drill and Equipment Drill
training. P.A.C.E training allows you to burn fat in an extremely
efficient manner while boosting your health and reserve capacity.
Reserve capacity is the biological process which your heart and lungs use
to deal with stress. Your heart’s reserve capacity allows you to cope with
stress in a more efficient manner by allowing it to pump blood faster to
the parts of the body which need it. Conversely, your reserve capacity for
your lungs allows them to deal with situations that require a high
exertion of energy, such as lifting a heavy object, punching or kicking a
heavy bag or running up the stairs. One should think of reserve capacity
as a ‘good health credit’, without which you are more susceptible to heart
attack and serious illness.
Competition in CKD is downplayed, especially for young children. When a
child loses in competition, it’s easy for them to feel they have lost in
life. Since the child is still forming their sense of self, this is
negative and detrimental.
At Choi Kwang Do, children learn that they really can achieve their goals!
Even in school, children are competing against each other for high grades
and praise, with much of the school curriculum teaching abstract
analytical skills and facts. Learning comes not only from the brain but
also from interactions with other people.
Choi Kwang Do does not have competitions, but instead has adopted a Choi
Kwang Do festival. The CKD Festival was organized so students from
different CKD schools worldwide can meet, train, exchange ideas, and in
the spirit of brotherhood and camaraderie, enjoy martial arts fellowship.
Another area CKD has proven successful in is reducing some of the effects
of aging. As people get age, their physical capabilities decrease, in
fact, starting at age 25 the body degenerates approximately one percent
per year. This obviously is not good for our self-esteem or our endurance.
At the age of 60, heart and lung capabilities are usually 40 percent lower
than they were in our early 20s. About 20 percent of muscle composition is
also lost. Speed, flexibility and balance all decrease, making it easy to
fall and become injured.
The good news is, studies have shown that after three to four months of
regular, low to moderate exercise, the body’s metabolic rate can increase
by ten to fifteen percent, even in people over 60, giving them the
metabolic rate of a person ten years younger. Muscle composition and
overall physical ability can also increase by ten to fifteen percent.
The human body has many complex systems that work together to generate
life, and as we age, we need to keep these systems active by exercising so
we can live longer.
Because CKD’s concept is based on each individual’s physical condition,
ability and skill level, people can train regardless of age, physical
limitations or disabilities. CKD is a goal-oriented program that helps the
practitioner achieve increased mobility, better physical and mental
health, and greater levels of dignity and pride.
Psychologically and emotionally, achieving goals can be much more
pleasurable and satisfying than training without a purpose. No matter your
age, it’s never too late for your body to respond to CKD training.
World champions and seasoned martial art instructors alike are taking note
of the benefits Choi Kwang Do has to offer. Master instructors from South
and Central America have traveled to the International CKD headquarters to
train with the art’s founder, Grandmaster Choi, and introduce Choi Kwang
Do to their respective countries.
In one instance, 19 Tae Kwon Do schools converted to Choi Kwang Do from
Peru. After training with Grandmaster Choi, master instructors from
Eastern Europe, Moldova and Russia, have also joined in the CKD martial
arts revolution.
Because of the popularity and rapid growth of Choi Kwang Do, the CKD
organization has begun ramping up to provide affiliate schools with not
only solid martial arts curriculum, but also proven marketing and school
management support with a new division for member schools called, “The CKD
Business Mentorship Program”. The program will provide access to well
known martial arts business consultants such as Master Rick Bell.
In April 2010, Grandmaster Kwang Choi will travel to Puerto Rico for the
first time to conduct a Choi Kwang Do seminar for the people of Puerto
Rico. He will also conduct seminars in Moscow, Russia, and Kishinev,
Moldova, in May.
Grandmaster Choi’s dream of introducing Choi Kwang Do to Korea, his birth
place, has become a reality. For ten days on October 10, 2010(10-10-10)
Choi Kwang Do enthusiastic from all over the world will gathering South
Korea to celebrate 23 years of martial arts excellence.
The celebration and festival includes Choi Kwang Do International seminar,
instructor training, demonstrations, dinner banquet, and sight-seeing.
As time passes by, Choi Kwang Do will undoubtedly continue to evolve. Who
knows what you may be reading in the next 30 years in Tae Kwon Do Times!
|
It would be
easy to assume that as a martial art, CKD is just about learning to
kick and punch. While students do learn to kick and punch, the way in
which
use your body to kick and punch can have an effect on your brain.
It's commonly known that the brain has two halves. The two halves of the
brain
are connected by a complex network of nerve fibres called the corpus
callosum.
The brain is further wired in a manner whereby the right side of the brain
controls and processes the left side of the body, while the left side of
the brain
controls and processes the right side of the body.
Each side of the brain processes information in different ways. Generally
speaking, the left side of the brain (often termed the logic hemisphere)
deals
with details: words, numbers, sequences, analysis and linearity. The right
side
of the brain (sometimes called the gestalt hemisphere, meaning whole or
global processing) deals with images, emotion, intuition and creativity.
Each time we learn something new, connections are made between neurons
(nerve cells) in the brain. The more connections, the greater the brain
capacity.
When learning in a way that activates both sides of the brain, further
connections can also be made across the corpus callosum.
A great example of this is walking; the majority of people move their
right arm
whilst stepping forward with the left leg and vice versa. This type of
physical
motion is contra-lateral. A baby crawling follows the same contra-lateral
movement (although on the hands and knees).
In CKD, the individual techniques are contra-lateral and both sides of the
body
and brain are activated during their execution. Plus, many of the training
drills
(eg. CKD Patterns and Speed Drills) extend this further by working both
sides of
the body involving the eyes, hands and feet in a co-ordinated series of
movements.
As well as improving motor skills, these types of movements
activate both sides of the brain in a balanced way. When both sides of the
brain
are activated through physical movement, the corpus callosum which
connects
the two halves is also stimulated promoting further growth of connections
between both halves. This can lead to an increase in cognitive function by
facilitating faster processing between both sides and the rest of the
brain.
Imagine that...increasing your mental capacity just by kicking and punching!
|
