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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?

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This is an interesting question, though the differences you seek in the kwans may be irrelevant today as those 8-13 kwans are over 50 years old so I think it may really boil down to the differences in each school. – riotburn Mar 7 '12 at 14:25
Have a look at the answers on my question or not entirely unrelated info: martialarts.stackexchange.com/q/56/57 – Rory Alsop Mar 8 '12 at 8:56
Have you experienced other instructors within your own kwan? Are you sure they share the same philosophical ideals? Within the Bujinkan, we have factions, but the majority are just Bujinkan; even among these, you will find a near infinite variety of viewpoints all centered around the same teachings... I'm just curious if perhaps you're looking for something that might not necessarily be a macrocosmic interpretation of microcosmic events... – stslavik Mar 20 '12 at 17:42
Some clarification: 1) I am not within a kwan and I don't practice TKD 2) I have spoken with other instructors, but I am also very sure from a historical perspective of a difference in the fraternal organizations which carries forward, at least with older instructors. The original differences were, at least at one point, evidently fairly distinct. That may be lessened now, but even historical information here would be appreciated. – David H. Clements Mar 21 '12 at 13:56

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