I am so nervous. It’s been over a decade since I first heard
about the traditional Korean martial art of Taekyun. Some say it is the origin
of modern Taekwondo and others say it is something completely different in its
own right. The art nearly disappeared during the Japanese occupation of Korea
but was maintained primarily through a single master who continued practising
during this time.
For me, training in Taekyun has been a dream I was never
sure I would be able to fulfil. In 2014, I visited Korea and spent many hours
searching the backstreets for the location of the Taekyun headquarters in
Insadong I had read about. I was unsuccessful. When I returned in 2015 I tried
again to find the Taekyun club but still with no success. This time though I
found it and was able to contact them about training.
So here I am, about to start a new martial art, one I have
been dreaming about for years and I was nervous. I have been doing martial arts
for years and this is not the first time I have stepped out of my comfort zone
to try something new but it is the first time I have done it in a different
country in a language I am not fluent in.
I walk down the little alley and garden to the training
hall. There is a man outside hitting a tree with the back of his hand. To me it
looks like he is conditioning his hand but it could just be a cultural thing I
haven’t experienced. I open the door and step inside but no one is there. I
call out in English and Korean but nothing. So I step back out. The man who was
hitting the tree comes over and asks if he can help me. He introduces himself
as Chan Jae but quickly tells me to call him Charlie. I am not sure if that’s a
nickname he already has though or if he doesn’t want to hear me butcher the
pronunciation of his actual name. Charlie is a student of Taekyun himself and
quickly helps me get ready for my first class.
Taekyun is very fluid and movement based and it’s a bit like
dancing and that has never been my strong suit. We go through a warm up and I
just following along as best I can. No single person seems to be running
anything though. We line up because it’s time to start and someone starts the
music which your movements are timed to.
After the warm up though the Grandmaster arrives and he
singles me out straight away. His name is Master Ki-hyun Do. Grandmaster Do
asks about my martial arts history and looks excited that I am keen to train in
Taekyun. He tells me he will teach me three things tonight.
Triangle Stepping
(Pum Balgi).
The footwork in Taekyun is based on a triangle system. You
start with your feet shoulder width apart and the bottom two points of the
triangle and then one at a time you step a foot onto the top triangle point and
then back to its starting spot. You move your arms back and forth in time with
your steps. I feel very awkward at first and the Grandmaster tells me to do
this one hundred times and leaves me to practise.
Bend the Knees
After I reach about forty on my count Grandmaster Do takes
some pity on me and comes over to improve my technique. He tells me the second
thing he will teach me is to bend my knees. Every time I step, whether forward
or backwards I must bend my knee noticeably. He leaves me to continue my one
hundred movements and to be honest, now that I am bending my knees it feels
much better.
Natural
Grandmaster Do returns again just as I am nearing one
hundred. I think he was counting as well to test me and make sure I was
dedicated enough to do the one hundred. Frankly if he hadn’t come back at one hundred
I would have kept going. It felt really good to move this way. It was then that
he told me the third thing he wanted me to learn. Natural. He said Taekyun is a
martial art that works on people moving naturally. It should feel natural. By
this point I understood. At first it was awkward but now it felt natural.
He did teach me a few more things this lesson. Some great
breathing techniques which really showed me just how much further I have to go
in training my breath for martial arts. There is an art itself in this which I
have been keen to learn and I am hoping he will teach me more. Overall my first
Taekyun lesson was fantastic and I am looking forward to a lot more training in
this traditional art. Maybe I might get to kick something soon.
U.N.T
Mark
Mark Underwood holds the rank of Master in three martial arts, 5th Dan Black Belt in Taekwondo. 4th Dan Black Belt in Haidong Gumdo (Korean swords) and 1st Dan Black Belt in Gongkwon Yusul (Korean MMA). He has also trained in a number of other martial arts styles. He is currently the owner and head instructor for Zone Martial Arts servicing the Sutherland Shire area from the Taren Point location
