Riverview Martial Arts

28/07/14 16:43

On June 28th and 29th Master Garbowsky traveled to Riverview Martial Arts in Rocky River, OH to official accept Mr. Alan Ritvo and Riverview Martial Arts into the Independent Tang Soo Do Association. Master Garbowsky was accompanied by Mr. Denny Pruni and along with presenting Mr. Ritvo with an ‘official’ Acceptance Letter conducted two training clinics.

On Saturday June 28th Mr. Ritvo and Mr. Pruni trained for 3 hours on the Independent Tang Soo Do’s curriculum for senior Yu Dan Ja including advanced hyung. On Sunday, Master Garbowsky was able to introduce the students of Riverview Martial Arts to Bunhae Ki Sul (分解術 / 분해 기술) or the practical application of techniques contained in the Traditional Hyung of Tang Soo Do.

In the Tang Soo Do community the practice of Bunhae Ki Sul is some what unique to the Independent Tang Soo Do Association. This statement is made because of the belief that the techniques contained in the Tang Soo Do Hyung are not widely practiced in a practical application setting. In the traditional Japanese martial art systems the term Bunkai is generally used. ‘Bunhae’ in Korean means to break down or analyze and ‘Ki Sul’ means technique.

The practice of Hyung or Kata in Japanese is common and traditional Tang Soo Do shares many of its hyung with other martial arts systems. The forms we practice can be found in Shotokan Karate, Isshin Ryu and Shito Ryu Karate-do systems, not to mention some of the older Chinese styles of fighting. Many people practice the forms, but few practice them in way that lets the practitioner understand how to utilize the techniques in any practical com- bative setting. If you study the writings of past Karate-do masters you will find that they placed an exceptional amount of emphasis on the practice of hyung. There must have been a reason why! That reason is that the form set of Tang Soo Do or Karate-do contains a complete and very effective fighting style!

The training session was very well received and all of the students who attended throughly embraced the material that was being taught.

Master Garbowsky is proud and honored to have Mr. Ritvo and Riverview Martial Arts as part of the Independent Tang Soo Do Association! For more photo’s from this training session you can visit our photo page.

Tang Soo!

Master Gene Garbowsky

A Special Message From The ITA TAC

09/09/13 13:30

Hello Everyone,

With the tournament fast approaching, we wanted to take a moment to discuss the benefits of participation. The tournament is a great opportunity to showcase everything that Master Garbowsky has taught us as well as to share our knowledge with other martial artists. Preparing for the event provides us with a goal and a chance to push ourselves to become better. Since our tournament attracts martial artists from various schools it provides us with the opportunity to see other martial art styles and meet new people.

To all of the black belts, it is especially important to set a good example by helping our Tang Soo Do family. You can do this by participating as both a competitor and a judge. Lower and younger belts will be watching not only your technique, but also your participation while judging. As part of the Tang Soo Do community, it is imperative that we continue to lead by example by providing martial artists with the best possible tournament experience.

If you have questions about how you can help, please talk to Master Garbowsky or any of the Technical Advisory Committee members. We need everyone's participation in order for this to be a success!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Christine Wilson (Dan Bon# ITF36073)
Mrs. Karen Garbowsky (Dan Bon# ITA USA 09-04)

Senior Members
Independent Tang Soo Do Association's Technical Advisory Committee

2013 6th Dan Classing Examination

28/08/13 15:18

As Founder of the Independent Tang Soo Do Association and head instructor of South Hills Karate Academy, I am happy to announce the results of the 6th Dan Classing Examination that took place on August 8th and 10th, 2013. The Independent Tang Soo Do Association's Dan Classing Examination is an event that I am particularly proud of and I am sure that all who participated in this year's event are as well.

The Association's Dan Testing is an extensive two day process where our Yu Dan Ja (Black Belt holders) and candidates get together over two days. We train together, learn new material, fight against each other and drill in techniques over four to five hours on day one. On day two, over another 5 hour period, we have our Yu Dan Ja and Candidates present their requirements and demonstrate required technique, hyung, sparring and breaking. This year also included further instruction in Modern Arnis under the guidance of Master George Klinedinst from UTA, Manchester, PA. The process also includes submitting two written essays on rank specific material.

Please join me in congratulating the following Cho Dan Candidates on achieving Yu Dan Ja rank in Tang Soo Do:

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Please join me in congratulating the following Yu Dan Ja on achieving their next full Dan ranking in Tang Soo Do:

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Please join me in congratulating the following Yu Dan Ja on achieving their next Dan recertification ranking:

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I am also happy to announce that in order to properly recognize everyone's achievements and accomplishments, we will award promotions at our 2013 Open Tang Soo Do Championships. Promotions will be given out during the Opening Ceremony at this year's championships. The opening ceremony is scheduled to begin at 11:30AM on Saturday, September 28th. Additional details will follow!

Again, it is with extreme enthusiasm that I present to you our new Yu Dan Ja and those Yu Dan Ja who have achieved their next ranking in the martial art known as Tang Soo Do.

Warm Regards,

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Master Gene Garbowsky, 6th Dan Tang Soo Do
President and Founder
Independent Tang Soo Do Association

Traditional Tang Soo Do Academy

26/04/13 16:25

Mr. Chaney Woodring, Sam Dan and his students have joined and teamed up with the Independent Tang Soo Do Association. Mr. Woodring is the head instructor at the Traditional Tang Soo Do Academy located at 736 Lincoln Street, Bolivar, PA 15923. The Traditional Tang Soo Do classes offers classes for both children and adults. Mr. Woodring is a 3rd Dan in Tang Soo Do and his experience spans over 30 years, having started in Shotokan Karate-do in 1977. Mr. Woodring and his students were accepted by Master Garbowsky as members of the Independent Tang Soo Do Association in April 2013.

Master Garbowsky presented Mr. Woodring with an Official Association Acceptance Letter, accepting him and his students into the Independent Tang Soo Do Association on Monday, April 22nd, 2013.

5th Dan Classing Examination and Recertification Results

19/04/13 16:04

As Founder of the Independent Tang Soo Do Association and head instructor of South Hills Karate Academy, I am happy to announce the results of the 5th Dan Classing Examination that took place on March 14th and 16th , 2013. The Independent Tang Soo Do Association's Dan Classing Examination is an event that I am particularly proud of and I am sure that all who participated in this year's Spring event are as well.

The Association's Dan Testing and Recertification is an extensive two day process where our Yu Dan Ja (Black Belt holders) and candidates get together over two days. We train together, learn new material, fight against each other and drill in techniques over four to five hours on day one. On day two, over another 5 hour period, we have our Yu Dan Ja and Candidates present their requirements and demonstrate required technique, hyung, sparring and breaking. The process for Kyo Sa also includes submitting two written essays on rank specific material.

The official announcement and promotion listing can be found here. Promotions will be awarded at the start of the 36th Gup Shim Sa on Saturday, May 4th at 9:00am. Please join us for this promotion ceremony.