Kibon Series and What You Learn From It - - Chief Instructor's Blog April 2013

Kibon in Korean means basic techniques. The Han Moo Kwan Kibon series consists of five forms and is expected to be demonstrated by all students who are testing at any rank.

In our style, as in the other styles, these five forms familiarize students with forms using basic techniques and stances. The Kibon series focuses on five basics techniques (Punches, Low Block, Medium Block, High Block, and Front Kicks) in two of the basic stances (Attack Stance and Cat Stance). No additional techniques are included other than what is taught in the basics.

The overall goal of the Kibon series is to provide a means to become competent in the basics, movement, turns, and transitions and to teach beginner’s how to direct focus and energy in with their physical movements. Moves are simple and the goal is to focus on these movements until they become body memory.

In the Kibon, series students practice and become competent in the mechanics (movement, turns, and transitions) of stances:
• Turning effectively in Attack Stance (90 degrees, 180 degrees, and 270 degrees)
• Turning effectively in Cat Stance (90 degrees, 180 degrees, and 270 degrees)
• Transitioning from Attack Stance to Cat Stance
• Straight linear transition from Cat Stance to Attack Stance
• Turning from Attack Stance into Cat Stance (90 degrees, 180 degrees, and 270 degrees)

In the Kibon, series students practice and become competent in specific techniques, their motions, and the techniques in and combination:
• Low Block/ Attack Stance
• Medium Block/ Attack Stance
• Low Block/ Medium Block/ Attack Stance
• Medium Block/ Punch/ Kick
• Medium Block/ High Block/ Kick/ Punch
• Control and manage the force and speed of the kicks outward and retracting

Students should also practice and study the techniques and combinations in self-defense applications, including the transitions and the turns.

As students become competent in the mechanics, they start to practice and become more competent in grounding based on aspects of the hyung, examples include:
• Transition from Cat Stance to Attack Stance
• Transition from Attack Stance to Cat Stance
• Turning in Attack Stance while maintaining a ground
• Set in stances
• Maintain set in Cat Stance in Kibon 3; keeping shoulder and hip alignment
• Stay grounded in Cat Stance during High Block in Kibon 4

Once students are competent in the mechanics and grounding, they can study and practice how their energy is aligned with their body such that their energy and physical movement are all in one direction.

In addition, as students practice the techniques, they become body memory, which is what allows them to focus on the grounding and energy aspects of the forms. And at the same time, as students advanced they will need to break down the techniques and mechanics again and reapply advanced concepts so the techniques do not look like beginner techniques, but are advanced techniques.
While the Kibon series appears to be basic, there is much to learn and practice in these five forms. Continue to practice and explore these hyung and discover for yourself all there is to learn and master in these hyung

In future blogs, I will describe the overall goals of the Pyung Ahn series and the advanced hyung.

Regards,
Kelly

“One becomes a beginner after one thousand days of training and an expert after ten thousand days of practice.” — Masutatsu Oyama (1923-1994), karate master who founded Kyokushinkai Karate