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.




Here is to all of you who claim to practise Kukki Taekwondo but say that throws are not part of Kukki Taekwondo: Go find the Kukkiwon Textbook you have on your bookself. It should be there as this is the most complete work we have on our system. If you do not have it you should put it on your "wish list":-) Now open the book on page 171 if you have the newest edition (september 2005). It describes "Taekwondo Gibon" or "Fundementals of Taekwondo". You will see a table there explaining the fundamentals of Taekwondo. Now look under "attack". The list is thusly:

• Jireugi (Punching)
• Chigi (Hitting)
• Tzireugi (Thrusting)
• Chagi (Kicking)
• Kkukki (inflecting)
• Numgigi (Throwing down)

(Emphasis added by me). 

Now look at the two bottom points in the list above. Inflecting means pressure against the joints and this is explained later in the book. Few examples of this is covered in the book though but it is there both in the Kyuregi section (YES) and in the Poomsae application section (YES). There is an actual practical example of a shoulder throw on page 611 and a sacrifice throw on page 616, the same leg sweep as in my previous post is shown on page 619.

Now for Chang Hon Taekwondo students you do not need to look farther than your own founders writings. All the way back to his 1965 book he included numerous throwing techniques. 

Now that I have gotten that off my chest (thank God) I can start introducing a few "common" throws that is taught to students of Traditional Taekwondo. 

1: Hip Throw (I learned it under the Korean name: Hôri Chigi)

This is a common throw found in most styles (Taekwondo too!). Even old school western boxing had this throw. If you know Poomsae Keumgang you will notice that the footwork and entry are pretty much the same as the Keun Doltzigi or "larger hinge" movement. Only difference between the Poomsae and this throw is that you bend at your waist during the throw but not in Poomsae.

 2: Outer Wrist throw: (Sonmok bakkaturo kkukki) This throw is also highly popular in many different styles. Just remember to stun or distract your opponent with strikes before trying to apply a throw. Taekwondo is not a grappling focused art.

3: Shoulder Throw (Âpa Chigi) Yet another common throw in Martial Arts the shoulder throw can be found in virtual every single style in the orient from Quan Fa to Taekwondo. This throw is also demonstrated in the Kukkiwon Textbook! 

Thats it for today I am afraid, but if you are not familiar with throws these three will be a good place to start. Many of the more "advanced" throws are actually variations on these 3 basic ones:-) Next time I will try to give a few examples of other grappling techniques that is also a part of Taekwondo.

 

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