Motion and Sinewave

	The high turning kicks in Hwa-Rang are in fast motion with no sine wave

One thing that sets Taekwon-Do apart from other martial arts is our system of Tul. There are thousands of techniques available to the Taekwon-Doin, many of which are in Tul. However, it is not just the techniques themselves that are different, but also the way we do them. Sine wave is an example. To gain power we drop our bodyweight into our attacks and defences. In addition, some movements are done quickly, others slowly, and some non-stop. When I graded from first gup to first dan, I learned new Tul which have lots of these fast, slow, continuous and connecting motions, so I decided to try to get my head around it all. Drawing on an article written by Master McPhail in September 2004, this is what I came up with. (If there is anything inaccurate about what I’ve written please let me know so that I can make corrections!).

Slow motion:

“Slow motion – movement is performed slowly with slow breathing. This is used to emphasize an important movement and to check balance and control”.

Extend the front foot smoothly into walking or low stance by placing your bodyweight over your rear foot.

Ensure your technique comes out evenly, with no jerk or acceleration at the end.

Your hands, feet, eyes and breath must move in a coordinated motion, and finish together.

Show the best technique you can. Ensure you use the correct tool, angle, height, distance, application, and so on.

Slow motion movements should all take the same length of time to execute.

Fast motion:

“Fast motion – urgent and aggressive, normal breathing. Fast motion is nearly always attacks – mainly two punches. Short-cut your sine wave – spring straight from the first movement into the next”.

These movements must be done fast, “with urgency”. There must be an obvious difference from normal speed.

Paired fast motion punches all use 2/3 sine wave (Do-San, Yul-Gok, Ge-Baek, Choong-Jang, So-San, Tong-Il). This means you rise up as soon as you complete the first technique, without a downward motion in your sine wave.

Paired kicks (that is, consecutive and combination kicks) are all fast motion and have no sine wave (Hwa-Rang, Choong-Moo, Ge-Baek). The guarding block after the combination turning kicks in Hwa-Rang, however, has full sine wave and fast motion.

Where two fast motion techniques are the same (eg, left punch, right punch, or right high turning kick, left high turning kick) ensure that they are both well executed, even if you’re better on one side than the other (we should be practising especially hard on our weaker side anyway).

The release and punch in Joong-Gun, the pressing blocks in Choi-Yong, and the knifehand side block and punch in So-San are fast motion with 2/3 sine wave.

Ensure techniques are performed properly even though they are fast. Think about the tool, angle, height, distance, application, and so on, just as for normal speed. Try to keep each technique distinct and separate from the next by stopping it sharply.

Continuous motion:

	Movements 13 and 14 of Dan-Gun are performed in continuous motion, with grace and beauty

“Continuous motion – link the movements together with no pause between the end of one movement and the start of the next. Breathe in once then out in a continuous flow of air but emphasizing each movement. Try to link the moments smoothly, with grace and beauty. (Continuous movements always start with a block)”.

Continuous motion is executed with full sine wave. The only exceptions are in Po-Eun and Yoo-Sin (which include seven and four consecutive movements in continuous motion respectively).

Each technique is still distinct from the next – sharp and clear, well executed – but the two are done without the usual pause between, and are completed with a single breath.

Single breath should be ‘pulsed’, ie, the abdomen should be tensed at the completion of each technique, whilst saving enough breath for the next movement(s). The ultimate test of this is in Po-Eun, movements 6-12 and 24-30!

Connecting Motion:

“Connecting motion – complete the two movements with one breath and one sine wave. Connecting motion is always with two movements using opposite arms”.

Connecting motion is always applied with 1/3 sine wave on the second movement. This means that at the completion of the first technique you are ‘up’, and you drop during the second technique to ‘down’. In Yul-Gok this means that the palm hooking block is executed with the rear heel raised off the ground. (This is one of the exceptions referred to when stances are described as always having the rear heel on the ground at the moment of impact).

To clarify using Yul-Gok as an example, we have just completed the first palm hooking block, using the right hand on a right walking stance. The next two movements are done in the space of a single sine wave; the palm reverse hooking block as we bend the rear (left) knee (ie, ‘down’) and then straighten it again, rising onto the ball of the foot (ie, ‘up’), and the front punch extends as we drop down into the walking stance.

All quotes come from the following reference: McPhail, Paul (2004). “Pattern Speeds and Sine wave Study”. http://www.itfnz.org.nz/ref/documents/index.html