Micro Post: Arae Makki (Low block) Combative Drill

Chris Denwood has a great site with lots of good articles and clips on applied Karate. Karate and Taekwondo having common roots has a lot of overlap when you look at combative applications to the movements and I was pleasently suprised when I clicked on the video only to see that one of the applications I have covered on this blog was demonstrated the first few seconds into the clip. The application is described here: http://jungdokwan-taekwondo.blogspot.no/2012/06/practical-application-from-taegeuk-il-1.html and as you can see my post is way older than his clip:-)

He does expand this into a whole drill using mainly the low block (arae makki) movement. For more videos and blogposts etc from Chris Denwood visit his site on www.chrisdenwood.com .

Myths: All blocks are blocks! (Not) and more.

 

This is going to be a relativly short post but it will deal with three Taekwondo "myths". All of the myths are being propogated by many people and even by relativly higher Dan grades too. It is time to put an end to these myths so this post will adress it and hopefully put it to rest. I will use an example from the Kukkiwon Textbook as my main argument against the myths as it is difficult to say that the Kukkiwon Textbook is wrong for the propogators of the myths.

Image Source: Kukkiwon Textbook

Micro Post; This months quote

I really enjoy making "This months quote" posts. I get to sift through a lot of interesting material and then choose one quote to share with the world. In the first "This months quote" post I wrote last year I wrote that I would chose Martial Arts related quotes and that some would be funny, some would be serious and some would make you think. I chose the following quote for 2 reasons:

1. I get brilliant comments on this blog (both questions, discussions and further Insights to what I have written) and often they are just as good as the post itself. I relly want to highlight this fact by chosing a quote from the blog. (Sorry Richard this time it is not you, but to all the readers out there if you see a comment from Richard please make sure to read it as they contain a wealth of knowledge and additional Insights from an experienced and knowledgeable martial artist).
2. Taekwondo history is very controversial because people like to believe in the 2000 years myth, and focus exclusivly on the Korean roots of Taekwondo. While the Korean side to Taekwondo is not to be ignored this view on Taekwondo history (ignoring all the other factors involved in the development of Taekwondo) can be likened to a guy researching his family history solely on his father side and ignoring what happened on his mothers side of the family tree. Obviously you are the sum of both sides just like Taekwondo is the sum of several different sources. The quote sums up a very healthy attitude on Taekwondo history that I think all should endevour to follow

So With that lengthy introduction (this is almost starting to become something else than a micro post) here is the quote itself:

"I'm convinced about the karate roots of taekwondo

(I know there is some chuan fa influence, too, although it is not explicit in KKW forms),

and I just won't deny them --

instead I will dig them up and try to use them in favour of our art"

- Samir Berardo

There are throws in Taekwondo!

In my last blogpost I wrote about an application from Poomsae Jitae. Actually I wrote about two applications from that Poomsae one being a leg sweep and the other being an armbar followed by striking techniques. One thing that really bugs me when surfing the world wide web though is all the people out there who says Taekwondo has no throws, Taekwondo has no locks, Taekwondo has no grappling etc. Most of this critique seems to come from people not practising Taekwondo, but there are also quite a few who says

they are black belt holders and even a few who call themselves "Master". I am not naive and will readily say that Taekwondo`s focus is on striking, and that the grappling contained therein is of a simple variety and not as sophisticated as the grappling contained in arts focused on this area, but please lets not make the mistake and say it is absent from Taekwondo. This post will introduce a few throws to the ones who believe they are not in Taekwondo. They might not be taught in the mainstream, but they have been part of our art from the start, and traditional Taekwondo contain them.

Practical Application from Poomsae Jitae

I highly doubt that many who knows this Poomsae will ever read this post as it is one of the higher black belt Poomsae in the Kukkiwon system, but there might be some use to read it either way. We will look at something unique in Kukkiwon terms but which also appears in Karate "Kata", older

Taekwondo "Hyung" as well as in alternative forms sets (my teacher uses the same sequence of moves in his soak am ryu forms). It is a sequence consisting of a simple kick-punch combination but if you look a little closer at it you will notice something strange about it. If I have your attention now please read on:-)

Honoring the Pioneers of Taekwondo; Chun Sang Sup

A while back I started writing a series of posts on the pioneers of Taekwondo. So far I have written one on Lee Won Kuk who founded the Chung Do Kwan, Hwang Kee who founded the Moo Duk Kwan, a commentary on Choi Hong Hi`s Theory of Power (Choi Hong Hi co-founded the Oh Do Kwan) and a post on Ro Byung Jik founder of the Song Moo Kwan. This time I will share what I know about a little well

Chun Sang Sup
Image Source

known Taekwondo pioneer; namely Chun Sang Sup.