The 1975 Taekwondo poomsae textbook describes Jitae as follows:
"According to Oriental belief, all living things come from and return
to the earth. The earth is indeed the origin and terminal of life.
Living things as well as all the natural phenomena of the earth
originate mainly from the changes and form of the earth. Poomsae Jitae
is the movement which applies these features and properties of the
earth. The key point of this Poomsae lies in the movements which are
derived from the harmony of implicitly welling power and strong
muscles, just as the universal mind of the earth lies in the
implicitness and the vigor of life."
The new Kukkiwon Textbook describes Jitae as follows (very
different from the older explanation):
"The word 'Jitae' means a man standing on the ground with the two
feet, looking over the sky. A man on the earth represents the way of
struggling for human life, such as kicking, treading and jumping on
the ground. Therefore, the poomsae symbolizes various aspects
occurring in the course of human being's struggle for existence. . . .
and the poomsae line signifies a man standing on the earth to spring
up toward the heaven."
Jitae is the poomsae for 6th Dan, and the Kukkiwon promotional
regulations state that those who are 30 or older are eligible for
promotion to this dan. Those who are Kukkiwon 6th Dan in their
30's are those who started at a relatively young age, usually in
elementary school, and after 20 or more years of hard training, find
themselves at the peak of their ability, when maturity that can only
come with age meets one's physical prime, and decline. Having
proven himself physically, as well as having undergone the ten fold
increase at the 5th Dan level, the 6th Dan is, in my opinion, the age
at which the best instructors, and best coaches show themselves.
6th Dan coaches no longer feel that need to keep up or compete
with the athletes they are entrusted with, and this frees up to a
certain extent the natural competitiveness that can exist between a
younger coach and his elite athletes. Our best coaches in the US have
generally been those who, after a long competitive career, now have
turned their attention to developing athletes. Master Sang Lee was in
his 30's when he began coaching the US National Team, as was Master
Dae Sung Lee and Master Han Won Lee.
Even in Korea, if you look at the elite teams, we see that the coaches
sitting in the chairs are those who are in their 30's. GM KIM Se
Hyuk was in his 30's when he was the 1988 Korean Olympic
coach, and his successor is Master HAM Joon, the person who sits
in the chair for the Samsung S1 players.
The Taekwondo pioneers who created the Palgwae and Yudanja
poomsae were mostly 6th Dan in their 30's when they worked together
as a committee.
If there is one quality that distinguishes a 6th Dan from lower dans,
it is the intuitive ability to do the right thing at the right moment.
This is the coach who can sum up an opponent's entire game after less
than one round and instantly give the type of advice that will defeat
that opponent. This is the instructor who can take any student and in
the space of five minutes deal with whatever challenge that particular
student is facing with a response that is nothing short of
inspirational. It is almost as if whatever the 6th Dan does, works.
The 6th Dan is a transition period, going from the mental lessons of
the middle dans, to the spiritual lessons of the upper dans. It is
also the half way point, in terms of time in grade in the journey from
white belt to beyond 9th Dan. This is why the poomsae line of Jitae
signifies a man standing on the earth to spring up toward the heaven,
because having gone through the physical and mental demands of the
art, he can intuitively see and feel what the journey lies ahead,
which is to take it to the next level.
So we can see that the taekwondo journey, as mapped out within the
poomsae created by the pioneers, is a journey of hope and of self-
discovery, where each step builds upon the lessons learned at the
lower levels. To a certain extent, one must have a good master who
can guide the student through the various levels, and certain lessons
can only be truly understood by those who have walked the path, but
all can enhance their trip by taking heed of the sign posts as laid
out by the pioneers. And if you wish to honor them or show your
respect, then you will practice the poomsae as they were intended
to be practiced, with the proper feeling and philosophy behind the
movements.
"According to Oriental belief, all living things come from and return
to the earth. The earth is indeed the origin and terminal of life.
Living things as well as all the natural phenomena of the earth
originate mainly from the changes and form of the earth. Poomsae Jitae
is the movement which applies these features and properties of the
earth. The key point of this Poomsae lies in the movements which are
derived from the harmony of implicitly welling power and strong
muscles, just as the universal mind of the earth lies in the
implicitness and the vigor of life."
The new Kukkiwon Textbook describes Jitae as follows (very
different from the older explanation):
"The word 'Jitae' means a man standing on the ground with the two
feet, looking over the sky. A man on the earth represents the way of
struggling for human life, such as kicking, treading and jumping on
the ground. Therefore, the poomsae symbolizes various aspects
occurring in the course of human being's struggle for existence. . . .
and the poomsae line signifies a man standing on the earth to spring
up toward the heaven."
Jitae is the poomsae for 6th Dan, and the Kukkiwon promotional
regulations state that those who are 30 or older are eligible for
promotion to this dan. Those who are Kukkiwon 6th Dan in their
30's are those who started at a relatively young age, usually in
elementary school, and after 20 or more years of hard training, find
themselves at the peak of their ability, when maturity that can only
come with age meets one's physical prime, and decline. Having
proven himself physically, as well as having undergone the ten fold
increase at the 5th Dan level, the 6th Dan is, in my opinion, the age
at which the best instructors, and best coaches show themselves.
6th Dan coaches no longer feel that need to keep up or compete
with the athletes they are entrusted with, and this frees up to a
certain extent the natural competitiveness that can exist between a
younger coach and his elite athletes. Our best coaches in the US have
generally been those who, after a long competitive career, now have
turned their attention to developing athletes. Master Sang Lee was in
his 30's when he began coaching the US National Team, as was Master
Dae Sung Lee and Master Han Won Lee.
Even in Korea, if you look at the elite teams, we see that the coaches
sitting in the chairs are those who are in their 30's. GM KIM Se
Hyuk was in his 30's when he was the 1988 Korean Olympic
coach, and his successor is Master HAM Joon, the person who sits
in the chair for the Samsung S1 players.
The Taekwondo pioneers who created the Palgwae and Yudanja
poomsae were mostly 6th Dan in their 30's when they worked together
as a committee.
If there is one quality that distinguishes a 6th Dan from lower dans,
it is the intuitive ability to do the right thing at the right moment.
This is the coach who can sum up an opponent's entire game after less
than one round and instantly give the type of advice that will defeat
that opponent. This is the instructor who can take any student and in
the space of five minutes deal with whatever challenge that particular
student is facing with a response that is nothing short of
inspirational. It is almost as if whatever the 6th Dan does, works.
The 6th Dan is a transition period, going from the mental lessons of
the middle dans, to the spiritual lessons of the upper dans. It is
also the half way point, in terms of time in grade in the journey from
white belt to beyond 9th Dan. This is why the poomsae line of Jitae
signifies a man standing on the earth to spring up toward the heaven,
because having gone through the physical and mental demands of the
art, he can intuitively see and feel what the journey lies ahead,
which is to take it to the next level.
So we can see that the taekwondo journey, as mapped out within the
poomsae created by the pioneers, is a journey of hope and of self-
discovery, where each step builds upon the lessons learned at the
lower levels. To a certain extent, one must have a good master who
can guide the student through the various levels, and certain lessons
can only be truly understood by those who have walked the path, but
all can enhance their trip by taking heed of the sign posts as laid
out by the pioneers. And if you wish to honor them or show your
respect, then you will practice the poomsae as they were intended
to be practiced, with the proper feeling and philosophy behind the
movements.
