This last year I have done a deep dive and really focused on
learning all ITF forms up to and including Gae-Baek Hyung. I say "ITF forms" but I should probably call them either Oh Do Kwan (that is where my "project" took me) or Chang Hon forms. I do not do Sine Wave (and I do not think I will ever do that), and the forms I have been learning is far too outdated to be called ITF forms, as the ITF have done a lot of changes. The standard I am keeping as close as possible to is the 1965 book by Choi Hong Hi. After that book was published a lot of things were changed, and over time Sine Wave which was possibly the biggest change was implemented in the 1980s. After he died the ITF splintered into an insane number of different ITFs and they in turn made their own changes. I am going off a tangent here:-P What I wanted to write about was the feeling I had when learning these forms when I had a firm Taegeuk and Judanja/Black Belt Poomsae background. I talked with a fellow Taekwondoin (Taekwondo person) about the feeling I had when learning the forms that every single one after Chon-Ji Hyung felt like learning a black belt poomsae.
He agreed and had thought the same thing when he made the change, but neither of us knew exactly what it was that made us feel that way. Having had some time to think about it I think I can narrow it down to a few concrete reasons. Now keep in mind that invoking a feeling of "advanced" is not saying one form set is better than the other. The forms will be better depending on what context and criteria you put them in. Now the following reasons is my thoughts on why I personally feel like learning a Chang Hon form is like learning a black belt form eventhough it is not in any way a black belt form.
Different movement lines (floor patterns)
The Taegeuk forms all follow one movement line ("Yeonmu" 
line called Embusen in Karate kata) where there are three horizontal lines and one line going through their center, or the Chinese Character "Hwang" meaning "King". Therefore all of the turns must occur on 90 degrees, 180 degrees or 270 degrees without fail. This characteristic of the turns and angles is true all the way to Hansu Poomsae (the form for 8th dan) where you start moving on 45 degrees. In Kukki Taekwondo as it stands you will have the same movement line for the first 8 forms, and not until Koryo you get a different movement line (which is similar to the Taegeuk forms movementline), and you have to progress to Keumgang before you truly see a markedly different movementline or Yeonmu line. In Chang Hon forms you get different movementlines all over the place. Chon-Ji you move in a + type movementline, while in Tan-Gun Hyung you move in a rotaded "H" type movementline. In the third form Do-San Hyung you start moving on 45 degree angles etc. This makes each new form you learn (up until a point at least as there are only so many ways a form can have movement lines or floor patterns) feel somewhat unique and special.
line called Embusen in Karate kata) where there are three horizontal lines and one line going through their center, or the Chinese Character "Hwang" meaning "King". Therefore all of the turns must occur on 90 degrees, 180 degrees or 270 degrees without fail. This characteristic of the turns and angles is true all the way to Hansu Poomsae (the form for 8th dan) where you start moving on 45 degrees. In Kukki Taekwondo as it stands you will have the same movement line for the first 8 forms, and not until Koryo you get a different movement line (which is similar to the Taegeuk forms movementline), and you have to progress to Keumgang before you truly see a markedly different movementline or Yeonmu line. In Chang Hon forms you get different movementlines all over the place. Chon-Ji you move in a + type movementline, while in Tan-Gun Hyung you move in a rotaded "H" type movementline. In the third form Do-San Hyung you start moving on 45 degree angles etc. This makes each new form you learn (up until a point at least as there are only so many ways a form can have movement lines or floor patterns) feel somewhat unique and special.
Variation in technique selection
If you look at the first and second Taegeuk Poomsae (and 90%
of the third) you will have the same technique selection. The forms are combined differently, but they are still straight punch, low, middle, high section block and front kick, done in short front walking stance and full walking stance (Ap seogi and Apkoobi). Throw in Sonnal Mok Chigi (knife hand strike to the neck) and Sonnal bakkat makki (outward knife hand block) and you have the first 3 taegeuk forms. After that the movements introduced in each form Taegeuk Sa Jang, Oh Jang etc are miniscule additions form for form until you reach Taegeuk Chil Jang (the 7th) form. Each Taegeuk form is unique in the way the building blocks that make up the form is combined, but the selection of building blocks are very very limited in variety. Compare this to Chon-Ji that makes use of very different techniques when compared to Dan-Gun Hyung (the second form), and Do-San Hyung (the third form) introduced very different kinds of techniques, which again is very different to Won-Hyo the fourth form and so on. The building blocks that comprises the different forms are simply very different when it comes to the Chang Hon forms, while in the Taegeuk forms set you have a very limited variety in technique selection. This also holds true when you compare the Judanja or Black Belt Poomsae vs the Chang Hon forms. Techniques which are very niche in the Poomsae appear much more frequently in Chang Hon forms. Dollyo Chagi appears in a single Poomsae (Taegeuk 6 Jang) never to be seen again, while it appears numerous times in many different Chang Hon forms. Other techniques like an upper cross block appears in Illyeo Poomsae which many never learn as it is the highest Poomsae, but it too appears many times in Chang Hon forms from coloured belt patterns.
of the third) you will have the same technique selection. The forms are combined differently, but they are still straight punch, low, middle, high section block and front kick, done in short front walking stance and full walking stance (Ap seogi and Apkoobi). Throw in Sonnal Mok Chigi (knife hand strike to the neck) and Sonnal bakkat makki (outward knife hand block) and you have the first 3 taegeuk forms. After that the movements introduced in each form Taegeuk Sa Jang, Oh Jang etc are miniscule additions form for form until you reach Taegeuk Chil Jang (the 7th) form. Each Taegeuk form is unique in the way the building blocks that make up the form is combined, but the selection of building blocks are very very limited in variety. Compare this to Chon-Ji that makes use of very different techniques when compared to Dan-Gun Hyung (the second form), and Do-San Hyung (the third form) introduced very different kinds of techniques, which again is very different to Won-Hyo the fourth form and so on. The building blocks that comprises the different forms are simply very different when it comes to the Chang Hon forms, while in the Taegeuk forms set you have a very limited variety in technique selection. This also holds true when you compare the Judanja or Black Belt Poomsae vs the Chang Hon forms. Techniques which are very niche in the Poomsae appear much more frequently in Chang Hon forms. Dollyo Chagi appears in a single Poomsae (Taegeuk 6 Jang) never to be seen again, while it appears numerous times in many different Chang Hon forms. Other techniques like an upper cross block appears in Illyeo Poomsae which many never learn as it is the highest Poomsae, but it too appears many times in Chang Hon forms from coloured belt patterns.
Variation in strategy
In the Taegeuk forms and most black belt Poomsae you receive
the attack with a makki technique, you then kick and or strike the opponent before moving over the the next sequence. The lead hand does the makki technique, then the back foot kicks and the other hand attacks. This applies to over 90% of all the Taegeuk Poomsae sequences. In the Chang Hon forms if you look at the first form this largely holds true there as well. In Chon-Ji Hyung you do a makki technique followed by a lunge punch, and so on. But you dont have to go far before that mode of operandi is challenged. In the very next form in Dan-Gun Hyung you at one point do a low block, and high block using the same hand in quick succsession, before doing three more high section blocks. You can interpret this at face value; i.e. a block against a low attack and a block against a high attack and then moving forward three more blocks against a high attack. Or you could wonder if you smash downward against let us say a lapel grab, and then smash upward with the same arm into a forearm strike to the jaw or neck of the opponent as the head is brought into the strike by the low block movement. In any way this is a departure from the one hand does one defense, then the other hand is used as you see in the Kukki forms. You see this time and time again in the Chang Hon forms, like a knife hand guarding block is followed up with a lead hand spear thrust to the face of the opponent, or a double outward block where the lead hand changes directly into a punch in Yul-Gok Hyung, or the back supporting hand changes into a low block directly from the solar plexus position as you see in Kwang-Gae Hyung. In the Kukki Taekwondo forms you never see the lead defensive hand turn into an offensive attack at face value, but you do see that in the Chang Hon forms.
the attack with a makki technique, you then kick and or strike the opponent before moving over the the next sequence. The lead hand does the makki technique, then the back foot kicks and the other hand attacks. This applies to over 90% of all the Taegeuk Poomsae sequences. In the Chang Hon forms if you look at the first form this largely holds true there as well. In Chon-Ji Hyung you do a makki technique followed by a lunge punch, and so on. But you dont have to go far before that mode of operandi is challenged. In the very next form in Dan-Gun Hyung you at one point do a low block, and high block using the same hand in quick succsession, before doing three more high section blocks. You can interpret this at face value; i.e. a block against a low attack and a block against a high attack and then moving forward three more blocks against a high attack. Or you could wonder if you smash downward against let us say a lapel grab, and then smash upward with the same arm into a forearm strike to the jaw or neck of the opponent as the head is brought into the strike by the low block movement. In any way this is a departure from the one hand does one defense, then the other hand is used as you see in the Kukki forms. You see this time and time again in the Chang Hon forms, like a knife hand guarding block is followed up with a lead hand spear thrust to the face of the opponent, or a double outward block where the lead hand changes directly into a punch in Yul-Gok Hyung, or the back supporting hand changes into a low block directly from the solar plexus position as you see in Kwang-Gae Hyung. In the Kukki Taekwondo forms you never see the lead defensive hand turn into an offensive attack at face value, but you do see that in the Chang Hon forms.
There are other variations on strategy as presented within the forms but I hope I have made my point.
Variation in ready positions
A unique ready position or ready stance can make you look at a form differently. I remember seeing Tong Milgi Chunbi of Koryo for the first time, thinking this must be a very special poomsae to have been given its own unique starting point. After all each and every one of the 8 Taegeuk Poomsae has the same gibon chunbi seogi or starting position, and most black belt poomsae shares the same starting position making the few ones that have "their own" like Koryo, Pyungwon, Chonkwon, Hansu, Illyo poomsae stand out. In Chang Hon forms you start to play around with difference in ready position much earlier. In the fourth form Won-Hyo you are introduced to a new ready position (whereas you would have to wait to the 9th poomsae in kukki taekwondo). After that you change routinely among several different ready stances according to what form you do. In the first 8 Chang Hon forms you would have gone through 4 different ready positions or ready stances, while in Kukki Taekwondo you would have gone through 1.
Variation in kicking
This is related to many of the other points rised raised in the post, but I thought it deserved more attention and so it got its own post. In Poomsae you dont really have that many kicks. If you look at the number of Poom (movements) in Poomsae and compare hand techniques vs foot techniques you will see that the hand techniques far outweight the foot techniques. The ration is also heavily on the hand techniques side in the Chang Hon forms but the variation is much greater. In Poomsae you if you zoom in on foot techniques accross all Poomsae (Taegeuk and black belt) you will see that front kick is king, side kick the prince, and then you have knee strike, roundhouse kick and inward kick tied to one appearance each. In addition to this the kicks in Poomsae is most often done with the back leg. In Chang Hon you find all kicks before mentioned but except for the inward kick, the rest appear frequently. They appear at different heights, they are done off the back leg, the front leg, and you have kicking combinations. Also kicks that never appear in Poomsae appear in Chang Hon forms, like in the opening of Gae-baek Hyung you get the twisting kick (at low level), and if we stay with Gae-Baek Hyung you'll also note several hand techniques that doesnt appear in Poomsae (like the triangle block near the beginning). When analyzing the forms for practical combative meaning in Poomsae the kicks seems to be there largely for distraction. More often than not they are not essential to the combination, they just distract, soften up or sometimes set up the hand strikes. In Chang Hon forms I have to admit that in the higher forms I see a little art for arts sake, but the kicks play a larger role in the combination when analyzing the forms overall (my subjective opinion).
One forms set is not "better" than the other, its just different
If you made it so far down the rant or ramblings of the madman, I salute you. I want to close this post off whith saying that I do not feel that one is "better" than the other. You always need a very clear definition of "context" when making such a judgement, and seeing as martial arts play different roles to different practisioners (and often different roles at one time to a single practisioner) it would be bad to make a statement saying that Taegeuk forms are better than the Chang Hon forms or vice versa. What I have found is that I enjoy both sets (and we should not ignore the fact that Oh Do Kwan was a part of the comitte who made the Taegeuk and modern Koryo Poomsae) but for different reasons. If we look at it combatively I find that the Taegeuk forms does a good job on presenting high percentage techniques in different sequences over and over again. I find them "simpler", but if my life is on the line I find simpler is often better. On the other hand if I am using forms to train myself I like the Chang Hon forms better, because of the variation in both hand and foot techniques. If I go through Chang Hon forms from Chon-Ji Hyung to Gae-Baek Hyung I have practised far more kicks, jumps and more variation in hand techniques than if I practise Taegeuk 1-8 and Koryo to Hansu. So in a movement physical education perspective I enjoy the Chang Hon forms. The strength of the Poomsae are the simplicity, while the strenght of the Chang Hon forms are the "advancity" (hey all words are made up, so why not make up a few new ones). But as they say in the Um/Yang philosophy the one carries the seed of the other; there is hardness in softness and vice versa. The Chang Hon forms are very simple in the first few forms before getting more difficult and varied (I argue that Chon-Ji is a more basic form than Taegeuk 1 Jang), and there are advanced elements in black belt poomsae as well. So overall in the system if you study deep enough you can make due by sticking to one set.
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