Traditional Taekwondo Technique Workshop

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Dan-gun: Middle Block Drill
2008-04-25 15:22:00
I've been invited to do an interview for the Australasian Taekwondo Magazine, and have been trying to organise some photos of myself and my students. It's really difficult to capture good shots. This is one taken during a drill featuring a middle block done as a defence against a front lunge punch - a requirement for yellow belts in my system.Jacqui's left hand in an open palm position was to show her that she could use her back hand to deflect other strikes, and is a transition before she traps the extended strike and 'blocks' her opponent's nose with her right fist.
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Power Generation in Roundhouse Kick Videos
2008-04-22 16:44:00
Long range roundhouse kick Short range roundhouse kick Please check out previous post on the topic. Hope you enjoy it.
More About: Videos , Power , Generation , Kick

Hwa-Rang: Roundhouse Kicks, the Long and Short of
2008-04-15 03:31:00
Roundhouse Kick: Muay Thai and TaekwondoI want to talk about power generation for the taekwondo roundhouse kick. Specifically the difference between long range and short range differences in the kicks used in 'traditional' taekwondo. The short range, or what I'd refer to as a 'traditional' roundhouse kick (which is part of the basic kicking techniques in our style) is the kick probably sourced directly from Karate. This is the roundhouse kick that hits as close as you could grab the opponent. The roundhouse kick travels horizontal and hits perpendicular to the bearing of the opponent encouraging the stylist to strike with the ball of the foot rather than the instep. The body of the practitioner is tilted sideways and there is triangulation occuring between the body, kicking and support leg to strike at this distance.The long range version of the roundhouse, which I've 'imported' in from another style, but is really an early version of the roundhouse kick ultimately used by T...
More About: Long , Short , Kicks

Dan-gun: The Windshield Wiping Technique
2008-04-10 03:20:00
Last thursday we were running the yellow belts through an application for the lower block and upper block combination in Dan-gun. I've posted on this before (Dan-gun: Defence against a kick punch combination). The technique requires you to use the folding action for the lower block to deflect a mid level kicking technique. The lower block strikes the leg. The folding action for an upper block blocks a punch and the upper block strikes the attacking limb or neck.Putting them through their paces, I then demonstrate what it is like doing it at full speed. Then I show it, repeeating the moves a few times without stopping. This folding and blocking then folding and blocking creates a 'windshield wiping' effect - it's a very natural circular movement that can be done iteratively and fast. In fact, there seems little difference in the macro movement between the lower block and the upper block. So who says that a hard style has no circular movements? The great thing is that this move ca...
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My 100th Post! "Taekwondo v Aikido"
2008-04-04 03:08:00
Many styles (as well as Taekwondo ) include some basic handlocks, throws, and breakfalls. The initial style in which I started training (it wasn't in Taekwondo) included two handlocks (Kotegaeshi and nikyo), 4 throws (shoulder throws, a hip throw, and a fireman's lift throw), and some crazy breakfalls.My time with the American Karate and Taekwondo Organisation saw me cross train in Aiki (mainly without being graded) for about 3-4 years. In that time I did take the 9th kyu grading and of course participated in many mixed sessions. Having that 9th kyu list, a fertile mind, and the chance to expand my Taekwondo syllabus, I initially thought some 10+ years ago to add the requirements within the TKD 5th and 4th kyu syllabus. Breakfalls were included from white belt but the major Aiki techniques were arbitrarily thrown to the green and blue belts.I hated that arrangement. It was non-harmonious with the way students learn -- it was Taekwondo until here and then these cool but bizarre tech...
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Taekwondo Syllabus
2008-04-01 05:09:00
Pat asked me to talk a little about Aikido influencing my practice and transmission of 'Traditional' Taekwondo . I thought this was a fantastic question which touches on many issues that a martial arts instructor faces; but I had to establish the following background for that post. On one hand, and I've used this analogy before, the martial arts instructor is a curator tasked to deliver a very standard 'official' transcript of traditional techniques and applications. Newer styles and more pragmatic instructors break from this to include innovation that brings quality to the syllabus they operate with. In this light I have seen many instructors frustrated with their syllabus and constantly try to deconstruct, modify, and fine-tune what they have. In 2003, this was the major impetus for me to re-evaluate all of the things that I have been taught and that I have inherited as a martial artist. The lead up to this recognition that something was not quite correct was me trying to make...

100 Posts on Traditional Taekwondo in Perth Western Australia
2008-03-26 11:22:00
I started this blog last April 2007 with a simple aim - to talk about taekwondo techniques from our training perspective. I wanted to literally share HRGB's weekly experiences with readers - basically one post after each of the two training sessions we had per week. Just in 4-5 months, this blog started ranking on the first page of Google for basic key martial arts terms, and I started reaching out to a small network of like-minded martial arts bloggers. Through the posts, I have opened up my practice and my thoughts to all. It still requires some nerve to be so transparent, but I believe this helps improve the quality of training in my taekwondo class. This is my 98th post, and I invite readers and friends to share any thoughts of what you'd like for a 100th post on this blog. So, any thoughts? What techniques are you all working on now? Sparring strategies? What information would you like highlighted in your own school? Let me know.
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Won-Hyo: Defensive Side Kick
2008-03-21 05:00:00
Won-hyo Steps 7-8 Defensive Side -kickSee also Won-hyo Side Kick Our green belts did a drill off Taekwondo's Won-hyo last night - a defensive side kick from steps 7-8 against an opponent reaching out to strike or grab with the hand. Opponent steps forward and reaches out with the hand. Defender slaps hand down, shifts COG on back foot, and performs a defensive kick to opponent's ribs.Like all other taekwondo drills, this is of course repeated a few times. When I came to check, one of the students had returned to a 'fighting stance' with COG on the back foot. This should not be the case. To reduce telegraphing your intentions, you need to adopt an aggressive fighting stance that means business. Any opponent will think twice to step within a range where you can hit him with a hand technique. This means the student needs to look like he's going to lash out with either hand for a knockout blow ... not have his COG on back foot so that only his front foot looks 'dangerous'.The shift...

Won Hyo: Scoop Block v Kick Punch Combo
2008-03-19 01:45:00
Check out my forum on Taekwondo's Chang Hon: Won Hyo HyungWe did this as a green belt drill in our last session.There are natural movements and combinations through the various martial arts, Taekwondo included. These combos are seen regularly through sparring or self defence. For instance: jab-hook, kick-punch, jab-kick, etc. Bunkai or drills needs to introduce this concept to the student and prepare him to defend against them.Step 18-19 of Taekwondo's Won-hyo Hyung is a reverse scoop block at mid-section. Aside from other more exotic interpretations like a neck break, one of the drills I use is a traditional intepretation that pits the student's scoop block against a kick punch combination. In particular, a front kick plus a lunging jab type punch. The scoop block performed in the pattern is done dead straight, with movement culminating in what seems to be a mid level yop marki (or middle block). In performing this technique against the kick-punch however, the body is encouraged...
More About: Scoop , Combo , Block , Punch , Kick

Poomse teaches proper mental attitude towards self defense by M Clark
2008-03-09 17:27:00
I have noticed how easy it is when training with a partner on self defense movements to lose one's serious focus, and mental attitude. There seems to be a little voice at the back of your mind that interrupts your actions with "I do not really want to break this person's leg, neck, arm, etc." Often, I've seen people become uncomfortable with the content of the self defense move, and be reduced to embarrassed giggling especially when practicing a groin kick, or a violent choke hold. YET, to truly be effective in applying the movement in real life, one has to see themselves doing the action, and mentally agree with it's results, and consequences. We have to be willing to commit ourselves to the action. There has to be a "follow through" to the movement, even if it is only a mental imagining of the happening. Otherwise, we are practicing to stop ourselves from completing what is necessary in that kind of situation. "At any given moment in our waking lives, our brains are flooded ...
More About: Mental , Defense , Attitude , Self-Defense

Mokuren Dojo: Boost your blog traffic instantly!
2008-03-08 02:27:00
Go ahead and search for 'Taekwondo' with most any technique name or pattern name and you'll see my blog on the first page of Google. My aim with this traditional taekwondo blog is to share experiences from martial arts class directly with anyone interested in the martial arts, specifically for Taekwondo students and especially for those practicing the same style of Taekwondo as myself. I want my blog to be the most extensive repository of informal articles on Taekwondo. My other high-level goal is to also make worthwhile martial arts ideas and practice accessible to the modern day practitioner. I would love to work with other martial arts website and blog owners to drive up your prominence in search results for a variety of key terms and phrases used by internet surfers to get to your page. If you are interested in creating an extensive network of like-minded sites, contact me and I'll share with you some ideas I have to bring you to the first page of search engines. Check out m...
More About: Blog Traffic , Traffic , Blog , About , Boost

My Traditional Taekwondo
2008-03-08 01:54:00
I have trained in various martial arts, but I draw primary inspiration from my training with American Karate and Taekwondo Organization, then known as Southwestern Taekwondo Organization. The syllabus A-KaTo uses was brought over from Korea by GM Jhoon Rhee in the mid 1950s. I have learned in recent years through discussions with A-KaTo director GM Keith Yates that GM Jhoon Rhee came from a Chung Do Kwan Tang Soo Do lineage. This is an interesting point in that the Taekwondo Chang Hon syllabus we inherited was transmitted through a Tang Soo Do perspective. A further point of interest is that it was brought over to the states during Taekwondo's formative years, and had not undergone a lot of the evolution that would start a couple of years later as it sought to create an identity separate from Karate. Unlike other Taekwondo schools which have embraced such a natural evolution, our school was happy doing things as you'd probably see them in a Tang Soo Do school - which really looked...
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Dan-gun: Soodo - Don't get slowed by the fold
2008-03-06 02:08:00
The basic soodo or knife hand taekwondo technique is introduced in the second pattern 'Dan-gun'. It has a large fold, much larger than the karate crossed handed shuto - and requires the practitioner to pull back both hands, held parallel, and then swing them forward to perform the strike. Look at my post 'Knife Hand on Premium Unleaded' for more info.I teach the knife hand fold as it allows me to communicate proper objectives of the technique. The folding helps present the entire body dynamics to help generate power for the strike. Without the fold, the beginner will probably be sloppy and not generate the kind of energy that is possible. The fold for the taekwondo knife hand is also an opportunity to discuss tactical variations. The fold to me can show deflection of oncoming strikes, blocks, handlocks, throws/takedowns and chokes. It is a great way to expand the technique for more senior belts to link additional tools with basic techniques.But the challenge is to be able to per...
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Taekwondo Pattern Chon-ji Hyung
2008-02-26 12:25:00
I thought it would be a good idea to list out posts I've done for Chon-ji, the first Taekwondo pattern from the Chang-hon series. Chon-ji: Back StanceGetting Punched in the NoseChon-ji: Drills and VariationsChon-ji: Middle Block Drill with PartnerPunching AnglesChon-ji: Relaxedness and RigidityChon-ji Acid TestDan-gun Block Strike
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Dan-gun: Step 17-18 Vertical Knife Hand Strike to Neck
2008-02-24 12:51:00
Refer to my forum entries on the Dan-gun taekwondo pattern and see a sitemap of the techniques.We pulled apart step 17-18 of the Dan-gun taekwondo form today. Step 17 is a right forebalance, right upper block. You then fold a vertical left shuto over a horizontal right arm. Step 18 is a 270 turn to the left followed by a vertical shuto to the neck. The drill was done on an opponent holding both hands palm out and upward in front. Gap closing was done, and the two hands were insinuated 'amongst' the opponent's arm. To follow the appropriate 'sides' from Dan-gun step 17-18, the left hand is inserted between the opponent's arms, and the right hand is on the outside of the opponent's left arm. What follows next is a trap/check of the opponent's left arm with your right arm. And of course a vertical shuto to the neck with the left hand. We again do not perform a traditional shuto, prefering a seito if I remember the technique correctly. So the 'shuto' or knife hand is torqued t...
More About: Knife , Hand , Strike , Vertical

Dan-gun: Strike to the leg
2008-02-23 01:55:00
The other night we showed how a low block from the taekwondo pattern 'Dan-gun' could be used to strike the leg. It's difficult to reach the leg with upper body striking weapons. You need to move a big mass of your body a whole lot of distance (to reach the opponent and then to reach downwards). This can only be done with utmost commitment to the technique and a good lunging motion. I was happily striking our orange belter in the leg with a flat hammer fist. Before I did, I stepped on her lead foot so that she couldn't pull away (nice). And then I proceeded to hammer fist the outside of her thigh muscle and allow her to feel the pain as the strike penetrated into hit points.The flat hammerfist is generally a good non-discriminating weapon. It serves my purpose well. But to really make a different, I modify the 'end-tackle' and proceeded to strike her with the corner of my fist - using the point of the smallest knuckle. The difference is significant and you can see the shockwave...
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Calibrating the Side Kick
2008-02-17 12:00:00
A majority of the Karate side kicks I have seen are what Taekwondo-ists call side snap kicks. These are great for practitioners who are as comfortable striking fairly deadly blows with their hands, and use their kicks in complement to their upper body weapons... or when their upper body weapons are occupied. Side snap kicks angle the body close to the kicking leg so that there is triangulation - a method to help engage the upper body to re-engage the opponent once the kick hits or misses. In many Taekwondo schools, however you see a propensity to use the foot as the primary weapon --- or as a substitute weapon. Not to say that there are no short range kicks. But kicks are practiced and valued highly for their ability to hit the mid to long range target.The sliding or stepping side kick (or the penetrating side kick) is a tremendous tool. Generally the exercise starts with kicking leg closer to the target. The back foot steps behind the kicking leg, with heel pointing more or less to...
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My Friend Got Her Black Belt Revoked
2008-02-13 01:43:00
Forum Posting by Mireille ClarkTechical details of my belt rank in ShotokanI am respecting Mireille's view to not let this volatile situation explode. So please don't add any comments - I'll have to erase them. Colin
More About: Black , Belt , Friend

Won-Hyo: Deflection of Side Kick
2008-02-03 06:37:00
I took over the kick shield and held it while being pounded by enthusiastic green belt doing a sliding side kick. However, rather than continually getting a foot sunk into my ribs (even with shield), just as foot blade is accelerating in the air, I reach out and behind the weapon with a reverse open palm and draw it quickly towards the outer side of my hip. My eyes never leave his chest. Rotating the hip towards the other side means the side kick sails easily past with little effort. Timing is everything.Won Hyo Side kick
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Won Hyo Hyung Side Kick
2008-02-01 06:32:00
We return to the side kick for our resident green belt. Last night was practice around a step and launch side kick. Meaning the back leg steps behind the lead leg so that the body is side facing the target and the heel of the back leg faces toward the target. The two points last night were to make sure the kicking leg rotates toes-to-the-ground ... and that the body is balanced slightly forward. The balancing is so that COG is centred between the ball of support foot and heel rather than on the blade of support foot.Tekki: Low Side Kick to Knee

Congratulations on Your Engagement!!! :-)
2008-01-31 15:57:00
Congratulations go to Adina 7th Kyu and Robert 8th Kyu. They are the first of our students in the past eight years of HRGB to have gotten engaged while actively training. Both are lovely people and I'm really happy for them. We'll be celebrating their engagement (in lieu of a Christmas function that never occurred) in the next month. Please try not to wear your engagement ring to practice.:-)Colin
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Taekwondo Starting 2008
2008-01-29 01:59:00
It's been a long break. Tomorrow marks the first martial arts class we're having in 2008 . As before, we will have regular martial arts training for students 'on the path' based off our Traditional Taekwondo syllabus. We will also have our veterans program for those who are not 'on the path' but have different needs. This will be based off a motley of combative and self defense skills I've put together. There will be some integration of course, but by and large the two groups travel at different speeds.Secondly, I like to offer an apology to Black Belt Mamma for ripping a photo off her site and featuring it in one of my posts. What I regularly do is to search for appropriate photos in Google Images and happily HTML reference it within posts without knowing or paying attention to where it comes from. I don't see this blog as being important enough to draw interest from the public at large and also I am happy to pull images off as soon as I figure out that someone is unhappy wi...

The One TKD Book You Must Get, 15 Jan 2008
2008-01-15 11:05:00
The following is a review I just posted on Amazon.co.uk, which you can see by clicking on the title of this post. ***My name is Colin Wee, and I am a 5th Dan Traditional Taekwondo practitioner with 24+ years of experience, including exposure and a black belt ranking in other styles, and coaching experience at a National level in another sport. I reside in Australia.I have known the author Sabumnin Stuart Anslow since 2003 through the IAOMAS organisation he established. A month ago he emailed me to check out the one-star "unpractical" and "farcical" comment by J Burgess on 18 Dec 2007.Since embarking on my own research on Karate and Taekwondo bunkai a few years ago, I have found an extreme dearth of Taekwondo content on the subject. Chang Hon Taekwon-do Hae Sul when completed fills this gaping hole, and I believe in my heart of hearts that Stuart's book is the one Taekwondo book that any serious Chang Hon or ITF student must get.What I am most impressed is the breadth of experience ...
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'My Tekki On It' Video
2008-01-12 13:38:00
I have finally managed to put my 25+ min video on tekki applications and drills onto DVD. This is the expanded version which I previewed previously on My Tekki On It. I should be able to burn an extra one or two and give them away in a lucky draw to anyone who signs up for it on this post. Just put your name, Club, country, and email, and if I draw you I'll email you for your snail mail address. ColinTekki: Low Side Kick to the Knee
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Reverse Snap Punch on a Makiwara
2007-12-28 12:05:00
Guess what this sound is, my brothers.BNK!-rrr. BNK!-rrr. BNK!-rrr. The first 'BNK!' is only the sound that my reverse snap punch makes when hitting the makiwara (actually it's not a real makiwara, but a cheapo wall-mounted striking target) in my garage. The second sound 'rrr'? Why, that's only the sound of the garage as my punch vibrates its single brick walls. I've posted on this before, but working with this particular punch is one of the best things to happen to me in my black belt years. It's how I'd like everything I am practicing to proceed - more power through technique and through less effort. The reverse snap punch indeed starts with the knees, legs and the hips. The hip twist movement is then transmitted through solid core muscle tension and tight lats. The lats hold the upper extremities close to the upper body in order to benefit from the increased body mass. Letting the punching arm leave the body and have freedom of motion only reduces striking power as it is...
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The Roundhouse Kick - My All Time Favourite
2007-12-27 01:51:00
It goes short, it goes long,It fakes low and strikes high, You think it couldn't, but wait and feel it fly.It hits you in the ribs, you didn't even see it coming,It kicks behind the lead hand, it kicks between upraised hands.It's kissed a beautiful woman, it's dazed a dangerous man. It tags him in the groin when he's standing,It tags him in the groin when he's kicking;A beautiful kick that's not discriminating.Swing it and kick around his body,Reverse it and turn it like a Ferris.You can't help it to look like Chuck Norris.Front leg, back leg, Jump it with both legs!The roundhouse is my favorite. Colin I-should-stick-with-Martial-Arts WeeRoundhouse Kick : Muay Thai v Taekwondo
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