When we think about Tae
Kwon Do, many think of only strikes and kicks, but traditional Tae Kwon Do,
which Han Moo Kwan is one, also incorporates other methods in martial arts such
as take downs/ throws, joint locks/arm bars, traps/pins, grabs/crushes, and nerves/pressure
points.
So, why do we mainly practice strikes and
kicks in the beginning?
In the beginning, we
want to focus on mechanics and body awareness to get the mechanics right. These other methods require you to practice with
others, which would take away from being
able to only concentrate on your own body mechanics. The good thing is the same body mechanics
that are used for blocks and strikes can also be effectively used for the other
methods.
To be effective in these
other methods, you have to have effective stances and use your entire body not
just your upper body. For more about
effective stances, refer to my June 2009 blog, The Importance of Stances. For these methods to
be effective, you must also be grounded.
For more on grounding, refer to my March 2009 blog, What Is Grounding?. Most students have not
developed good stances and are not adequately grounded to become proficient in these
other methods until blue belt. In
addition, we want students to learn to fall properly first for safety reasons
before practicing such methods as take downs and throws.
These other methods can
also cause significant damage more easily than strikes and kicks since they
usually go against joints or very vulnerable parts of the body. And as mentioned above, the only real way to
practice these other methods are against a partner. It takes time to develop the control, timing,
and understanding of your force, so when you apply these other methods, you are
effective, are not overusing your muscles and not actually causing damage to
your partner but going to the edge in class.
Most students have not developed enough of this skill until advanced
blue belt/brown belt.
For lower ranks, I
believe some of these other methods at first are a distraction. For example. I have seen many times in class,
less experienced students try some of these other methods like grabs in class,
and all they do is focus so hard on trying to grab that they lose sight of their
partner’s actions which puts them at risk.
In addition, for many
of these other methods to be effective, you have to have the intent to do
damage. For instance, in Han Moo Kwan,
we do not actually teach to grab. We
teach how to crush which takes significant intent of destruction which most
students do not possess until brown belt or higher.
Nerve/ pressure points
are a little different, from my perspective, take significant precision to be
effective and not everyone is susceptible to nerve/ pressure points in the same
way. We have discussed, and from time-to-time practiced with, nerve/pressure
points, but we do not focus on them or practice them as an effective technique
for self-defense. For more information
on my thoughts on nerve/pressure points, please read my February 2020 blog, Are
Nerve Points Effective For Self Defense.
While strikes and kicks
are the foundation of Han Moo Kwan, there are so many more methods that are
part of the art form that are effective for self-defense once a student has
established that foundation.
Regards,
Kelly
“In karate, hitting, thrusting, and kicking are not the only methods, throwing techniques and pressure against joints are included ... all these techniques should be studied referring to basic kata” ~ Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957), founder of Shotokan Karate
