ATC
Senior Master
Poomsae techniques applied to fighting or SD. Pretty cool.
Last edited:
Cool little video
- Thread starter ATC
- Start date
I enjoyed that video thanks
I'd like to take a moment to look at this video in-depth. And thank you ATC for posting it. First off, I like the snap and quickness in the BB demonstrating to the techniques.
Looking at the first 10 seconds you see a basic 'high block' followed by a straight punch. This is a pretty straight-forward and simplistic defense/counter-strike. And that's a good thing as SD is a chaotic, messy thing and simple is often the best approach. If something is too complicated or requires too many refined movements then the % of being able to effectively use it goes down dramatically. So in the first 10 seconds the guy is punching, simple gross motor skill 'block' followed by a counter-strike. But let's look further. Let's make TKD an effective grappling art as well as striking/kicking. And there's no reason it can't be both. Using the same exact movements, imagine the attacker is grappling with you. Perhaps he's grabbed you and pushed you up against a wall. The same movements this BB has used in the video can now be applied to this situation. Depending on your position, related to your attacker's position, the 'high block' now becomes a rising forearm strike. Used either against one of the limbs grabbing/pinning you (to move it up and off of you to clear room for our counter-strike) or against some portion of their upper torso, preferably the throat or under the chin to make the head rise/turn upperwards and away from you. Again, to clear room to set up the counter-strike.
Using a similar drill, we will practice something like this both ways. I feel it is highly beneficial to have as many movements serve a dual purpose i.e. defending yourself from typical standing arms length as well as being nose-to-nose. Makes the movements fast, definitive and instinctual.
Going a step further, again using the 'high block' motion and the straight punch counter-strike we can add conclusions to the drill. This can play to the students personal strengths as to what type of strike/kick/lock/throw they use to end the confrontation. As an example, let's say you high block with the left arm (either deflecting an incoming punch or moving a grasping limb off/away from you or striking the attacker with the forearm). You then punch with your right fist to the solar plexus of the attacker. More than likely, due to training, your left hand has come back towards your center (perhaps chambered) as your right hand punches. Now you can execute another strike using the left hand/elbow. Or you can set up a throw or lock if that is appropriate to the situation.
I'd like to expand on other portions of the video but I'd like to let others comment on it, or perhaps what I've posted so far. One thing I'd like to comment on, to offer a fair and balanced critique of the video was one of the kicks. At the 1:35 mark he kicks with the instep. I do not advocate kicking with the instep as the point of contact. It looks and sounds great against a compliant/semi-compliant opponent wearing gear. But in a real world fight, where both parties are probably moving chaotically and the environment may/may not be very friendly, it presents too great a possibility for self injury as opposed to the amount of damage it will cause. Sparring with pads and chest protectors are one thing, doing it for real against a violent attacker is quite another. Injure the instep and you've taken away one of your tools for defense. Rather, the shin is a better point of contact. Full disclosure, I've conditioned my shins and I've gone shin-to-shin with someone. They didn't condition their shins, I did. He ended up on the ground grabbing a bleeding shin and I ended up standing and watching him bleed. Point is that the instep sounds good against a padded target. SD doesn't have padded targets and I want to reduce the opportunity for self injury as much as possible. Hence, I don't kick, teach or advocate kicking with the instep being the point of contact.
Good video and hopefully more to follow
Looking at the first 10 seconds you see a basic 'high block' followed by a straight punch. This is a pretty straight-forward and simplistic defense/counter-strike. And that's a good thing as SD is a chaotic, messy thing and simple is often the best approach. If something is too complicated or requires too many refined movements then the % of being able to effectively use it goes down dramatically. So in the first 10 seconds the guy is punching, simple gross motor skill 'block' followed by a counter-strike. But let's look further. Let's make TKD an effective grappling art as well as striking/kicking. And there's no reason it can't be both. Using the same exact movements, imagine the attacker is grappling with you. Perhaps he's grabbed you and pushed you up against a wall. The same movements this BB has used in the video can now be applied to this situation. Depending on your position, related to your attacker's position, the 'high block' now becomes a rising forearm strike. Used either against one of the limbs grabbing/pinning you (to move it up and off of you to clear room for our counter-strike) or against some portion of their upper torso, preferably the throat or under the chin to make the head rise/turn upperwards and away from you. Again, to clear room to set up the counter-strike.
Using a similar drill, we will practice something like this both ways. I feel it is highly beneficial to have as many movements serve a dual purpose i.e. defending yourself from typical standing arms length as well as being nose-to-nose. Makes the movements fast, definitive and instinctual.
Going a step further, again using the 'high block' motion and the straight punch counter-strike we can add conclusions to the drill. This can play to the students personal strengths as to what type of strike/kick/lock/throw they use to end the confrontation. As an example, let's say you high block with the left arm (either deflecting an incoming punch or moving a grasping limb off/away from you or striking the attacker with the forearm). You then punch with your right fist to the solar plexus of the attacker. More than likely, due to training, your left hand has come back towards your center (perhaps chambered) as your right hand punches. Now you can execute another strike using the left hand/elbow. Or you can set up a throw or lock if that is appropriate to the situation.
I'd like to expand on other portions of the video but I'd like to let others comment on it, or perhaps what I've posted so far. One thing I'd like to comment on, to offer a fair and balanced critique of the video was one of the kicks. At the 1:35 mark he kicks with the instep. I do not advocate kicking with the instep as the point of contact. It looks and sounds great against a compliant/semi-compliant opponent wearing gear. But in a real world fight, where both parties are probably moving chaotically and the environment may/may not be very friendly, it presents too great a possibility for self injury as opposed to the amount of damage it will cause. Sparring with pads and chest protectors are one thing, doing it for real against a violent attacker is quite another. Injure the instep and you've taken away one of your tools for defense. Rather, the shin is a better point of contact. Full disclosure, I've conditioned my shins and I've gone shin-to-shin with someone. They didn't condition their shins, I did. He ended up on the ground grabbing a bleeding shin and I ended up standing and watching him bleed. Point is that the instep sounds good against a padded target. SD doesn't have padded targets and I want to reduce the opportunity for self injury as much as possible. Hence, I don't kick, teach or advocate kicking with the instep being the point of contact.
Good video and hopefully more to follow
I'd like to expand on other portions of the video but I'd like to let others comment on it, or perhaps what I've posted so far. One thing I'd like to comment on, to offer a fair and balanced critique of the video was one of the kicks. At the 1:35 mark he kicks with the instep. I do not advocate kicking with the instep as the point of contact. It looks and sounds great against a compliant/semi-compliant opponent wearing gear. But in a real world fight, where both parties are probably moving chaotically and the environment may/may not be very friendly, it presents too great a possibility for self injury as opposed to the amount of damage it will cause. Sparring with pads and chest protectors are one thing, doing it for real against a violent attacker is quite another. Injure the instep and you've taken away one of your tools for defense. Rather, the shin is a better point of contact. Full disclosure, I've conditioned my shins and I've gone shin-to-shin with someone.
I think one of the things the video demonstrates is the flexibility of technique application in Kukki taekwondo and all taekwondo in general, for those that are willing to learn and have an open mind. I think we get caught up in semantic wars when we begin discussions about that application.
I boxed quite a bit before I began my taekwondo journey and we do lot of hand work in my dojang and in that regard I have a little beef with the punching technique of the demonstrator. He is very fast, a good thing, but he lowers (or enters in with) his head when punching -- with no cover or distance.That leaves him wide open to uppercuts, quick short hooks, or even a stiff jab down the pike from a tall person.
As for roundhouse kick, with an instep, on the street, it will depend on training, footwear and where you hit. In 25-plus year of doing taekwondo all I have kicked with is the instep. In four serious street encounters -- one involving three attackers in very bad lighting -- my left leg round house kick to the body and head settled matters. In all occasions I was wearing shoe with fairly flexible soles. The one thing that will neutralize a poorly thrown instep roundhouse kick is a good elbow. I've pretty hard legs from years of playing soccer, but I have never kicked or learned to kick with my shin so that's not a weapon of choice for me, I think the shin is also vulnerable to a good elbow.
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