Taekwondo is like a cake with many pieces. The pieces are: sparring / kyourugi, pattern / poomsae, self defense / Hosinsul, applications / haesul, theory /philosophy, etc. This diversity helps to make taekwondo as activity can accompany you throughout your life. Taekwondo has evolved in step with the knowledge, science and society, but has deep roots in ancient traditions. Taekwondo is also becoming a worldwide sport that has gained an international flair, but influenced by culture to its origin, Korea.
In everyday life, we perform many actions that we are not thinking particularly over. It can be simple things like picking up something from the floor, take out something from the fridge etc. My focus when I take out the milk from the refrigerator, not on the road to the milk, but the milk as a goal. Unconsciously we make a series of action lines / patterns to achieve a result, while the movement behind the result is both insignificant and without conscious learning.
In martial arts have often an excessive awareness of movement before the results achieved. Sometimes as much that we lose the quality of the result. One example is that we should perform a blockage or stroke. His gaze, the way we collect movement or the angle of the elbow is what concerns us most and not the mission behind the technique, namely to avert an attack with the most efficiency and strength.
It is clear that it is important to know the body’s pattern of movement, and especially methods for enhancing the effect of the techniques. The problem is when this overshadows the actual action goals. In so-called traditional martial arts one uses much time to turn in the air. Some get a surprise when they first turn on which Punching, Punching and not least an opponent.
A master I have had the pleasure of being taught by, used the term “grab the tie”, instead of punching. The effect of this focus is that actually achieved “impact” or effect the right place, a few centimeters through the target, and not directly in front or too far behind.
By blocks, punches, kicks and the like, think tank and weather in the target, and with it, you can perform the techniques with the underlying movement pattern 100% natural.
Not only will move most rational and natural, but you disable a delay factor, namely tank.
Now is not my intention that you do not need training and instruction on proper motion, but that after a certain level should train with “just be there” feeling. With “just be there” feeling, I think that mentally focus on the target even before the technique is performed.
That way you will automatically use the body’s natural movement and physiology as an unconscious tool to build maximum strength and speed. Moreover you will get natural “collapse” / relaxation in movement and prevent muscle tension helps to slow down prior quickness. Looking for a fighter like Mohammed Ali, it is precisely the way he carried out his movements, with a naturalness and apparent relaxation which in turn led to an explosion at the “impact”.
This will also lead to a pulse in the movement, from sleep to awakening, from standstill to explosion. This in turn will make sure we can use breath both more beneficial and healthy, and only then will kihap actually give dividends. It is precisely this pulse and feeling of turning on and off which means that we can talk about yin and yang principles in poomsae. The more we can reset us / relax between techniques, the bigger explosion and power we get blocks, punches and kicks.
Just mastery of total relaxation in the moment we pick up and are ready for a technique, it’s about making sure we can master it to break and crush materials such as stone and wood.