By Scott Shaw
This article first
appeared in the June 2009 issue of Black Belt Magazine
Taekwondo
has long been defined by its advanced kicking techniques. But, taekwondo is
much more than simply a martial art that places its primary focus upon the
legs. At the heart of taekwondo is an exacting system of self-defense that
employs all parts of a practitioner’s body. This is done so that the
practitioner can be confident and emerge victorious from whatever type of
physical altercation they may encounter.
Throughout
the early evolution of taekwondo, from the mid 1940s forward, its self-defense
techniques were continually reviewed and redesigned in order to make taekwondo
an exacting science of self-defense. During the latter part of the
twentieth century, however, taekwondo evolved into an Olympic sport. From this
came many rules and regulations that began to alter the evolution of this
self-defense orientated style of martial arts. Most noticeably was the fact
that many of the original hand and arm strikes, that were elemental to the
foundation of the original art of taekwondo, began to be toned down and in many
cases eliminated altogether. This was due to the fact that in Olympic style
taekwondo competitions, the punch is never allowed to be delivered to an
opponent’s face or head. Punching and other hand techniques are
restricted solely to an opponent’s body.
With
the inauguration of the sport of taekwondo, this has caused many modern
taekwondo instructors to veer their curriculum away from the traditional
self-defense aspects of taekwondo and focus their training primarily upon the
sport facets of the art. There has been much controversy associated with
this redefinition – especially among the early practitioners of the art.
This is due to the fact that many believe that by training a taekwondo student
to focus their hand striking techniques solely upon the body of an opponent,
the natural reaction to strike to the more debilitating locations on the
opponent’s neck and head will be hindered if they ever encounter true combat.
Hidden Inside the
Forms of Taekwondo
It
must be understood that taekwondo was developed to utilize all elements of the
practitioner’s body in the most efficient and effective manner possible. Simply
by looking at the forms (poomse) of taekwondo, one immediately sees that there
are low kicks to the legs, punches to the head, knife hands to the throat, and
elbow strikes to the temples.
With
the dawn of Olympic sport taekwondo, some teachers have moved away from
training their students in the actual self-defense applications detailed in
these forms. Instead, they have left the hand and arm strikes only to be
practiced during the forms segment of a taekwondo class. This has caused
speculation on the part of many novice taekwondo students as to how to actually
use the hand and arm techniques detailed in the forms. This has given birth to
a school of thought that there are secret elements, known only to the masters,
hidden within the forms of taekwondo. This is not the case, however. The only
reason this myth persists is based upon the fact that some modern taekwondo
teachers no longer embrace the essential self-defense applications detailed in
the forms of taekwondo. Instead, they have shifted their focus to
training their students solely on the limited applications of sport taekwondo.
It
must be understood that by not embracing the entire system of self-defense,
detailed in the original definition of taekwondo, many students have been left
with a less than adequate understanding of self-defense. To overcome this
problem, the entire system of taekwondo self-defense training must be embraced
– especially that of the hand and arm strikes. Thereby, making all
taekwondo practitioners the most competent and well-rounded self-defense
technicians possible.
For
this reason, this article will detail some of the understandings of how
taekwondo uses the fist, hand, and arm in the most efficient self-defense
manner possible. From this, the taekwondo practitioner can gain a refined
understanding about the techniques in taekwondo’s arsenal of hand and arm
strikes in order to better understand how they are best employed in actual
self-defense applications.
Taekwondo and the Fist
Taekwondo
possesses a plethora of hand and arm striking techniques. The fist, the
knuckles, the knife hand, the circle hand, and the elbows are all part of this
vast system of self-defense. To this end, the true practitioner of taekwondo
never leaves behind all of the tools of his art. Though they may train
extensively in the rules that make up Olympic sport competition, they also
train their body and mind to be prepared to unleash the most devastating hand
and arm strikes if the self-defense situation ever presents itself.
Rapid Penetration
At
the heart of taekwondo’s self-defense arsenal is the understanding of rapid
penetration of an opponent’s defenses. What this means is that taekwondo
uses a very linear and straightforward method in the unleashing of all of its
offensive and defensive attacks. From this, each taekwondo strike becomes very
rapid and is designed to quickly penetrate an opponent’s defenses.
Simplicity
is the second key to the taekwondo arsenal of self-defense. This means that no
unnecessary or over exaggerated movement is ever employed, as this simply slows
down the process of self-defense. Each offensive or defensive strike is
designed to be rapid and precise in its application and is implemented to
debilitate an opponent in the most rapid manner possible. From these two
understandings comes an extremely exacting system of self-defense that uses no
unnecessary movement and quickly debilitates any attacker.
With
these two tenets as a basis of self-defense understanding, taekwondo’s primary
punching technique is the straight punch. By its very design, the straight
punch allows the practitioner to make contact with the intended target in the
most expedient and powerful fashion possible.
The Straight Punch
The
straight punch is one of the essential tools of taekwondo’s punching arsenal.
The straight punch uses the front fist. It is understood that this punch is
generally the first line of defense one should turn to for self-defense
applications, as it is a natural, easy, and very debilitating technique of
self-defense.
The
taekwondo straight punch is driven forward, directly towards your target, in a
linear fashion. Your shoulder muscles and triceps are the bodily tools
used to propel your fist forward. Your fist can make contact with your
opponent in either a vertical or horizontal positioning.
The
taekwondo straight punch is ideally delivered when the elbow of your punching
arm remains slightly bent upon making target impact. This is initially
accomplished by accurately judging the distance between you and your opponent.
You then make striking impact with your opponent before your arm reaches the
point where it must stretch out or extend unnaturally to reach its desired
strike point. By allowing your elbow to remain slightly bent, whenever
you use a straight punching technique, you not only maintain maximum body
balance but you keep your elbow from possible hypertension, as the momentum of
the punch drives it forward.
The
key element that gives the taekwondo straight punch its power is the fact that
you make contact with your target before you have extended your punching arm
fully. The reason for this is so that your straight punch reaches its
target as close to its point of inception as possible. This allows you to
continue forward with the force and power of the punch -- extending it deeply
into your opponent. If, on the other hand, you have to reach to make
contact with your opponent, you will have utilized and wasted a large portion
of the power of your punch before it ever impacts its intended strike point.
The Taekwondo
Straight Punch Verses the Roundhouse Punch
The
reason the practitioner of taekwondo utilizes the straight punch, as the
preferred punching technique, is the fact that it holds several advantages over
the more common roundhouse punch. The roundhouse punch is delivered when the
punching arm initially swings outwards and then in towards its target. Due to
its design, the roundhouse punch is not only much slower than the straight
punch, but it is much more obvious and easy to defend against, as well.
Other Linear Hand
Strike Techniques
Through
the design and application of the straight punch, the practitioner of taekwondo
delivers other linear hand striking techniques in much the same, very direct
manner. By this style of application, these techniques not only become
very fast and powerful but they additionally become very hard to block -- due
to the extremely linear nature of their delivery.
The Knuckle Fist (Jin
Joo Mok)
The
knuckle fist is formed by making your hand into a fist. You then cause your
forward knuckles to extend forward. Offensive delivery is made with this
weapon of the hand by projecting your bent elbow from mid body level. The
forward motion of this punch is driven forward with your shoulder and arm
muscles. As the knuckle fist is a refined and highly specific striking tool,
its impact is ideally delivered to the solar plexus or central throat of an
opponent.
The Circle Hand (Won
Yuk Soo Do)
The
circle hand is formed by separating your thumb from your forefinger, tightening
the muscles and tendons of the hand, and striking, in a linear fashion, to the
frontal region of an attacker’s neck. The circle hand, which strikes an
opponent’s throat, is also immediately delivered in a very linear style of
attack. From this, the opponent is struck and debilitated before he has
the opportunity to block this offensive technique.
The Palm Strike (Chang
Kwon)
The
palm strike, like the straight punch, is delivered in a very linear fashion.
The palm strike has you bend your fingers at your second knuckle, which exposes
the base of your palm. By bending your fingers in this fashion, the
muscle that extends from your thumb across the base of your hand is tightened,
thus providing a powerful striking weapon. Your palm is then brought back to
your shoulder level. It is unleashed by snapping the strike towards its
target with your shoulder muscles.
The
palm strike is most effectively used to target locations on your opponent’s head
such as: underneath the base of his nose, (which can prove deadly), across the
bridge of his nose, his temples, or the side of his jaw.
The Back Fist (Ye
Kwon)
The
use of the back fist, in modern taekwondo, has virtually disappeared. This
offensive technique was, however, an integral part of the original teachings of
this art.
The
back fist is an extremely rapid offensive weapon. To unleash the back
fist, your elbow is bent and your fist is brought back to your chest at shoulder
level in a vertical position. The back fist is then unleashed at its
target by first snapping your elbow out and then extending the distance of the
back fist’s attack from your shoulder. The back fist is generally aimed at your
opponent’s head.
The
back fist is extremely difficult to defend against. This is due to the
fact that it is a very rapid striking weapon and once impact is made, your fist
is rapidly recoiled. The back fist can, therefore, be used multiple times
when additional striking measures are necessary.
The Bottom Fist (Yoo
Kwon)
The
bottom fist is formed in a traditional fist fashion. The striking element
of this weapon is the base of your hand, between your wrist and the base of
your little finger. The bottom fist is delivered in a downward striking
motion. It is ideally targeted at the top of the head, or the bridge of the
nose of your opponent when you are both in a vertical position. In other
instances, this strike can be used to strike downward to any location on your
opponent’s body you find open for immediate attack.
The Knife Hand (Soo
Do)
To
form the knife hand, the fingers are extended and the muscles and tendons in
the hand and wrist are tightened. The initial mistake many novice taekwondo
practitioners make when attempting to use the knife hand as a weapon is to
relax the tension in their hand, either just before or when the knife hand
strikes. This should never be done, for you can easily break bones in
your hand.
The
basic strike weapon of the knife hand is along the base of the hand. This
extends from where the wrist ends to where the little finger begins. This is
along its arched side and is the location where the knife hand develops the
most strength by the aforementioned tightening techniques.
The
extension of the arm and then the snapping of the elbow propel the knife hand
strike. The momentum developed by the snapping out of the elbow should
never be allowed to entirely control your knife hand assault. The elbow should
remain slightly bent when the knife hand technique is delivered, thus
maintaining control over your movement.
The
knife hand is not a randomly effective weapon such as the fist -- which can be
allowed to strike virtually anywhere on an opponent’s body. Instead, the knife
hand is ideally suited to strike very specific locations on an opponent’s body:
the front of his neck, across his nose, to his temples, and the side of his
ribs.
The Inside Knife
Hand (Yuk Soo Do)
The
inside knife hand is formed in much the same way as the traditional knife hand.
Initially, the muscles of the fingers and hand are tensed. The difference
between this offensive technique and that of the traditional knife hand is that
impact is made with the inside ridge of your hand. To this end, the thumb
of the striking hand is pulled tightly into the palm, thereby exposing the
inner ridge of the hand.
Due
to the fact that it is very easy to damage the hand and thumb if the technique
is unleashed improperly, this advanced taekwondo hand striking technique is
only used by the most advanced practitioners who truly understand this hand
technique’s proper usage. The ideal opponent striking techniques to be
impacted by the inside knife hand are the side of an opponent’s neck, the front
of his neck, and across the bridge of his nose. As this technique does
not possess a lot of power, it is not an ideal technique to be used on other,
firmer, bodily locations.
The Elbow Strike (Keum
Chi)
As
can be seen in a number of taekwondo forms, the elbow strike is a commonly
employed tool of offense and defense. To the taekwondo practitioner, the elbow
becomes an exacting weapon in numerous self-defense applications.
The
forward elbow strike witnesses you bending your elbow, exposing the protruding
elbow bone at the base of your forearm. This bone is your striking tool.
This forward elbow strike is ideally targeted at a vital strike point on your
opponent’s head.
To
perform the forward elbow strike, bring your elbow up to shoulder level and
pivot your body at waist level. By stepping in with your lead foot, you make an
extremely powerful impact to your target.
The
forward elbow strike is an ideal weapon to be used in close contact
in-fighting. It is an ideal weapon on your opponent when your opponent is
moving in on you or has taken a powerful forward hold on your body. The
ideal strike points for this type of defense are your opponent’s temples or any
place on his face.
The
rear elbow strike is an ideal weapon to use if an attacker has grabbed a hold
of your body from behind. If you have been grabbed from behind, the rear
elbow strike witnesses you pivoting backwards, unleashing your bent elbow from
shoulder level, making impact to virtually any part of your attacker’s body,
but most ideally to his head and face.
If
you have not yet been grabbed from behind but your attacker is close, you can
add the additional momentum driven movement of your body into the strike by
pivoting at your waist level, as your rear elbow strike is unleashed.
Using the Entire Art
As
can be easily understand, taekwondo utilizes much more in its self-defense
arsenal than simply its feet. It also takes the hands and arms of the
practitioner and turns them into exacting tools of self-defense. Though this
expansive system of self-defense has continued to be refined over the decades,
instead of diminishing its techniques it is essential that the true taekwondo
enthusiasts continue to embrace all aspects of the art, thereby make the
practitioner a more complete and well-rounded martial artist.
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