The founding patronage of Taekwon-Do is not questioned today, however when it is called the discipline, it is described as a Martial Art created and systematized by General Choi Hong Hi.
It should not be thought of as a mysterious fact enclosed in a context that is difficult to explain and apply. It is framed by a philosophical and anatomical process. This last part has a unique biomechanical development supported by the use of Newtonian laws and the kinetics of motion. Almost 3,200 techniques that make it up allow us to respond to most of the circumstances that self defense may pose. Each of its movements was designed with a specific purpose, beyond that sometimes and due to ignorance, a double utility is given to certain movements.
It is wrongly believed that all techniques are contained in the 24 patterns or Tul established as the backbone of art. These only add up to 970 movements, many of them repeated. Therefore, they are far from containing all the techniques. However, it is necessary to point out that part of what the Founder intended is that all movements are designed to produce maximum power in accordance with scientific formulas and the principles of kinetic energy.
It is also necessary to take into account the distance and angle of the objective, plus a particular biomechanics that accompanied by the correct breathing process, let to achieve the proposed objective.
The movements demand precision and respect for health care; therefore, the purpose and method must be clear and simple to facilitate the teaching and learning process. The 24 patterns or Tul are a fundamental part for understanding the aforementioned purposes. Many of these techniques will be of very sporadic application because they require a special circumstance to be used. Others that are easier to incorporate due to it single opponent destination, allow the execution of confrontations or combat under sport rules, reducing the arsenal of art to 6 or 7 techniques that are generally used by the most prominent competitors in sports free combat.
However, both in one case and the other, the biomechanical development of art is unavoidable if what you want to incorporate is Taekwon-Do and not a hybrid system of sports fighting with little relation to self defense. To obtain the aforementioned development, a methodology is necessary that, as in all things that is intended to be successful, must be raised from least to greatest. The degrees of training reasonably begin with the White belt, to which ignorance is attributed. Therefore, the methodology to be used must respect what is stated. However, in most teaching places, the opposite is usually seen. Probably in a rush or driven by sports performance needs, most beginners are encouraged to use techniques that require more advanced body management. Faced with this reality, it is worth remembering the phrase mentioned at the beginning: it is a Martial Art created and systematized by General Choi Hong HI. It means that the methodology to be used is already pre-established to achieve the correct biomechanical incorporation that allows a gradual and effective evolution, while respecting the psychophysical health of the student. However, and due to the pressing sports requirement, what has already been developed is usually ignored and a new and «supposedly effective» method is invented every day, generally related to other fighting systems. Of course, here it is imperative to understand the difference between fighting and self defense.
To be aware read the previous notes