19: Choi-Yong leg twist

A while back on a Taekwondo facebook group, someone mentioned the double kick in Choi-Yong as a technique they had difficulty finding an application for. I have an application in mind, but before I can explain it I must explain the application for the previous set. The set is:

• Front stance knifehand rising block
• In place, circular block
• In place, front hand punch
• Turn 180-degrees into back stance low knifehand guarding block
• Back leg roundhouse kick, aimed off at 45-degrees

We use this set as a single leg pick, followed by a leg twist as we get behind our opponent. The rising block we use to knock our opponent backwards, perhaps striking up under the jaw, after which we grab and lift their leg with the circular block. A modern version of this technique used in wrestling is to use one palm as a "post" to keep the opponent back while we scoop up their leg.

Post and leg pick. Source: Effective Martial Arts

After scooping up their leg with the circular block, grab their knee with your back hand and their ankle with your front hand. Use the "punch" to pull back their knee while you push out their ankle, pronating their leg.

To complete the leg twist, turn 180-degrees and use the low knifehand guarding block to dig down into the opponent's knee. Your back arm hugs their ankle to your chest.This application is displayed in the gif from One Minute Bunkai below.

Source: One Minute Bunkai

Note that in Choi-Yong we do a 180-degree turn as we twist their leg, making it easier to get behind them. We end with a roundhouse kick to the back of the opponent's standing leg. (45-degree roundhouse kicks usually indicate kicking in the back of the legs).

This leg twist seems rather common in both taekwondo patterns and karate kata. The trouble is that it often doesn't work against a stronger, heavier opponent. In the next post, I'll cover an alternate single leg takedown from Choi-Yong.