CLP27 - Premodern, Modern, & Transmodern Views of Martial Arts Training w/ Sanko Lewis

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Today I'm joined by Dr. Sanko Lewis, a 5th dan in ITF Taekwon-Do and a martial arts academic residing in South Korea.

In this episode, Sanko walks us through different views of what martial arts are and how they conceive of authority in regard to determining effectiveness in training. He divides these views into three major categories:

- Premodern (or pre-rational), which is the ancient view of martial arts
- Modern (or rational), which encompasses systems founded in the 19th and early 20th centuries, usually from a modernist pedagogical philosophy standpoint
- Transmodern (or trans-rational), which is a view of martial arts that seeks to use rational ideas about training while appreciating premodern traditions.

I think many would classify me as someone who advocates a modern or rational approach to training, but I have a lot of criticism of it. While I do advocate for more scientifically-based training approaches, I do not support a philosophically modernist pedagogy. At any rate, this is a fascinating discussion, and many martial arts that we think of as traditional actually have a foot in more than one of these categories.

Link to original article: https://sooshimkwan.blogspot.com/2020/12/pre-rational-rational-trans-rational.html

Dr. Lewis' follow-up article (concept is mentioned in episode): https://sooshimkwan.blogspot.com/2022/01/what-is-postmodern-martial-art.html

So if you're excited to jump in, hit the subscribe button on your podcatcher and enjoy the show.
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Find Dr. Sanko Lewis:

Website: sooshimkwan.blogspot.com
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Produced by Micah Peacock
Intro Theme by Micah Peacock
Outro Music is Synergy by Juche