Old School # 8: Tae Kwon Do in 1956

Ah yes, 1956... Dojo Rat was still a glimmer in his Dad's eye...
This one will take us old TKD Rats back to the good old days, Hands held high in sparring- the opponent's head being a punching bag as well as a kickball. This demonstration appears to be partly a military function, showing the importance of hand-to-hand combat training in the armed forces. This training was carried into the Vietnam conflict, where my Korean master, Mr. Choi and countless other Korean fighters trained US special forces. Journalist P.J. O'Rourke called the Koreans "The Irish of Asia", suggesting their passion for drinking and fighting.
And check out the breaking-- anyone who has ever trained in a traditional Korean system knows that power breaks are at least 25% of rank promotion testing.

Old School # 7: Mas Oyama And Tae Kwon Do

These next video's are for all the Tae Kwon Do guys and gals out there. This clip is from 1967, and has legendary "Bull Killer" Mas Oyama, the founder of hardcore Kyukushin-kai Karate giving a lesson to sone TKD guys. This one is especially for Master C.C. Pieschala, who writes comments in this blog frequently. And now, you've followed his antics, you've read his wild and whacky comments in Dojo Rat, Master Pieschala is involved in some kind of smart-guy egghead internet project that is about three I.Q. levels above me. Here's the link... Maybe the smart guys like Bob at "Striking Thoughts" will understand it better than me!

Old School #6: In Which David Bowie Gets A Karate Lesson

Man, it just gets better and better!
Here is a clip from the Dinah Shore Show in 1975. I don't know who the instructor is, but you gotta love the 'Fro! Maybe somebody out there will recognize him. David Bowie clearly is a little shook up at being "manhandled" by somebody that isn't a Glam Rocker Heroin addict.

Old School # 5: Shotokan Karate

Hands held low, Spirit held High...
Now here is some more serious 1960's Karate. As has been stated, some of this old stuff is somewhat lame, but these guys and gals at least show great spirit. I can't believe any fighting school ever allowed the low hand posture, leaving head shots wide open. What's up with that??? One would think that western boxing would have taught them a lesson by then. Ah, it seems to have finally caught on, the hands are held higher (except in Olympic Tae Kwon Do), and fighters protect themselves better.

Old School #4: Savate

Ah-Hahahaha! Argh! Oh-my-god this is funny. From yesterday's video of the superb (Sword catching) to today's video of the absurd. Here we see a Gentlemen's demonstration of Savate, from 1934. It looks like "Pretty Pierre" has an edge over "Battling" Gaston. As crappy as this demo is, French streetfighting of the era was very nasty, employing razors, canes and the like.
For a more efficiant display of Savate, check out this link to "Boot To The Head", and the California Savate Association. They have a great video clip of a California Savate fighter knocking out a Muay Thai fighter in the first round!
D.R. (edit)-- How could I forget; "The French, they are so strange to meet - They "F" with their tongues and fight with their feet"!

Old School Karate #3: Sword vs. Bare Hand

Now this clip is bad-ass... it's from a movie called "Fighting Black Kings". The documentary is about an American team that goes to fight at the first annual international Kyukushin-kai full-contact tournament in Japan. Great video if you can find it.
My Korean master,Tae Hong Choi, would lead us in demonstrations at festivals where we would demonstrate breaking and sparring in front of Thousands of people. Near the end, he would demonstrate combat Hapkido and disarm a swordsman. Lots of similar techniques, but I never saw him catch a sword...

Old School Series #2: Karate Comes To Belgium

This is too funny. From the "frightening" Ki-ai's at the begining to the amazing feat of breaking a single board, These guys and gals are Kickin' it "Old School". There's even some jazzy music to make it even cooler. At one point, the instructor smacks a woman student in the face with a palm strike, and she goes down. And check out the Flying side kicks to a kneeling opponent! We have to realize how far the combat arts have come in terms of practicality and effectiveness, but this is fairly representitive of Karate in the 1960's. The screen shots go still for a second between scenes, so stick with it. Perhaps our fellow Dojo Rats in Belgium can translate the highlights!