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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Greg K" data-source="post: 696083" data-attributes="member: 5038">I am a late comer to this thread, I have done some martial arts training in the past, primarily Hwarang Do.Boxing: Boxing probably some of the best body conditioning techniques (which is very important to a martial artist). You will defintely develop good hand speed and hand techniques, as well as body shifting, slip punches and read your opponents.  The limited set of techniques and constant sparring will help you to become competent faster than most other styles.  Others have mentioned the downside.Thai-boxing: like boxing the conditioning techniques are excellent. You also get to use elbows and knee strikes.Hwarang Do is not Tae Kwon Do has some people have mentioned. It is more like Korean Kungfu/aikijujitsu and like jujitsu the idea is whatever works. One of the leading instructors, before his death, taught at a U.S Special Forces training base and President Samosa's Black Berets in El Salvador.  My first instructor had some Marines from Camp Pendleton as instructors while my second instructor taught several members from Los Angeles's C.R.A.S.H anti-gang unit prior to its being disolved.   From what I recall of white belt, there were 8 one man sets, 30 two man sets, 2 very short forms and breakfalls.  The two man sets include hard and circular blocks, strikes/elbows/forearms, knees, kicks, joint lock/breaks, takedowns and breakfalls . Some of the hand strikes are closed fist, but most of the hand techniques are openhand (palm strikes, knifehand, claw strikes, and finger strikes) targeting eyes, throat, solar plexus, groin, temple, spine, etc.  All the strikes, locks, and takedowns came off of various blocks/traps.  A favorite defensive technique seems to be a block similar to a mantis or crane head to trap and either inititiate a joint lock (and then break it and/or take down the opponent) or to seize the opponent's outstretched arm and pull the opponent off balance and into your own strike.      After white belt, I was introduced to throws, double knife forms(initially utilizing palm strikes, knife/spearhands, and circular blocks and then one belt later with knifes) and sparring became more important. Unfortunately after two belts past white my trainining ended.  My instructor's four year old daughter developed leukemia and classes became less frequent and he closed the school.    I do know that the style does include practical disarms, groundfighting, chokes, accupuncture/accupuncture (for nerve and pressure points combat and healing) as well as  a lot of weaponry.   Now, going into this style, you should know that there was a big rift between between the main orgainzation of the Grandmaster and both several Americans (most of whom studied initially under the grandmaster's brother) and old Korean instructors .  I know that when I studied with my first instructor we were making changes to various techniques on the syllabus. My second instructor said that those changes, which he did not teach, were designed to remove the more circular blocks especially (those used to enter and exit into stances) which are harder to learn, but important to develop to utilize certain techniques.   Apparantely, the changes were made to develop an introductory style, Tae Soo Do, that was easier for people to learn and now serve as a prerequisite to learn Hwa Rang do According to my second instructor, several instructors  did not approve of this change among other things and broke off.  there has apparently been some animosity between the mainorgainizatin and these so called "renegades" and the official organization does not recognize them as instructors or, in some cases as having trained with them at all.</blockquote>

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