Previously I discussed how the turn into the x-knifehand checking block in Choong-Moo could be used as a strangle/blood choke. Strangles are rare in forms compared to locks and throws, due to the time it takes for the opponent to go to sleep, but they do show up from time to time. There is a strange set in Ul-Ji which may possibly be used as a sliding collar choke.
We begin by using the twin side elbows to pull the opponent's left arm while getting a side headlock. This is similar to Judo's "stomach armlock", although here the purpose is to hook the head, not break the arm.
Another difference of course is that the right foot is next to the left, not in front of the opponent. In fact we use the next movement, the cross step, to trap the opponent's left instep. We may then collapse both of the opponent's legs by lifting our right knee behind their left knee, then kicking the back of their right knee with the side kick. The purpose of this is to force the opponent to either fall to the ground or bend backwards, which will make the choke easier.
Grab their left collar with your right fist. Slide your left fist under their left arm and grab their right collar. Pull out horizontally with both fists to choke.
Why the second cross step? If you are sitting down, it's typical to wrap your legs around the opponent's torso to prevent them from escaping, as shown in this video. In the absence of a torso, this looks like you are crossing your legs. This is, of course, a gi choke. It will only work if your opponent is wearing a jacket or similar.
I don't often engage in internet arguments about pattern
applications. Online it's commonly argued that the patterns don't have applications and are just for practicing basic techniques, cultural heritage, etc. despite General Choi's statements otherwise. When I point out
that many of the sets in taekwondo patterns are traceable to bunkai
manuals published at the time, as well as Judo/Yudo self-defense sets
(Judo having been widely popular in the Korean peninsula), this leads to
someone telling me I'm wrong because of what some grandmaster told them
or because they can't find applications therefore they must not exist.
The rear grab defense at the start of Sipjin, a kukki-taekwondo pattern, but found in General Choi's Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do.
But there is another view of patterns that I have
argued against in the past: that patterns do not have a specific meaning
and are instead highly interpretable. Proponents of this view will give
you something like 10+ applications for the start of Chon-Ji, most of
which change the pattern and are not useful to the student
because are they really going to drill and live practice all those applications?
And yet, this view is pervasive throughout the karate world. Search for bunkai
of any particular kata (Naihanchi for example) and you will find an
abundance of interpretations, no two of which are alike! Exercising
creativity to try to determine a kata's meaning is not a bad thing
(more on that later), but many of these interpretations look nothing like Naihanchi.
Karateka add footwork to make their applications work, or change the
hand movements. Granted, Naihanchi has changed over time (Choki Motobu
said so), so maybe looking for the originalapplications are futile. But to so grossly change a kata and say you are applying it is specious.
Another
problem is that many of these applications don't work. A while
back in the martial arts subreddit, someone posted a video of bunkai for
the opening of Nijushiho (an advanced Shotokan kata) as snapping the
opponent's head down and getting a guillotine choke. The youtube
comments for the video all praised the karateka's creativity, but the
grapplers on the subreddit tore into it. You can't simply pull down a
resisting opponent's head, they said. It was something that "looked
cool" but had no chance of working in a fight. There was the added
problem that the technique didn't even follow the kata! The choke motion
was added in. These two problems are prevalent among bunkai researchers who have never trained a live grappling art but are under
the impression that you can change the kata and still come up with
something useful.
The purpose of patterns
(forms/kata/tul/poomsae/etc) is to pass down self-defense knowledge and
tactics that have presumably already been tested. If you've never done
much fighting yourself, what is the chance you will invent something
useful?
As an example, let me use the pattern that inspired this entire blog to begin with: Joong-Gun. Through my research, I learned that Joong-Gun has an
unusual structure where half the pattern is a counter to the other half of the pattern.
Specifically, it teaches you four options after catching a front kick,
as well as four counters in case your front kick is caught. Using this
interpretation, I can go through the entire pattern and explain the
purpose of every hand movement and stance. I do not need to change the
pattern to make it work, and the techniques are not complicated.
But changing Joong-Gun ruins the meaning of the pattern.
Even if you just rearrange the eight sets, the logical structure is
lost. Joong-Gun has something specific to teach you. It is not meant to be infinitely modified to fit whatever applications the student imagines.
Freestyle bunkai vs contextual bunkai
You
might think I'm criticizing all those karateka and taekwondoin who come
up with clever applications to their patterns. Not exactly. It's
perfectly fine to take a movement from a pattern and think about how you
might use it. That's exactly how the taekwondo patterns were
constructed from karate movements. And considering the original
applications have been lost, creativity is needed for rediscovery.
But
I propose we make a distinction between this freestyle application of
movements and the historical analysis and critical thinking needed to
actually understand a pattern. Maybe we'll call one freestyle bunkaiand the other contextual bunkai. Or historical bunkai or holistic bunkai.
Why
am I making a big deal out of this? I don't fully know myself; I
just know that patterns are not random jumbles of movements. They are
supposed to teach you something. It's lazy instruction to give a student a pattern and tell them it can be interpreted however they want.
These drawings were part of an eBook I abandoned on Toi-Gye. I thought I'd share them here instead. They include throwing and locking applications from parts of the pattern. The two wrist locks shown come from the self-defense (Ho Sin Sul) section of the Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do.
Opening set
Twin vertical "punch"
Twin elbows and first mountain block.
The double forearm "pushing block"
Double forearm high block and low knifehand guarding block (three-quarter turn to throw)
I've always been baffled by the two side kicks followed by the turn into the x-knifehand checking block near the end of Choong-Moo. The movement doesn't work as a throw, but it can work as a stranglehold. [1]
Suppose we begin from outside the opponent's left arm and perform the first side kick to their left knee, aiming to push it to the ground.
As the opponent stands back up, turn clockwise and underhook their left arm with your left arm. Perform the second kick also to their knee (whichever knee is closest) to both break their balance and prevent them from turning towards you. Wrap your left arm all the way around their neck and grab your right bicep. Place your right hand on the opponent's head and squeeze your elbows in. This creates a head-and-arm strangle (also called an "arm triangle choke" or kata gatame [2])
Head and arm strangle, two views
The way strangles work is they block both of the opponent's carotid arteries, preventing blood flow to the brain. In this strangle, your left arm blocks the opponent's right carotid while their own shoulder blocks the left carotid. The reason I interpret this as a head-and-arm strangle as opposed to the rear naked choke (hadake jime) or single wing choke (kata ha jime) is because of the clockwise turn into the back stance, which places you on your opponent's side. However, if you opponent turns clockwise to elbow you, you may do a rear naked choke instead.
[1] Despite the image for Choong-Moo, there is no strict rule in ITF taekwon-do for which knifehand is in front for an x-knifehand block, but it is usually the front-leg knifehand, which looks more like the strangehold.
[2] This is technically a strangle, not a choke, since it blocks blood flow and not the trachea. But colloquially strangles and chokes are often called "blood chokes" and "air chokes" respectively.
Last time I covered the reverse crane stance in Ilyeo. This stance comes from the kata Chinte (meaning "strange hands"), but was utilized by early taekwondoin in both Se-Jong (ITF) and Ilyeo (Kukkiwon). The stances are the same, but the context and hand techniques are different. Ilyeo seems to use the stance as a leg hook, and includes a leap forwards to throw the opponent. But neither Chinte nor Se-Jong have a leap, and using it as a leg hook is unlikely given the context. So what's going on?
I think it's a crouch.
Consider the previous two movements: we perform a knee strike (one-leg stance) to get the opponent to bend over. Then we push down their head while raising their right shoulder with the palm pressing block. Finally, we perform a downward elbow strike to the back of their head (front backfist strikes typically code for downward elbows [1]).
By tucking your left foot behind your right knee, you can sink into the
strike merely by bending your right leg. You can crouch all the way to
one knee if you wish. The open palm striking the forearm maintains the underhook (not pictured), which keeps the opponent's head lowered.
This is an interesting case of the two styles of taekwondo taking an obscure movement from one kata and interpreting it differently.
[1] The technical instructions for this movement are to slap the right back forearm with the left palm, but it was later interpreted as a front backfist strike.
In past articles I've written that if you want to know a pattern's original intent, it's important to study earlier versions. The ITF patterns have changed in subtle ways between General Choi's 1965 book and his 1983 Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do; most of these changes have been compiled by Matt Gibb. But the kukki-taekwondo patterns appear to have changed as well. By happenstance I came across some changes to the 9th-dan poomsae Ilyeo. You can view a video of the form below:
The strange thing about Ilyeo is its asymmetry. Movements are repeated, but on the same side. The diamond block in right back stance (R.B.S.) is performed four times in total. The only symmetric set is the front kick followed by the flying side kick at the end of the pattern. This is strange since all the Kukkiwon patterns, except the Original Koryo, are symmetric.
Anyway, Ilyeo includes a weird stance called "reverse crane stance" (ogeum seogi). It comes from the kata Chinte and is also found in the ITF pattern Se-Jong. It is performed by raising one foot behind the knee of the standing leg.
I noticed that videos of Ilyeo differ in the hand motions during the stance. Some utilize a right spearhand thrust, others a left. Some use one and then the other -- since the stance occurs twice in the form -- but not always in the same order.
Confused as to which version is correct, I askedØrjan Nilsen of Traditional Taekwondo Ramblings to look up older versions of the pattern for me. He sent me the 1975 version (from Taekwondo Poomse by the World Taekwondo Federation) and the 1986 version (from Tae Kwon Do Textbook Vol III by Kim Jeong-Rok).
According to the 1986 version, for the first crane stance a left spearhand is used, while for the second a right spearhand is used. These instructions match the video above, although in some older videos the opposite is true.
But there's something different about the 1986 version: the fourth diamond block is in a left back stance (L.B.S.). You do a three-quarters turn into it after a left hand punch.
In this version of Ilyeo, the first front kick is performed with the left leg, whereas in the modern version the first front kick is with the right leg.
If you travel further back in time to the 1975 version, the text instructions are symmetric. At least, movements are performed equally on both sides (with the exception of move 1). So the diamond block is performed twice in R.B.S. and twice in L.B.S. In this version of the pattern, the spearhand is always performed on the side of the raised leg, but you perform once on either leg.
There is some ambiguity because the images in the 1975 book don't match the text instructions. Case in point: even though the text says that the second side kick should be with the right leg, in the image you see the left leg used.
Nonetheless, text instructions for a symmetric Ilyeo exist, and that makes sense given the other poomsae are symmetric. This begs the question: why was the poomsae changed? Why are the two spearhands mirrored when the stances are not? The original name of the pattern was Silla, after the ancient Korean kingdom. It was later changed to Ilyeo, a Buddhist term meaning "oneness". From the taekwondo wiki:
일여 (ilyeo) refers to the Buddhist concept of oneness of the mind and
body, the immaterial and material. The form therefore represents the
oneness of mind and body achieved through training, and thus it
represents the essence of martial arts. Stemming from Buddhism, the goal
of spiritual life is Ilyo, oneness or nirvana. Only in this state is
ego overcome. The ideal of taekwondo is Ilyo. It is a discipline in
which you concentrate your attention on every movement and in doing so,
shed all worldly thoughts and preconceptions.
Funakoshi's "Neck Ring"
throw
Perhaps the repetition in modern Ilyeo is intentional, like a Buddhist mantra. I personally prefer the symmetric version, however.
The Reverse Crane Stance
One of the applications of the supported spearhand is athrow where the head is hooked (spearhand) and the small of the opponent's back is pressed inwards (supporting hand). The leap forward in Ilyeo can aid this throw. So what is the use of the reverse crane stance?
In the case of the left spearhand, which appears to be the original version, you can perform a leg hook, called a "ko uchi gake" in Judo. It's an unusual throw for a taekwondo form, but then again the stance itself is unusual.
Gae-Baek is the favorite pattern of many ITF students, and its unusual movements invite close analysis. Here is an application for the set including the first nine-shape-block and the flying side kick. The whole set is:
19: Right back stance knifehand guarding block
20: Shift left foot slightly right into riding stance nine-shape-block (left arm high)
21: Keeping left foot planted, turn counter-clockwise 270-degrees into front stance low knifehand block
22: Back leg roundhouse kick, aimed at 45-degrees
23: Flying side kick with the same (right) leg.
It's typical to teach the nine-shape-block as an elbow break, but that doesn't fit the context of the form. Instead, there are other arm locks the nine-shape-block could represent. After using the guarding block as an overhook and neck press, we can setup a hammerlock on the same arm.
Shown above are two variations: one with the left arm pulling the triceps from underneath, the other with the left arm overhook the opponent's triceps (the "Kimura"). Either variation may be used to create a hammerlock.
Having set up the lock, we use the counter-clockwise turn to get behind the opponent. This lock will force them to bend forwards, so we use the knifehand low block as a strike to the back of their neck. It's possible to use this block to push down the opponent's shoulder instead. But having already created a shoulder lock, it seems more parsimonious to simply strike the
opponent.
The two kicks
From behind the opponent, kick in the back of both legs with the roundhouse kick.Here you may see why the kick is aimed at 45-degrees (an odd instruction): that's where the opponent's legs are located! This kick will topple your opponent forwards. Finish with the flying side kick as a drop kick to the back of the head.
This double-kick strategy -- one kick to the legs and the second kick to the head -- may exist in other patterns. Koryo for example. The Kukkiwon poomsae Ilyeo features a flying side kick after a front kick, and may have a similar application.
Block a left handed attack with your right leg forward. Use the long arc of the circular block to wrap over the opponent's elbow while you pull their forearm down with your reaction hand. Doing this with enough pressure will injure the opponent's shoulder.
The finishing move the form provides is the cat stance twin palm downward block. Because this lock forces the opponent to lean left, the cat stance is probably meant to trap their left leg. You may then use your two palms to push the opponent's face to the floor.
For the next technique we will still utilize the wedging block with the right leg forward, but this time against a right handed attack. From this position, our right hand is pushing on the opponent's neck. Grab their head and pull it downwards (pulling hand) while you either grab or underhook their right arm (reverse punch). We finish with a puter kepala throw, also known as "the clock" takedown. This is performed by sliding backwards while pulling the opponent's arm and pushing their head in.
Eui-Am is noteworthy for being the first of the "new" forms, not one of the original 20. Some ITF-schools do not teach these forms, for fear that they were made to be challenging to perform and do not have the self-defense value the original 20 do. But I find the movements in these forms have both applications and a logical arrangement behind them.
In Gae-Baek we open by stepping backwards into an X-knifehand checking block. (Notably, this is the first form that opens with a step back). The "official" explanation for the checking block is that we are blocking a punch.
Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do, Vol 11
There are a couple problems with this application. Why block with two hands when one will do? The wrist twist presented is not in the form.What if we applied this a little differently?
By deflecting with one arm (the right forearm), we can use the left forearm to chop down on the opponent's elbow, creating a figure-for lock. A straight punch may be too fast for you to apply this technique, but this will also work against a lapel grab.
This technique is a shoulder-lock and will force the opponent to bend towards their right. We follow with the low twisting kick to their right knee, unbalancing them. We finish with the landing into the front stance "punch" as a takedown: pull the opponent down over your right leg with your left hand as you push with your right hand.
Example of a twisting kick to the knee after a figure-four lock
Follow with the second punch to your downed opponent before retreating.
The use of gloves in combat sports has led to the exclusive use of closed fists as a hand striking tool. But in bareknuckle fighting, striking with the front fist is risky due to the chance of breaking your small finger bones on the opponent's skull. This is why, in my opinion, most punches in TMA forms are aimed at the rib or solar plexus level, while the head is reserved for other hand strikes. Bareknuckle boxing manuals also note the problem of punching with an unprotected fist, which is why the backfist ("chopper") was a favored tool to mix in with punches.
TMAs contain a number of hand strikes outside of punches and backfists. These include the:
Knifehand
Palm heel
Hammerfist
Longfist
Arc hand
Spearhand
Ridgehand
Two-finger poke
Bow wrist
Index knuckle (as seen in Choong-Jang) [1]
Middle knuckle
The latter shows up in Gae-Baek, Choi-Yong, So-San, and the KTA poomsae Cheonkwon. It is performed either straight out or upwards like an uppercut.
The important thing to know about this strike is that it is not meant to be aimed at the throat or jaw, even though that's how it may look in the above mentioned forms. Rather, the middle knuckle fist is traditionally aimed at small, vital spots such as the temple, solar plexus, philtrum (small area between the mouth and the nose), side of the neck, and the armpit.
(Left): American Kempo-ist demonstrating middle knuckle strike to armpit. Source: casadekenpo (Right) Vital point diagram from The Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do.
Yes, really, the armpit. There is a nerve cluster there that you can find on yourself by striking lightly with your middle knuckle. You should feel a tingly sensation when you hit. Supposedly striking this hard enough will deaden the whole arm. In Gae-Baek this allows you to use the next movement -- the nine-shape block -- as an armlock without resistance. The double knuckle fist uppercut in Cheonkwon is likely aimed at the armpits as well, perhaps as a defense against a double grab.
What about the straight knuckle punch in Choi-Yong? Here I don't prefer the philtrum as a target because while it may push away the opponent, is it unlikely to end the fight. We can use the previous movement in the form -- cat stance forearm guarding block -- as an armlock to turn the opponent. This exposes the side of their neck for a knuckle fist strike. Another possible target is the temple, though this is smaller and thus harder to hit.
David Gimberline demonstrating a strike to the side of the neck. Source: Shuhari Institute
Alternatively, the guarding block might be a push as you trap the opponent's leg with the cat stance. You then grab and pull in their opposite arm, turning them, as you strike the side of their neck.
[1] The twin index knuckle fist in Choong-Jang is aimed at the opponent's temples. Presumably the index knuckle gives you more motor control to dig in.
Last time I talked about the knifehand guarding block and the theory that originally
it was the chambers of basic techniques that were the blocks. To show
another example of this, let's look at the ITF/Ch'ang Hon low block
chamber.
In Choi's 1959 book Tae Kwon Do Teaching Manual, the Shotokan karate low block chamber is used. But by 1965, the chamber had changed to the wrist-to-wrist position. Many ITF basic techniques -- including the rising block, backfist, and knifehand strike -- utilize this chamber.
In this chamber, the blocking tool sets up inside the pulling tool, with the fists oriented such that the back of the wrists can touch each other.
ITF Low block
The traditional use of this chamber is brush-grab-strike. Meaning:
You do an initial parry against a linear attack with your front hand.
You do a secondary parry with your back hand (parry-pass) and grab. This forms the chamber.
Pull in the opponent's arm to your hip while you use your front hand as a strike.
For the ITF low block, the "strike" is a hammerfist to the groin. This may be done from inside or outside the opponent's arm (depending on whether you parry the attack outward or inward), although for the low block is it safer to perform from outside since you leave your head exposed.
What about if you parry the arm outward? From here a different strike, such as the backfist or knifehand to the neck, is preferable. ITF uses the same chamber for these two techniques.
In this 1956 taekwondo demonstration, we see both the chamber and pulling hand utilized. Source: hapkist
Other Applications
The chamber could also be used as a flinch block against a swinging attack. Since the pulling hand is on the outside, it can catch the opponent's arm and pull as your strike. This application is similar to the above gif where a punch is deflected outward.
The ITF rising block also uses this chamber. For two consecutive rising blocks, the chamber may be used to create a rudimentary figure-four lock. The application goes like this:
Use the first rising block to block an attack or raise the opponent's arm
Stepping forward, thread your other arm over the opponent's elbow as you grab their forearm with the blocking arm. This creates the chamber
Circle behind the opponent and pull down their forearm (pulling hand) while lifting their elbow (second rising block), creating the lock.
Many schools, I've noticed, practice a variant of the guarding block chamber. Some shoot both arms straight back before moving them forward. Others begin with their hands down near their hips.
The original way to perform the guarding block, as shown in General Choi's books, is to begin with the back hand high, near the ear, and the the front hand at blocking level, such that it moves in a horizontal line when executing the block.
Guarding block from Taekwon-Do: The Art of Self-Defense (1965) and The Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do 2nd Ed (1987)
Why bring up this minor point? Because originally it was the chambers that were the "blocks", not the motions we today call blocks. The reason the back hand sets up near your ear is to defend against a haymaker. After this, you overhook the opponent's arm (back hand downward motion) and push out on their neck (front hand horizontal motion), preventing them from throwing another strike.
The traditional use of the guarding block in action. Source: CrossFit
A few things should be said about this application:
(1) This is a defensive technique, not a "strike". Although pressing on the side of the opponent's neck is uncomfortable, the purpose is to control the opponent until the situation de-escalates. If it does not, then there are several follow-ups from this position.
(2) The motion of the back hand is an overhook, not a pull. The purpose is to hold the opponent's arm in close to your chest to prevent them from attacking you further.
(3) Notice that when the application is executed, you are 90-degrees from your opponent. Hence while the chamber seems to be performed to your side, in reality it is performed in the direction of the haymaker.
Two other applications
The downward motion of the back hand has other uses. Another common application is an underhook, performed by making the movement more circular. You may simultaneously use the front knifehand to push the opponent's head forward. If you manage to place the opponent's forearm onto your shoulder, you can lock their elbow, creating what's call a standing ude gatame in Judo.
Underhook/ude gatame application for the guarding block. Source: PracticalKataBunkai
Like the overhook, there are several follow-ups from this position; Iain Abernethy shows a few in the linked video. The circular performance of the guarding block is also found in Choi's books, and in some karate styles such as Kyokushin.
The circular guarding block performance, from the Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do Vol 3
The third application is a head crank, performed by bringing the two hands closer together. Working together, the movement of the two palms becomes a head twisting motion. The back hand begins high and then twists low, throwing the opponent by cranking their head.
Another example by application researcher Richard Conceicao is here. This works well for the 180-degree turn into the guarding block in move 3 of Choong-Moo. In fact, all three of these applications are scattered throughout the Ch'ang Hon forms. Try looking for one the next time you spot a guarding block.
Both Koryo (KTA) and Choong-Jang (ITF) make changes to this technique. Koryo's version is in riding stance and sets up the punch with a knifehand block. Choong-Jang's version is in back stance and changes the setup movement into a backhand downward strike.
Both versions are commonly interpreted as grabbing the back of the opponent's head and punching their face. The trouble with this is the risk of punching their forehead, breaking your fingers. Traditional forms usually aim punches at the rib or solar plexus level, and reserve the head for other strikes (backfist, knifehand, etc).
Knifehand blocks may be used to push out the face or neck. If you push out on the side of the opponent's face with the knifehand block in Koryo, this exposes the side of their head, a target safer to punch.
But what of Choong-Jang? Here we perform the downward strike with a stomp. This bizarre motion, to my knowledge, only appears in Choong-Jang.
Stomping motions can be used as knee strikes or as attacks to the opponent's leg, so it may be that the stomp is the primary attack, and the downward "strike" is just setting up the target punch. Stomping into a back stance is ineffective because the weight stays on our back leg, so I favor the knee strike interpretation.
However, we can also throw in a grappling application for the downward strike, since I don't think it works particularly well as a "strike". If you reach around the opponent's face and grab their jaw, you may use the circular motion as a head crank, setting them up for a strike to their neck.
Application for Choong-Jang's downward strike and target punch. Source: Martial Arts Guardian.
Combine with the knee strike to the lower back for greater effect.
Since the technique is open-handed, the intent may be to use the arc hand (since the thump is out) to get a chin lock instead. In the image below the outer thumb is used, but the effect is the same. This is safer for your fingers, as there is less chance of being bitten.
Here is an application for the 180-degree turn into
the front stance inner-forearm wedging block (aka opening block) after
the first "knee break".
I don't interpret the latter as
an actual knee break. It's true that this technique appears in older
karate manuals, but the breaking palm should be in front so as to apply
more pressure. See the technique shown by Kenwa Mabuni below.
Kenwa Mabuni's knee break from Karate Do Nyumon (1938)
But in Koryo the downward palm comes from the back hand. I believe this variation works better as an irimi nage
(entering throw) technique. The front palm pushes in the small of the
opponent's back while you throw the opponent's head to the floor.
Perform after using the preceding front kick as a kick to the groin.
This throw may fail if the opponent steps backwards
to maintain their balance. Since you are pushing in their left side with
your right palm, they will have to step back with their right leg.
Grab
their left leg with both fists. Then step through and turn while
pulling up the leg with the inner-forearm wedging block, tripping the
opponent over your rear (left) leg. This is shown in the gif below.
