Fighting/Sparring Stance

Rough Rider

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Can anybody explain the difference between Fighting Stance and Sparring Ready Stance? I always thought they were two names for the same thing until i started reading the Kukkiwon Taekwondo Dictionary. In it, Fighting Stance is Gyeorumse Seogi 겨룸세 서기, which I've never heard of. Sparring Ready Stance is Gyeoruji Junbi Seogi 겨루지준비 서기, which I'm quite familiar with, although my school doesn't use it.

Now, you may be thinking, they can still be two names for the same thing, but I don't think so. At the beginning of the document there is statement: In the first two sections many techniques wiIl be listed more then once. There are several different ways to describe the same technique in English and I tried to include as many of them as possible. I have also (where possible) grouped some of the kicks (eg: front kick, jumping front kick, flying front kick). In the Romanization and Hangul sections the term wiIl be listed once, but the different English translations wiIl appear with that term. The most correct translation wiIl be the one in boldface.

Here is an example: Cat Stance (Tiger Stance) Beom Seogi

Also, the way I read the above statement, the "two words for the same technique" clause only applies to the English translation. So, Gyeorumse Seogi and Gyeoruji Junbi Seogi must be different stances.
 

Metal

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I didn't get to learn any Korean grammar yet, but I guess they're both the same, with the exception that in Gyeoruji Junbi Seogi you need to have your right foot in the back and the left foot in the front since it's the ready stance before the competition starts.


겨루지준비 서기
Gyeoruji Junbi Seogi

겨룸세 서기
Gyeorumse Seogi

both are based on
겨루기 Gyeorugi/Kyeorugi

So it probably is just a grammar thing.
 

KangTsai

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I didn't get to learn any Korean grammar yet, but I guess they're both the same, with the exception that in Gyeoruji Junbi Seogi you need to have your right foot in the back and the left foot in the front since it's the ready stance before the competition starts.


겨루지준비 서기
Gyeoruji Junbi Seogi

겨룸세 서기
Gyeorumse Seogi

both are based on
겨루기 Gyeorugi/Kyeorugi

So it probably is just a grammar thing.
겨루지준비서기 means a readying stance.
 

andyjeffries

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In the official "Taekwondo Technical Terminology" published by Kukkiwon in 2011 on page 41 it lists it as:

Gyeorugi-junbi(겨루기준비): Sparring Posture [=겨룸새: Gyeorumsae]

They explicitly don't use 겨루기준비 서기 (they don't write 서기) and this is consistent with all other uses of 준비 (junbi) such as "
Gibon-junbi(기본준비): Basic Posture", but when describing other stances they do suffix 서기.

In other places where they list the new terminology, they put the old terminology in square brackets, so I'd infer that 겨룸새 is old terminology but listed for people transitioning. For example at the bottom of page 50:

naeryeo-makgi [=Arae-makgi]

The document you link to is a lovely guide/reference (and it's written by a respected Changmookwan senior of mine), but it's not the official Kukkiwon text.
 

andyjeffries

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I didn't get to learn any Korean grammar yet, but I guess they're both the same, with the exception that in Gyeoruji Junbi Seogi you need to have your right foot in the back and the left foot in the front since it's the ready stance before the competition starts.

What makes you think you need to put your right foot back and have your left foot forward? It's not listed in the WTF competition rules and indeed isn't what happens in high level competition (without any penalty). For example here's Jade Jones in last year's European Championship final match putting her left foot back when going to junbi:

 

Metal

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What makes you think you need to put your right foot back and have your left foot forward? It's not listed in the WTF competition rules and indeed isn't what happens in high level competition (without any penalty).

I remember having seen referees making players change their position when the player went for having the left foot back before "Shijak".That may have been a 'German' thing or a specific thing of those referees. I guess on top it's also based on the way you start drills during training where it is 'the right leg back' first, most of the time.

Just double-checked - also the Kukkiwon textbook only specifies the stances of the referee.
 

andyjeffries

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I think it used to be very normal to always go right foot back (ignoring lefties), but as Taekwondo has switched to a front-foot game I think now it's more normal for people to put their dominant foot forward whichever one that is.
 

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