Lesley Jackson is gripped by this biography of the history of Taekwondo. We are given a no-holds-barred recount of the birth of this global martial art and the mind-numbing corruption, back stabbing and total giggery pokery that would give any soap opera writer material for years.
A Killing Art
Publisher: ECW Press Pages: 244 Languages: English RRP: £17.99
Book Review:
Lesley Jackson is gripped by this biography of the history of Taekwondo. We are given a no-holds-barred recount of the birth of this global martial art and the mind-numbing corruption, back stabbing and total giggery pokery that would give any soap opera writer material for years.
“I now know that whenever a martial artist becomes a history expert, it is time to reach for the Scotch.”
Readers, the above has to be one of the best lines I have ever read in any book about martial arts. Alex Gillis has written the book that practitioners of Taekwondo have been waiting for years, a biography about their martial art. We have scoured the internet to find out information about the leaders of Taekwondo, General Choi, Kim Un-yong and Jhoon Rhee but only managed to get brief biographies from fan based websites. Well that has now all changed as we have a fully plotted history starting from that notorious incident when the young and reckless Choi Hong-Hi lost all his money on a game of poker and enraged a local wrestler by throwing a bottle of ink at him, to the creation of one of the world’s most popular martial arts.
‘A Killing Art’ starts with a taste of a seminar with the infamous Choi elder; physically tiny yet powerful, a living encyclopaedia of his beloved martial art yet also infuriating and sometimes cruel. We then go back in time to before the Second World War when Korea was occupied by the Japanese and Choi was a young man ready to set off to Japan to complete his education. From thereon in, we follow in detail the story of Taekwondo from Choi’s experiences of WW II, to the bitter Korean civil war to the war waged between the ITF and WTF Taekwondo organisations. No detail is spared as we learn the lengths to which Choi would reach to keep control of his beloved ITF, the political upheaval of Korea and the blind corruption that has plagued the martial art.
Alex Gillis has written a book that as well as being an essential biography of Taekwondo is a gripping thriller as we finally learn the details of General Choi’s life. Several times we read about Choi’s brushes with death and with the Korean CIA on his case, it is a wonder he managed to live into the 21st Century. What is also quite shocking is the shear corruption and greed associated with Taekwondo as Gillis tells us, “I am stuck on the path of Courtesy, which instructors in small gyms around the world know well but which is largely ignored by Tae Kwon Do’s leaders.” When we say our five tenets of Taekwondo at the beginning of every lesson, one wonders how some of the men in charge of Taekwondo have had the nerve to ask people to recount these values when they have been involved in assassination plots, fraud and sometimes ending up in prison themselves. Gillis has researched his book to perfection as we are given fascinating insights into the men of Taekwondo which would be impossible for the ordinary Taekwondo-ist to have access to.
The history of Taekwondo is rightly entitled ‘A Killing Art’ as it was forged at a time when the martial art was used on the battle fields of Korea and Vietnam by the military and embroiled in the various dictatorships to plague both South and North Korea. This book is essential reading for anyone entering the dojang and a cracking good read for anyone interested in martial arts or sport of any kind. Buy it, read it!
By: MasterCole (Registered IP 99.34.119.23) on 02-03-2010 11:57
Alex Gillies Error #1. “the Jidokwan, one of the nine gyms that had formed Kim Un-Yong's World Taekwondo Federation (WTF)”
The WTF was not formed by the 9 gyms (Kwans) as Alex states above. The WTF was formed by the signatures of representatives of national Taekwondo Team that attended the 1st World Taekwondo Championships in May of 1973. Nations like, Korea, USA, Mexico, Uganda, Austria, Taiwan, etc.
By: RagingPagan (Registered IP 217.44.235.71) on 22-08-2009 09:13
This was a great read. A well put together piece of research, with appropriate source notes and the like offering the reader the sense that the material was reliable. The story twists and turns, with few heroes or villains emerging from the tale. It also offers an (unfortunate) insight into the politics of the Olympic games. And yes, it does explore the relationship between ITF and North Korea.
It got me thinking about the art and the sport of TKD, and I'd encourage any that practice this style to delve into this book.
By: petersimons (Registered IP 78.145.194.114) on 05-02-2009 00:06
Many thanks, Lesley, for a comprehensive and inspiring review (already spending too much time in bookshops going through recently released titles;o)).
A good book opens several gates to great knowledge.. this one is certainly a long awaited title on TKD at least (definitely becoming a part of my private library)
A significant part dealing with rather sad aspects of its history (no doubt this is not about myths) - an in-depth study yet reads well - from pioneers through CIA agents, B.Lee etc. towards the martial art for the 21st century...
(1 vote)
By: MasterCole (Registered IP 99.34.119.23) on 02-03-2010 11:57
The WTF was not formed by the 9 gyms (Kwans) as Alex states above. The WTF was formed by the signatures of representatives of national Taekwondo Team that attended the 1st World Taekwondo Championships in May of 1973. Nations like, Korea, USA, Mexico, Uganda, Austria, Taiwan, etc.
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