Taegeuk Ee Jang
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Taegeuk Ee Jang (also romanized Taegeuk Yi Jang or Taegeuk I Jang) is the second of eight taekwondo forms practiced by the Kukkiwon and the World Taekwondo Federation. A form, or poomsae (also romanized as pumsae or poomse), is a choreographed pattern of defense-and-attack motions. Taegeuk Ee Jang is considered a beginner form, often (but not universally) practiced by students of Kukkiwon/WTF-style taekwondo with rank of 7th geup. Seventh geup students of Kukkiwon/WTF-style taekwondo practice this form in order to advance to the next rank (6th geup).
The word taegeuk (Korean: 태극; Hanja: 太極, Korean pronunciation: [tʰɛgɯk̚]) refers to the universe from which all things and values are derived.[1][2] It is also the symbol that makes up the center of the flag of South Korea and the source for its name, taegeukgi (hangul: 태극기, where gi means "flag").[3] The taegeuk is commonly associated with Korean Taoism philosophical values[4] as well as Korean shamanism.[5]
The word ee is the number 2 in the Sino-Korean numbering system. The word jang translates roughly as "chapter" or "part". Taegeuk Ee Jang translates as "Part 2 of the Taegeuk".
Symbolism
The floor pattern (or yeon-mu) of each taegeuk poomsae is three parallel lines. On each line, a 180 degree turn is performed.
- If the turn is performed by pivoting in-place, the line is considered to be a broken line.
- If the turn is performed by moving the lead foot to the rear, the line is considered to be a solid line.
The floor pattern of each taegeuk poomsae then represents three broken or solid lines, called trigrams or gwae (bagua in Chinese). Each trigram (gwae) corresponds to a natural element.
| 乾 Qián ☰ |
兌 Duì ☱ |
離 Lí ☲ |
震 Zhèn ☳ |
巽 Xùn ☴ |
坎 Kǎn ☵ |
艮 Gèn ☶ |
坤 Kūn ☷ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heaven/Sky | Lake/Marsh | Fire | Thunder | Wind | Water | Mountain | Earth |
| 天 Tiān | 澤(泽) Zé | 火 Huǒ | 雷 Léi | 風(风) Fēng | 水 Shuǐ | 山 Shān | 地 Dì |
| Gun | Tae | Yi | Jin | Seon | Gam | Gan | Gon |
The first two turns of Taegeuk Ee Jang are performed by moving the lead foot. The final turn is performed by pivoting in-place. This indicates that the associated trigram has two solid lines and one broken line ("tae") denoting "lake". The Kukkiwon teaches that this poomsae should be performed with a mind that is tranquil and clear, like the waters of a lake.[6]
Techniques
This poomsae builds up on the prior form (Taegeuk Il Jang) and continues training in the following techniques:
- Walking stance
- Long front stance
- Low block
- Inside middle block
- High block
- Middle punch
- Front snap kick
In addition, this form introduces the following techniques:
- High punch
- How to transition from walking stance to long front stance
- How to perform a kick-and-punch combination