Aikido and ITF Taekwon-Do

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The following is from the book Advanced Aikido by Phong Thong Dang and Lynn Seiser (2006) and is equally relevant to ITF Taekwon-Do.

"The wave motion is a rolling movement. It is continuous. In many advanced aikido movements, one can observe the rolling motion of the wave. The motion of the vertical wave movement is up-down, down-up, down-up-down, or up-down-up. One can also use the wave movement horisontally in an in-out, out-in, in-out-in, or out-in-out pattern" (p. 55).

Had you not known this passage came from an Aikido text, it would have been easy to mistake it for a quote from an ITF Taekwon-Do source.

Here is another quote with emphasis on using one's body weight -- yet another principle shared by both ITF Taekwon-Do and Aikido:

"Eventually, the student of aikido will become technically proficient but will gain the ability to use body weight to make his or her application much more effective and powerful. Rather than force a technique, the advanced student will set up the mechanics of the application and then drop his or her body weight into it. The strength of the entire body is stronger than just the arms. Bring the weight of your entire body, as relaxed dead weight, to bear in the direction of your training partner's kuzushi, or balance point, and it will make throwing your partner an easy task.

"Bending at the waist or using the muscular force of the upper body does not drop one's body weight. Rather, drop your weight by subtlely bending or buckling your knees. Accomplish all vertical movement in aikido by naturally bending your knees to lower you body" (p. 55-56.)

The Taekwon-Doist familiar with such concepts as the wave principle (i.e. sine wave motion) and the knee-spring action will notice the obvious parallels with the principles of wave movement in Aikido quoted above.

Again I affirm my conviction that ITF Taekwon-Do shares many concepts with soft style martial arts like Aikido.

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Totally Tae Kwon Do Article and an Erect Posture

My contribution to the November issue (Issue #21) of Totally Tae Kwon Do focusses on posture and is titled "All Good Techniques Start With Good Posture" (p. 34). In it I point out some typical postural problems and how these affect common techniques in Taekwon-Do.

My friend Ok Chang-yang, a student of The Way Martial Arts & Fitness Gym modelled the postures for the article.

Coincidentally, a little after submitting my contribution I stumbled onto another martial art blog focussing on Tai Chi, who also wrote something on posture: "Body Should Maintain an Erect Posture." The author quotes Yang Cheng-fu:

“The body should maintain an erect posture without leaning; spine and tailbone should hang in vertical alignment without inclining. Beginners must pay special attention to this as they execute active movements involving opening and closing, relaxing the chest and raising the back, sinking the shoulders and turning the waist. Otherwise it will be difficult to correct this after a while and will lead to stiffness. Even though one may have devoted a great deal of time, there will be little benefit or practical advantage” (Yang Family Secret Transmissions, p. 5-6).

There are a handful of martial arts that really focus on keeping an erect posture. These include such styles as Tai Chi, Aikido, Karate and, of course, Taekwon-Do. Interestingly, while Taekwon-Do has developed out of Karate, for me the erect posture in Taekwon-Do is more similar to Aikido and Tai Chi, which are soft styles, than hard style Karate. In Karate their seems to be a kind of rigid stiffness to their erect posture. I'm not sure what the reason for this, but I'm sure they must have one. Also, the focus is on deeper stances in Karate. Tai Chi also has deep stances, yet with a great emphasis put on a relaxed musculature. In Aikido and Taekwon-Do a higher stance is preferred and while emphasis is put on an erect posture, equal emphasis is placed on relaxedness. While Aikido and Taekwon-Do prefer higher stances (that is not to say that they do not employ low stances, I'm merely referring to the stance preferences in these styles), these styles also emphasize a low centre of gravity seated in the danjeon 단전. (I wrote about the danjeon somewhere else.) Generally Taekwon-dojang outside of Korea do not use the term danjeon, but merely refer to the waist or hips. When referring to the hips or waist, we are often actually referring to the danjeon.  In Aikido and Taekwon-Do we often use taller stances, but always ensure that our centre of gravity is low, at the danjeon.

Working on a healthy erect, yet relaxed, posture is a very important part of ITF Taekwon-Do training.

Below are some links to posts on posture from other martial art blogs and websites:

• "The Art of Standing or Sitting There"
• "Upright Posture in the Martial Arts"
• "The Soul of Karate: Initial Move and Posture"
• "Aikido Martial Arts Posture" (YouTube-video)

Guarding Blocks for "Blending" and "Breaking"

The video above illustrates a set-up for Aikido's Ikkyo, i.e. Arm-Bar. Before doing the Arm-Bar the Aikidoist "blends" with his opponent. Such blending is fundamental to basically all Aikido movements. The idea of blending is also apt in Taekwon-Do. In this scenario I would use the Knife-Hand Guarding Block in a back-turn step to blend with the opponent.

In my years of thinking about the Guarding Blocks in Taekwon-Do I've found them to be very multi-levelled. It would do all Taekwon-Doin good to spend some time thinking about the Guarding Blocks and the different ways in which they can be used to engage with one's opponent. When contemplating the Guarding Blocks its useful to remember that the Guarding Blocks, which can be done at all heights (high, middle, and low section), are done in generally two fashions -- the one in a hard style, more linear fashion and the other in a soft style, more circular fashion. The former is generally used to hurt the opponent's attacking limbs with a much more aggressive attitude. The latter functions more as a push to unbalance the opponent and requires a "blending" attitude.. 

In the scenario above I would use the latter -- more circular -- Knife-Hand Guarding Block to blend with the opponent's forward moment. While using the front hand to grab (Grasping Block) the opponent's wrist and slightly pull him off-balance, one can use the rear hand of the Knife-Hand Guarding Block in a striking motion to attack the opponent's bicep -- striking appropriate pressure points. The rear hand then replace the front hand with a Grasping Block as I reverse my stance to move into the Arm-Bar position. Reversing the position resembles the Forearm Guarding Block with the rear closed fist clenched around the opponent's wrist and the forearm of the front hand attacking the opponent's elbow joint. In Taekwon-Do the Arm-Bar is achieved with the forearm or elbow putting pressure on (or just behind) the opponent's elbow joint. In Aikido, the Ikkyo is intended more to control the opponent, hence the palm is used to press on the elbow joint. In Taekwon-Do the Arm-Bar is categorised under "Break" techniques, so a forearm striking into the elbow joint is more appropriate within our stylistic context. Of course, we need not go to such measures if submitting the opponent with a control technique would suffice.

The (Sine) Wave in Aikido

In my previous post on the wave principle I mentioned that it is not unique to ITF Taekwon-Do; that once you understand it you will notice it as being part of many martial art systems, particularly the soft style martial arts. In the two videos below, Aikido instructor Doug Wedell explains the "waveform" in Aikido.

The keen observer will notice very similar movements and ideas as we see and do in ITF Taekwon-Do. Particularly try to look for the sine wave motion, the down-up-down form. Mr Wedell explains this down-up-down concept in an analogy of bouncing a ball.





"Waveforms, look for them everywhere; they are in every Aikido movement," says Doug Wedell. To this I want to reply: "The wave principle; look for it everywhere; it is in every Taekwon-Do movement."