Taekwondo. Doug Cook

      A discreet set of ideals, in many cases tied to personalities and events in Korean history, are assigned to the ITF patterns or tul created by General Choi Hong Hi. By way of example, the second tul in the series of twenty-four known as the Chang-Han (Blue Cottage) series memorializes Tangoon (ca. 2333 B.C.), the mythical progenitor of Korea, while the last, Tong Il, represents the future unification of the nation which was divided, North and South, in 1945 and unfortunately remains so today.

      It is sometimes claimed that the connection of a philosophical component with the physical practice of poomsae is at best a stretch of the imagination. However, this pairing presents a treasure trove for those of us seeking more than an aerobic workout from our training. Simply because taekwondo, with roots dating back to antiquity, was officially established in the 1950s, does not mean it cannot share in ancient philosophical paradigms embraced by Asian culture as a whole. Korean society was greatly influenced by Buddhist and Confucian doctrine during the reign of the Silla, Koryo, and Chosun dynasties. So why then should its native martial art not respectfully reflect this legacy in some way? Granted, Taoism played the least significant role in molding the nation’s character. Yet even the South Korean flag, with the Um/Yang and its four trigrams, bears witness to the important contribution the I Ching and Taoism have had on the collective consciousness of the Korean people.

      Today, schools featuring mixed, non-traditional martial arts have chosen to ignore the importance of the archetypal, formal exercises coupled with their philosophical foundation. If practiced at all, forms are often relegated to a position equal to that of warm-up exercises. Regretfully, even the late Bruce Lee was heard to say that poomsae training is tantamount to “learning to swim on dry land.” Still, metaphorically speaking, a contemporary painter applies brushstrokes from a palette of colors that have existed from time immemorial to create a canvas washed in art. What then is to preclude a modern martial artist from using ancient philosophical symbols to embellish his art?

      Rigorous poomsae training permits the martial artist to string together individual techniques gleaned from a diligent practice of basics into sequences of effective defensive tactics and counterattacks. It provides a method for cultivating stamina, focus, balance, and agility. Finally, the dynamic movements of poomsae, though pre-arranged, act as a bridge to step-sparring, sophisticated self-defense tactics, and ultimately free-sparring.

The Third Leg: Kyorugi/Sparring

      The third essential piece of the puzzle in the traditional taekwondo curriculum, kyorugi, or sparring, represents a collection of ritualized offensive and defensive scenarios unique to many hard-style martial arts. These include il su sik (one-step sparring), ee su sik (two-step sparring), sam su sik (three-step sparring), and machueo kyorugi (pre-arranged sparring). Free sparring will take into account traditional point sparring and WTF Olympic-style sparring. Although limited to various grabs, release, and joint locking techniques, ho sin sool (self-defense skills) will be examined as well. Often ho sin sool techniques will be combined with il su sik in a pre-arranged fashion defined as ho sin sool kyorugi (self-defense sparring).

      Taken as a whole, the practice of il su sik, ee su sik, and sam su sik may at first appear artificial in nature by virtue of its choreographed precision, but as a practical method of self-defense training, it serves a variety of purposes. Primarily, this ritualized form of practice allows the student to launch predetermined defensive tactics against an opponent, confident that there will be little danger of injury. Since there is seldom any hard contact made, practitioners of all ages and both genders can benefit from this form of training. The term “one-step sparring” is so named because the aggressor advances one step forward while attacking, prior to the defender initiating an appropriate defense. The drill consists of two students facing one another at a minimum distance of three feet with a maximum distance not to exceed the height of the taller participant. One of the pair, being assigned the role of attacker, will step back with the right leg into a front stance while simultaneously executing a left low block and a kihop. The defender will then yell “kihop,” signaling his preparedness to defend. The aggressor, advancing one step forward, then executes a predetermined strike punctuated again by a firm “kihop.” Consequently, the defending student will mount an appropriate defense counterbalanced by a counter-attack commensurate with his level of proficiency. One-step sparring strategy, for the most part, prepares the student to defend against the lunge punch, perhaps the most prevalent offensive tool common to nearly all confrontations. This by no means excludes defense against other related instruments of attack, such as the front kick or round kick.

      Aside from one-step sparring, the taekwondoist also practices two and three-step sparring. These training scenarios differ from il su sik in that the designated attacker, rather than advancing one step, advances two or three steps while mounting a pre-determined attack. In the case of the novice, the attacking technique can be the same, for example, three high punches in consecutive order. When practiced by the advanced student, a combination of challenging techniques may be used instead.

      Photo by Patricia Cook

      Step sparring represents a safe and effective way to practice defensive strategies against various strikes and kicks. Here, Grandmaster Richard Chun demonstrates a technique with the author while training in Korea.

      Additionally, ho sin sool or self-defense techniques provide solutions against various grabs including, but not exclusive to, headlocks, bear hugs, full and half nelsons, cross hand grabs, shoulder grabs, and same side grabs. Weapon defense, too, plays an important role in ho sin sool practice. Many of the concepts involved in ho sin sool are based on the concept of redirecting an aggressor’s negative Ki during an attack, causing it to betray him in the process. Many of these skills are derived from the Korean martial art of hapkido or “the way of harmonizing Ki.”¹¹

      Prearranged sparring represents another method of self-defense training. Here partners are again alternately assigned the roles of attacker and defender, each utilizing a series of favored techniques that complement body style and proficiency. This is not yet considered free-sparring since one partner is defending by stepping back and blocking while the other is attacking in a free-style manner.

      Free-sparring permits two students who are facing one another to engage in a form of practice where both are attacking and defending simultaneously based on opportunity. An opening in one student’s defensive strategy is exploited by the other and vice versa. Even though free-sparring mirrors real-life fighting conditions, it is still constrained by the rules of the game and the use of required safety gear. In the case of traditional point-sparring, participants generally wear foam head, hand, and foot protectors. Contact is often limited in power and the match is stopped following a successful strike at which time the referee awards the appropriate points. In WTF Olympic-style sparring, perhaps the most popular form of sparring in taekwondo today, competitors don fabric forearm guards along with shin/instep protectors, foam helmets, and chest protectors or hogu. There is no halt to the action between points with full contact permitted resulting in body displacement. Points are awarded during the match through electronic means, or manually at its completion.

      Photo by Henry Smith

      Prearranged and free-sparring permits the martial artist to express advanced skills in a unique manner

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