Hwa-Rang is the oldest ITF form, which just might make it the first Taekwondo form ever created. It is also one of two forms credited to Nam Tae Hi [1], the other being Choong-Moo. Based on my analysis, Hwa-Rang is mostly about limb control, whereas Choong-Moo is mostly about throws.
One simple example of limb control is moves 15-17, which we can use to create a chicken wing lock (also called a hammerlock [2]). This lock is commonly used by security and law enforcement. The set is:
- Knifehand guarding block
- Supported spearhand thrust
- Turn 180-degrees into knifehand guarding block
- (Optional) back leg roundhouse kick
The Technique
Let's start with something manageable: an attempted lapel grab.
Details:
Instead of using the supporting hand to grip the inside of the opponent's triceps, you might grip the outside of their elbow or perhaps their shoulder, though the latter requires more brute strength.
The roundhouse kick can also be used as a contigency leg sweep in case you fail to apply the lock properly and the opponent slips free.
Entering with the guarding block
On application of the knifehand block I often see is striking the side of the opponent's neck in close range. Personally I find this difficult to perform with power (why not just punch or do a normal knifehand strike?), but if you step forward into the movement it can work as a "push", using your forearm and body weight to press the opponent backwards. This is especially useful if your opponent is already leaning back, perhaps in response to a punch you've thrown.
Most of the sets in Hwa-Rang can be interpreted as a response to your right hand punch being parried or grabbed, so let's use that interpretation here as well. Open with the first move of the form -- palm pushing block -- to push down an opponent's guard (or perhaps parry their right) and follow up with the punch. If the opponent parries while leaning back, then we step in and execute the guarding block to their neck. Although this is a "strike" because we are hitting the neck, the main purpose is to keep up pressure on the opponent and create an opportunity to perform the lock. The back hand of the guarding block circles up and then down, as in the chamber, going over the opponent's arm. We may then attempt the chicken wing lock.
You may need to clear the opponent's parrying arm before moving in. Using the guarding block chamber -- pulling back your grabbed arm while striking into their arm with your left knifehand -- can accomplish this.
[1] Nam Tae Hi's student Han Cha Kyo made Ul-Ji, so sometimes Ul-Ji is credited to him as well. These three forms were made almost a decade before the majority of the ITF forms; they may have been meant to be a stand-alone self-defense system.
[2] "Hammerlock" can also refer to a similar, two-handed lock where you pull the opponent's elbow in towards your hip while forcing their wrist up towards the back of their neck.
Let's start with something manageable: an attempted lapel grab.
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| Source: Springfield BJJ Network |
- Raise your back arm to ward off the attack (guarding block chamber)
- Circle low so that your back hand is blocking your opponent's wrist, and grip under their tricep with your front palm (knifehand guarding block). This is the set up for an arm drag.
- Pull the opponent's tricep towards your body (supporting hand) while you force their forearm back with the back of your right forearm (spearhand thrust). This both bends your opponent's elbow and creates the initial shoulder lock. Another example by Jeremy Pollack is below
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| Supported spearhand thrust application. Source: Gun Carrier |
- Turn 180-degrees and use your right hand (the back hand of the second guarding block) to press down on your opponent's elbow, putting them into a chicken wing lock.
- (Optional) kick in the back of their legs with the roundhouse kick, taking them to the ground.
Instead of using the supporting hand to grip the inside of the opponent's triceps, you might grip the outside of their elbow or perhaps their shoulder, though the latter requires more brute strength.
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| Alternate entries to the chicken wing lock. Sources: AikiProductions, ROGUE WARRIORS |
Entering with the guarding block
On application of the knifehand block I often see is striking the side of the opponent's neck in close range. Personally I find this difficult to perform with power (why not just punch or do a normal knifehand strike?), but if you step forward into the movement it can work as a "push", using your forearm and body weight to press the opponent backwards. This is especially useful if your opponent is already leaning back, perhaps in response to a punch you've thrown.
Most of the sets in Hwa-Rang can be interpreted as a response to your right hand punch being parried or grabbed, so let's use that interpretation here as well. Open with the first move of the form -- palm pushing block -- to push down an opponent's guard (or perhaps parry their right) and follow up with the punch. If the opponent parries while leaning back, then we step in and execute the guarding block to their neck. Although this is a "strike" because we are hitting the neck, the main purpose is to keep up pressure on the opponent and create an opportunity to perform the lock. The back hand of the guarding block circles up and then down, as in the chamber, going over the opponent's arm. We may then attempt the chicken wing lock.
 |
| Sources: Samir Seif, PracticalKataBunkai, AikiProductions |
[1] Nam Tae Hi's student Han Cha Kyo made Ul-Ji, so sometimes Ul-Ji is credited to him as well. These three forms were made almost a decade before the majority of the ITF forms; they may have been meant to be a stand-alone self-defense system.
[2] "Hammerlock" can also refer to a similar, two-handed lock where you pull the opponent's elbow in towards your hip while forcing their wrist up towards the back of their neck.
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