Monday 10 March 2014

Santeul Makki or "Mountain Block"

Hanja for "Mountain"
Recently (time is subjective) I started a Taekwondo "study group" and one of the first posts I shared on it was my post Myths: All blocks are blocks! (Not) and more . The example in that post consists of Hecho Santeul Makki or Spreading Mountain Block. Two other members of that Group shared videos of how they approach their systems Mountain Blocks. While their examples ends up in the same
ending position they do not show the Hecho Santeul Makki from Pyungwon Poomsae but rather the "regular" Santeul Makki that can be seen in Keumgang Poomsae. I thought it would make a great post to gather all the information on that technique from this blog that have been published earlier coupled with the new material that was kindly shared by my study buddies:-) The video that features Colin from Traditional Taekwondo Techniques blog was put together especially for the study Group which explains the names being mentioned in the beginning of the Clip as well as the youtube label:-)


As for who will this post benifit? The technique covered in this post features heavily in all systems of Taekwondo that I know of. Most prominently in Keumgang Poomsae for Kukkiwon Taekwondo (sometimes wrongfully called "WTF") students, Toi gye Tul/Hyung for Chang Hon or ITF Taekwondo students, and Sip Soo Hyung or Cinte Kata for really really old School Taekwondo students and Karate students. That is a wide specter of systems and forms all featuring the technique which is often ridiculed and seen as unrealistic. But you got to ask yourself why so many use it when you see how many different systems and forms that use this technique if this technique is so unrealistic? Now if you read through this post and all its links I am sure you will see that the technique is effective and versitile, it is only unrealistic if you interpret it in an unrealistic way.

First the "new" stuff so the regular readers do not have to sift through "old" material once more.

http://www.joongdokwan.com/2014/02/toi-gye-mountain-or-w-blocks.html

In the above link you will be brought to Colin`s blog and you will see an excellent video focusing exclusivly on the Santeul Makki. It is from a different system yes, so the name of the Block might change but the body mechanics are the same as the Kukkiwon Santeul Makki. Any student of Keumgang Poomsae will seriously benifit from seing that clip. Thank you for making that video Colin (In case you ever read this).

Another post on the same technique from the same blog can be seen here:
http://www.joongdokwan.com/2012/05/toi-gye-w-mountain-block.html



The next clip is from Mark Cook the author of "The Oldmans Bubishi" (a book I do not yet have but I will definitly get it after seing the clip he kindly shared with the group)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoRBpclgCrQ&feature=youtu.be
(Sorry did not manage to embed it)

And here is a Clip from Paul demonstrating the Santeul Makki as used in his School:

If you are interested in Taekwondo I would reccomend all the Sources used in this post.

As for the "old material" I allready have shared on this blog please follow this link to Keumgang Poomsae:
http://jungdokwan-taekwondo.blogspot.no/2012/04/practical-application-for-keumgang.html
In that post you will also learn where the "mountain" part of the block comes in. You are obviously not defending against mountains :p

So eventhough this post is relativly short in length it contains perhaps one of the most comprehensive information on the Santeul Makki or Mountain Block on any blog. Thanks for all those who share  their knowledge. The information in this post would not be possible without you. Thank you.

Now go train those mountain blocks. I know you want to;)

If you want to be a part of the study Group and you feel you could contribute to it please search for "The study of Taekwondo/ 태권도의 연구" on facebook.


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9 comments:

  1. Thank you for creating the group in the first place, Orjan! :-)

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    1. No problem:-) Easy to start, but it is you guys who are making it the Group it is:-)

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  2. Sir i searched that group on facebook.. but couldnt find :(

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  3. Interesting ideas but I see that none of the applications have the same movements/shape that the poomsae has. but I get you can do different ideas with only 1 arm or whatever. The Kukkiwon's application is escaping a grab on your shoulder level by 2 people on both sides. but i see how downward elbows could work too. And yes the kick is a leg stomp/low thrusting kick downward on the knee or leg.

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    1. Some of the Applications might be so far removed from the Poomsae form (but still Close enough to remind us of the form) that I would label them "Byonhwa Eungyoung" or variation Application. Some are in my eyes very Close to the Poomsae form though. There`s got to be some leeway when applying Poomsae as there is no opponent in Poomsae and therefore no variables to think about. Insert another human into the Equation however and no matter how scripted the training there will be a lot of variables.
      Also some movements in Poomsae will teach us how to drive through a target so the end position in Poomsae is a bigger movement than in application. For instance a regular punch in my opinion is not contacted at the furthest extension as in many textbook application but closer to 80% extension instead. The full extension in Poomsae is to teach us (again in my opinion) to drive through the target. Another would be the Kukkiwon application for the Hecho Santeul Makki from Pyungwon Poomsae where the block is used as a locking technique. The form teaches us to go through the whole movement and ends up with each arm at head height while the lock itself is not extended nearly as much.
      The timing of Poomsae applications will also differ from the excecution of forms to applying them. The timing that is “set” in excecution is not “set” when applying them against an unwilling opponent.
      As long as the application use the same gross movement and it works it is in my opinion a good application. But the closer it is to the form the better 

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  4. this is good technique for self-defense.

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  5. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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    1. I'm sorry. I did not mean to delete your comment Ernst:-(

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