Ryu Pa Progressions

By Master David Allerton (5th Dan)

I would like to set the scene for the coming months with a timely look at Personal Progression. We in Tang Soo Do should be looking to advance our learning with new experiences to develop our full potential. To help you in this quest I shall be interviewing several Senior Masters and GrandMasters to see how they have approached the subject of Self Development. These Masters have that extra edge, knowledge and determination to follow through their plans and make them reality. You can do the same by following their advice and examples. At the very least it may make you question and see things in a new light.

Mastery would be difficult to achieve in any discipline without striving for our own way or Ryu Pa as it is known in Tang Soo Do. At a certain point after many years training we must take everything we have learned and turn it into something which works for us and becomes second nature. It is perhaps easier to say what progression is not and by this I mean a senior should not merely be expected to kick or punch faster or stronger than a junior because advancing years will mean he/she will slow and all that effort comes to nought. Nor should it mean that for each grade we learn a couple more forms. What is a form without a knowledge of it’s history, philosophy and meaning ? If the Ho Sin Sul is missing it is nothing more than a martial dance. There has to be more depth to a system than this. So what do I mean by progression and what examples illustrate this point ?

Progress can be measured in many ways. For instance we will see increases in fitness and strength in the early stages and the discipline we develop may manifest itself in sound nutritional and exercise habits. As our physical strength increases so does our mental will to resist things which may harm or slow our progress. We begin to live by a code of conduct as ego flys out of the window to be replaced by more humble and realistic values. So we can judge improvement in terms of our outer self and how we behave and interact with others as well as our inner self assimilating the techniques and strategies which are part of our chosen art. How far we progress depends upon certain conditions. After training for some time it is all too easy to fall into the trap of stagnation doing things the same old way because that is the way it has always been done. Well it hasn’t . KJN Hwang Kee promoted Tang Soo Do as a living art which evolved throughout his lifetime and is still evolving now in the hearts and minds of scholarly Masters and GrandMasters who are progressing the art to the next level.

Even a basic technique can be progressed. The preparatory crossing of the arms will turn the hip. If you can accept that an incoming attack may be parried in the direction it is moving and miss by the slightest margin then the hand drawing back is of significant importance. In the basic technique the hips are counter rotated so the arm is propelled forward to block. With the softer Um/Yang technique the parrying action allows the lead hand to deflect the attack prior to striking while the other pulls or guards the attacking arm.

Sometimes we progress by default. Whenever a Seminar was called to teach a new form I would invariably make a point of learning the movements in advance from a book. I always felt this made the best use of the instructors time as I then had a good idea of the directions, technique and sequences and I was also able to look toward the finer points during the seminar. Most times I learned nothing more than the movements I had already covered from my preparation but more disappointing still was the fact that nothing more was added in later years. In my view a form taught without meaning has limited value. If you can not visualise the application how can you demonstrate sequence, timing, power distribution and focus.? I came to realise that I had to interpret the form myself and set about developing a systematic way to achieve this. I would begin by researching the history and philosophy of the form which often provides clues as to how it should be performed. I would then break it up into sequences and analyse each one in turn. Many applications were discarded if they did not fit with the overall philosophy or if they could not be used under stress. Sometimes the sequence itself had to be changed. Other times I had to change. I have found it useful to have a pen and paper wherever I go as some train of thought can hit you at any time. Ho Sin Sul applications were developed according to the three tier system. Level One – basic kick/punch; Level 2 – close range grappling/takedowns; Level 3 - 5 elements, Kup So and Um/Yang theory. Once I felt I had the final selection I would live with it for a few years allowing myself and my students to prove the effectiveness of the applications. Even at this stage changes were made until the final version passed the test of time, eventually becoming part of the grading syllabus which we have today. So you see the irony is that by virtue of being taught nothing more than basic movement my learning was propelled to greater insights.

Whenever an acquaintance finds out what I do they invariably ask the question which I am sure many of you are sick of answering “So have you actually had to use it then ?” When I answer “Yes, everyday” they look confused. It often takes me back to when I was 16 and had to travel to London for a job interview. I remember to this day the awe I felt walking around Oxford Street, travelling on the tube and then I arrived at the building where I was about to be interviewed. I entered and was sat in a corridor waiting my turn. Within seconds my great adventure became an absolute nightmare. I had a panic attack . I would surely be asked questions I could not answer. I would make a complete fool of myself. My throat was dry, my heart pounding to such an extent I could hardly breathe let alone speak. I wanted to find the nearest way out. It wouldn’t matter if I just disappeared would it ? Then my training came to mind. I had to control myself through breathing and set about concentrating my breath through abdominal tension and relaxation. Slowly my mind and body relaxed. I felt energized and I am sure other candidates who were watching must have thought I was on something else because I was now on a high. My name was called and I marched smiling into the lions den. Of course it wasn’t as bad as I anticipated but my expectation had all but incapacitated me. I learned a valuable lesson that day.

In fact the greatest lesson in the school of life is P.E. and by that I mean Personal Experience. Without it we are never going to be effective. Ryu Pa is all of these little lessons rolled into one. At the right time in our development we must all find our own way but if we have received proper guidance from a good teacher the way is a whole lot easier.

If ever you require a shining example consider KJN Hwang Kee who at almost 70 years of age gave the first public performance of a never seen before hyung which he personally interpreted from an ancient military manual.

So over the course of the New Year take heed of the advice from the Masters I shall be interviewing, choose which area you wish to progress and put your plan into action.

Let me know how you get on.