Totally Tae Kwon Do Magazine - Issue 17 - Usadojo

usually performed with much tension and
muscular power. Any objective viewer
would immediately identify them as
representative of hard style martial arts.
ITF Taekwon-Do, however, has become
much more relaxed because of its iconic
(and often misunderstood) sine wave
principle. The sine wave motion, when
performed correctly, requires that the
practitioner be completely relaxed, except
at the moment of impact. The tempo of ITF
Taekwon-Do patterns have also slowed
down over the years.
With a few exceptions,
the tempo is generally
never rushed. 2 ITF
Taekwon-Do has also
moved away from the
stocky Karate motions
of its past. The
preliminary motions in
ITF Taekwon-Do have
become more circular
contributing to more
fluidity in technique. In
this sense, patterns in
ITF Taekwon-Do have
moved towards a more
soft style approach with
normally more relaxed
and fluid movements,
and a slowed down
tempo. This way of
movement is more
conducive to Ki training.
While breathing and
stretching exercises and
patterns can help you
become aware of Ki in
yourself, it does little to hone your skills for
sensing the Ki in other people. One part of
Taekwon-Do training that I believe can
help with developing sensitivity to the Ki (or
intention) of one’s opponent is prearranged
sparring. Prearranged sparring usually
involves two practitioners practising
together. The appointed attacker attacks
with a set number of movements. Often the
defender knows exactly how the attacker
will attack. For instance, Three Step
The author and another black belt
practitioner “waiting” and anticipating each
other’s intentions during a controlled free
sparring exercise at the main ITF dojang in
Seoul, Korea. Notice how both players are
completely relaxed, yet focussed.
Sparring usually involves that the attacker
steps forward with three walking stance
punches. The defender is then required to
defend against these set attacks by
blocking each punch and finishing the
sequence with a counter attack. Or Two
Step Sparring may involve two attacks,
likely a hand attack first, followed by a foot
attack second. The defender blocks the
two attacks and finishes the exercise with a
counter attack. The main purpose of
prearranged sparring is to acquaint the
practitioner with
appropriate angles and
distances for various
offensive and defensive
manoeuvres. It also
gives the defender the
opportunity to try out a
variety of different
defensive and offensive
manoeuvres. If the
defender knows exactly
what the attacker will do,
prearranged sparring will
add little for Ki
development; however,
a slight modification can
change prearranged
sparring into excellent
reaction and Kisensitivity
exercises. If
the prearranged sparring
is performed with the
number of attacks known
(be it Three Steps, Two
Steps, or One Step), but
the type of attacks are
unknown, the exercise
suddenly requires the
defender to anticipate how his partner will
attack. This makes the exercise similar to a
real sparring match in that the practitioner
knows that an attack is coming, but does
not know in what form it will come. The
defender is required to act reflexively. The
novice practitioner often waits to see what
attack is coming; advanced practitioner
relies less on sight and more on an intuitive
feeling—a sensitivity to their partner’s
intention or Ki.
Totally Tae Kwon Do - 43