My Favorite Forms

I know a lot of patterns. 

I mainly practice the original 20 ITF patterns, the 9 WT black belt poomsae, plus the Original Koryo. I know a few forms from other styles.

Of these, there are a handful I gravitate towards again and again. I asked myself "If I was to theoretically compete in form performance, which one would I choose?"

The criteria I used are (1) fun to perform (2) aesthetically interesting with a variety of techniques (3) good applications. With that in mind, I choose my top five.

1. The Original Koryo

This is, in my opinion, one of Taekwondo's best forms, which is ironic because it's no longer an official WT poomsae. It's a short-and-sweet poomsae that contains a variety of hand techniques. Because it's short, I typically practice it on both sides (that is, I perform it mirrored after I perform the standard version). 

Because it was never fully standardized, there are different versions of it. The version below by David McGoldrick is close to the one I practice, except that I perform the low knifehand block in a cat stance.

Although it's short, this is a good poomsae to practice delivering techniques with speed and power. 

2. Choong-Jang

For ITF, my favorite pattern is Choong-Jang. It's a good "self-defense" pattern, containing low kicks and a variety of hand techniques that attack the jaw, throat, eyes, and temples. It is also technically challenging and one of the longest ITF patterns. 

3. Gae-Baek

Apparently I'm a sucker for forms with an "I"-shaped floor plan. Gae-Baek is highly regarded among ITF students for its flow and array of techniques. I recall one comment that it's the taekwondo pattern that feels the most like a karate kata. Application-wise, Gae-Baek's focus is locking the opponent's arm to place them in a vulnerable position.

4. Po-Eun

Po-Eun is a fun one for students to learn because of how unique it is. While it's certainly inspired by Naihanchi, I think the connection is overstated. It uses the floor plan and several movements from Naihanchi, but about half of its movements do not appear in any of the three Naihanchi kata and the sets are completely different. I would argue Po-Eun consists of five mini-patterns, a series of grapple defenses.

5. Cheonkwon

Cheonkwon (or Chonkwon) is a fun poomsae to perform. It employs wide, circular movements not present in other poomsae, including a spinning inside crescent kick. Not much else to say here other than it's pretty and takes skill to perform correctly.

Honorable Mentions

I'm also fond of modern Koryo. For the color belt patterns, I enjoy both Yul-Gok and Toi-Gye. I'm also fond of Tong-Il lately, as it's another I-shaped pattern. Taeguek 5 (which has similarities to Yul-Gok) has a nice flow to it. Moon-Moo I do not personally practice, but it is technically challenging (with lots of kicks) and interesting to watch. 

Do you have any favorites?