Martial Artists Sharing Ideas & ITF's Sine Wave Motion

About a week ago some friends and I came together to hang out and have a quick dinner. Since we are all martial artists, it didn't take long for us to start talking about martial arts in general, and pretty soon we were on our feet sharing ideas. It was indeed a most memorable evening and a great way for any martial artist to spend his or her time, with other like-minded people, putting egos aside and learning from each other. The stylists, myself included, in the video represent experience in the following arts: Kukki (WTF) Taekwondo, ITF Taekwon-Do, boxing, Tai Chi Chuan, Bagua, Wing Chun, Kickboxing, Taekkyeon, Jeet Kune Do, Mantis, Hapkido, and others.

One thing that stood out for me is how open those practicing Chinese martial arts are to the idea of "sine wave motion" in ITF Taekwon-Do. I've had conversations about this topic with people from many different styles with different levels of agreement or dismissal. But in my experience, the Chinese stylists always "gets" it. I've long argued that as long as people continue to try and interpret ITF Taekwon-Do in a historic Karatesque manner, they will simply fail to understand the new evolutionary path that ITF Taekwon-Do has undergone -- moving away from its Shotokan Karate roots to a more Korean kinaesthetic that is more in line with Chinese martial arts, than Karatesque Japanese martial arts.

WTF and a Lack of Hands

A young man who is new to the martial arts asked me this afternoon about the differences between ITF Taekwon-Do and WTF Taekwon-Do. I gave him the boring answer: WTF is a sport; ITF is an art. (The setting was not ideal for a detailed compare-and-contrast exposition.) The reference to sport, of course, took the conversation into the way WTF does tournament sparring and why they spar with their arms dangling by their sides.

Image Source: Focus Fitness Centre, Scotland

It all comes down to tournament rules and sport sparring – a topic I've complaint about before. There are three main reasons why WTF Taekwon-Do players do not use their hands to guard as is common (even obvious) in most other martial arts.

The first is the padding. With their bodies protected with body armour and their heads with a helmet, the player does not feel a real sense of danger. When you are kicked, it just doesn't hurt enough for you to use your arms to guard. When I was a colour belt the black belts I sparred against during class training cracked a rib and bruised my sternum. This was needed only once for me to learn to guard properly. Pain is a wonderful teacher. Body armour removes the fear of pain and therefore also the incentive to guard with the arms.

The second is that punches to head in WTF Taekwon-Do is illegal. Because you do not have to worry about being punched in the face, there is no reason to keep the hands up to guard for face punches. Yes, kicks to the head is legal, but you have a helmet for protection and the power of the kicks make it unlikely for the blocks to work in any case. Again, keeping your arms up is not a serious consideration..

Finally, points are scored by means of “shock techniques.” The techniques basically has to shift the opponent or knock him out. Although it is legally permisible to score a point to the body with a punch, it is extremely difficult to achieve that type of “shock” power necessary, especially keeping in mind that the opponent has a thick chest protector on.

In short, the reason WTF tend not to use hand techniques (including keeping their arms up for guarding) is strongly determined by their tournament rules.

ITF Taekwon-Do may not suffer from a hand issue that much, but that does not mean that tournament sparring does not affect us negatively either. For one, attacks below the belt are illegal in typical ITF tournament sparring. The result is an unfortunate lack of knowledge by most ITF practitioners of how to perform the many possible low attacks; and even more importantly, how to defend oneself from low attacks. I've learned more about low attacks (and defences against low attacks) in two months of Taekkyeon training than in 15 years of Taekwon-Do study, even though most of the Taekkyeon ideas are embedded in ITF as well. Part of the reason why I learned so much in such a short time is because in Taekkyeon the sparring focusses on low attacks. Apart from low attacks, other things we (ITF practitioners) should spend time on are the clinch and grappling; for the same reason -- these ranges of fighting tend to be neglected in ITF Taekwon-Do, not because they are not part of Taekwon-Do, but because they are illegal in tournament sparring.

Luckily a few people still teach traditional sparring where anything goes and students can learn about the whole arsenal that ITF Taekwon-Do has to offer.

Ground Technique Training

Last week Sunday I competed in a grappling tournament in Seoul. It's an annual amateur tournament called “King of Ground,” and for this one there were around sixty competitors. I won some and I lost some.

This was actually the first time for me to compete in a grappling tournament. I've trained in grappling and other ground fighting on and off for awhile, but have never really had any interest to do it as a sport. I've retired from sport martial arts some years back for personal reasons, which I may discuss here in the future. So if I have no interest in grappling tournament sparring, why did I compete? The motivation for competing in the grappling tournament is twofold. Although I do have experience in stand-up fighting tournaments and and have sparred against a variety of martial arts, until now I haven't had any tournament experience in grappling. I do not practise grappling for tournament purposes but for self-defence reasons; yet it is probable that I may teach students in the future who may have such ambitions. While it is possible to teach based on theoretical knowledge, there is no doubt that practical experience is often invaluable for teaching. The second reason for my participation was to please my instructor. He really wanted me to compete. Our grappling group is not very big, so I conceded, knowing that participating in tournaments is often good for building group moral.

To be honest, I'm not fond of practising grappling. Rolling around with sweaty people is not my idea of fun. For this reason I actually like training in a full grappling uniform that absorbs sweat, for example a judo gi, better; however, I believe that grappling that does not require a gi is more practical for self-defence, as gi-training often teaches you gi-reliant techniques. Therefore, I favour practising techniques that are not dependent on your opponent wearing a certain type of garment. Although I do on occasion train at a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu academy too, where we wear uniforms, most of my grappling training occurs at a gym that does not use gi.

Grappling training may not be my favourite but I believe it to be an important part of a martial artist's arsenal so I hit the mat two, sometimes three, times a week. As a martial artist there are often things one does not necessarily like doing, but you do it anyway. It is part of being disciplined and if the martial arts teaches you nothing else, hopefully it teaches you discipline.

I've mentioned in a previous post the importance of practising ground techniques in Taekwon-Do. Ground techniques (noowo gisool / 누워 기술) is an acknowledged subsection of ITF Taekwon-Do and although it is often neglected, it should get a fair amount of training, especially—I believe—by higher level practitioners. It is my opinion that beginners should already start with basic break falling and rolling techniques, by the time students are intermediate level colour belts they must have a rudimentary arsenal of ground fighting techniques and by the time they are black belt they should feel comfortable on the ground. Of course Taekwon-Do is first and foremost a stand-up martial art, but since noowo gisool is part of ITF Taekwon-Do, a fair degree of proficiency in ground fighting ought to be expected of all black belts.

So what do you do if your ITF Taekwon-Do instructor does not teach you any ground fighting? Firstly, don't blame him or her. For some unfortunate reasons many ITF practitioners are not aware that ground techniques is an important part of ITF Taekwon-Do traning. It may be that instructor was probably never taught it by his or her instructor. Remember, also, that instructors often teach what they think students want to learn. After all, martial art teachers are in many ways service providers -- providing a teaching service to a particular audience. Suggest your interest in noowo gisool to your instructors and they may start to include it in training if they knew that there is an interest for it by the students. If, after you have requested ground technique training, your instructor still doesn't teach you anything, there are two other options. Get books and material of the Internet. A good introductory book I could suggest is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by Renzo Gracie and Royler Gracie. There are some good grappling resources online like the YouTube-channel Submissions 101, for instance. Practise what you learn with a friend. Secondly, cross train at a gym focussing on ground techniques, like a Judo club, Brazilian Jiu-jitusu gym, or an MMA-club. (See my post on cross-training.)

A final caution. Remember that ground fighting in Taekwon-Do is different from normal submission styles. In Taekwon-Do we include a wide variety of techniques from the ground including strikes and kicks, not only submissions and joint attacks. Take some time to read through some of the striking and kicking options from the ground in the ITF Encyclopaedia. See Volume 3, p. 323-332 for ground hand techniques and Volume 4, p. 321-329 for ground foot techniques. (Note that a number of these techniques—like attacking the eyes—would be considered illegal in a typical grappling tournament.)

All of the best with expanding your arsenal for both stand-up fighting and ground fighting.

The Soo Shim Kwan and Cross-Training

While looking at the side panel of this blog you will notice many links to other martial art sites and blogs, a big number of them non-Taekwondo. One could rightly ask why I, as Soo Shim Kwanjangnim (head of the Soo Shim Kwan), allow these links on our blog. Doesn’t the ITF Encyclopaedia say that “One shall serve only one master,” implying that we ought to do only one martial art? I don’t think that is exactly what is meant by “serving only one master.” In fact, I have been encouraged by very high ranking ITF-masters to learn from other martial arts. After all, with the modern phenomenon of Mixed Martial Arts, Taekwon-Do practitioners often forget (or don't even know) that Taekwon-Do was one of the first modern martial arts to borrow from a variety of discipines. Taekwon-Do incorporated techniques and ideas from Karate, Taekkyeon, Judo, Hapkido and other styles. But that aside for now.

The Soo Shim Kwan is completely for cross-training. I believe that cross training is beneficial for one’s growth as a martial artist.

Our Soo Shim Kwan Charter mentions that we believe in "establish[ing] and maintain[ing] friendly and cooperative structures with other martial arts . . .” As many of you know, I’ve hosted a number of  “Diversification Workshops” where I’d invite different martial arts for a day of cross-training – each martial art teaching to all the attending members something from their own style. The last Diversification Workshop we hosted at the Potchefstroom Dojang included instruction from ITF Taekwon-Do, WTF Taekwondo, Grappling, Western Boxing, and Hapkido. I've also invited individual instructors to our schools before, and have taught at different martial art schools on invitation.

Too often martial artists become experts at fighting against only members of their own style. This is inevitable if the only people you train with are people in your own style. Such myopic training is not ideal and, in my opinion, even dangerous. Cross-training in other martial arts is essential in order to keep yourself from becoming narrow minded.

There are a number of reasons why many instructors may be against their students doing cross-training. First, I fear that some instructors do not have confidence in what they are teaching. They are secretly scared that if their students were to explore other styles they may find something better. I do not share this fear. I truly believe that if ITF Taekwon-Do is taught properly, it is a superior martial art and we need not be shy of exposure to other styles. I've personally competed against other martial arts and believe that well performed Taekwon-Do is an excellent martial art.

Secondly, instructors may be afraid that students will enrol in another martial art and try to train in both simultaneously, which may hinder their progress. This concern does have some merit. Trying to practice more than one martial art at the same time, especially if the martial arts are similar, will impact each other – and often in a negative way. For instance, if you practice two striking arts where one tells you to do a turning kick (aka roundhouse kick) with the ball of the foot (like in ITF) and another tells you to kick with the shin (like in Muay Thai), you will constantly hear conflicting admonitions from your respective teachers and you will start to do the "wrong" technique in the different classes. This will slow down your progress in both styles.

Occasional cross-training will help you to keep an open-mind and will be quite beneficial.

Here are some points to keep in mind when you are considering cross-training:

• Avoid a similar striking art. I strongly advise against taking up another stand-up fighting martial art before you have mastered the basics in your current art. Wait until you are at least a black belt. Once you’ve mastered the basics, training in another similar art will not interfere that much with your base art. 
• Choose something very different. If you do want to take up another martial art, choose an art that is very different from what you are currently doing. Instead of another stand-up fighting art, rather choose a joint-manipulation or grappling art like Aikido, Judo, Wrestling or (Brazilian) Jiu-jitsu.
• Choose something that will compliment your training regime. Occasional cross-training need not to be taken too seriously, but try at least to cross-train in something that’s very different from your usual training and which will compliment the areas that you think you need to improve in. If it’s more stamina and plyometric fitness you need, you may consider Parkour, Tennis or Squash. If it is strength, you may consider weight-training. If you’re dojang doesn’t spend much time in ground fighting, you may consider cross-training in a grappling class.
• Talk to your instructor. Remember to discuss it with your instructor before including another martial art in your training regime. Let your instructor advise you. Your instructor may tell you that you ought to wait some time and first build your foundation more before including another style. Trust your instructor’s experience. Your instructor may also suggest a style that can benefit you and may even know good instructors.

Cross-training also involves the mind. Expose yourself to other ideas. It is for this reason that there are links to other martial arts on this website. Learn from other people. It is possible to borrow from other martial arts, but still keeping it Taekwon-Do. In ITF Taekwon-Do we have very specific principles, like the Theory of Power, Training Secrets and Attacking Tool and Vital Spots chart. This means that you can take practically any technique from another martial art and by merely imposing the Taekwon-Do principles over these foreign techniques, literally make them Taekwon-Do. I’ve learned a lot of novel ways in which Taekwon-Do can be applied by reading the material of other martial arts. This has actually made me more loyal to ITF Taekwon-Do because I could see how Taekwon-Do can adapt, while at the same time keep true to its essence.

Happy cross-training!

Taekkyeon and ITF Taekwon-Do

It's been two weeks since I've taken up Taekkyeon again. The first time I did Taekkyeon was in 2008, but after a number of months the classes started to clash with my work schedule. I also reached a plateau because the group of people I trained with were quite old, which did not allow me to train much of the practical applications of Taekkyeon. The first dojang I went to focussed on health. Taekkyeon was used in the same way that Tai Chi Ch'uan is practised by most people, as a recreation focussed on health. Not that there is anything wrong with this, it was just not the reason I wanted to learn Taekkyeon.

Recently, some time opened up in my busy schedule, so I decided to take up Taekkyeon again. The last two weeks I've been focussing on the basic stepping motion in Taekkyeon, which is harder than it looks. Hard especially for me because my instructor tells me that I've acquired some bad habits from my previous Taekkyeon exposure. I'm spending much of my time in class trying to unlearn wrong motions.

But that's not the purpose of this post. I'd like to talk about one of my main reasons (there are a number) why I took up Taekkyeon. Basically, I'm learning Taekkyeon in an attempt to understand Taekwon-Do better. As readers of this blog (mostly Soo Shim Kwan members) probably know, Taekwon-Do has two roots. General Choi Hong-Hi, who was the principle driving force behind the development of Taekwon-Do (and ITF Taekwon-Do in particular) trained in two martial arts -- Taekkyeon as a teenager and Shotokan Karate as a young man. These two martial arts became the chief influences in the development of Taekwon-Do. The greatest influence, at first, was undoubtedly from Karate. The techniques from Japanese Karate is typically hard and linear in character. The kicks borrowed (and altered) from Karate were the front kick, turning kick, side kick and back kick. Most of the other kicks in Taekwon-Do are derived from Taekkyeon and are typically circular in character, for example crescent kicks, sweeping kicks, checking kicks; also the pushing kicks. The spinning kicks were developed in Taekwon-Do and does not come from either Karate or Taekkyeon.

The things that truly intrigue me about Taekkyeon and the reason I decided to acquaint myself with this martial art are two other similarities I've noticed between ITF Taekwon-Do and Taekkyeon: mostly relaxed techniques and a waving stepping motion. Relaxation and the sine wave motion were not part of the original Taekwon-Do dating from the 1950s to 1970s. For all practical purposes, this old style Taekwon-Do was nothing more than Korean Karate with added techniques and new patterns. But then ITF Taekwon-Do made a sudden change, as if the Taekkyeon seeds from General Choi's past suddenly germinated and the stringent Japanese flavour that was so prevalent in Taekwon-Do was suddenly replaced with something different. This different ingredient, I have come to believe, has its source in Taekkyeon. Both the relaxation and the bobbing (sine wave) is something we see in Taekkyeon.

I'm not suggesting that ITF Taekwon-Do and Taekkyeon is the same thing; far from it, but I do believe that they are related and much more so than say that is commonly suggested. From my exposure to many different martial arts, Taekkyeon's way of stepping is the closest to the ITF sine wave. It is not the same, but it is more similar than similar body-sinking movements in other martial arts. I truly believe that in his later life General Choi wanted to make Taekwon-Do less Japanese and more Korean and therefore borrowed from his childhood experience in Taekkyeon.This has completely altered the look and feel of ITF Taekwon-Do. Taekwon-Do used to be a hard style like Japanese Karate. In the meantime it has incorporated many more "soft style" principles (as I mentioned in the previous post), so that it is now a very interesting hybrid; a strange synergy of hard style and soft style principles.

As I get to understand Taekkyeon better, and as I understand the similarities between Taekkyeon and ITF Taekwon-Do better, I will be sure to report about them here.

Tricking

On Sunday morning I hosted an "Introduction to Tricking Workshop" at The Way Martial Arts Academy of Seoul.

The introduction workshop covered the basic spinning kicking techniques which are the fundamentals for doing tricking. Once these basics were covered we introduced some of the more advanced tricking techniques.

The workshop basically followed the following structure:

1. Warm up and stretching
2. Crescent Kick, Turning Kick (aka Roundhouse Kick), and Heel Hook Kick
3. Spinning Kicks
4. Combination Spinning Kicks
5. Jumping Spinning Kicks
6. Introduction to more advanced tricking techniques: Aerial Kick, 360 Degree Kick, 540 Degree Kick.
7. A Demonstration of Tricking Combinations
8. Cool down and Stretching.

Six people (three Americans, a South African, a Frenchman, and a Korean) attended, each with different martial art backgrounds and levels of experience. I always enjoy how a common interest can bring such different people together.

The video below is of Wesley giving the demonstration of tricking combos and inspiring the rest of us.

Cross Training

Over the break, just before the semester started, while our dojang was still in use by the freshmen in preparation of RAG, Franco (far right) and I (far left) went for some cross training with the Mixed Martial Arts group in Potch. We had a great work out, coached by Johan (centre).

Our club has always been open minded about cross training. While I’m open to cross training I don’t think it is always beneficial to train in two or more martial arts at once, specifically not while you are still learning the basics of one martial art. When, however, you have mastered the basics of your style, taking up another martial art can be a great way to review your paradigm, to broaden your knowledge and grow as a martial artist.

Although I’m suggestion you not to practice two martial arts at the same time while you are a beginner, I am not saying that you should avoid occasional cross training. On the contrary, cross training in other martial arts (and even other recreational disciplines such as parkour, squash, etc.) can be a wonderful method to supplement your training.

Regards,
Bsbnim Sanko

Hapkido & Taek-Kyeon

Hi everyone,

So as you probably know, I'm safe in Korea and starting to settle in.

On Monday evening I went for my first Hapkido training session since my return to Korea. The instructor was really happy to see me and hugged me.

I also started with the first of my new techniques in my black belt syllabus. The new techniques are interesting, and although I grasped the principles immediately, it still find it difficult to translates the theory into physical action.

This morning I went to my first Taek-Kyeon training class. What a strange and wonderful experience. It felt more like Tai-Chi mixed with dancing. Many of the set-techniques (patterns) are done to folk songs. So we were singing and dancing most of the time. Apart from the instructor, I am the only man, amongst a bunch of elderly ladies. There's only training twice a week: Wednesday mornings and Sunday evenings.