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Post by Colin Wee on Mar 1, 2004 17:15:33 GMT 8
“The youth group which originated in the Silla Dynasty and became a main force in the unification of the three Kingdoms of Korea” (http://www.itatkd.com/pattern_hwarang.html). According to www.tkdtutor.com/10Patterns/08Hwarang/HwarangInfo.htm, “Hwa meant flower or blossom, and Rang meant youth or gentle men. The word Hwa-rang soon came to stand for Flower of Knighthood. These Hwarang were selected from handsome, virtuous young men of good families. A Hwarang candidate had to be a man of character, virtue, and countenance. The Hwarang trained to improve their moral principles and military skills. To harden their bodies, they climbed rugged mountains, swam turbulent rivers in the coldest months, and drove themselves unmercifully. The youth were taught dance, literature, arts, and sciences, and the arts of warfare, chariot, archery, and hand-to-hand combat. The hand-to-hand combat was based on the Um-Yang principles of Buddhist philosophy and included a blending of hard and soft, linear and circular techniques. The art of foot fighting was known as Subak and was practiced by common people throughout the three kingdoms. However, the Hwarang transformed and intensified this art and added hand techniques, renaming it Taekkyon. The Hwarang punches could penetrate the wooden chest armor of an enemy and kill him. Their foot techniques were said to be executed at such speed that opponents frequently thought that the feet of Hwarang warriors were swords.”<br> One interesting thing to note from the Hwa-rang was the ‘Sesok-Ogye,’ or their code of honour. The main take away for the modern fighter comes from their forth code: ‘Never retreat in battle’. The Hwa-rang pattern is about bold, aggressive, forwarding moving techniques. But given their skill in battle, the issue is not about blindly rushing the opponent. It is about strategic tactics used to constantly pressure and harry their opponent. This brings up an idea in warfare that I hold quite close, and that is: ‘When there is no way to defend, attack!’ When I think about the Hwa-rang, I think about war drums beating out a rhythm that instils fear into their enemy. Fighters should think about issues of rhythm and timing in engagements with opponents. The opponent will forever try to set you up. You need to understand how to break the cycle and their rhythm and use it to your advantage. You need to apply techniques before the attack, during the attack, or follow up after their attack to score on openings created by their movements.
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Post by Colin Wee on Nov 23, 2005 13:13:39 GMT 8
To harden their bodies, they climbed rugged mountains, swam turbulent rivers in the coldest months, and drove themselves unmercifully. The youth were taught dance, literature, arts, and sciences, and the arts of warfare, chariot, archery, and hand-to-hand combat. The hand-to-hand combat was based on the Um-Yang principles of Buddhist philosophy and included a blending of hard and soft, linear and circular techniques. ... However, the Hwarang transformed and intensified this art and added hand techniques, renaming it Taekkyon. The Hwarang punches could penetrate the wooden chest armor of an enemy and kill him. Their foot techniques were said to be executed at such speed that opponents frequently thought that the feet of Hwarang warriors were swords.”<br> Sounds like the Hwarang warriors predominantly engaged in a linear based system; grappling or jujutsu type techniques don't seem to describe their main skills. What's happening at this level? The practitioner studying Hwarang should have a couple of effective weapons under his belt. They can use basic techniques effectively to knock out opponents and can provide sufficient coverage to withstand attacks from most general fighters. They can do simple locks and throws. Hwa-rang introduces mid to long range kicking techniques. It is at this point where I would encourage the practitioner to explore the full height ranges of their kicks to allow them the ability to kick to the knee or kick to the head. Unlike other TKD schools my philosophy is that head high kicks have lower probability to knock out an opponent. Thus it is more effective to get the hand techniques down first before exploring beautiful or innovative or sneaky leg techniques. Certainly it would take the practitioner the time to reach this level to gain further flexibility and strength in the legs, and also teach them to cover their groin or control the flailing of their arms in order to make leg techniques successful. Hwa rang opens with an assymetrical sequence - something which would prompt the user to think that there is something different occuring here. The tension press and punches in step 1-3 is reminiscent of yul-guk, but rather than follow through with a low stance strong disruptive middle block, Hwarang breaks into a double forearm rising block like Won-hyo in step 4-6. This could prompt the practitioner to think that there is more to the style than applying just applying one style when engaging an opponent. Meaning sometimes the opponent has to use both hard (Yul-guk) or a soft (Won-hyo) to innovate techniques for victory. Step 7-8 is also a reiteration of this. I see bunkai saying that this is a shuto to the head or clavicle. I like to think of this more as a sayunagi throw that disrupts the opponent's COG before striking him with a hard linear punch or neck break/throw. Step 9-10 I teach with a variation to the timing. Both are done in quick succession to show the pull back of the front leading hand to allow the strike to land with greater force. Step 11-12 is the first kick in hwarang - a sidekick. I'd like to compare this side kick with the side kicks you see in Won-hyo and Yul-kuk. In Won-hyo you have two options given for the side kick. The first seems to be done in a reactionary fashion where you block with either your elbow or capture the oncoming weapon and then fire off the side kick. The second is done in a proactive fashion, following the opponent in after a blitz type attack. In Yul-kuk you see a lunge punch followed by a cup/saucer hand position followed by sidekick and elbow. This seems to indicate that the user is trading blows, controlling either a hand or leg extended from the opponent and then side-kicking whilst controlling the opponent. In Hwa-rang you have what could be an elbow to the head, or a strike to an oncoming weapon, or abreakaway from bearhug, or the TKO of 'current' opponent in Step 11. This is then followed with long range side kick. Hwarang could be suggesting that the side kick is a supplementary weapon allowing us to deal with more than one opponent at the same time. This is not a powerful penetrative side kick as we see in Yul-guk, or does it show the possibilities/application of the side kick as we see in Won-hyo - it is merely a technique done from standing position because of the scenario based risks one faces. However, aside from this interpretation, the Hwarangs were known for their 'foot swords;' they were feared for deadly hand and foot strikes. Could this indicate that we should look more closely at what this kata requires of us? First off, Step 11 is done from a lunge punch. Your COG is all on your front foot, similar to how it is with modern 'fighting' type stances. The funny thing is that you're then pulled towards the front leg, balancing the COG over both feet then firing off the leg. This mechanism allows you to 'get off the line'. Using a long range weapon like leg attacks and assuming your opponent is using the same means that the fighter understands that you don't need to move very much off the line to bypass any strikes coming your way. This move also makes it more probable that you will strike the target - there is no way that any kicker wants to stay at the fringes of the fight. To knock your opponent out, you must be traveling towards him, not away from him. What other things can you see from this that is different from hand-based attacks? Look at the hip position, this movement allows the hips to rotate on the spot in order to throw a leg attack that will hit the opponent! The Hwa-rangs were known to not retreat - this myth could be linked to versatile leg attacks that zero in on openings in the opponent's defences. Step 16 is a curious one. Why is there another vertical spear hand strike here? Step 17-19 introduces for the first time a kick that departs from more 'traditional' type front and side kicks. The roundhouse kick done here is done with a full rotation of the hips toward the target for maximum distance; almost like a turning kick. Why is this different to the rest of the Chang hon forms as done up to this stage? It is different becuase of COG as used by our practitioners up to this point is low. It is low in order to create power for linear hand strikes. This circular leg only type attack requires, actually BEGS, the practitioner to raise his COG, loosen the hips and actually think of the circular momentum, swinging the lower part of his foot into the opponent. Very different indeed. Step 21-23 ... what is happening here? Joondanganji or cross body horitontal punch. Aside from the application, notice that the COG is also weighed more heavily on the back foot as the user proceeds *forwards*. This is Taekwondo as a kicking art, if ever I've heard of it - lifting the weight off the front foot so you can fire it quickly and use it as a jab. However, Hwarang also introduces another aspect of COG - that of moving the COG from the front foot, to both feet, and to the back foot, all the way through the form. It's a very different game strategy to knock someone out with a punch versus a kick. Hwarang seems to encourage us to look into understanding how we optimise ourselves to do both, and then look at grappling type techniques and standing or close quarter hand techniques. Step 25 - I like it there's clear bunkai here that advocates a foot stomp/throw, just like the opening of Bassai. Maybe it's to prompt us to think there is more to fancy footwork than just high kicks? Feet can be applied to a whole lot of weaker areas on the opponent's body, not just the head, but all the way down to the top of the foot! Step 26-27. Never thought much of this as a defence against multiple persons. It's not a good idea to stand in one spot while two people are kicking or punching you. I use this as a wing chun centre line block backfist to head. It works nicely as it can be done with COG on the back foot or spread evenly on both feet. WC techniques rock when you take away the long deep stances of traditional linear karate or TKD stances.
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Post by Colin Wee on Nov 23, 2005 16:32:55 GMT 8
Step 18-19: KH, back leg round kick x2: How do you prevent this from being just another two kicks? The kicks must be like "swords," and must therefore be really effective. - Use the front first round kick under an opponent's kick hitting the groin or the leg. The second back kick knocks the opponent off his feet. - While I don't think this is what is proposed, you can always wait for a hand technique, pull the body backwards and gain more distance from the leg. I don't think this is suggested because the roundhouse takes the practitioner forward, not backward. - A back leg typically doesn't nail the opponent, so it could be a feint. The opponent deals with the first kick and then gets hit by the second kick. But the first has got to be a persuasive technique. To be effective, the second kick needs to hit the opponent while he's recovering from the first technique, slipping through the holes to hit him square. The Differences Between Karate`s "Roundhouse Kick" & Taekwon-do`s "Turning Kick"! www.raynerslanetkd.com/ARTICLES_RoundhouseVturningkick.htmlThe above article is hosted on my friend's Stuart Anslow's (IV) site. When I was training with the A-KaTo, the roundhouse kick was the 'Karate Roundhouse Kick' that the article refers to. This was the kick that came perpendicular to the direction of the opponent and struck with the ball of the foot. The turning kick I learned from my first style was the first roundhouse kick the article referred to, the one that struck with the toecap of the boot. It wasn't a 45 degree kick, though I have since and have easily used variations of the roundhouse and turning kick without putting a label on them. My preference in using the roundhouse is to keep the swinging motion to an absolute minimum. THis is the swinging motion you get when you swing the leg round and hit the target perpendicularly (towards the opponent). Done at a short range it doesn't bother me, but done at a longer range, this telegraphs the move and slows it down. I find that 'slingshoting' it around the hip and sending it out to the opponent in a tighter fashion generates much more speed and still allows me to control it rather well. So I am still hitting on the centreline, but the angle of entry to the target is more 'columnated'. I can see why the newer version of the 'bit chagi' is sent out at a 45 degree angle, and it's for the same reason that I keep the knee bend tight at the beginning and send it out in a tight angle - it is like you're doing a jab with the leg. This angle also affords you a little more control so that you can modify the trajectory when needed.
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Post by Colin Wee on Nov 29, 2005 17:58:45 GMT 8
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Post by Colin Wee on Dec 18, 2005 15:22:58 GMT 8
I was talking with Teddy Bridgman, a Savate instructor, and he was talking about Savate dealing with hand techniques that were applicable for kickers. Hwarang as pointed out above, touches on this. You can see many hand techniques performed with feet closer together than with other stances. You pull back your lead leg in Step 7 to perform a Shuto, elbow strike in Step 11 with back leg coming forward (before a side kick), and you pull back from front stance into a back stance in Step 21. Kickers do this type of shifting much more than people who strike primarily with hand techniques and low kicks. This type of shifting pulls the opponent in allowing the long range weapon to strike when it seems impossible. Also having your feet together seems to root you on the spot (for those who aren't used to kicking). The opposite is true though, smaller stances allow for more manouverability and for more variations of kicking angles. All this means is that the legs are more able to strike where hands may be obstructed with opponent's unarmed or armed weapons.
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Post by Colin Wee on Feb 9, 2006 13:42:25 GMT 8
Step 26-27. Never thought much of this as a defence against multiple persons. It's not a good idea to stand in one spot while two people are kicking or punching you. I use this as a wing chun centre line block backfist to head. It works nicely as it can be done with COG on the back foot or spread evenly on both feet. WC techniques rock when you take away the long deep stances of traditional linear karate or TKD stances. We were doing defence against roundhouse kicks the other night - front hand outside inverted shuto and back hand inside lower shuto. The setup was from fighting stance and when you see the roundhouse kick coming you breathe out, pulling the torso or whatever target area away from the kick. Then the hands are snapped towards the kick, catching the kick on the middle part of the forearms. For real, the kick could be met with the elbows, but this exercise wouldn't have stretched out to the 30-45 minutes that it did, if elbows were used. Anyway, the coverage required both hands to come together to meet the kick. This increased the chances of stopping the kick and striking the shin. The move is very similar to the small circular moves that you see in Step 26-27 if these techniques were done as the WC strikes that I suggested. If they're done as blocks, they might open the torso up to the kick, which is not what you want done. Other techniques that could be used to stop a roundhouse kick - Step 11: the elbow could be used as a strike towards the instep or the shin. The back hand could provide additional coverage. Not too difficult to do if you anticipate the strike and commit yourself to it. Step 24-25: after a low X block, the right leg is raised in the air for a stomp and both hands are folded together to then deliver a low block and an elbow backwards. This bringing the knee up and the elbows together is also a good way to meet oncoming attacks, exposing the 'corners' of the body. While I have not done so, I assume that the foot stomp could effectively be used against the support leg of your opponent.
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Post by Colin Wee on Oct 1, 2006 1:32:44 GMT 8
Step 6-7 Heian Shodan has a similar move, a down block pull back and go into an immediate hammerfist. I interpret this as a reach out for an opponents hand (same side), applying a kotegaeshi, and then proceeding on to doing the lunge punch. In the Hwarang version, the pull back into the shuto could be the kotegaeshi (or Sayunage as I probably interpreted before), and then proceeds on to the lunge punch.
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Post by stu on Jul 22, 2007 12:30:37 GMT 8
The first bunkai that came to mind for me when I learned this kata was a hip throw for steps 10/11. Perhaps that is because I have a background in Shuai Chaio Kung Fu (Chinese throwing art) and one of my original Korean-style teachers made the comment that the side kick is the same body motion as the hip throw. Now, this is not quite in keeping with your opening statement in this thread, but the moves after the low block in step 9 seem to scream "hip throw" to me. First, look at move 10 not as a middle punch, but an entry move for the throw (right hand passes by side of opponent's body. Second, move 11 is a great neck-encirclement or torso-encirclement move and gets your left foot into position for the throw. Finally, the side kick completes the throw.
I have a strong memory of doing this part of the kata smoothly and suddenly feeling how much it felt like one of our hip throw practice drills in Shuai Chaio.
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