The 1975 Taekwondo poomse textbook describes Pyongwon as
follows: "The living lot of humans is the plain. Fertile and vast
plain give us food. It also has been the place where human life had
been lived and carried on. On the other hand, a great open plain
stretching out endlessly gives us a feeling of majesty that is
different from what we feel on a mountain or the sea."
The new Kukkiwon Textbook describes Pyongwon as follows:
"Pyongwon means plain which is a vast stretched out land. It is the
source of life for all the creatures and the field where human beings
live their life. The poomse Pyongwon was based on the idea of peace
and struggle resulting from the principles of origin and use. . . .
The line of poomsae means the origin and transformation of the plain."
Pyongwon is supposed to be learned at the 4th Dan level, since the
focus of the 4th Dan is or should be to come down from the lofty
physical heights of the mountains scaled at the lower dans and to
develop his or her teaching abilities, to transform the fertile plain
of the dojang floor into a place where new crops of students are
raised. If you look at a dojang floor when it is empty, it takes on
the appearance of a fertile plain. The older, more traditional wooden
floor looks like a freshly plowed field, ripe for planting.
Pyongwon is the shortest poomse of all the Kukkiwon poomse,
which tells the 4th Dan that for this dan, his focus is not on his own
training, but the training of his students. The side to side movement
pattern of Pyongwon mirrors the movements of an instructor going
back and forth across the dojang floor, teaching his or her students.
It is these teaching qualities that differentiate a 4th Dan from lower
ranks, and once these qualities are achieved, then the 4th Dan is
ready for promotion to 5th Dan.
The original name of Pyongwon was Paekjae Hyung, Baekjae (one
of the three kingdoms that were unified) being the ancient name for
the Cholla Do provinces, which are known for its vast fertile plains
and its farmland.
The people of Cholla Do are also known for their high intelligence
and creativity. In ancient times, intellectuals, artisans as well as
criminals were sent to Cholla Do, which served as sort of a Korean
siberia or a penal colony.
Their descendants carried the "smart" genes within them, thus the
reputation of the Cholla Do people. A product of this intelligence is
shown in the development of the Taekwondo competition format
and Modern Training Methods, which were created or tested in
large part by competitors from Cholla Do, more specifically Cholla
Buk Do (Northern Cholla Do).
This fits with the philosophy of the second group of Kukkiwon
yudanja poomse (Pyongwon, Sipjin and Jitae) which focus on a
martial artist's mental development. The development of one's
teaching style, the focus of Pyongwon, is essentially a mental
endeavor.
follows: "The living lot of humans is the plain. Fertile and vast
plain give us food. It also has been the place where human life had
been lived and carried on. On the other hand, a great open plain
stretching out endlessly gives us a feeling of majesty that is
different from what we feel on a mountain or the sea."
The new Kukkiwon Textbook describes Pyongwon as follows:
"Pyongwon means plain which is a vast stretched out land. It is the
source of life for all the creatures and the field where human beings
live their life. The poomse Pyongwon was based on the idea of peace
and struggle resulting from the principles of origin and use. . . .
The line of poomsae means the origin and transformation of the plain."
Pyongwon is supposed to be learned at the 4th Dan level, since the
focus of the 4th Dan is or should be to come down from the lofty
physical heights of the mountains scaled at the lower dans and to
develop his or her teaching abilities, to transform the fertile plain
of the dojang floor into a place where new crops of students are
raised. If you look at a dojang floor when it is empty, it takes on
the appearance of a fertile plain. The older, more traditional wooden
floor looks like a freshly plowed field, ripe for planting.
Pyongwon is the shortest poomse of all the Kukkiwon poomse,
which tells the 4th Dan that for this dan, his focus is not on his own
training, but the training of his students. The side to side movement
pattern of Pyongwon mirrors the movements of an instructor going
back and forth across the dojang floor, teaching his or her students.
It is these teaching qualities that differentiate a 4th Dan from lower
ranks, and once these qualities are achieved, then the 4th Dan is
ready for promotion to 5th Dan.
The original name of Pyongwon was Paekjae Hyung, Baekjae (one
of the three kingdoms that were unified) being the ancient name for
the Cholla Do provinces, which are known for its vast fertile plains
and its farmland.
The people of Cholla Do are also known for their high intelligence
and creativity. In ancient times, intellectuals, artisans as well as
criminals were sent to Cholla Do, which served as sort of a Korean
siberia or a penal colony.
Their descendants carried the "smart" genes within them, thus the
reputation of the Cholla Do people. A product of this intelligence is
shown in the development of the Taekwondo competition format
and Modern Training Methods, which were created or tested in
large part by competitors from Cholla Do, more specifically Cholla
Buk Do (Northern Cholla Do).
This fits with the philosophy of the second group of Kukkiwon
yudanja poomse (Pyongwon, Sipjin and Jitae) which focus on a
martial artist's mental development. The development of one's
teaching style, the focus of Pyongwon, is essentially a mental
endeavor.
