Totally Tae Kwon Do Magazine - Issue 17 - Usadojo

definition, cannot have a bias towards the
right leg over the left. The first six patterns
we learn are symmetrical, at least in terms
of the kicks performed:
• Chon-Ji and Dan-Gun do not contain
any kicks;
• Do-San has two middle front snap
kicks, one with each leg;
• In each of the next three patterns
(Won-Hyo, Yul-Gok and Joong-Gun),
each leg performs a front snap kick
and a middle side piercing kick.
Toi-Gye is the first pattern in which we see
a bias. Of the four kicks in this pattern,
three are with the right leg. Each leg
performs a low-section side front snap kick,
but the right leg also gets a middle-section
front snap kick and a knee upward kick.
Hwa-Rang is the next pattern and contains
the next example of bias. While the turning
kicks are equal (one with the right and one
with the left, both high section), there is
also a single middle-section side piercing
kick performed with the right leg.
Choong-Moo is the ninth pattern in TKD. It
is the final colour-belt pattern, for those at
60 - Totally Tae Kwon Do
the grade of 1st kup, and it has 30
movements. It also gives us our next
example of right-leg bias, and this is much
more obvious than in the previous two
patterns. In fact, I’m surprised that I never
really noticed it when I was a 1st kup;
perhaps that’s because I’m right legged.
Towards the end of Choong-Moo there are
two middle-section side piercing kicks -
one with the right leg and one with the left
(moves 25 and 26). During the middle
section of the pattern, we find move 14 is a
high turning kick with the right leg,
balanced out with move 17, which is a
middle turning kick with the left leg. The
bias, however, is at the start. The seventh
move is a right-leg middle side piercing
kick, and the 9th move is a right-leg flying
side piercing kick. There are no equivalent
left-leg side kicks. To try to “balance things
out”, there is a middle-section back
piercing kick for the left leg at move 15, but,
in my opinion, this pattern certainly favours
right-legged people. And let’s not forget the
right-leg knee upward kick at move 12.
Let’s use the table (below) to summarise
the kicks in the colour belt patterns to
confirm the right-leg bias we have found so
far:
Pattern Right Leg Kicks Left Leg Kicks No. of
Kicks
Chon Ji - - 0
Dan Gun - - 0
Do San Middle front snap kick x 1 Middle front snap kick x 1 2
Won Hyo Low front snap kick x 1 Low front snap kick x 1
4
Middle side piercing kick x 1 Middle side piercing kick x 1
Yul Gok Low front snap kick x 1 Low front snap kick x 1
4
Middle side piercing kick x 1 Middle side piercing kick x 1
Joong Gun Low side front snap kick x 1 Low side front snap kick x 1 4
Middle side piercing kick x 1 Middle side piercing kick x 1
Toi Gye Low side front snap kick x 1
Middle front snap kick x 1
Low side front snap kick x 1 4
Hwa Rang High turning kick x 1
High turning kick x 1 3
Middle side piercing kick x 1
Choong Moo Middle side piercing kick x 2
High turning kick x 1
Knee upward kick x 1
Flying side piercing kick x 1
Middle side piercing kick x 2
High turning kick x 1
Back piercing kick x 1
TOTAL 17 12 29
Summary Of Kicks In Colour Belt Patterns
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