56: Ko-Dang line work set

Years ago, I posted an interpretation of pattern Ko-Dang involving several tackle / waist-grab / single-leg grab defenses. I've since removed those posts for re-tooling, but I still wanted to share this interpretation of the "line work" set, steps 15-22 where you move backwards and forwards practicing one technique at a time. Please note that for images from Ko-Dang, I will be using this performance by Garth Kid Taekwon-Do.

The first technique, the downward elbow, may be used as a defense against a waist grab. Such a defense is shown in the Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do.

The next technique, the palm pressing block, may also be used as a tackle defense. In wrestling, this would be called a "head stuff and whizzer". You push down the opponent's head while trying to lift up their arm with a shallow overhook (the rising palm).

(Top Right) Cary Kolat demonstrating a simple wrestler's defense against a single-leg grab: getting an overhook to lift the opponent's arm (upward palm) while stuffing the head (downward palm). (Bottom images) a related waist-grab defense from the Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do, using the overhook to turn the opponent.

The next two techniques are the downward block and the upward palm block. If we put these two together, we can underhook the opponent's arm and then follow with a palm strike to the face.

"Downward block" as an underhook, "upward palm block" as a strike to the face. Bottom images are from Iain Abernethy at Practical Kata Bunkai

However, we can also apply the movements separately. The downward block could be a hammerfist strike after stuffing the head. [1] The upward palm block could be applied as a "cross-face". This means as the opponent grabs our waist or leg we can crank their face upwards to get them to let go. You can see two examples of this in the gif below.

Upward palm block as a head crank.
Source: CodeRedDefense and  Karate Culture 

Following the pattern, we then step back to release our caught leg and follow with the front leg front kick and twin inward knifehand strike to the neck. 

The original 20 ITF patterns were created as an unarmed self-defense system, and so there is room for occasional specialized patterns.

[1] This might be why we step backwards into the first downward block but forwards into the second downward block. Although it could mean that the direction does not matter, I could also imagine applying the first downward block as a strike but the second downward block an an underhook.