tkdgirl said:
What do they represent? That's the question I'm coming up with, now that I'm at an advanced belt level. On the 2 new forms I've learned so far: one starts off with both hands start like I'm used to seeing (like when I'm ready for a command from my instructor), except the hands are open and as I'm about to take my first step, it's a strike to the groin area. The other form is my left hand is at my waist in a fist with my right hand covering the knuckles. I'm not real certain as to what that is, but have a couple of ideas. There is one more at my belt rank, and a few others that I've seen in more advanced levels. What I was wondering, was why so many different hand positions, and do they have any meanings?
To get back to your original question (although I found the linguistic discussions fascinating) some of them have meanings and some don't. Chun-bi (which is how I've always seen "jun-bi" spelled) means "ready stance". There are multiple ready stances in TKD. The most common, with your hands in fists in front of your belt, is called "ready stance" or, more properly and less commonly "parallel ready stance", referring to the placement of both the feet and hands in parallel positions. The variants have specific names in both English and Korean, some of which are descriptive of the stance, and some of which are descriptive of the position. For the sake of my transliteration skills, I'm going to stick with English.
"except the hands are open and as I'm about to take my first step, it's a strike to the groin area."
If this is the one I'm thinking it is, it is called "close parallel ready stance type C". The reason I'm not sure is that when we do it, the fingertips of both hands cross, with the left hand on top, rather than just being extended. The first pattern we use it in - Hwa-Rang - has an initial movement that extends the way you describe, except that it's higher, so I'm thinking that this is the same chun-bi position. Also, the feet are together, not apart, touching from toes to heels - thus "close" (not "closed", although the common speculation is that that was a translation error). I'll get into detail in a minute.
"The other form is my left hand is at my waist in a fist with my right hand covering the knuckles."
This one is somewhat different from the stance we do, in that the left hand is on top, and there is a philosophical reason for this. In many Asian cultures, begining with the right side is unlucky (for example, stepping into someone's home with the right foot is an omen of bad luck) or it is confrontational. Therefore, placing the left hand over the right would be a sign of peacefulness. I realize others may have different interpretations, but this is the one I've been taught. This stance, with the left hand on top, and the feet touching as described above, is called "close parallel ready stance Type B".
There are 4 types of parallel ready stance beyond the basic one - types A, B, C, and D, which refer to the hand positions, as the feet remain in a parallel stance. They all have the feet touching from toes to heels, and the hands go as follows:
Type A: right fist covered by left hand, held with the top knuckle of the left hand at eye level, thumbs inside (toward the face). The hands are 15 cm from the face.
Type B: right fist covered by left hand, held at navel level, thumbs up. The hands are 10 cm from the body.
Type C: both hands are straight, in a knife hand, with the wrists straight also. The fingertips of the left index and middle finger rest on top of the fingertips of the right index and middle finger. The hands are 5 cm from the body.
Type D: both hands are in loose fists, with elbows bent 25 degrees, hands somewhat to the sides of the body, as if performing a low block with each hand (this one's a little harder to describe).
There is no philosophical rationale for any of these, except the part about the left hand covering the right, that I am aware of... but my instructor gave me an assignment to research chun-bi and charyot positions last Wednesday, so I'm sure I'll have more information soon.
means "ready" in the Korean language. It is used in Korean Martial Art to indicate any "ready position." It is more of a command to "get ready." To be precise, one should call the ready stances "Junbi Seogi." The fists in front of the waist, with the feet hip's width apart is the "basic ready position." This is also called "Gibon Junbi Seogi" (Basic Ready Stance). It is used to begin basic floor exercises (gibon undong), forms practice (Poomsae), and one-step sparring (Han-bo or Il-bo gyorugi). Forms often have various Ready Positions (feet together or apart, knees straight or bent, hands open or closed, hands high, middle, low, or to the side. The meaning of these posistions will vary by instructor, or organization, and are often nothing more than a variety to indicate advanced forms with some philosophical or historical attachment.
