mastercole
Master Black Belt
News Flash
Seoul, Korea - Since 1987 Poomsae Has No Hanja!
According to the Kukkiwon, the WTF, KTA, and individual KTA Poomsae Committee members, on February 26, 1987 a meeting was held with the Hangul Society or Hangul Hakhae (seven scholars of the ethnic Korean language). As a result of this meeting it was decided to change several Taekwondo terms into ethnic Korean words (no Hanja).
Lets look at Kukkiwon High Dan Director and Poomsae Committee member, GM Kyo Yoon Lee's book, Global Taekwondo to see what I mean.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/grandmastercole/5838249404/in/pool-1667737@N25
So Poomse, which had related Hanja - see this link http://www.flickr.com/photos/grandmastercole/5837989126/in/pool-1667737@N25 was changed to "poomsae". The new ending "sae" had no related Hanja, changing the term into a pure ethnic Korean term. This is not the only time such a meeting has occurred, that latest series of meetings occurred between 2008 and 2010 resulting in many changed terms, which I posted here on this list last year.
Any way, lets take a look at some credible sources of information that give the correct definition of the current Taekwondo term, Poomsae.
Let's start with what the Kukkiwon states, see the link below.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/grandmastercole/5837213335/in/photostream
There we have it, right from the horses mouth. We can also see they are using a Hangul (not Hanja) descriptor to explain more detail. Maybe you notice the Hangul for "Ahnjumsae", or sitting shape inside the parentheses. Yes, the Kukkiwon loves to use the word shape for Poomsae, and they can since they have not been restrained by a Hanja based term since 1987, that would be 24 years now.
Let's take a look at another credible source, the Ullsan Taekwondo Association (KTA in Ullsan) website posting about the 1987 change to Poomsae.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/grandmastercole/5837764288/in/pool-1667737@N25
Oh, check out this video. It's a TV show in Korea where they talk about words. The TV commentator chose "poomse" vs "poomsae" as a topic. He even shows a nice graph of the different terms, funny he feels the Taekwondo people should still use the old Hanja based term, not ethnic Korean terms!
http://blog.daum.net/_blog/BlogTypeView.do?blogid=0AQLd&articleno=3062738#
Official statements on current Poomsae definition:
LEE Kyong Myung - writes majority of everything technical from WTF, KTA & KKW, from the Kukkiwon Textbook to all three websites.
Chapter 4. The Principles of Taekwondo Page 65. Pumsae (Principle)
- pum is referred to as a static state, and a movement as a dynamic state
Chapter 5. Special Qualities of Pumsae page 73-76
- pumsae is a pure Korean term
- compound of pum and sae
- pum denotes a certain movement, form or character
- sae signifies style, taste, appearance and the like
- pum (form) has the meaning of static state of movement already suspended
- sae means the dynamic state of an entity
Kukkiwon Instructor Course Textbook
Page 169. F. Explanations of Basic Terms
Posture
Shapes
Dongjak / movement = shape of movement
Poom / form = shape of the body in general
Kyo Yoon Lee
The shape after conducting a Taekwondo action is called a “poom”
…and it means the stop of action “jung” – negative
Sae means movement of action such as shape and form –positive
WTF
Shape of execution of poom is movement
Shape of ending is poom
Al Cole
Seoul, Korea - Since 1987 Poomsae Has No Hanja!
According to the Kukkiwon, the WTF, KTA, and individual KTA Poomsae Committee members, on February 26, 1987 a meeting was held with the Hangul Society or Hangul Hakhae (seven scholars of the ethnic Korean language). As a result of this meeting it was decided to change several Taekwondo terms into ethnic Korean words (no Hanja).
Lets look at Kukkiwon High Dan Director and Poomsae Committee member, GM Kyo Yoon Lee's book, Global Taekwondo to see what I mean.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/grandmastercole/5838249404/in/pool-1667737@N25
So Poomse, which had related Hanja - see this link http://www.flickr.com/photos/grandmastercole/5837989126/in/pool-1667737@N25 was changed to "poomsae". The new ending "sae" had no related Hanja, changing the term into a pure ethnic Korean term. This is not the only time such a meeting has occurred, that latest series of meetings occurred between 2008 and 2010 resulting in many changed terms, which I posted here on this list last year.
Any way, lets take a look at some credible sources of information that give the correct definition of the current Taekwondo term, Poomsae.
Let's start with what the Kukkiwon states, see the link below.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/grandmastercole/5837213335/in/photostream
There we have it, right from the horses mouth. We can also see they are using a Hangul (not Hanja) descriptor to explain more detail. Maybe you notice the Hangul for "Ahnjumsae", or sitting shape inside the parentheses. Yes, the Kukkiwon loves to use the word shape for Poomsae, and they can since they have not been restrained by a Hanja based term since 1987, that would be 24 years now.
Let's take a look at another credible source, the Ullsan Taekwondo Association (KTA in Ullsan) website posting about the 1987 change to Poomsae.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/grandmastercole/5837764288/in/pool-1667737@N25
Oh, check out this video. It's a TV show in Korea where they talk about words. The TV commentator chose "poomse" vs "poomsae" as a topic. He even shows a nice graph of the different terms, funny he feels the Taekwondo people should still use the old Hanja based term, not ethnic Korean terms!
http://blog.daum.net/_blog/BlogTypeView.do?blogid=0AQLd&articleno=3062738#
Official statements on current Poomsae definition:
LEE Kyong Myung - writes majority of everything technical from WTF, KTA & KKW, from the Kukkiwon Textbook to all three websites.
Chapter 4. The Principles of Taekwondo Page 65. Pumsae (Principle)
- pum is referred to as a static state, and a movement as a dynamic state
Chapter 5. Special Qualities of Pumsae page 73-76
- pumsae is a pure Korean term
- compound of pum and sae
- pum denotes a certain movement, form or character
- sae signifies style, taste, appearance and the like
- pum (form) has the meaning of static state of movement already suspended
- sae means the dynamic state of an entity
Kukkiwon Instructor Course Textbook
Page 169. F. Explanations of Basic Terms
Posture
Shapes
Dongjak / movement = shape of movement
Poom / form = shape of the body in general
Kyo Yoon Lee
The shape after conducting a Taekwondo action is called a “poom”
…and it means the stop of action “jung” – negative
Sae means movement of action such as shape and form –positive
WTF
Shape of execution of poom is movement
Shape of ending is poom
Al Cole