Totally Tae Kwon Do Magazine - Issue 27

Federation, Kukkiwon and the Korea
Taekwondo Association. Nevertheless,
schools supporting a classical approach to
training frequently include both the Palgwe
set and what has now come to be known
as Original Koryo in their present syllabus.
Moreover, as an
adjunct to the
traditional curriculum,
many poomsae or
hyung, with a direct
lineage to their
Japanese/Okinawan
and Chinese kin are
included as well.
Although altered
somewhat to suit the
basic parameters of
Tae Kwon Do, we
see evidence of this
fact with the inclusion
of formal exercises
such as Balsek
(Bassai), Chil-Ki
(Tekki/Nihanji),
Yunbee (Empi), Sip
Soo (Jitte) and Jion,
to name a few.
Yet, just as the eum/
yang or the duality of opposites predicts,
formal exercise practice symbolizes a
danger that cuts both ways; forfeiting
poomsae training altogether in favor of
strategies that focus exclusively on sport
sparring represents a tragedy of grand
proportions in denying the practitioner to
experience the myriad benefits associated
with the process. Likewise, attempting to
master every pattern within the lexicon of
Kukki and traditional Tae Kwon Do could,
potentially, be of equal disservice since an
in-depth analysis or hae sul of the practical
applications embedded in the form may
become blurred or ignored altogether. After
all, as Funakoshi was fond of saying, “The
old masters used to keep a narrow field but
plough a deep furrow.”
In many circles today, it is said that if the
traditional methods of teaching Tae Kwon
Grandmaster Chun performs Chul-Ki Cho Dan for
Chosun Taekwondo Academy students
Do are to be preserved, it will occur in the
West. This statement is partially based on
the fact that major founders of the art no
longer reside within the borders of Korea,
but have long ago relocated here and
abroad. Moreover, there exist a vast
number of
instructors outside
the homeland of
Tae Kwon Do who
favor the practice of
formal exercises
coupled with
practical selfd
e f e n s e
techniques, both
hallmarks of
traditional Tae
Kwon Do, over
Olympic-style
sparring and martial
arts practice merely
as a path to
physical fitness.
Clearly, it is this
group who will
safeguard the rich
heritage of
traditional Tae Kwon
Do and act as fertile
ground for the conservation and continued
cultivation of the formal exercises unique to
the art.
This article is an excerpt from Taekwondo
Poomsae: Original & Kukki Koryo, to be
published by YMAA in 2013
Master Doug Cook, a 5 th dan black belt, is head
instructor of the Chosun Taekwondo Academy
located in Warwick, New York, a senior student of
Grandmaster Richard Chun, and author of three
best-selling books entitled: Taekwondo…Ancient
Wisdom for the Modern Warrior, Traditional
Taekwondo - Core Techniques, History and
Philosophy, and his most recent contribution,
Taekwondo–A Path to Excellence, focusing on the
rewards and virtues of tae kwon do, published by
YMAA of Boston. Master Cook and Grandmaster
Chun have just completed a new book on Original
and Kukki Koryo poomsae targeted for publication
in 2012. Master Cook can be reached for lectures,
seminars or workshops at www.chosuntkd.com or
info@chosuntkd.com.
Totally Tae Kwon Do - 33