I can't say for sure the philosophical differences between all kwans but as a general rough over view: The five original; Chung Do Kwan(my association),Song Moo Kwan, Moo Duk Kwan, Chang Moo Kwan, and Jidokwan where all influenced by various founders with various philosophy and martial arts backgrounds. For example; founder of Chung Do Kwan, Won Kuk Lee was dan rank in shotokan karate and his art seems(at least in my opinion) influenced by it. There seem to be more hand techniques than most tae kwon do and one of our beginner forms are nearly identical to a form I had in my shotokan class. The kwans are also greatly influenced by modern grandmasters and their individual ideas.
manpreet
Best Answer
2 years ago
My understanding is that after the unification of the various kwan under the Kukkiwon the basic library of techniques that each school employed became relatively uniform. I've seen firsthand, however, how much two people working with the same technique set can diverge in the details and understanding of what they are teaching and how they are teaching it.
When I talk to my instructor (who is jidokwan) about Tae Kwon Do, he talks about distinctly different flavors and philosophical differences behind the schools, how they train, what they emphasize, etc. I have heard as well different views on what exactly these differences entail and am curious: What are the modern differences between the various kwan, and how does this manifest in what/how they teach?