However, some of the kata drills described in this thread are largely useless, or inferior methods of training kata technique compared to alive methods.
Could you give some specifics about how you would train poomse/kata pplications in a more alive fashion then? I'm always looking for new drills and excercises for my training.
There's this book out there, "Taekwondo Grappling Techniques" by Tony Kemerly and Steve Snyder. They show grappling-oriented applications of ITF tuls, may be worth a look.
Could you give some specifics about how you would train poomse/kata pplications in a more alive fashion then? I'm always looking for new drills and excercises for my training.
Possibly picking a particular application for a technique that could be used against a rather common method of assault, then getting a willing live partner to do partner drills, something like how RBSD arts do it?
Personally, I think the most effective kata/poomsae/tul/hyung applications can't safely be used in a sport sparring context.
Could you give some specifics about how you would train poomse/kata pplications in a more alive fashion then? I'm always looking for new drills and excercises for my training.
"Aliveness" requires a change in mindset in order to develop skills. It requires a complete divorce from the mentality of "he does this - I respond with this". It favors gross development of skills that can be applied in multiple situations, rather than "kata" of "I use this to block his kick, then jab him in the eye, then grab him here and throw him."
If you could tell me a typical application or set you're working on, I can tell you how to construct some drills.
Ok, here's a farily typical progression of how I might approach poomse based training. let's use the first couple of moves from Taeguk Il Jang (A low block, middle punch combo).
Solo, I might work the form for technical percetion using visualization of various techniques to add "energy' to the practice. not very alive...but useful I think.
I might also approach it from what does this sequence of moves do? I go two ways with this. In one method, I'll figure out a technique (let's say we slip a straight punch with a defensive entry, spearing our elbows into the attacker...then our lead hand levers down the head as I turn to the left and then I punch the exposed ribs/neck/other vital spots as i step through....more than likely knocking the attacker off balance). Initially, as I learn the move my partner and I go back and forht slowly. typical hoshinsul practice. As we get comfortable, the speed and aggressiveness of the attacker and the associated defense increases. I've found that we need to wear hogu's at this point as the strikes (especially those ebows onthe entry) hurt like hell and leave bruising.
Th enext level after doign this as close to real speed as we can safely do is to have the attacker try to do other stuff after the intial attack. Sop he thowas a punch, I try to slip inside and execute the technqiue, while I do this, the attacker might throw a second punch, or try a grab, etc. We can do this slow, we can go fast....the point is I need to be able to either execute my technique or flow into some other counter. these enaggements should stay under 10 seconds...otherwise we're dueling.
Conversely, i could look at not jsut one technqiue, but at all the different wasy that sequence of moves could be used. Maybe its adefense to a lapel grab where i grab the attacking hand, twist it off and take the attacker over, then attack the arm shoulder of my now bent over opponenet. Maybe go into a take down (Athis is a fundamental tech in Aikido). maybe it a deflection move from a kick followed by a counter (like is often taught)...how do I make that work?
I seem to recall hearing about a book that did jsut this....it was called womething like 50 downward blocks and it jus took the low bnlock and went through a number of 2wyas it could be used.
We could do poomse based psarring where we try to utilize the techs unlocked from a poomse in a mroe randori-like manner. Not full on free sparring, but close.
these are thigns I've done/do. What else might you recommend? How else can I train low block middle punch?
Greetings,
I too am a 2nd Dan in TKD and have instructed for 10 yrs. I think you are right on with your approach. Poomsae have much to offer and are more exciting when one tries to interpret them in various ways.
I would suggest decifering 3-5 possible uses for each combo such as your first moves in taeguek il jang *down block punch* even from the initial turn to down block then step and punch.
I have explored possibilities from here and on suggestion would be to excape from a wrist grab or even from a single or two handed choke. Take into concideration the movements taken in prepareing for said turn, block and even punch.
That's what I try to do in my "homework" time. I think the issue raised by Errant108 and others is how then to train that stuff so that it is of use.
deciphering techs is one kind of excercise. drilling those techniques to learn them in another. Putting the underlying concepts behind the techniques together in a freeform mnner (sparring fo rinstance) is yet a third thing entirely.
