Examples of "Sine Wave" and "Hip Rotation" in Other Sports

Look at this video of a baseball pitcher. The principles employed are practically the same that ITF Taekwon-Do requires of its practitioners – although more subdued.

First, notice how the pitcher throws his body weight down and forward. This is what we would call the sine wave motion, going from a high position to a lowered position.

The other thing to notice is how he uses kinetic chaining, also known as sequential motion – usually and simplistically explained as “hip rotation.” The pitcher torques his body, starting from the legs, then the hips, through the spine and shoulders, and last whipping through the arm. The momentum of each segment of the body contributes to the momentum of the next part of the body.



Of course, the martial art practitioner needs to subdue such an over exaggerated motion because it exposes you at various moments throughout the motion, compromise your posture and somewhat unbalance you at the end. When the Taekwon-Do practitioner is admonished to keep the back heel flat at the end of the technique and to square the shoulders, it is in fact to ensure better posture and keep the rebound energy from not unbalancing the performer.

Now look at Randy Barnes perform a shot put. Notice how the same two power generating principles are evident, a sine wave motion and kinetic chaining. Look at the slow motion section starting at 1:00 and note how his vertical movement goes down, up and down (this is where we will punch); however, from here he is pushing the iron ball at an upward angle, so he needs to thrust his body up again. (During the entirety of his technique Barnes moves down-up-down-up.)



There aren’t any hand strikes that require us to do two rotations like Randy Barnes does for his shot put. We do have a spinning back fist strike that requires one rotation; take for instance the spinning back fist strike in the pattern Do-San, which follows the spear fingertip thrust and release (movements #6-8).

The two principles of dropping your raised body mass into your technique and using kinetic chaining / sequential motion are present in many sports concerned with speed and power generation.

A Philosophical Look at Chon-Ji Tul

A Philosophical Look at Chon-Ji Teul -- Sanko Lewis

The first official pattern of ITF Taekwon-Do is Chon-Ji. The ITF Encyclopaedia defines the first Taekwon-Do pattern as follows:

Chon-Ji [천지/ 天地] means literally "the Heaven the Earth." It is, in the Orient, interpreted as the creation of the world or the beginning of human history, therefore, it is the initial pattern played by the beginner. This pattern consists of two similar parts; one to represent the Heaven and the other the Earth.

In Korean philosophy these two elements (Heaven and Earth) form a syncretic unit often depicted as a red and blue Taegeuk [태극 / 太極] (Korean for the Taijitu). Taegeuk literally means “supreme ultimate.” The symbol is based on the Chinese Taoist idea that all of creation is made up of two opposing forces. These opposing forces are often referred to in the West as Yin-Yang – the Korean term is Eum-Yang. Unlike the Chinese Taijiitu which is usually depicted in black and white, the Korean Taegeuk is usually red and blue. There exists thus a slight difference in the Chinese philosophical understanding of Taijitu and the Korean Taegeuk. Although in essence the same, there is an emphasis in the Korean version on Chon-Ji (i.e. Heaven and Earth). Heaven is symbolized by the red lobe and Earth by the blue lobe in the Taegeuk.

The observant practitioner of Chon-Ji Teul[1] will note that the pattern actually consists of three parts, not two; there are three additional punches at the end (movements 17, 18 and 19). This is actually consistent with another symbol from Korean philosophy known as the Sam Taegeuk [삼태극 / 三太極] (”triple grand ultimate”). The Sam Taegeuk (“sam” meaning three) is a three lobed Taegeuk; the extra yellow lobe representing humanity. The Sam Taegeuk reflects the Korean philosophy of Sam Jae, or Sam Yoso; meaning “Triple Essence,” or the three fundamental essences that defines the universe: heaven, earth, and human being.

Marc Tedeschi explains it in his book Taekwondo: Traditions, Philosophy, Technique as follows: “In this aspect of Korean philosophy, the mind and body are inseparable within a human being, a human being is inseparable from heaven and earth, and heaven and earth are inseparable from each other. Thus, heaven, earth, and human being are destined to exist in unity.”

When looking at the number of movements in each part of the pattern Chon-Ji, it is plausible that the movements have special symbolic meaning as well. The Taegeuk and Sam Taegeuk are often portrayed as surrounded by a series of eight trigrams, known as Palgwae in Korean or Bagua [八卦] in Chinese. A trigram is symbol made up of three horizontal bars. The bars can be either solid or broken and each combination has a particular symbolic meaning. In Chon-Ji Teul, the first part, symbolising Heaven, and the second part, symbolising Earth, each consist of eight movements, which is the number of trigrams in the Palgwae, seen surrounding the Taegeuk. Furthermore, the last part of Chon-Ji contains three movements that coincide with the number of bars in a trigram.

Whether Chon-Ji Teul does refer to the Palgwae is speculative as the ITF Encyclopaedia does not directly refer to it. Regardless, it is clear that Chon-Ji Teul is full of deeper philosophical meaning worth exploring. As "the initial pattern played by the beginner," Chon-Ji sets the practitioner within a specific worldview. It is a worldview based on ancient Oriental and Korean philosophy. The Chinese Taijitu depicts a universe in balance and the Korean Taegeukdo shows Heaven and Earth in balance. The Sam Taegeuk depicts man in blance with Heaven and Earth. There is therefore a possible ascetic interpretation to Chon-Ji Teul: Through the study of Taekwon-Do a human being is to attain harmony with him or herself, and harmony with the universe. This journey towards harmony starts with the initial pattern in Taekwon-Do. This would imply that innate to Taekwon-Do is a quest for achieving harmony: harmony with onneself, harmony with other people, harmony with the Earth, and harmony with Heaven.

An interesting side note may be that a trigram is embedded in the SA-ITF’s logo[2]. Noting that the trigram is a symbol from oriental philosophy, the SA-ITF Constitution explains that the trigram represents the philosophical underpinning of Taekwon-Do, known as Moral Culture. In the logo the top bar of the trigram represent the “spiritual creation and heaven”, the middle bar represents the “human race” and the bottom bar represents the “physical creation and fauna and flaura”.

You can read a more comprehensive version of this post in Issue #18 of Totally Taekwon-Do Magazine, starting on p. 45.

Footnotes:

[1] “Teul” is Korean word for pattern. Hyeon and pumsae are synonyms that are also sometimes used.

[2] The explanation of the meaning of the SA-ITF logo was primarily done by Boosabeomnim Chris van der Merwe during his involvement as the SA-ITF’s Director of Constitutional Affairs.

Works Cited:

Choi Hong-Hi. ITF Taekwon-Do Encyclopaedia
Marc Tedeschi. Taekwondo: Traditions, Philosophy, Technique
SA-ITF Constitution

Developing Sensitivity to Ki

You can read my essay "Developing Sensitivity to Ki in Taekwon-Do" in this month's edition of Totally Tae Kwon Do magazine. Judging by the cover, it would seem to be one of the feature articles.

There is also an essay by Jay Boyle, one of the black belts at the dojang here in Seoul where I am an instructor about "Coming Home: Training with the ITF in South Korea." Jay recounts how difficult it was to find an ITF school in Korea. This parallels my own struggle when I first came to Korea.

One of my favourite articles is the concluding section in Manuel E. Adrogue's three part article on "ITF Taekwon-Do and Sine Wave." The whole article is probably the best apologetic for sine wave I have read so far. Links to the previous issues of Totally Tae Kwon Do where you can read the other parts of the "ITF Taekwon-Do and Sine Wave" article can be found at a previous post.

You can download the current issue of the eZine here: Totally Tae Kwon Do -- Issue 17.

Low Section Punching

Downward angled punches are often considered somewhat strange, especially to non-martial artists who are so used to sport combat (e.g. boxing) that focusses on higher targets. However, many martial arts include attacks to the lower section. Some martial arts, like Hapkido, have major emphasis on attacking your opponent's danjeon 단전. The danjeon is supposed to be the plase where one's Ki is stored and is about two centimeters below and behind the navel. More practically, the danjeon is usually where the body's centre of gravity is, so by attacking the danjeon you are almost certain to upset your opponent's balance. In Taekwon-Do we generally devide the body into three sections for attack: high section, middle section and low section. Each of these sections have a prime target. For the low section it is the umbilucus, or more specifically, the danjeon.

In the video below, Instructor Tim White demonstrates how easily a downward angled punch, aimed at the danjeon (pelvic section), breaks a person's balance.



Attacking the inside of the hip from the front, rather than centring the punch for the danjeon, is also quite effective at causing loss of balance. An attack to the danjeon, however, is usually considered better according to the traditional arts, as it not only disturbs the opponents balance, but also his centre of Ki. The punch is also quite effective if performed when facing the opponent from the side and attacking his hip bone. Striking the hip down at a forty five degree angle shocks a nerve point (Gallblader 30), which, apart from causing a stinging pain or even momentary loss of function of the leg, causes the pelvis to swivle.From behind it is possible to hit the tailbone, targeting the Governing Vessel 1 point. Having never done or recieved an attack to that target, I'm not sure what the effect would be, but I suppose one could at least expect a loss of balance, similar to the other attacks to the targets around the pelvis / hip area.

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.

Tong-Il: Breaking Boards, Bricks and Borders

Be sure to check out the trailer for the documentary, Tong-Il: Breaking Boards, Bricks and Borders, on YouTube and give it a “Thumbs Up.” This will help the documentary get exposure and hopefully be picked up by a distribution company.

I've met the filmmaker(s); the amount of time and effort that went into this film is a testimony of its quality. It is also a valuable film in that it reveals some of the ways in which Taekwon-Do is used for political agendas, but also how Taekwon-Do can bridge such political and ideological differences and in effect break the "borders" that divide people.


Please help to get this film some exposure by rating the trailer on YouTube, visiting the website, and telling your friends about the Facebook page.

The High Kick Myth

I've often heard it said that high kicks are ineffective. I disagree. One of the most common knock outs in MMA is from the "roundhouse kick" (turning kick) to the head. The YouTube-video clip below shows the competitor Mirko performing the roundhouse kick with frequent success.



Of course, a person with lack of flexibility, balance, and speed would be better of not doing high kicks. Still, the idea that high kicks are generally ineffective is a myth perpetuated by those whom are not apt at doing them.

C K Choi's Sparring Patterns

Grandmaster C K Choi, one of the Taekwon-Do pioneers with General Choi, created a number of Sparring Patterns, which are basically combination drills focussing on specific techniques. I think they make for excellent introduction to specific sparring techniques and is worth the effort trying out. Below is Grandmaster Choi's Punching Sparring Pattern which look at straight punches, turning punches, and upward punches.

Totally Tae Kwon Do and My Contributions: "Poetry in Motion" and "Instructor, Master, Grandmaster"

For those of you that may not yet know about this wonderful resource, I would like to introduce you to the free online magazine, Totally Tae Kwon Do. This global magazine provides articles by Taekwon-Doin around the world and part of different Taekwon-Do organizations. This means that the audience can get an understandings of Taekwon-Do that quite diverse and interesting. I’ve been following the magazine for some time and can honestly say that there is a gem or two in each edition, well worth taking note of. For instance, in the latest June 2010 edition, Issue 16, the article “Taekwon-Do & Sinewave as Sequential Motion” is an excellent apologetic for ITF Taekwon-Do’s unique “sinewave motion” which I strongly advise you all to read.

I have also started to write articles for this magazine. For Issue 15, May 2010, I submitted the essay “Poetry in Motion: A Poetic Interpretation of the Patterns” and for Issue 16 I’ve submitted the essay “Instructor, Master, Grandmaster: An Explanation of the Terms Used in ITF Taekwon-Do.” For the next issue I am likely to submit one of two articles; either “An Introduction to the Philosophy in Chon-Ji Teul” or “Developing Sensitivity to Ki in ITF Taekwon-Do.”

Regards,
Sb Sanko

SA-ITF School Instructor

Congratulations to Bsbnim Philip de Vos for being awarded SA-ITF School Instructor status during the recent training camp. Bsbnim Philip was awarded this status after successfully completing the Dynamic Sport Maintenance Framework session during the camp. He was awarded the Three Star badge used in the SA-ITF to indicate an instructor qualified to teach at a dojang within the SA-ITF according to new criteria implemented from this year. According to the DSMF all instructors need to be qualified using these new criteria.

There are three badges, a three star badge for dojang instructors, a six star badge for academy heads and a nine star badge for federation heads. People are awarded these badges after the successful completion of course work and testing and fulfillment of other criteria, like active involvement in the SA-ITF structures, involvement during tournaments, seminars, and technical camps, and so on.

The SA-ITF Executive President, Mr Dirk Nel, also sent me a personal message to convey to Bsbnim Philip. Part of the message is posted below:

Please convey my appreciation to Bsbn. Phillip de Vos, whom attended National Camp where he was certified a School Instructor. I also noticed him at ATC last weekend but did not have an opportinity to talk to him. My appreciation is for his participation in events.