A Brief History Of Kyoksul In Poland

Background. Historical and socio-cultural theoretical perspectives based on the General Theory of Fighting Arts were applied in this study. Appropriate conceptual language has thus been adopted for this investigation.Problem. The aim of the study is to present a description - based on facts, a form of case study, and interpretation of events - relating to the development as well as the demise of kyoksul in Poland.Method. The approach applied is based on a case study, a form of monographic method, with reference to several categories of sources (in particular, an interview with one of the pioneers and the lead author's personal notes from observations) and studies.Results. Kyoksul was taught and cultivated in Poland from 1978 to 1988, both in the army and in sports clubs. The teachers working on the sport included GM Han Ho Un and a few other instructors. Most of the training groups folded in 1983.Conclusions. The teaching of kyoksul was introduced in Poland and in other "people's democracy" countries as a result of cooperation with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. After North Korea withdrew its kyoksul instructors and initiated the promotion of taekwon-do ITF, the practice of the former was discontinued in Poland. It was only in Rzeszow that the kyoksul group continued operating until the late 1980s.