Basics and Principles

All martial arts have their basics and all with similar ranges of movement and differing interpretation. But we all have to start somewhere. When being new to a Martial system or new style, each has its beginnings which should never be over looked by the individual. We all want to feel accomplished and proficient at our style but can be over shadowed by the over anxious student. This is why some students over tire at learning basics and can result in a high number of below average students.

As we progress, we are awarded by our accomplishments at each new grade we attain, and it feels good having passed that grading and no longer being the ‘BeginnerÙ.

It cannot be emphasised enough at how important the basics are that we first learn, and keep learning about throughout out training days whether 2 years , 20 years or 80 years.

Basics are the foundation, and most necessary elements of the early years. Good basics give the student a better foundation to work on for their self development in Taekwondo. As a Taekwondoist, you must strive to learn the basics correctly from the start, thus preventing any ‘unlearningÙ later on. Trying to re teach yourself what you have done from the beginning like a habit can be very difficult and frustrating. Learning the basics correctly from the start will give you the ability to train harder and reap benefits faster from Taekwondo.

Some pointers to work on….

Rotating the FIST!

Rotating the fist from a ready position in a selected stance is a traditional principle and is taught to assist the focusing of the individuals hand to target. This is both in punching and blocking. In punching, the rotation of a fist assists the application of the hand onto the target in a manner that; when the hand is applied to the target the first two knuckles of the fist make contact first. The manner of the twist allows the arm to be locked into place from the wrist, elbow, shoulder, waist, knee joint and then finally the foot on the floor. This then allows the energy to be channelled from the floor, through the body and then out of the hand and into the target.

(A note on the power delivery of a wrist action punch and a straight punch). The power difference is negotiable, and may even favour the straight punch as being the more powerful of the two. These principles should not be confused.

      In blocking, the fist rotation allows exaggeration of the circular wrist movement at the final stage of a blocking movement. When blocking a three inch area should be used below the wrist bone to apply the block onto the opposing limb. All basic blocks principally travel in a circular motion, whether high block or low block, inner or outer, down wards or up. But all have some form of wrist involvement. This wrist action allows the defender to concentrate the application of the circular blocking motion onto the opposing limb to stop any striking type action which may leave the opposing limb in its place and cause much pain to both. The applied wrist action would give correct deliverance of the blocking motion and actually move the opponentÙs arms/leg for a short time giving the defender time to counter act.

KiHap!

Kihap is the Korean term used to describe shouting. Research has been done on the application of effort on a load with and without the aid of shouting. In the test results, it was shown that shouting at the same time increased effort by 12.2%. Yes yelling does make you stronger. This is the scientific analysis. In the orient they believe in the inner power of the body known as “chi” in Chinese and “Ki” in Korean and Japanese.

Shouting in martial arts is seen as assisting the concentration of this inner power or Ki energy to make greater effect to an applied striking technique. So shout louder when you have to in you patterns and show better concentration energy in its deliverance.

Stretching

Stretching assists you in gaining more flexibility in the muscles and increasingly with time, range of movement. Stretching should be a comprehensive part of the beginners training programme. Each move should be made in a relaxed state, held statically for at least 10 – 15secs. In older people the stretch should be held for 30 – 60secs. One should also adopt a cool down stretch to act as a prevention of injury esp. after a hard workout.

This will also increase your effectiveness, your kicks will look much better and will be easier to execute. You must remain flexible and keep pushing yourself to maintain it as over time and aging, the flexibility range will decrease. Keep a flexible mindset, keep your attitude strong and remain open to change and therefore better off in a martial arts sense.

Lastly, stretching is also a good way of keeping the body healthy. This has been proven for thousands of years in the study of Yoga, Tai Chi and Chi Gong. All teach that stretching the body assists in blood circulation and energy levels and keeps the organs healthy.