Witdae Taekkyeon
A taekkyon lineage derived from Song Deok-ki and named after the upper quarter of old Seoul. Scholarly studies distinguish it mainly by its step.
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South KoreaCharacter & Origin
Organisation & Competition
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About Witdae Taekkyeon
Witdae taekkyeon is a lineage of taekkyon derived from Song Deok-ki (1893–1987). According to the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture, the name witdae referred to the upper quarter of old Seoul between the Gyeongbokgung palace and Inwangsan mountain, whereas aratdae was the lower quarter by the Cheonggyecheon stream. According to the encyclopedia, Song saw matches between taekkyon practitioners of both quarters in 1912. He himself testified that they were not schools, only designations by the quarter against which one fought.
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An article by Jeong Jae-sung in a Korean journal of sport philosophy (2003) states that since the early nineteen-nineties there has been a dispute over the traditionality of taekkyon between students of Song Deok-ki, the bearer of witdae taekkyeon, and Shin Han-seung, the bearer of aratdae taekkyeon. According to the article, the witdae lineage steps in a V shape and the aratdae lineage in an L shape. A 2014 study in a Korean scholarly journal on martial arts compares the stepping of taekkyon associations and states that the witdae taekkyeon organization uses linear movement, whereas the other associations start from a basic stance. The authors recommend returning to the terms of Song Deok-ki. Among Song's students, according to the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture, were Ko Yong-woo, who trained with him from 1969, and Lee Jun-seo. The association that spreads the lineage today was, according to its own chronicle, founded in Seoul in 2016 and 2017, and Ko Yong-woo had taught in Los Angeles from 1998 before that.
History
The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture states that the upper quarter witdae was usually a village inside the four main gates of Seoul between Gyeongbokgung palace and Inwangsan mountain, whereas the lower quarter aratdae lay by the Cheonggyecheon stream. According to the same encyclopedia, a book from 1919 already mentions young taekkyon practitioners dividing into groups of the upper and lower quarter. In 1912 Song Deok-ki saw matches between practitioners of both quarters, but by his own testimony did not see them as schools, only as designations by the quarter fought against.
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After the deaths of Song Deok-ki and Shin Han-seung in 1987, a dispute over the traditionality of taekkyon has, according to Jeong Jae-sung's article (2003), run since the early nineteen-nineties, and the community split into several groups over differing conceptions of step and arm movements. According to the article, Song Deok-ki is the bearer of witdae taekkyeon and Shin Han-seung of aratdae taekkyeon. The witdae taekkyeon association states in its chronicle that Ko Yong-woo began training in October 1969, left for the United States in 1985 and opened a training hall in Los Angeles in 1998. According to the chronicle, transmission of witdae taekkyeon in Korea began in 2007. The society's founding meeting was held on 18 October 2016, it became a legal entity on 19 May 2017 and was renamed in December 2023, according to the chronicle.
How it differs
According to scholarly studies, witdae taekkyeon differs from other lineages of taekkyon in its step. Jeong Jae-sung's article (2003) contrasts a V-shaped step in the lineage of Song Deok-ki with an L-shaped one in the lineage of Shin Han-seung. A 2014 study states that three other associations start from a basic stance and use triangular or inverted triangular stepping, whereas the witdae taekkyeon organization uses linear movement. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture points out that Song Deok-ki himself did not regard the upper and lower quarters as schools. Martial Arts of the World states that Shin Han-seung was criticized for changing the original style too much, and several critics who had also studied under Song Deok-ki founded their own associations.
Technique
According to Jeong Jae-sung's article (2003), the witdae and aratdae lineages differ mainly in step and arm movements: the witdae lineage steps in a V shape, the aratdae lineage in an L shape. A 2014 study in a Korean scholarly journal on martial arts states that the witdae taekkyeon organization uses linear movement with techniques such as gumseulleugi, and recommends returning to the terms of Song Deok-ki. The witdae taekkyeon association states about itself that its techniques derive from three principles and two foundations, step and arm movements. It divides techniques into categories, among them hand techniques, kicks, sweeps and joint locks.
Training
The witdae taekkyeon association lists three ways of practice: solo demonstration, partner drills under rules, and free sparring with strikes, kicks, throws and sweeps. According to it, the winner in a match is the one who presses the opponent down so that at least three parts of his body touch the ground. According to the association, the highest stage of training is a drum dance of twelve parts. It also lists six training halls in Korea and activity in Los Angeles, Texas, India and Norway.
Ranks and progression
The witdae taekkyeon association lists a system of pum grades from the ninth upward. According to it, a student gets the ninth grade on registration and each further grade up to the first requires at least three months and twenty sessions. From a certain grade on, according to the association, it is an instructor grade. Martial Arts of the World says traditional taekkyon had no formal grades.
Today
According to their own websites, witdae taekkyeon is today spread by an association based in Seoul, which changed its name in December 2023, and internationally by the World Taekkyeon Federation. English Wikipedia states that the federation was founded in 2019 in Los Angeles and that alongside it a society for preserving witdae taekkyeon, led by Lee Jun-seo, operates in Seoul. According to the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture, Ko Yong-woo and Lee Jun-seo are both students of Song Deok-ki. The association states it joined in 2022 a Seoul program supporting gyeollyeon taekkyon heritage.
Frequently asked questions
What does witdae mean?
The upper quarter of old Seoul between the Gyeongbokgung palace and Inwangsan mountain. According to the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture, it stood opposite the lower quarter aratdae by the Cheonggyecheon stream.
How does witdae taekkyeon differ from other lineages of taekkyon?
According to Jeong Jae-sung's article (2003), mainly in its step: the witdae lineage steps in a V shape, Shin Han-seung's aratdae lineage in an L shape.
Who teaches witdae taekkyeon?
The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture lists Ko Yong-woo and Lee Jun-seo among Song's students. According to their own websites, an association in Seoul and the World Taekkyeon Federation spread the lineage today.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.