Universal Taekwondo Federation

Interview with Kytu D. Dang by Kamalpreet Kaur Badasha

KB: How would you describe Tae Kwon Do up until now?
KD: It has become more a Martial Sport rather than a Martial Art.

Instructors and Masters are more relaxed and communicating with students. Before it was in the style of military training, with only one-way communication. Where the Master said, ‘Do this, do that’ and the student just did it.

When the Master teaches something, he does more to explain, for example: the techniques and movements, what the use of it is and that it is logical or efficient, so on and so on. It has become more like a communication between instructor and student.

KB: Do you think it is a bad thing that Tae Kwon Do is becoming more like a sport or that this is an evolvement?
KD: I would say that in everything there is positive and negative. It depends on the person who receives it, and how they think about it: whether it is more in a negative or in a positive way. In my opinion, accept the positive and deal with the negative.

The student will be wiser; they know exactly what they have to do and why they have to do it. They can experiment and use their own ability to use the knowledge and the training they have to make themselves stronger or better. They know more; understand the movement, technique and training. Before they did it as everybody did it and now students know about themselves, their ability and adjust it with the knowledge they get. It is the positive way.

The other side is that some may say it is like a sport.

Western culture is fascinated by Martial Arts. The white uniform and the belts, it is not like everyday life of the Western culture. The culture from the Orient or Asia has a kind of mystery to it. We like to do things that have a kind of mystery to them. So we search for the answer of the mystery.

If we make it too much like a sport, it will mean, result, result, result. This is the path of Judo, where it is losing its terrain to Tae Kwon Do or Karate. Judo has been sport for many years now, since joining the Olympics as a sport. It has become more and more sport focused and they are forgetting the Asian culture. The philosophy and the mystery are not there any more. In Judo training in the West, it is more like training for wrestling or football. There is no mystery in football; there is no mystery in badminton. It is just what you do, it is a sport or just a way to keep your body fit.

KB: Where do you see the future of Tae Kwon Do going?
KD: I hope it remains as it is, we keep our philosophy and therefore we keep the mystery. I think the future of Tae Kwon Do will continue as it is now. There is a concentration on Kyorugi (sparring) and the Olympics.

We have only been an official sport in the Olympics for two times now. That is the best result for the sport. In terms of the Olympics, there are still a lot of things to innovate to make it more functional and efficient.

It does not need to be changed too much, otherwise it becomes like a circus, where things are done at any cost to get an audience for the purpose of entertainment.

If it becomes too focused on the entertainment aspect, the mass will quit. Then there will be a few who reach a very high standard in the elite sport area. Tae Kwon Do will lose its popularity, it will become like all the other sports where the only thing that matters is the result.

KB: The rules have changed for the Olympics. How do you feel about that?
KD: All change is good. We always have to remember to change for the better and not to change for the worse. That is very important. And sometimes not to change things, just for the sake of changing things. We have to be very aware of this; you have to have a purpose for changing things.

KB: Do you think Poomsae (patterns) should be introduced to the Olympics?
KD: I doubt it will be. Poomsae can have another part in competition. Poomsae needs to be more exciting and more challenging for the people competing. The poomsae we do is not challenging enough.

KB: Do you think Tae Kwon Do seminars are helpful to keep people interested?
KD: In seminars there are instructors of a high quality and the people who attend are of a different of standard. That is good because people who aren’t elite and don’t train as much, can have the opportunity to see a high standard of instructor.

I would say seminars are like a sport fair meeting, where everybody exchanges experience, to see what they can take, learn and then use in training or instruction.

KB: Do you prefer Poomsae or Kyorugi?
KD: Both, for me Tae Kwon Do is: self defence, it is poomsae, it is sparring, it is all in it, and it is one part with different ways of practicing it. Or else we would have: Tae Kwon Do Poomsae, Tae Kwon Do Self Defence, Tae Kwon Do Sport, Tae Kwon Do Martial Art and then those techniques and parts would become different to each other and it should not be like that.

A punch is a punch, if I do it in poomsae, kyorugi or in sport, it should be the same, it should be a punch. A kick is still a kick. It is not like this dollyo chagi (turning kick) is only in poomsae but if you are fighting, you have to kick like this. If you are punching you have to do it like this and if you are fighting you have to do it like that. Suddenly we will train different kinds of Tae Kwon Do instead of one kind.

KB: Do you think self defence is being lost in Tae Kwon Do? With emphasis going elsewhere...
KD: Yeah, because the cost of the sport matter. In the old days you really had to hit hard to see the effect of the technique, before you get a point. Now only a touch and you get a point. This touch in a self defence matter will be ridiculous. So the movement and the way of doing it in the sport will never be efficient in self defence.

KB: What would your advice be for someone that was sparring?
KD: Keep training everything you do in Tae Kwon Do, do not just focus only on sparring and forget about the rest.

I see many of my students and students from other clubs, who are very good in sparring, but in all the other matters they have no knowledge at all.

Sparring is a sport. A sport you can do up until you are 30 years old and then you have to stop. What do you have left at that point? Nothing, because you have forgotten all the basics and forgotten all that you had practised before. With sparring there are only few techniques, which are effective. Then what can you do with only those few sparring techniques? Even if wanted to become an instructor, you will only have limited knowledge to teach. Then Tae Kwon Do will have a very short lifetime and be only a small part in your life but it could have been a part of your lifestyle.

Because me for example, my way of doing it was when I was training in kyorugi, I competed in kyorugi but I still kept my basic and poomsae training. When the kyorugi part was over, I continued to compete in forms and it is going on, so there is no stop.

It is like in life; your life is changing and evolving. So when you change, it does not mean that now you have stop, you have to keep on and you change with it and it follows with you. It is not like, ok now my life has changed, and now I have to stop this, it is over.

KB: What was your favourite technique when you were sparring?
KD: My favourite technique when sparring was clinching and dollyo chagi (turning kick) to the head. Most people think when I am clinching, I am going to punch but I am actually going to do a kick to the head.

KB: If I wanted to be a really good at poomsae, what should I be doing?
KD: In poomsae you have to understand, why you are doing the poomsae? What is the purpose? Is it for training, as you want to get better? Or do you want to do your poomsae, to pass your grading, or for a demonstration or a competition. You have to understand the purpose of doing your poomsae and showing your poomsae.

KB: So motivation matters.
KD: Also for yourself you have to express the poomsae, as every poomsae has its own character and its own personality. You are the actor and you have to live up to the character of the poomsae. For example, imagine if Sylvester Stallone had to play the role in Forrest Gump and Tom Hanks had to play Rambo.

KB: It wouldn’t work.
KD: It won’t mix and that is why, it is very important.

Also, the audience who are watching you do the poomsae, who are they? Are they children, adults, are they sport elite, are they Martial Art experts, and so on. There are different ways to express poomsae and different ways to tell people the story.

KB: What would you recommend to someone to help maintain flexibility?
KD: Flexibility is as individual as each person is. People talk about flexibility, like they talk about losing weight. For example, gymnasts or Martial Arts people always talk about stretching, but actually never pay attention to how to stretch properly. People always talking about losing weight, but when do they lose weight? How much effort do they put in it? If you put the effort in, you will get it to be flexible.

Flexibility is personal, it is different from person to person and everybody has a limit. The important thing is you have to be aware of how to stretch.

KB: What characteristics do you think make a good student?
KD: The student that has good concentration, who is honest and aware, who knows himself or herself. They know what they want to get, they know their goal and are determined. This is the kind of student that will always get there and get good results.

KB: What is your biggest achievement so far in Tae Kwon Do?
KD: My biggest achievement is what I am doing now and what my students have achieved.

KB: In terms of role models, who were you looking up to when you started Tae Kwon Do?
KD: It was my instructor that I had when I moved to Denmark. He is from Korea but a Master in Germany, Master Shin Po Yong. He was very strict, very straight and very clean techniques.

KB: Who is your favourite Tae Kwon Do person of the past?
KD: My friend like Ireno Fargas and Henk Meijer. Henk Meijer and I are like brothers. He is twice as big as me, but we always have some fun together. In demonstration and shows, we can make anything happen.

KB: Who is up and coming as Tae Kwon Do person for the future?
KD: Of those who quite experienced, I would say Steven Lopez.

Steven Lopez has changed his style, before I disliked his style. It wasn’t spectacular and there were no clean techniques, but he would show his tactical cleverness. Now he has changed his style, the techniques are better and he still has tactical cleverness, it is good and determined.

It is like Hadi Saei the Iranian fighter, who is very determined, even though he is not so strong technically but he is very determined and has very good timing.

KB: Have you any regrets in your Martial Arts career so far?
KD: Not that I remember.

I always have fun with Tae Kwon Do. It is my hobby. I have my work and so Tae Kwon Do is the part of my life I do for fun. Tae Kwon Do is an escape. I am like a schizophrenic, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. When I want to escape from ordinary life or boredom, I do Tae Kwon Do.

KB: How do you like to relax?
KD: I relax with training. It is a way of meditation for me. It is dynamic meditation for example and so I train in Tae Kwon Do, swimming, running or something like that. Or I relax with a good movie and listening to music.

KB: What is your favourite movie?
KD: Favourite movie… I would say for my culture, for my background, it is the movie about the Vietnam War called Heaven and Earth. It shows how strong people are in a very, very difficult situation with everything against them and they still manage to survive and manage to be stronger than most of those around them.

KB: What are your dislikes, just in general?
KD: In general, I dislike dishonesty and arrogance.

KB: What do you like in people, or general or in things?
KD: Open people, smiling people, and happy people.

KB: And finally do you like to party?
KD: Some call me a party animal but I never use alcohol. I party best when with friends; we exchange stories from the past and make new fun stories to talk about in the future.

More information about Kytu D. Dang can be found at his website on http://www.sitecenter.dk/kytudang/

YouTube Links:
Video 1, Video 2, Video 3

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