The importance of passing on knowledge to colour belts.

As a Black belt or as a senior belt there are several reasons why it’s important to pass on the knowledge that you have accumulated over your own years of martial arts training to colour belts. In my opinion these are the main reasons.

• Teaching the next generation
• Different way of training and learning
• Duty to club
• A new path for your martial arts journey

Teaching the next generation
One of the best parts of being a martial artist is being able to share the experience with other people. You can share this knowledge in a few different ways such as teaching, assisting in classes or just partnering with another student to teach them a specific technique or pattern. Passing on your knowledge is a great way to open up other avenues for your own learning as well though.

Different way of training and leaning
Passing on your knowledge actually helps you with your own journey. While teaching techniques to other students is useful for the other student, it is also useful for your own learning. When you are teaching others you are having to focus on, what you are doing, how you are doing it and why you are doing it. It cements it in your own mind at the same time you are teaching someone else.
Lets for example take a look at if you were performing a Dollyo Chagi (turning kick); It’s not just, kicking with the top of your foot on a sidewards angle. We can break down what we are doing into 5 individual moves;

• Lift knee as high as you can, and on a slight angle out.
• Pivot your base foot on your toes and ball of the foot with a hip pivot.
• Extend the kicking leg, and hit your target.
• Retract the kicking leg at the knee first, and pivot hips back original position.
• Place kicking foot one ground.

While you are talking about these components with a student you may also talk about the following;

• Lift your knee high as the higher you lift your knee the higher your kick will be.
• Pivoting your base foot, allows your hips to open, and reduces the risk of knee damage.
• Pivoting your hips when kicking helps with the power of your kick.
• Retracting your foot first allows you to do a second kick if required faster.
• Placing your foot down where you want it, sets you up for the next move or kick.

When we go through the steps and talk about other details with someone else, we actually improve our own techniques and become better martial artists. So with your teaching, its not just about the other person, you are actually still training and learning, just in a different way.

Duty to club
Doing your duty to your club I feel is very important. It’s a way of thanking your club for the time, effort and resources that they have used to help get you to where you are now. Most students will hopefully find that their martial arts training has helped in other areas of their life as well. Dloing your duty is also helping your club become better as while you’re helping one student, it frees up your head instructor time to help other students on a more in depth level or allows them time to run the club better.
Doing your duty to your club also shows that you care about your club and the students in it and this will help you in becoming a better teacher. It will give you a stake in the achievements of the other students so when they achieve, it feels like you achieve as well.

A new path for your martial arts journey
As mentioned above, teaching others allows you to analyse your own techniques and improve them.  It also brings new components to your training, a new angle of focus and patience is needed as different people learn at different speed and in different ways. Being able to change and adapt to this and to different situation helps you with your own martial arts journey. Teaching others also helps with your own self-confidence and abilities. Being able to stand in front of a group of people takes a lot of guts and can be nerve wracking but you need to have faith in what you have learnt and achieved and know that you wouldn’t be asked to do it, if your head instructor didn’t think you were able to do it.

Ben Tuckfield

Ben holds the rank of 3rd Dan in Taekwondo and is part of the leadership and instruction teams at Zone Martial Arts servicing the Sutherland Shire area from the Taren Point

location.

The 3 A's of Effective Self Defence

Those who know me and my approach to martial arts will know that self defence is a huge part of why I practise martial arts and why I teach it. Violence is an ever growing concern in this day and age and no one is immune to it. Not the older person, innocently answering a knock on the door. Not the young woman out for a run in the afternoon. Not the young guy hanging out with his mates at the skate park. Not the young child walking home from school. It’s depressing and scary to think that we will all either be on the receiving end of violence or directly know someone who has been. I truly wish that was an exaggeration but it seems to be more like an alarming fact.

The prevalence of violence in our society is one of the reasons I believe martial arts are for everyone. Attackers prey on people they believe are weak and vulnerable and the simple practise of doing martial arts can mean a difference in how you carry yourself. You may walk a little taller and more confidently and this may subconsciously show a potential attacker that you are not an easy target. This isn’t a guarantee though so the practise of martial arts and self defence is becoming a more critical skill. There are some things you can do though to reduce the chance of being attacked or at least give you a fighting chance if it comes down to you and an attacker.

One of the things my instructors taught me and has stuck with me is the concept of The Three A’s. They taught me that it was the key to effective self defence.

AWARENESS

AVOIDANCE

ACTION

Awareness

At all times be aware of what is going on around you. Look over your shoulder and glance at what is happening behind you and to either side of you regularly. Don’t just spend the time engrossed by your mobile phone or looking only at the ground in front of you. You need to make sure you are aware of what is happening and what may potentially affect you. This goes for listening to music as well. I see a lot of people who walk around with headphones in their ears and not looking around. This means they not only won’t see what is coming towards them but they won’t hear it either. Awareness is the first step.

Avoidance

We all know of some cool shortcuts to get from point A to point B. Maybe it’s an alley that means I don’t have to go the long way around the block. Maybe it’s a park you can cut through to get home quicker. Where I live there are a number of pedestrian paths that wind around behind houses. They are lovely to go for a walk on but are not well lit and not well travelled. No matter which of the above applies, effective self defence means avoiding these sorts of areas. It might take you a bit longer, but use the path which is well lit. Use the footpath that has cars passing who may be able to stop and help you if you need it.

Avoidance is also about avoiding situations that might be dangerous. You may get invited to a party with people you don’t know or go into a room with a known bully. If you can, avoid these situations. It’s doesn’t make you a coward, it makes you smart.

Action

However if all else fails, fall back onto action and the first action if you can, is to run away. Escape whenever possible – don’t try to be a hero. Always try to escape to populated and well-lit areas and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

If you need to defend yourself though it is only self defence if the force you use is reasonable and proportionate to the attack. This means, if someone gives you a small shove and you respond by breaking their arm and punch them unconscious, you have not responded in a reasonable or proportionate way to the attack. If someone comes at you with a knife saying they are going to kill you, then breaking their arm and knocking them out is more reasonable and proportionate to the attack.

There is a lot more involved with self defence and every scenario is different. Martial arts can teach you to not only be physically capable of defending yourself but mentally capable as well. A strong mind can be just as effective in self defence as the most perfectly timed punch.

Mark Underwood

Mark is a 4th Dan Master in both Taekwondo and Haidong Gumdo (Korean swords). He has also trained in other styles of martial arts. He is currently the owner and head instructor for Zone Martial Arts in Sydney, Australia.

Fundamental Theory of Haidong Gumdo and Martial Arts - Part 4

This final entry in the series on the fundamental theory of Haidong Gumdo and martial arts is about the body.

Body
Even though this is listed as the third point in the theory of Haidong Gumdo it is just as important as Spirit and Mind as it is through training the body that we can develop the other two components. By analyzing technique, pushing our body to (and beyond) its limits we learn more about our mind and our spirit. It’s the gateway to integrating martial arts into our life.

Power (Correct posture)
In martial arts we need to control and manage our power. We need to assess the amount of power we use in training and in any real life scenario. A punch can be delivered with breaking power but if all that is required is to warn someone away then using full power is excessive. The same with the sword, if we use too much power on our cuts then our sword will travel too far and leave us exposed for a counter attack. The other side of this is posture. If we overextend ourselves by applying too much power, then we can injure ourselves trying to stop the motion. Not to mention that correct posture and stance actually will deliver more power to the technique we are doing.

Speed (Swift movements)
Speed comes over time but it is something we should all strive for. It is important to know when to strive for more speed and it is only when you have gained control of the technique. Applying speed to early will just exacerbate bad technique and will be detrimental in the long term. I encourage all students to focus on the basic technique first before striving for more speed.

Balance (Stable stances)
Balance develops over time but it starts with the correct application of stance. People always want to rush to the fun stuff like punching, kicking and cutting and try to gloss over the benefits of good stance. Stance though is the bedrock of every technique we do. It’s important to make sure our stance and our feet are in time with our techniques. When we can think about balance in the martial arts moves we make, our techniques will improve and the more we will improve.

Sweat (Continuous effort)
Hard work pays off. No matter what happens in our journey, whether it’s hitting a plateau and thinking we are not improving, a technique we feel like we just can’t conquer or any of the other obstacles we hit while training martial arts, hard work and sweat will always help us get beyond it. When things get hard, a lot of people want to quit, find an easier way or just ignore that technique altogether but it’s those times we have to suck it up and keep training. Perseverance and hard work will always help us get through the tough times. So if things are looking difficult or you are getting frustrated, put in more time because sweat and continuous effort will get you though.

Fundamental Theory of Haidong Gumdo and Martial Arts - Part 3

I am continuing my series on the fundamental theory of Haidong Gumdo by looking at the second area that is covered by Haidong Gumdo, the mind. However these theories really apply to martial arts as a whole. So if you look at this and say "I am not a Gumdo student so its not relevant" you would be missing out in my opinion.

Mind

With any martial art, comes the concept of mind. Believing in yourself, pushing yourself and character building. Mind is the second fundamental theory of Haidong Gumdo but again I put to you that it is not limited to just Gumdo but applies to martial arts as a whole. It is something we practice without thinking about it during classes but it is when you stop and reflect on these aspects, you can learn so much more about yourself and really start to integrate martial arts into your whole life.

Courage (Ability to handle fear and danger)
Courage can’t be given to you in a rolled up parchment no matter what the Wizard of Oz tells us. It has to develop. I get a lot of students who come into the club looking to train and develop self-confidence. You will definitely gain self-confidence from doing martial arts but you gained confidence just by stepping through the door. People have a desire to learn martial arts and can be easily scared away by the intensity of training or the instructors or one of a hundred other things, but when you take that leap and get onto the floor and start training, you are showing courage. Through martial arts you learn to hand fear, nervousness and anxiety and those lessons of control and courage can then be applied to other areas of your life.

Judgement (Knowing oneself)Judgement is vital with martial arts. It’s the ability in the split second moment to determine how much force you need to apply in a self defence scenario. It’s knowing that even if you could fight back, you don’t need to prove it and can walk away from a fight. It’s being able to say I did my best and not listening to other people who say you didn’t try hard enough or you failed.

The subheading here talks about knowing oneself and to me that is difficult in itself. It’s hard to look at yourself honestly and think about our faults. It can also be hard to look at ourselves and not be overly judgemental and harsh. We have to take the time to reflect on ourselves and our judgement to ensure we are being true to ourselves.

Respect (Yourself and others)
We bow to our instructors, our training area and each other all the time in martial arts to show respect. We are showing respect to the people teaching us, the area we train in and the people who train with us. We show respect by standing still when our instructors talk to us, by looking at them while they talk and not fidgeting. We show respect by showing restraint and not fighting too hard with our fellow students during sparring.

Respect is a huge part of martial arts but I also hope that these lessons of respect are going home with you and being applied in other areas of your life. That you are showing respect to your boss or teacher by listening to them, even perhaps if you don’t like them. That you are showing respect to your elders (parents, grandparents or just older people you know) as this is a large part of Korean culture that we sometimes miss in western culture.

I know respect it is something I really want my students to think about outside of the club environment. It shouldn’t be like your uniform and you just put it on at training.

Temperance (Self-control)
Temperance and self-control are the final aspects of the mind aspect of martial arts theory. We need to be rational and calm in situations where it could be easy to get angry and riled up. We need to not lash out, verbally or physically, when something or someone upsets us. It is even more important for martial artists who learn skills that can severely injure other people. We don’t have the luxury of throwing a friendly punch at someone because our punches are more technically proficient that most people. We need to control ourselves.

We also need to have self-control with how we treat our body. Our body is one of the few constants in our life and if we abuse it we can’t replace it. So while that extra drink at the pub is nice and chocolate is awesome, we need to make sure we have these things in moderation, that we have self-control so that firstly, our body is healthier but also because as martial artists, we can’t have alcohol or sugar highs control us because it is too easy for us to hurt someone accidentally.


Mark Underwood

Mark is a 4th Dan Master in both Taekwondo and Haidong Gumdo (Korean swords). He has also trained in other styles of martial arts. He is currently the owner and head instructor for Zone Martial Arts in Sydney, Australia.

Fundamental Theory of Haidong Gumdo and Martial Arts - Part 2

Part 2 of my fundamental theory of Haidong Gumdo talks about the first of our fundamental parts of Haidong Gumdo/Martial Arts. This one is all about spirit.

Spirit

Spirit is a big part of Haidong Gumdo although sometimes it is the one people overlook the most as it isn’t something we directly train. Rather spirit is something that comes from the other aspects of learning martial arts (Mind and Body which I will talk about shortly). Spirit comes from being around people who show these traits, making sure we look up to people who demonstrate the below attributes.

Patriotism (Love of Nation)

This means respecting the country we live in and the ideals that are common to everyone, yet also showing respect to the cultures and beliefs of everyone. We are a multicultural nation and respecting others should be part of the way we show that we are all Australian.

You can also show your love of nation every day by being a person who treats everyone as equals or even by something as simple as picking up some rubbish you might otherwise ignore.

Filial Piety (Love of Parents)

Sometimes our parents drive us nuts but they sacrificed a lot to raise us and it is important to show them respect and love. Everyone makes mistakes, even parents so don’t hold that against them. Instead tell them you love them as often as you can as you never know when it will be too late.

This also means doing what our parents say, straight away without talking back. Even as adults, we need to show our parents the respect they deserve.

Propriety (Good and proper behaviour)

Be a person who behaves in a way that is respectful to yourself and others. Don’t pick on other people or bully them. Don’t look down on people or treat them as well than yourself. It also means standing still when people are talking to you, giving them attention by listening to what they say.

We need to make sure that our actions tell others about the sort of person we are and want to be.

Justice (Moral rightness)

Sometimes it’s tough to do the right thing when all we want to do is yell back at someone and sink down to their level. Yet as said many times in the world of comics, with great power, comes great responsibility and this applies to martial arts students. The techniques we learn, whether with a sword or with our hands and feet, are potentially lethal techniques. They can definitely cause injury and pain to others, so we need to be able to make sure we can control our moves so as to only to the required amount of force on an opponent.

However the greatest challenge is to avoid situations that would mean we have to use our martial arts skills. So if someone tries to pick a fight, or does something to make us angry, we need to try and walk away if we can.

We need to make sure we are setting a good example, to our family, friends and other martial artists and this aspect is one of the most important.


Mark Underwood

Mark is a 4th Dan Master in both Taekwondo and Haidong Gumdo (Korean swords). He has also trained in other styles of martial arts. He is currently the owner and head instructor for Zone Martial Arts in Sydney, Australia.

Fundamental Theory of Haidong Gumdo and Martial Arts

I started writing a short blog based on the fundamental theory of Haidong Gumdo.

SPIRIT         MIND         BODY

As I wrote it though, I started to see that this applied to a much broader viewpoint and the more I thought about it, the more I saw it applied to martial arts as a whole and then I wrote some more and thought about it more and realized it also reflected my views on life as well. So this week and in the next three weeks, I am going to go into detail on the three aspects that form the fundamental theory of Haidong Gumdo and how they can apply to everyone. I think they go beyond just Haidong Gumdo.

Today’s society is characterized by technology, information and globalization. We can stream television on nearly any device. We are bombarded by information from websites, emails, Facebook etc. and this puts a lot of stress on our lives. What is the last thing you do at night? Is it to say goodnight to someone you love, or look at Facebook on your phone? What is the first thing you do in the morning? Have a good breakfast or check your emails? We are more connected than ever but we are also less connected in some aspects as well.

The modern age has brought us some good things. I can communicate with some friends I made in trips to Korea or family overseas really easily. I have access to training drills and martial arts experts with a click of a button.

These are good things but it also has brought on other more negative aspects. Our faster pace lifestyle means that we have a lot going on so when we need to eat, fast is our friend. This attitude has meant that we eat more fast food and this has not helped our waistlines and leads to other weight based illnesses, trust me I know. The ability to watch TV or play games on nearly any device has the potential to lead us into a very sedentary life. Sitting on the couch is great, but it shouldn't be so often we leave a dent in our favourite chair. So although there are some great positive outcomes for living in the current age, there are some potential negatives as well.

Martial Arts offers a solution to some of these stresses though. Learning Taekwondo or Gumdo (or any martial art for that matter) offers physical training, etiquette, respect for others, self-control, meditation and breathing practices that all help to improve physical and mental health. Haidong Gumdo breaks these down into three categories, Spirit, Mind and Body.

The next series of blogs will look into each one of these in more detail and show you how it applies to more than just Haidong Gumdo, it applies to all martial arts and more importantly, how it applies to all aspects of your life.


Mark Underwood

Mark is a 4th Dan Master in both Taekwondo and Haidong Gumdo (Korean swords). He has also trained in other styles of martial arts. He is currently the owner and head instructor for Zone Martial Arts in Sydney, Australia.

Foundations of Traditional Taekwondo - Basic Techniques

This is the final post in my series on the Foundations of Taekwondo training. I listed them as basic techniques, poomsae, sparring, self-defence and breaking. These are what I believe are part of traditional Taekwondo training. I have gone into detail about most of them but I have left basic techniques till last and I have done this on purpose.

The word basic implies that these techniques are something for beginners and that once it is mastered it can be forgotten in favour of something more advanced. This can’t be further from the truth. These moves are fundamental to all of our training. Without these basic techniques, all the other aspects of Taekwondo I have been talking about are irrelevant. In many respects, the other components,

poomsae, sparring, breaking and self-defence are like the walls of the house and the true foundation of Taekwondo, the thing the walls are built on, are our basic techniques.

If our foundation is weak, if our basic techniques are not continuously practised then like a house built on sand, all our work will be swept away when we need it to stand strong.

Everything we do in Taekwondo whether it is for sport, self-defence, combat, health etc, is done by performing basic techniques. If you are sparring you are using basic techniques against an opponent, if you are performing patterns then you are using basic techniques. If you are doing self-defence against an attacker then you are using basic techniques in a practical way. So what exactly is basic techniques? The most common way of defining basic techniques are:

• Blocking techniques (Makki)
• Punching techniques (Jirruegi)
• Strike techniques (Chigi)
• Kicking techniques (Chagi)

And that’s it. This is also the basis of all the "official" or basic interpretation of poomsae application since all techniques must be in one of these categories. Each category can be subdivided of course. Blocking techniques (Makki) can be divided into upper section, middle section, and low section blocks. And these can be divided into even smaller subgroups. I will not delve into every grouping as that would make for too long a post.

Traditional taekwondo schools see that these fundamental movements need to be practiced in isolation so that each movement can be perfected with perfect form, speed, power and accuracy. This is often done with line work. Either moving backwards or forwards through the hall against an imaginary opponent or stationary. I am sure you agree that good basic techniques should contain with all the attributes above, but if you think about it you will notice that "line work" will only get you so far in terms of perfect form, but what about power, speed and accuracy?

The early masters of Taekwondo used several training aids to help them to perfect their techniques and one of the most important ones was the "Dallyon Joo" or "forging post" in English. It was essentially what the Japanese called Makkiwara and it is a striking post with a padded surface. All the "blocks", kicks and punches was trained by relentlessly pounding the Dallyon Joo over and over again. Impact training and conditioning was seen as very important maybe just as important as line work, and a great deal of time was used to train each technique so that it could be used with great power in a combative context. Modern clubs have replaced this device with block pads and punching bags and these all have their place and can help with generating power. Some clubs develop conditioning as well using other methods but the Dallyon Joo was essential for the original martial art that became today's Taekwondo.

The Dallyon Joo was not the only training aid as power and speed was seen as important but accuracy too was seen as paramount. Accuracy is the most important thing in a martial art. In a real fight you might only get one chance to strike your opponent and you need to put him down with that one technique. Historically, early masters of Taekwondo trained for this using different training aids like removing their shoes to kick them while their partners held them in their hands, like we use paddles today or hitting a small target (for example a nut) tied so that it floated at chest height or so above the floor (connected to the ceiling by a string) and kicking/punching it without stopping trying to hit it as it bobbed and weaved.

Another but largely overlooked part of basic training is the health aspect. The techniques of Taekwondo if done correctly does improve health. The stances strengthens the legs, the hip twist for power generation trains the hips, and lower back, the pulling hand tightens up your back muscles, the high kicks improve range of motion etc. Coupled with proper breathing training the fundamental movements of Taekwondo is great for your body.

Basic techniques are the fundamental in Taekwondo and are something all martial artists should be practising again and again. Always go back and re learn the basics, your skills will improve vastly if you do.

Mark Underwood

Mark is a 4th Dan Master in both Taekwondo and Haidong Gumdo (Korean swords). He has also trained in other styles of martial arts. He is currently the owner and head instructor for Zone Martial Arts in Sydney, Australia.

Foundations of Traditional Taekwondo – Self Defence

This is the fourth entry in my series on the foundations of Taekwondo training. I listed them as basic techniques, poomsae, sparring, self-defence and breaking. These are what I believe are part of traditional Taekwondo training. I thought I should go into some more detail on each of them. This entry focuses on self defence.

I have one main rule when it comes to self defence,

“the only bad move in self defence is no move at all”.

Now self-defence is a little bit more than that. We do want to go through some fundamentals of self defence if we ever need to get out of trouble but doing something is always better than doing nothing. The techniques often labelled self defence in Taekwondo is often purely up to the instructor that teaches them and not every move will work for every person. Some of the moves taught in self-defence in a Taekwondo school might not even be traditional Taekwondo moves like grabs, grappling, throws, take downs, sweeps etc. That’s ok though even in traditional Taekwondo. Anything that can be used in self defence is a good thing.

These new techniques and additions to the core curriculum has been done since the beginning of Taekwondo. Unfortunately many things that historically were part of Taekwondo is rapidly disappearing in today’s race for Sport dominance. Taekwondo is a striking style for sure but we need a backup plan when we go to the ground so basic grappling skills are needed or we will have a serious flaw in our arsenal of combat techniques. This hole in our training was traditionally covered with self defence training as the training incorporated all the missing pieces of the puzzle. Today students often say that throws are not part of Taekwondo. That is wrong as throwing, although basic, has always been a part of traditional Taekwondo. The founders saw that their martial art was divided up in three areas or pillars, basics, forms and sparring and this left a great hole in their preparation for self defense, so they fixed this by including self defence training in their syllabus. Some even learnt other martial arts to supplement their skills.

Some self defence techniques include (but are not limited to):

• Escapes and release techniques from various grabs and holds.
• Joint locking techniques.
• Throws.
• Take downs and sweeps.
• Vital point attacks

As you can see these techniques coupled with the kicks, strikes, punches and blocks of main stream Taekwondo makes for a rounded combat art. What is not covered in typical basics training, typical forms training or typical sparring practise is covered in self defence practise. Self-defence might seem impractical or unrealistic if the main focus for the club is sports Taekwondo but when viewed together with the other foundations of Taekwondo you get to see that it is all contributes to combat efficiency.

Self-defence can even be broken down further into two camps: One is movie self-defence that is often used in demonstration for show and is in no way in line with any kind of reality and the other being what this post is about, a collection of techniques to round up your skills so you can face any attacker at any distance.


Mark Underwood

Mark is a 4th Dan Master in both Taekwondo and Haidong Gumdo (Korean swords). He has also trained in other styles of martial arts. He is currently the owner and head instructor for Zone Martial Arts in Sydney, Australia.

Foundations of Traditional Taekwondo - Poomsae/Patterns

This is the third entry of five on my thoughts on the foundations of Taekwondo training. I listed them as basic techniques, poomsae, sparring, self-defence and breaking. These are what I believe are part of traditional Taekwondo training. This entry focuses on poomsae or patterns.

Let’s start this looking at some definitions of what poomsae are

“Poomsae is a combination of basic actions and movements exercised with an imaginary opponent”

“Poomsae is the Korean equivalent of Kata in Japanese karate.”

“Poomsae are practised to improve Taekwondo techniques”

“Poomsae (patterns) are a pre-arranged set of movements gradually becoming more complex the more you learn.”

“Poomsae is a series of movements with both offensive and defensive techniques, which can be practised and trained even without the presence of an instructor.”

So according to the vast majority poomsae are basic techniques both offensive and defensive that gradually increases in complexity that are practised to improve Taekwondo. The training of Poomsae in main stream is all about performance. You practice poomsae to get to the next belt, for demonstrations, or for competition.

One thing I want to say outright is that I don’t believe Taekwondo is exclusively a patterns based martial art. I believe it is a technique based martial art, the same way BJJ, boxing, Judo etc are. Poomsae are a vital part of our training, but it is just a part, not the whole. Most people look at poomsae as a string of basics thrown together that are often practised to drill basic techniques but poomsae is more than that. It doesn't contain any deep strategy or principles and they do not contain any secrets. It isn't even a means to hand down the techniques as there are just so many techniques missing from poomsae that it makes poomsae a very poor way to transfer the knowledge of the martial art of Taekwondo.

Let’s look at Taegeuk il Jang first two moves: Turn 90 degrees to the left and perform an arae makki (low block) in ap seogi (short front stance) then step forward with right foot to ap seogi (short front stance) and perform a momtong jirruegi (middle section punch). Two simple techniques, that in the view of the common Taekwondo student are done like this to drill basics. But look at them. Why on earth do we turn and why to the left? Why exactly these two techniques? Why is the hand on your hip on both techniques? Why this stance as opposed to another stance? The questions are endless.
In a form based martial art this would all be obvious. There would be maybe two applications for the move (one basic and one advanced) or just the one definitive one. This application would show some important principles that could be used very different contexts during combat.

But Taekwondo poomsae goes beyond that. That turn to the left could be done in different stances, with different blocks and with difference counter attacks. The low block and punch are not the definitive moves. Rather the practice of poomsae is to remember principles of Taekwondo. It is a practice of focus and putting moves together. It is a practice of movement and concentration and being in the moment. You practice the form to remember the principle. But when you are fighting or defending yourself you do not need to use those specified techniques. You could use different strikes and punches and still use the principles mentioned above. It is not so much the techniques contained in the form that are important, but the message they are conveying.
Taekwondo is a wonderful martial art as it gives its practitioners so much more than just poomsae to practice. Yet there is an importance in poomsae that must not be forgotten. We are lucky with Taekwondo to have so many forms to practice. We have 17 official poomsae (Taegeuk 1 – 8 and 9 black belt patterns) as well as 8 Palgwae forms that are considered supplemental forms by many. Choose wisely and study diligently, or simply memorise the sequences and drill those basics as never before!


Mark Underwood

Mark is a 4th Dan Master in both Taekwondo and Haidong Gumdo (Korean swords). He has also trained in other styles of martial arts. He is currently the owner and head instructor for Zone Martial Arts in Sydney, Australia.

Foundations of Traditional Taekwondo - Sparring

This is the second entry in my post series on what I beleive are the foundations of Taekwondo training. I listed them as basic techniques, poomsae, sparring, self-defence and breaking. These are what I believe are part of traditional Taekwondo training. I thought I should go into some more detail on each of them. This entry focuses on sparring.

Sparring is often viewed as the most important part of training in the mainstream Taekwondo community. Once basics can be performed at a reasonably level of competence the students start sparring. Traditionally though, Taekwondo students would not spar until they been training for some time but these days students often start sparring at yellow belt or even white belt.

To most clubs around the world today the word sparring means "competition sparring" but to a traditionalist it can be any number of things. It could mean one/two/three step sparring, throwing even self-defence sparring. These are more fixed and formal types of sparring. They all serve different purposes and each can be seen as limited if you only focus on one part, but together they are good to have in your training regimen.

Competition or Olympic style sparring is what most people in the Taekwondo world today would label as just "sparring". That might seem strange when you think of just how limiting the rules are. Many critics label this as "leg fencing" and while in some respects it is very limiting, it also teaches a great deal of value and is relatively safe to participate in. You have full contact and you can really use those kicks that you have been training, but you can forget about hand techniques though. It is extremely good for conditioning and stamina as well as developing other attributes like distancing and timing.

Traditional style sparring is not seen as much in modern Taekwondo but was quite prevalent before the race to the Olympics began. Here you have kicks delivered at all heights, punches to the face, strikes and lots of other techniques are used at all the heights of the body. It is much less limiting then the Olympic style but can be more dangerous and this is often why it is not being taught.

Some clubs do a version of traditional sparring called free sparring. In this version you can do all manner of techniques however the focus is on safety and not full contact. It is a good aspect of self-defense practice and it encourages more diverse techniques like throws etc. Rules are not entirely ignored with this style as safety is important but you if your opponent kicks high, you kick low, if the opponent grabs your dobok, follow up with a throw? You don’t need to elbow the opponent in the face for them to know you did it so simulation is key. The partner must then acknowledge and respond as if he were elbowed in the face.

These last two sparring kinds are not done frequently by many clubs, but a Dojang that says it practices Traditional Taekwondo should spar in other formats than just competition style sport sparring. The most important part of all of this is that the instructor clearly identifies the training goal of each form of sparring so there is no confusion in the students mind. It would be catastrophic if the student tried using sports oriented sparring in a real life self-defence scenario.



Mark Underwood

Mark is a 4th Dan Master in both Taekwondo and Haidong Gumdo (Korean swords). He has also trained in other styles of martial arts. He is currently the owner and head instructor for Zone Martial Arts in Sydney, Australia

Foundations of Traditional Taekwondo - Breaking

In my last post I mentioned the foundations of Taekwondo training. I listed them as basic techniques, poomsae, sparring, self-defence and breaking. These are what I believe are part of traditional Taekwondo training. I thought I should go into some more detail on each of them. This first entry focuses on breaking.

The breaking portion of our training has many roles to play. It is often featured at demonstrations and is usually the audience`s favourite thing to watch. Breaking at demonstrations is a wonderful thing for the audience. Martial artists can watch a demonstration of patterns or techniques and we can appreciate the power and technique involved in the motions. The typical audience member however cannot see this. They may appreciate the technique but to them a punch looks like a punch. Breaking though is a way for the audience to appreciate the power of a technique. Like I said, to them a punch is a punch, but a punch that breaks a roof tile in two is something spectacular.

There is a practical combat reason for breaking, it goes beyond merely a show at competitions, demonstrations and gradings. For a martial artist though, the importance of breaking isn't in the display of power or how tough your knuckles are, it’s more an internal thing. If we hit something hard like a wooden board, roof tile etc, we will feel pain. I see it a lot with breaking, people are afraid to feel the pain and they stop there punch or strike, just before or on the board they are trying to break (usually resulting in more pain than if they just punched through it). This mental block is what we train breaking for. If you are afraid to hurt your hand you are going to pull that punch or strike when you try and break. More importantly though, if you pull that punch or strike when you need it, in a self-defence scenario it could have even worse consequences.

We get past that mental blockage by trying to break hard things with your kicks, strikes and punches. We learn to use all our potential in our attacks and not hold back. We learn that although a little pain might happen when we break a board, we know that its manageable, that we can continue on and that pain fades away. It develops confidence, and also it is a way to test yourself to see if your attacks truly are powerful. You can look powerful hitting air as much as you want, you can hide your flaws under the disguise of speed, but you cannot hide anything during breaking. Either your go through the target (breaking it) or you don`t (it breaks you).

Accuracy, timing and ability to hit a non-cooperating target (another human being) while he/she is trying to do the same to you, is trained in sparring, while the destruction of the target was trained in breaking. It all worked together to create the big picture and the students were allowed to aim their techniques toward illegal but practical targets as there was little to no contact (eyes, groin, temple etc).
Today the vast majority practice competition sparring with sport techniques aimed to score points. This means the power of a lot of the techniques are pulled back with some techniques not being trained at all if they don’t score. This has diminished the training of breaking at some schools. The importance and need for self-defence though have, in my opinion, increased the need for training in breaking. It is hard to re-create violence in a safe way yet breaking allows us to do this. We can use more devastating attacks and see the outcome. We can push through mental barriers that might arise in real life scenarios.

The primary objective of breaking is to remove the mental barrier that stops people from using their full potential in attacks. Breaking should be tough, not easy. Just stack them up and smash through them. Taekwondo techniques should be so effective that it can destroy just about anything if practised to a sufficient level!

Keep that in mind the next time you have to break



Mark Underwood

Mark is a 4th Dan Master in both Taekwondo and Haidong Gumdo (Korean swords). He has also trained in other styles of martial arts. He is currently the owner and head instructor for Zone Martial Arts in Sydney, Australia.

What is traditional Taekwondo?

One of the most compelling statements to make about traditional Taekwondo is that it has a tradition of change. Over the years, Taekwondo has changed and developed based on social and political environments from the original Kwan’s that opened after Japanese occupation ended and before and after the Korean War. Even today, the Kukkiwon changes the methods of techniques based on changes to the sport or the refinement of technique from a new persons point of view.

The art in these original Kwan’s was extremely close to hard style Karate, although they did have some unique training methods. They did have their own variations in their forms, but the techniques and much of the art was the same as hard style Karate. They had the same uniform, same rank system, same forms etc. The techniques favoured straight linear power strikes, and the art was very "simple" compared to today’s focus on high kicks, intricate footwork and acrobatics. The modern mainstream WTF Taekwondo is indeed something entirely different from the Taekwondo from the original Kwan’s from the 40s to 50s. In the journey from "self-defence combat art" to "martial sport" many traditional training methods have fallen out of favour or disappeared all together.

One of the traditional training methods from the old Kwan’s was a device called “Dallyon Joo”. It used to be an important part of training but has disappeared with the change of focus for Taekwondo globally. Dallyon Joo means “forging post” and is the Korean equivalent of Karate’s Makkiwara. It is a post that you strike continuously to develop power in your strikes, blocks and kicks. A lot of early books on Taekwondo mention this type of training and it’s important in developing powerful techniques. Today it is mostly forgotten.

Most mainstream Dojang’s today teach the basic techniques of Taekwondo, Poomsae (patterns) and sparring although the sparring is most likely to be competition style. If you are lucky, your club may also teach self-defence and breaking although breaking is becoming less of a focus for power and more focused around flashier demonstrations. The five main foundations of traditional Taekwondo though in my view are Basic Techniques, Poomsae, Sparring, Self Defence and Breaking. That is not to say that people who only teach two or three of the above are not teaching “traditional” Taekwondo. The whole phrase traditional Taekwondo is open for interpretation. These are merely my beliefs on traditional Taekwondo.

Maybe there is no "Traditional Taekwondo" left. Personally I think the tradition in Taekwondo is change. Maybe for the better or maybe not. I guess it all depends on what you want out of your journey. That being said, the label "Traditional Taekwondo" should be used only by those who at least as a minimum practice all the "foundations of Taekwondo" and whose practice methods are in line with the art as taught in the old Kwan’s.

Over the next few weeks, I will go into the foundations in more detail from my viewpoint.


Mark Underwood

Mark is a 4th Dan Master in both Taekwondo and Haidong Gumdo (Korean swords). He has also trained in other styles of martial arts. He is currently the owner and head instructor for Zone Martial Arts in Sydney, Australia

What’s my motivation?

I first became interested in martial arts in my early teens. After watching some fantastic martial arts movies I decided that this was for me. This added to the fact that my parents were getting annoyed with me breaking broom handles against the clothes line in my imaginary martial arts fights in the back yard.

I started in Karate back then and although the school didn't fit me (or me it) and I left after about 6 months, it didn't dampen my enthusiasm for martial arts.

I picked up martial arts years later when I started doing Taekwondo. The desire and motivation to learn martial arts had stuck with me and I am glad it did.

Means, Motive and Opportunity.
“In crime fiction a character needs means, motive and opportunity to be considered a suspect.”

These criteria also apply to taking up any new activity, such as learning a martial art. Here's how:

Means: You need enough time and money. For some, money may be a barrier; for others with significant work and family commitments, finding the time is the limiting factor. In both cases, when starting out, taking one class a week has the advantages of easing you in gradually, and should be affordable and possible to schedule.

Opportunity: You need to find an instructor whose class you want to attend and who is prepared to take you on.

Motive: This is the big one: Motive (motivation) is incredibly important, because not only will it get you started on new activities and expose you to new experiences; it is the main thing that will keep you going long term.


What's my motivation?
When I went to my first Taekwondo class, I was impressed by the abilities of the instructor and senior students and how they taught. I wasn't graceful or powerful like them, but my instructor reminded me that it was my best they were looking for and if I focused on technique, the rest would come. Soon I was making progress, and within six months I was hooked.


As a beginner, I appreciated that:

• The instruction was impressive, and different to what I was used to from school and University
• It was challenging, but I was able to make fairly steady progress

Over the next few years, as I started to attain some degree of proficiency, I began to appreciate the gains that I was making in technique and fitness, and my motivation changed. I had progressed from being a naive beginner to a slightly less naive student. By now I had some idea of what Taekwondo was about. Having scratched the surface, I was keen to dig deeper.

As a committed student, I enjoyed:

• The opportunity to keep refining and extending my skills
• The friendships that I was making through martial arts
• Learning realistic self-defence
• Improving my concentration, coordination and fitness
• The rush of competing in tournaments
• The challenge of trying to apply my martial arts training to non-martial arts situations

Now, as a more seasoned student of the martial arts, and also as an instructor, my motivation continues to evolve. In addition to the points listed above, I want to:

• Teach my students well, and learn through teaching
• Help popularize the benefits of martial arts, and promote quality teaching
• Learn something every time I train
• To find connections between different aspects of my training, between the various martial arts, and between my training and my life.

No matter where you are on your journey in martial arts, its important to find your motivation and also to keep reminding yourself of it, of the things you have achieved and what you have learnt. It will keep you moving forward on your journey.


Mark Underwood

Mark is a 4th Dan Master in both Taekwondo and Haidong Gumdo (Korean swords). He has also trained in other styles of martial arts. He is currently the owner and head instructor for Zone Martial Arts in Sydney, Australia

7 Reasons Why Your Child Should Practice Martial Arts

One of the things I see as crucial in today's society, is for children to learn martial arts. There are a lot of different reasons but I did come across this blog entry from a martial artist in the U.S.A. that really resonated with me and I wanted to share it with you as well.

7 Reasons Why Your Child Should Practice Martial Arts

“The martial arts are ultimately self-knowledge. A punch or a kick is not to knock the hell out of the guy in front, but to knock the hell out of your ego, your fear, or your hang-ups.”

- Bruce Lee

Martial Arts provides kids with a healthy dose of self esteem and self respect. That's just two of the many benefits one gains with participation in things like Taekwondo or Haidong Gumdo.
Whether your kid is too bossy, too shy, or perhaps just a little hyper, the martial arts can help your child learn many important life lessons. (And, of course, those same lessons apply for all of us, not just kids.)

Reason #1: They (and You) Will Get More Active

This is the obvious reason kids should do martial arts in this day and age - to get active and moving. In case you haven’t noticed, we have an epidemic when it comes to our nation’s obesity problem. We’re also increasingly unfit in addition to being overweight. The problem is particularly alarming as it relates to our kids.

Youth sports and physical education programs are great, but not every kid is an athlete and many schools no longer offer PE. The martial arts offer many benefits, but when it comes to fitness, becoming a true martial artist means becoming a supremely fit person. Martial arts can help your child get fit and healthy.

Reason #2: They’ll Learn to Find Focus and Stillness

Of the many challenges that parents face today is that we are constantly plugged in. While there are a great many benefits to the Internet, there are many more benefits in stillness and silence. Unfortunately stillness and silence seem to be rare to find. At some juncture in life, every one of us comes to learn that the greatest obstacle we face in this lifetime is ourselves. That battle is fought in the stillness of our hearts and the willingness to confront ourselves. As Bruce Lee pointed out, behind the punches, kicks, and knees, a true martial artist learns to sit with himself and see where his weaknesses are.
In years of martial arts classes, I remember many challenges, breakthroughs, and setbacks. What I do not remember are distractions or gimmicks like you often see at your local health club. At the martial arts studios and boxing gyms where I trained, there was just hard work and sweat equity. As a martial artist, your child will learn what it is to be still, challenged, and focused.

Reason #3: They’ll Learn to Take Hits

In the martial arts, your child will learn what it is to take a hit,whether that hit is a literal blow or a disappointment like failing a test. Part of life is learning that we all take hits. The key is in learning how best to take that hit and get back up. Unfortunately, this lesson seems to be lost on many in our every-kid-gets-a-trophy culture. In the martial arts, your kid will learn to fail - a lot. Half of martial arts is hitting, but half is also getting hit. Ironically, learning how to take a hit is perhaps the best way for your kid to learn how to avoid it.

Reason #4: They’ll Gain Self Confidence and Self Respect


Teaching martial arts, I have been able to witness first hand the confidence students have gained by participating in the martial arts. Learning martial arts gives kids a tremendous amount of confidence.
The right martial arts school will teach your child that there are no tough guys. Every martial artist ultimately learns this sense of respect and true confidence. Your child will learn that confidence and respect for others comes from a deep sense of self-knowledge.

Reason #5: They’ll Connect Their Mind and Body

What they don’t teach you at your local health club is how to really listen to your body. To listen to your body is to also see your thoughts and have heightened awareness of your emotional construct.
A martial artist is taught to see, feel, and listen - both internally and externally. Tapping into intuition, fear, and courage are examples of being able to put the physical together with the mental. How often have we heard the phrase “being paralyzed with fear”? Being able to combat such a thing is what you learn in the martial arts.

Reason #6: They’ll Learn Conflict Resolution

People often ask me whether I have ever used my martial arts and boxing training in a fight. Indeed I have used the skills learned from martial arts many times to resolve conflict, but thankfully, never in a physical altercation outside the ring.
One of the first lessons was that words were never grounds for a fight. That advice right there has saved me many times. In the martial arts, you learn that there is no such thing as “fighting” words. Instead, you learn to respond without reacting in the martial arts.

Reason #7: They’ll Learn to Breathe

Of the many things I have learned in the martial arts, breathing is near the top. Indeed, nothing is more essential to the success of how we move our body than tapping into the life force of our essence - our breath. Ask a professional athlete, or an actor, dancer, or signer, and they will tell you that to succeed in any physical craft is to access your breath correctly.
I am shocked at times working with adults who never learned to breathe properly when under physical exertion. This skill can literally save your life. In the martial arts your kid will learn the essence of how to breathe and even relax under pressure.

The Take Home - How to Proceed

The bottom line is that almost any child can and will benefit from participation in the martial arts. For a typical six or eight year old the point is to just get them moving and focused. The key in choosing a teacher or school is to do your due diligence when it comes to evaluating the integrity of the program. As a starting place, I would choose a prospective instructor or coach who talks more about the needs of your child than his or her program.


Mark Underwood

Mark is a 4th Dan Master in both Taekwondo and Haidong Gumdo (Korean swords). He has also trained in other styles of martial arts. He is currently the owner and head instructor for Zone Martial Arts in Sydney, Australia.

Celebrate the Wins!!!

Sometimes in our martial arts practices we can focus on the things we have difficulty with or that we are unable to do as well as we want. Although it’s good to always realize there is room for improvement and that we should never believe that we are “good enough”, it’s also important to not be too hard on ourselves.

This is where celebrating the little wins is so important. At Zone Martial Arts we work with the students to set goals for their martial arts journey to help them realize that martial arts is about more than just the next belt. These goals are important as these are an example of the smaller wins we have while training.

Other examples of small wins are getting that kick out the way you wanted, nailing that section of a pattern that has been troubling us or getting that woosh sound with a good cut in Haidong Gumdo. Maybe you broke a board for the first time, maybe your partner or instructor pointed out a particularly good technique in class. Whatever it is, celebrate that small win. Those small wins add up and keep us focused on the bigger picture.

Then if you start doing it in class, maybe you can start finding the small wins in other areas of your life, at work, school or maybe resisting the donuts at the shops. No matter what it is, if you start to celebrate the wins you have in your life and at martial arts, maybe you might find something that’s missing.



Mark Underwood

Mark is a 4th Dan Master in both Taekwondo and Haidong Gumdo (Korean swords). He has also trained in other styles of martial arts. He is currently the owner and head instructor for Zone Martial Arts in Sydney, Australia

Hard work pays off!!

I have mentioned in previous posts that I believe that martial arts should be a practice that becomes part of every day of your life. I don’t mean you have to punch or kick every day, but the lessons you learn about self-discipline, control and benefits of hard work are ones that you can and should use every day.

What I find with a lot of students and with myself at times is that it is very easy to let the easy things in life get in the way.

It would be easier to sit on the couch and watch TV instead of training.

It would be easier to do these push-ups on my knees instead of toes.

It would be easier to sit down now as no one is watching and I can get away with it.

At times we all think things like this. What should make us different as martial artists is that we need to see the benefits of hard work. If we practice and practice our kicks, they get better. If we do 1000 cuts with our sword instead of 500, they get better. Hard work pays off.

We need to keep remembering this when we train. This is why I think having short term goals is so important. Getting your next belt, or your black belt are great goals but they shouldn’t be your only goal. Primarily as it’s easy to push it to the side. For example, thinking “its 2 years till I get my black belt, missing this one class won’t make any difference”. It will. Hard work now pays off later and even just the mind shift into a negative or positive frame will have long term effects.

This is where short term goals help. If you have set S.M.A.R.T short term goals, you will be thinking of this now and saying to yourself that you only have 3 months to achieve that goal, so you can’t miss that class.

A mantra I repeat a lot is that when you cheat, you only cheat yourself. This goes for training as well as exams and work. So embrace the hard work. Put in the hours now and you will get the long term benefits in multiple areas in your life, not just your martial arts training.

S.M.A.R.T goals

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Realistic

Time Bound

Mark Underwood

Mark is a 4th Dan Master in both Taekwondo and Haidong Gumdo (Korean swords). He has also trained in other styles of martial arts. He is currently the owner and head instructor for Zone Martial Arts in Sydney, Australia

Process or Progress?

Martial Arts has grown and developed over the years but did you know that the current belt progression systems are more of a western influence on martial arts as opposed to a traditional one?

Most students love the idea of belt progression and the idea of getting new belts at grading. It’s easy to track your progress from Taekwondo white belt to yellow belt and so on until you get your black belt. When a student gets to black belt though, they often wonder what’s next and the percentage of people who stop martial arts once they hit the black belt level is very high. So what is it that has a student quit once they reach their black belt?

I believe that the belt system itself can be a problem as it is a focus on progress and not process. A student at the coloured belt levels, grade a number of times in a year and get used to this regularity. When a student reaches 1st Dan though, the regularity of grading’s decreases with a minimum 1 year gap between 1st and 2nd Dan, 2 years between 2nd and 3rd Dan and so on. This change can really affect the motivation of students who have been focused so heavily on the progress of their martial arts journey.

This is why a focus on process is more beneficial. By process, I mean trying to integrate your martial arts into your daily life. When you go for a run or other fitness activity outside of your normal martial arts classes, do you add in any Taekwondo, Haidong Gumdo or other martial art into your session? This integration of martial arts into your life will help with your overall martial arts journey as well as with your fitness. It goes beyond the physical though. Are you integrating martial arts into the way you interact with people? I don’t mean bowing to the person who serves you at the supermarket but are you being polite and respectful to the people you meet? Are you giving someone who is talking to you the full attention they deserve like you do when an instructor talks to you in class or are playing a game on your phone at the same time?


Focusing your martial arts journey in the process of martial arts, the desire to improve your skills and mindset, not just in class, but in your everyday life, will make you a true martial artist. It’s not about the colour belt you wear around your waist. I believe if people looked at martial arts this way, they would not only continue well into their black belt dan ranks, but feel more fulfilled with their martial arts.

So I challenge you to think more about the process of martial arts in your life, and not just your progress from one belt to the next.


Mark Underwood

Mark is a 4th Dan Master in both Taekwondo and Haidong Gumdo (Korean swords). He has also trained in other styles of martial arts. He is currently the owner and head instructor for Zone Martial Arts in Sydney Australia

Choosing the right martial arts club for you

One thing I am asked a lot is what makes Zone Martial Arts different to other clubs. It’s both an easy and hard question to answer. I could list of a number of reasons why my club is great but will that matter to the person asking the question? Martial arts can be, and should be in my opinion, a very personal journey to improve the body and the mind. So your choice of martial art style and the club you train at should also be a very personal decision. It’s important to ask what you are hoping to achieve.

Are you looking to be a Taekwondo Olympic athlete? If so, choose a club that is very tournament focused.

Are you looking for a family friendly training environment? If so choose a club that has a number of families already training there.

Are you a huge fan of the UFC and how they fight? If so choose a club that teaches MMA styles.

Are you looking for your child? If so, have a look at what specific programs they have in place to help develop a child’s confidence and skills.


I could go on and on but the point is that when you set out to find a club to teach you martial arts, have an idea of what you are looking for and why. Then when you visit the club, ask specific questions that help you work out if this is the right club for you. You don’t have to choose the first club you go to and most will have a trial of some sorts.

You will hopefully continue to train for many years in martial arts so I encourage you to ask questions and above all things, have a go and train in a class. Sometimes that’s the best way to see if a club suits you and your martial arts goals.



Mark Underwood

Mark is a 4th Dan Master in both Taekwondo and Haidong Gumdo (Korean swords). He has also trained in other styles of martial arts. He is currently the owner and head instructor for Zone Martial Arts in Sydney Australia.