"Tempo" Tae Kwon Do

[dancingalone]

I saw the article about this in the May 2010 issue of Totally Tae Kwon Do magazine, so I visited their Youtube example of Chon-Ji....

I'm not a fan. This seems precisely like the robotic form practice I despise done to the sounds of a baby in the womb.

Anyone see any real advantages to the concept? It seems like beginner training at best to me. There should seem to be a lot of high dan endorsers though.

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[J Ellis]

It certainly appears very staccato. I don't profess to understand TKD forms, however.

I do think there can be value in adjusting the way forms are practiced, to emphasize specific attributes within each form, but not in a way that undermines or alters the form itself.

Is it customary to change the height of your stance during transitions in this form even when performed in a more traditional way?

 

[dancingalone]

Is it customary to change the height of your stance during transitions in this form even when performed in a more traditional way?

Joel, that's just ITF-style sine wave movement, and yes, it's correct technically if you do ITF TKD.

I don't like robotic form practice like this because I see very little value in it given the time invested. You basically learn to perform the pattern to a certain aesthetic standard in group rhythm and that's it IMO.

My thought is that movement or kihon drills will give you far more repetitions in isolation if that is the goal. Otherwise, applications and partner drills will inevitably show that the beat used in the video is unrealistic at best. I prefer more lively, multiple cadenced pattern practice as better preparation to connect forms to real usage.

 

[granfire]

weird bobbing motion...though the arms had some nice snap, the whole looked soft.

Taken out of context, you can't tell why the BBs are doing Chong Ji, maybe class warmup.

having that many on the floor the count helps to have all on the same move, otherwise you have mayhem...

I was considering that it could be a seminar or something, but the 2 BBs in front clearly have other concerns than forms.

 

[J Ellis]

I don't like robotic form practice like this because I see very little value in it given the time invested. You basically learn to perform the pattern to a certain aesthetic standard in group rhythm and that's it IMO.

My thought is that movement or kihon drills will give you far more repetitions in isolation if that is the goal. Otherwise, applications and partner drills will inevitably show that the beat used in the video is unrealistic at best. I prefer more lively, multiple cadenced pattern practice as better preparation to connect forms to real usage.

I agree completely. This is not my idea of a useful practice method. Unless you define useful as synchronization for aesthetic appeal.

Joel, that's just ITF-style sine wave movement, and yes, it's correct technically if you do ITF TKD.

I thought so. I think you told me the same thing in a recent discussion about another series of clips. I have some questions about it, but perhaps I should save it for an independent thread.

Joel

 

[dancingalone]

weird bobbing motion...though the arms had some nice snap, the whole looked soft.

There are some systems that try to remove all signs of visible snap from their movement. I don't believe the ITF is one of these though.

Taken out of context, you can't tell why the BBs are doing Chong Ji, maybe class warmup.

I have no doubts that this is the way they perform Chon-Ji all the time. The people are well-practiced at it.

having that many on the floor the count helps to have all on the same move, otherwise you have mayhem...

Yeah, that's one explanation. That smacks of busy work to me though. Given the article seems to be an infomercial about the benefits of such practice, I really think the author at least is endorsing this as a regular form of practicing and performing tuls/hyung.

 

[J Ellis]

I have some questions about sine wave, but perhaps I should save it for an independent thread.

Never mind. I see this has already been beaten to death in the archives.

Joel

 

[goingd]

I can see how that might mentally help someone to remember a form, eventually without the sound.

As a related note, I believe Myung Jae Nam believed that music could be very helpful in learning the martial arts.

... But personally I found that particular noise kind of annoying.

 

[Earl Weiss]

FWIW I think this can be useful as a basic training tool. No More, No less. I do sometimes count for beginners to give them a sense of pacing if I feel their pace is too fast or too slow.

Overall for normal performance of a pattern it would not work for everyone or all patterns for a variety of reasons including:
1. People of different sizes will by necceity need different amounts of time to move from one position to the next.
2. While Chon Ji has all moves at regular speed, other patterns include other types of speed, including Fast, slow, continuous, connecting, and "Natural". so the "Metronome" system would not work for other types of specified speed.

 

[granfire]

FWIW I think this can be useful as a basic training tool. No More, No less. I do sometimes count for beginners to give them a sense of pacing if I feel their pace is too fast or too slow.

Overall for normal performance of a pattern it would not work for everyone or all patterns for a variety of reasons including:
1. People of different sizes will by necceity need different amounts of time to move from one position to the next.
2. While Chon Ji has all moves at regular speed, other patterns include other types of speed, including Fast, slow, continuous, connecting, and "Natural". so the "Metronome" system would not work for other types of specified speed.

hm, comparing the form to a piece of music, the metronome would still work.

 

[Earl Weiss]

hm, comparing the form to a piece of music, the metronome would still work.

I made my initial post before reading the article. I have now read it and note that as per the comments it is viewed as a "Training Aid" no more. Comments also indicate how it helped everyone stay together for group practice, as well as helping those who seemed to go too fast.

Finally, it seems there mey be various sound pacing used, differentones for different forms in order to acount for stipulated variations in speed for certain moves of certain patterns.

For those, (like myself) who commented without reading the article, perhaps the article should be read along with the comments before analyzing the relative merits.

 

[granfire]

I suppose having explanations at hand before forming an opinion goes a long way (but who has time to read these days?!)

I guess I was more mesmorised by the visual as I am more of a visual person.