Taegeuk Oh Jang
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Taegeuk Oh Jang is the fifth of eight taekwondo forms in the Taegeuk set practiced by the Kukkiwon and World Taekwondo. A form, or poomsae (also romanized as pumsae or poomse), is a choreographed pattern of defense-and-attack motions. Taegeuk Oh Jang is often (but not universally) practiced by students of Kukkiwon/WT-style taekwondo with rank of 4th geup. Fourth geup students of Kukkiwon/WTF-style taekwondo practice this form in order to advance to the next rank (3rd 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 oh is the number 5 in the Sino-Korean numbering system. The word jang translates roughly as "chapter" or "part". Taegeuk Oh Jang translates as "Part 5 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 turn of Taegeuk Oh Jang is performed by pivoting in-place. The final two turns are performed by moving the lead foot. This indicates that the associated trigram is a broken line, a solid line, and a solid line; this is the trigram for wind ("seon"). The Kukkiwon teaches that this poomsae should be performed with movements that are gentle but unyielding (like the wind).[6]
Techniques
As a poomsae of intermediate difficulty, this form introduces the student to a number of new techniques:
- One focus of this form is the introduction of elbow strikes of various types. Along the top line, chin-height elbow strikes are assisted by a supporting hand. Along the middle line, the off-hand is used as a target for elbow strikes at solar-plexus height.
- The side kicks along the middle line are augmented with a simultaneous hand strike. Some schools teach that this strike is a punch, other schools teach that this strike is a horizontal hammerfist, yet other schools teach that the extended arm symbolizes grabbing the opponent and preparing to pull him in to the elbow strike that follows next.