Taekwondo 태권도Taekwondo Preschool

Promotion from one geup to the next can proceed rapidly in some schools, since schools often allow geup promotions every two, three, or four months. Students of geup rank learn the most basic techniques first, and then move on to more advanced techniques as they approach first dan. Many of the older and more traditional schools often take longer to allow students to test for higher ranks than newer, more contemporary schools, as they may not have the required testing intervals. View Taekwondo belt levels »

Low Block

( 아래막기 arae-makgi )

Difficulty Level: Beginner Technique: Blocks ( 막기 makgi )

The Low Block ( 아래막기 arae-makgi ) is one of the most basic taekwondo blocks ( 막기 makgi ) and one of the first things a beginner will learn that a practitioner should practice often and master. Practice is the act of rehearsing a behavior over and over, or engaging in an activity again and again, for the purpose of improving or mastering it, as in the phrase 'practice makes perfect'.

The lead forearm is bent and raised to shoulder height, snapping the arm straight down with the palm ( 손바닥 sonbadak ) facing the ground, which blocks any incoming low kicks ( 차기 chagi ) such as roundhouse kicks ( 돌려차기 dollyeo-chagi ) or low hand strikes such as low punches ( 아래 지르기 arae-jireugi ). The forearm is the region of the upper limb between the elbow ( 팔굽 palgup ) and the wrist ( 팔목 palmok ).

Focus on the tightening of the muscles of the hand while you clench a fist ( 주먹 jumeok ). The wrist ( 팔목 palmok ) must also be kept straight in proper alignment during the posture. If the wrist ( 팔목 palmok ) bends on impact, it can easily be sprained, dislocated or broken. Remember to twist your body when you make the block ( 막기 makgi ) for greater strength.

The other hand is placed on the side of the waist which starts with the fist facing downward across the abdomen over the belt. When the Low Block ( 아래막기 arae-makgi ) is made, the practitioner can strike right away with the other hand with a hand strike such as with the Fist Punch ( 주먹 지르기 jumeok-jireugi ) or the Palm Heel Forward Strike ( 바탕손 앞치기 batangson-ap-chigi ).

Experienced practitioners learn through repetition and muscle memory when (not just how) to launch particular blocks ( 막기 makgi ), based on the circumstances they are facing. Fights and fighters may have ebbs and flows in momentum and action that become predictable. Disrupting this flow may give the blocker an advantage.

Use of this block ( 막기 makgi ) is featured prominently in many of the World Taekwondo (WT) Poomse. Taekwondo poomse are the learning ground for real combat. As such, the muscles of the body should be lightly relaxed in order to perform the pattern with fluidity, speed and grace.

Variations of Low Block ( 아래막기 arae-makgi )

* Please see a certified Master Instructor ( 사범님 sabeomnim ) for training. Proper guidance and instructions are needed to ensure safe training.

Did you know?

Taekwondo Summer Olympic Games

Taekwondo became a full medal sport at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, and has been a sport in the Olympic games since then. For Olympic competition, there will be a single elimination tournament for each of the weight categories. Repechage competition will occur for the bronze medal contest, while the winner of the tournament will receive the gold medal, and the loser will receive the silver medal. For more information View Taekwondo Summer Olympic Games »

Year	Date	Flag	City	Host Country
2020			Tokyo	Japan
2016	August 5 -August 21		Rio de Janeiro	Brazil
2012	July 27 - August 12		London	United Kingdom
2008	August 8 - August 24		Beijing	China
2004	August 13 - August 29		Athens	Greece
2000	September 15 - October 1		Sydney	Australia

RESOURCES
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Taekwondo at the Summer Olympics" which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

Quiz

Question. In what year was the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) officially established?

The World Taekwondo Federation is the International Federation [IF] governing the sport of Taekwondo and is a member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations [ASOIF]. The WTF was established at its inaugural meeting held at the Kukkiwon ( 국기원 ) with participation of 35 representatives from the world and until this day there is a total of 205 Member Nations. The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) has renamed itself to World Taekwondo (WT) in 2017.

Question. What is the name of Taegeuk #3 in Korean?

Taegeuk 태극 (in World Taekwondo (WT)) refers to a set of poomse 품새 used to create a foundation for the teaching of taekwondo. A poomse or form is a detailed pattern of defense-and-attack motions and techniques used in traditional martial arts. Each taegeuk form symbolizes a specific state thought to be indicative of the belt the student currently holds, and is represented in World Taekwondo (WT) by trigrams similar to those found in the four corners of the South Korean flag.

Question. What is the korean terminology for Front Stance?

Front Stance is a precursor of the fighting stance ( 겨루기준비 gyeorugi-junbi ) according to some martial arts authors. Body should be relaxed in this stance ( 서기 sogi ) when performed in patterns ( 품새 poomse ) and self-defense ( 호신술 hosinsool ). Although the specifics of the stance vary by style, overall it is visually similar to a lunge, with the forward leg bent at the knee, and the rear leg straight, while the hips and shoulders remain squarely facing forward.

There are five tenets defined in the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) and several more in World Taekwondo (WT).

Perseverance ( In Nae / 인내 ): "One will persevere time and time again until they have achieved a result which is adequate towards what one was trying to achieve." View Taekwondo Tenets »

RESOURCES
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "List of Taekwondo Techniques", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.