At River Valley Taekwondo, we describe ourselves as a “neoclassical” dojang. Part of a growing movement in the Taekwondo world, the term evokes timeless martial arts practices while allowing for evolution—carefully examined innovations that improve techniques and training methods, and which update certain old-fashioned values.
For many years, we described our Jidokwan style as a “traditional” martial art. Over time, the word “traditional” has become meaningless in the martial arts context, because so many schools market themselves that way while doing little to justify the claim.
Like “philosophy” or “respect” it has become a banal catchphrase, diluted by a combination of overuse, lip service, and cultural appropriation. The word also has acquired political connotations that aren’t relevant to our dojang’s values, and which we take care to distance ourselves from.
As an alternative, another widely used term, “classical martial art,” is appealing. Not obvious to the casual observer, that term means something very specific: a martial art (usually Japanese or Okinawan) that can trace its origins for hundreds of years, with the rigor of an academic historian. These styles maintain their techniques and practices, unchanged for hundreds of years, as if the practitioners had been transported back to a feudal Japanese battlefield.
Look to the writings of Donn Draeger and Dave Lowry for more about these impressive disciplines, which are extremely rare in the US, even in larger cities. They’re admirable pursuits, for those who can find authentic teachers, but because they preserve old-school ways, they may contain elements that seem irrelevant to, or which alienate, some modern practitioners. These elements, too, are faithfully maintained because the goal is to present a cultural treasure that has gone unchanged through the ages. Some of these practitioners may, out of humility, believe that they don’t personally believe in certain elements of a tradition, but that it’s not their place to alter something that has existed for so long.
At River Valley Taekwondo, we favor the term “neoclassical” because it evokes “old school ways” while allowing for certain modern concepts that complement what traditionalists value about the East Asian martial arts. The term first came to our attention through the efforts of the Global Traditional Taekwondo Federation, which held its first international conference in October 2024. GTTF acknowledges the Kukkiwon as the headquarters of World Taekwondo but urges the organization to embrace practitioners who eschew a modern sports approach.
There’s no universal consensus about what neoclassical martial arts schools believe and practice, not in the Korean context, or even within the more specific realm of Taekwondo. The lists below are from the subjective point of view of River Valley Taekwondo leadership, without consultation from peers in the community of traditional martial arts schools. We hope they’ll convey the general approach we favor and describe what isn’t part of our value system. Individual master instructors may have different opinions on specifics named below but will likely agree with the overall thrust.
Classical
Authenticity. Authority. History. Cultural resonance. Deadly efficacy. Knowledge that is deep, broad, and nuanced. Leads to a true understanding of Self and of another culture. The goal is to perfectly preserve a martial art’s traditions and practices, so their present day manifestation is identical to what it was in, say, 1600. These “koryu” (the Japanese term) may use armor and weapons constructed with the exact materials and techniques as practitioners used in the classical period—indeed, they may use *the same* swords and armor, actual antiques with documented provenance, sometimes including records of use in famous battles.
Such martial arts are extremely hard to find in the US, and there are many false claims from unqualified teachers who engage in wishful thinking and self-promotion. Be aware that genuine old-school masters may have “values from another era” regarding gender, race, or class. They typically require multiple hours of daily practice over many years, sometimes including residence in a special community or in the household of the Master. Read Dave Lowry’s Autumn Lightning: The Education of an American Samurai and Persimmon Wind: A Martial Artist’s Journey in Japan or Deng Ming-Dao’s Chronicles of Tao: Chronicles of a Taoist Master to get a sense of what this experience is like. (Note that although Lowry’s books are nonfiction memoirs, Chronicles of Tao describes the life of a real person but is generally regarded as a fictionalized archetype rather than nonfiction.)
This way of living and practicing is not for everyone, even very serious students, as it truly requires total dedication that can’t be faked. For those who pursue this path, and can find an authentic master, it’s undoubtedly the most rigorous and true way to practice a martial art.
Neoclassical
Awareness of and respect toward historical roots, traditions, and values without attempting to preserve them as an unchanging tradition. Accept limited innovation when clearly superior to original ways, and only after careful consideration that they’re consistent with the ideals of the practice as a whole.
Training will likely take place in a spare, humble space with well-maintained equipment but minimal superfluous decoration. Instruction often includes terminology in the language of the style’s country of origin, as well as adherence to relevant cultural practices. The idea is not to preserve practices identical to a certain country at a certain time, but to take those practices as a foundation and practice useful “renovations” as needed.
As an example of a healthy innovation, many old-school East Asian masters have had ideas about race, gender, class, or nationalist identity that are incompatible with practice in 21st century Western Massachusetts. At River Valley Taekwondo, we encourage all serious students to join us, regardless of race, gender identity, economic background, or national origin. In some cases, a conservative practice of the martial art tracks with Conservative social beliefs on the part of the instructors. This is not the case in River Valley Taekwondo: we comfortably and sensibly reconcile progressive social practices with preservation of valuable cultural concepts and technical instruction.
Neoclassical schools may think of themselves as a “middle path” between the total dedication of classical styles and the hobby status of modern martial arts. Instructors are often nonprofessionals, with rich lives, relationships, and other interests. Practice is a high priority, but it’s meant to complement life but not dominate one’s waking hours, as in a monastic practice.
Modern
Many modern Taekwondo schools have a sports orientation, sometimes calling practitioners athletes and coaches instead of students and instructors, or saying they “play” Taekwondo. Uniforms are often covered in patches and attention-grabbing designs, meant to reinforce group identities and pride in achievement, and inflating the ego rather than encouraging quiet humility through confidence.
In most contemporary martial arts schools, there’s a focus on children’s classes, usually accompanied by rapid advancement and obvious commercialization. A black belt once inspired respect, a comparable achievement to a college diploma. They are now often awarded to children, who lack the life experience to possess wisdom and the physical development to perform meaningful self-defense. This dilutes and trivializes what once symbolized significant skill and experience.
A youth or sports orientation isn’t inherently bad. It’s not unusual to see a sport-oriented Taekwondo school, or an applied self-defense oriented Krav Maga or Brazilian Jiujitsu school, with a carefully considered focus and high quality teaching. They just don’t fit the mold of the East Asian martial arts experience that many people seek. Without knowledge of martial arts history and cultural context, it’s easy to assume “Maybe this is just what it’s like. . . good enough, I guess,” without realizing there are other options to consider.