Bunkai equivalent in taekwondo

[Daniel Sullivan]

I have never heard of a definitive equivalent of Bunkai in taekwondo poomsae/hyung. Are any of you familiar with an explicit concept of Bunkai, and if so, what is the word for it.

And if there is not one, has your dojang developed its own?

Thanks in advance,

Daniel

 

[bluekey88]

the term is "boon hae" I believe.

Stuart Anslow (a MT member) has written a book abou tthe boon hae of the first few ITF forms. I've heard good things abou tit and it's on my list of books to add to my MA library.

Peace,
Erik

 

[miguksaram]

I feel that is something that is missing from Korean arts. I would love to see KKW put that into their curriculum. I enjoy doing it in my Shorei-ryu studies.

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

I feel that is something that is missing from Korean arts. I would love to see KKW put that into their curriculum. I enjoy doing it in my Shorei-ryu studies.

That is my impression. I would like to make Bunkai or boon hae a part of my curriculum when I am operating my own dojang.

Daniel

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

the term is "boon hae" I believe.

Stuart Anslow (a MT member) has written a book abou tthe boon hae of the first few ITF forms. I've heard good things abou tit and it's on my list of books to add to my MA library.

Peace,
Erik

Interestingly, when I googled Boon Hae, this is one of the links:

http://www.iainabernethy.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=000047

It is a boon hae seminar by none other than the very same Stuart Anslow.

Thank you Erik! Now I have a correct term.

Daniel

 

[MBuzzy]

Here is a thread in which this was discussed in depth.

A very quick summary..."As I said, bunseok, bunhae, haesul, and haeseok all have similar meanings; any of which could be a translation for the word Bunkai, depending on the specific idea you want to get across."

From what I can tell, Bunseok and Bunhae are the two most commonly used terms.

 

[astrobiologist]

I'm a TSD practitioner, mostly, and I'm still really beginning to understand form applications as they are taught in other systems. For the most part, the Korean Martial Arts really lack a deep understanding of the movements in their forms. Masters Jay S. Penfil (TSD) and Iain Abernethy (Wado Ryu) have been a true benefit to me in my current journey to understanding.

I use Japanese and Korean terminology when I teach. I usually say "Bunkai", but I'm going to let my students know that the Korean is "Boon Hae" (Thanks!).

My suggestion: find a good teacher for bunkai/boonhae if you can. Check out www.iainabernethy.com for good articles on applications of forms. Keep your mind open. One person's bunkai may be different from another's, but both may be applicable. Once you start breaking your forms down and learning about the possibilities, you'll start seeing applications in your mind while training.

 

[Hajime]

I'm not entirely sure what this Bunkai thing is, but from those pictures it looks to be self-defense maneuvers correct? If so, then the equivalent in to that in TKD(at least ITF TKD) would be Ho San Sol, or self defense. In the encyclopedia written by the General, there is an entire section for this kind of stuff.

 

[Kacey]

We do applications all the time; in step sparring, one should take techniques from patterns and apply them, with an eye toward developing techniques and combinations that can be used in free sparring. And as Hajime said, there is an entire section in the Encyclopedia devoted to applications - in the extended Encyclopedia (rather than the condensed version) there are applications for every movement, sometimes several applications for every movement.

 

[terryl965]

It is Boon Hai and yes the KKW should have it on there website when they explain poomsae but since the KKW really is a shell for sport TKD it is not important as much to them anymore.

 

[bluekey88]

It is Boon Hai and yes the KKW should have it on there website when they explain poomsae but since the KKW really is a shell for sport TKD it is not important as much to them anymore.

They do offer some applications of a vbery select few forms move...but the applications are very 'shallow.' I read in a book on kata (the title escapes me at the moment, though it is in the wein of the sorts of things being done by Mr. Anslow and Mr. Abernathy) that applications can have different depths.

For example, one could look at the low bloc-punch combo that starts out the the first two Taeguk forms as what they appear to be...and block to a kick or low punch followed by a counter attack. This is the sort of application one finds in the Kukkiwon material...basuc, and not gauranteed to be a fight ender. Deeper application might be the low bblock actually being used to release a shoulrder grab (starting with the chamber) bending and unbalancing the attacker on the downward portion of the movement with a strike to the back, neck, ribs, etc. It could be a grab with the lower hand 9the one that will go into chamber on the downward block. Then the block becomes more of a breaking maneuver, followed by a strike.

The idea is that block strike applications tend not to be fight enders...but deeper applications require that the application end with the attacker on the ground unable to continue....I haven't seen much of that in the kukkiwon apps.

Peace,
Erik

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

Here is a thread in which this was discussed in depth.

A very quick summary..."As I said, bunseok, bunhae, haesul, and haeseok all have similar meanings; any of which could be a translation for the word Bunkai, depending on the specific idea you want to get across."

From what I can tell, Bunseok and Bunhae are the two most commonly used terms.

Thank you for directing me to that thread!! I found this post to be very, very helpful:

Graham,
Thank you for your kind words here... Training with you and your dojang is awesome. I am looking forward to being there with all of you again soon.

As Bernard stated: The Pyong Ahn Hyung are Okinawan, as are ALL of the hyung in Tang Soo Do (not Soo Bahk Do).

In my 37+ years of cross training in Tang Soo Do, Shotokan, Isshinryu, and Motobu-Ha Shito Ryu I have learned all of the hyung/kata I have found that all of these systems, and many others share many of the same hyung/kata, but perform them differently.

It isn't a matter of one or some doing them correctly while others do them incorrectly. It is a matter of understanding what the intent of each technique is when executing them. As I teach practitioners from different systems about Bunkai, Henka and Oyo I find that very few have any real understanding that goes beyond "Blocking, Kicking and Punching". Most use hyung/kata as an exercise to take them from one rank to the next, and nothing more.

Ask yourself; Does my fighting look anything like my hyung/kata?

Or; Does my hyung/kata look like traditional technique and my fighting looks more like kickboxing?

If you understand "Bunkai, Henka and Oyo", and how to apply it your fighting will look like your hyung/kata. If you don't, it won't...

If your training has been exclusively in Tang Soo Do or Tae Kwon Do and you have never been exposed to training in Okinawan Karate Jutsu, chances are good that you have no idea of what I am discussing here and may even take offense to what I am saying. Please don't take offense. You can't know what you have never been exposed to.

There are many of you who have met and trained with me in person, such as:
Bernard Redfield-Tang Soo Do Mi Guk Kwan
Michael Pope-Tang Soo Do Mi Guk Kwan
Peter Miles-Tae Kwon Do
Graham Lau -Tang Soo Do/Tang Soo Jutsu

If you have trained with me and are not listed here, please take a moment to sign in and let us know that you are here...

For those that I did list, please post what you found regarding Bunkai, Henka and Oyo as they pertain to hyung/kata and the way that you now view technique as a result of our training.

I will look forward to your responses...

My thanks to Master Jay!!

Daniel

 

[MBuzzy]

Thank you for directing me to that thread!! I found this post to be very, very helpful:

Daniel

No problem. I urge anyone who is looking for straight translations to keep an open mind when dealing with other languages....any other languages. Words do not always translate directly or easily and there may be multiple words that convey very slightly different ideas, as in this case. Each of the different words here mean something ever so slightly different. The Japanese use a single word to get the whole idea, since it is an integral part of many of their arts. The Koreans don't have a single word, but many which convey minor differences of idea. This is very very common when jumping between languages.

As for actual application of this concept within KMA....I would have to agree, your best bet is Master Penfil. He is the trailblazer in that area for the KMA's. If you want to look a bit further, Iain Abernathy is huge into Bunkai for the Japanese arts and offers a great deal of books, webcasts, articles, videos, etc.

 

[chrispillertkd]

Is Boon Hae a term that has traditionally been used in TKD and other Korean MA's, or is it a neo-logism coined by Mr. Anslow? Either way it's no big deal, I was just curious as I seem to recall Mr. Anslow saying on another forum that it was nearly a direct translation of Bunkai into Korean.

The term I have heard before is Keupso Chirigi, or vital point striking. It emphasizes striking to certain areas of the body (obviously) but does include other "hidden" or - perhaps better -less obvious applications of techniques.

Pax,

Chris

 

[StuartA]

Boon Hae is technically a direct translation of Bunkai - however, though direct it lacks the 'omp' that bunkai has in Japanese circles as to the average person it simply means to dismantle or take apart, however, it is Korean and in MA circles means the same regarding pattern applications, therefore is correct in lui of a better/original word.

Hae Sul means indepth examination, so is used in researching Boon hae, so it is incorrect to describe the training of techniques from patterns as Hae Sul, as you are training stuff you already know, to make them better.

Hosinsul is incorrect as it applies to all techniques that relate to self defence and not specifically pattern applications.

It is not a neologism as many use the term, it is simply not as common as the term Bunkai as 1) Many TKD schools dont do boon hae 2) Many instructors never knew what the term was as part of their standing/early training so used 'Bunkai' instead, as thats all they knew.

Thats how I understand it all anyway.

Stuart

 

[bluekey88]

As an interesting asie to the OP. I see that Simon O'Neil just published a book on Boon Hae applied to the Taeguk forms. I've ordered it and sold have it in a week or so. I'll post a review once I get a chance to look at it.

Peace,
Erik

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

As an interesting asie to the OP. I see that Simon O'Neil just published a book on Boon Hae applied to the Taeguk forms. I've ordered it and sold have it in a week or so. I'll post a review once I get a chance to look at it.

Peace,
Erik

Fantastic! Do you have the title of the book by chance?

Daniel

 

[bluekey88]

You can order it through www.combat-tkd.com

it is called The Taeguk cipher: The patterns of Kukki Taekwondo as a Self-defense Syllabus.

Peace,
Erik

 

[exile]

You can order it through www.combat-tkd.com

it is called The Taeguk cipher: The patterns of Kukki Taekwondo as a Self-defense Syllabus.

Peace,
Erik

It finally came out??!! I've been waiting for that book to appear in print for two years, ever since I learned that SJO'N was writing it!!

Bluekey, you've just made my day, month and year (and we don't even do the Taegeuks at my dojang—we do the Palgwes! :lol

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

You can order it through www.combat-tkd.com

it is called The Taeguk cipher: The patterns of Kukki Taekwondo as a Self-defense Syllabus.

Peace,
Erik

Must order... must order... must order....must..er.. you get the idea.

Daniel