BEST TKD FORMS

[Aodhan]

I am of the opinion that ATA (american taewkondo association) forms are the best. Yes, I have seen all other types. However, the ATA is so secular, that I dont think most of your have ever seen an ATA form unfortunatly.

what I like about them;

1. they are all about 40% feet and 60% hands. By far the most kicking in taekwondo forms.

2. They are all 50/50 right and left sides of the body.what you do on the right, you repeat on the left later on.

3.they increase in diffucilty and # of moves as you go up. The 1BB form has around 100 moves.

Because of all this the ATA forms are flowing,long,difficult,and showcase the great TKD kicking skills.

However as an org. the ATA has tremedous problems,mailnly they are not part of the martial arts community as a whole, and have almost a communist and way about them.

But their forms are great

I am a 2nd degree in the ATA, and among TKD forms, I agree that ATA forms generally compare well. I've done the TaeGuk forms as well, and they are comparable in parts, but have a little too much emphasis on hands (Considering that we have a larger emphasis on kicks).

Eternal Grandmaster (Grandmaster H.U. Lee was our founder, he passed away in 2001) designed the forms to complement and build, and there are a lot of "ties" between all the forms. White belt form has 18 moves, Shim Jun (1D form) has 81 moves. If you look at the Songahm star (8 pointed multi colored star), it is basically all the colored belt forms and Shim Jun overlaid on each other.

XMA is something the ATA is introducing in its schools recently, we are licensing it from Mike Chat (Who tested into the ATA as a 4th degree last year), and XMA competitions are starting nationally this year.

As far as being secular, well, that is true. You have to be attending an ATA school to attend ATA tournaments, but there is nothing that says ATA students can't compete outside the ATA.

As far as ability, we have the same range of abilities as any other martial arts system. Our sparring is different than WTF (Olympic) style, although we have recently added Olympic sparring certifications for students that wish to compete in it (13-20 y/o restriction on students currently.) We also have people that compete in the open circuit as well as Olympic (One of our instructors in Colorado was an alternate on the last Olympic team as well).

I'm new on the forum, but if you have any questions about ATA, I'll do my best to answer them.

Aodhan

[Aodhan]

I am of the opinion that ATA (american taewkondo association) forms are the best.

Among Korean arts exclusively, I would tend to agree. However if you've ever watched an advanced level Wushu form, those are absolutely spectacular because of all the aerial requirements. Some of the shaolin style forms are excellent as well.

Aodhan

[Balrog]

Oh, yeah....I know what your talking about.

They started teaching Songahm in the late 70's....that was before my time with them.

So, has anybody seen the ATA songahm forms...what did you think of them?

Actually, to resurrect an old thread here....

ATA used to teach Gen. Choi's forms: Chun-ji, Tan-Gun, etc. from the Chang Hun style. However, Master (at that time, later Grandmaster) H. U. Lee, the founder of the ATA, wanted to return to the traditional Korean kicking aspects of the martial art. He began developing a new style which emphasized kicking, balance of technique between the right and left sides of the body, and self-discipline in that the forms all start and end on the same spot, so your techniques have to be constant.

The first three forms were shown to the instructors at Leadership Camp in 1983 and the ATA began to transition to the new style, which he called Songahm (Pine Tree). The rest of the forms were developed and phased in over time, with the last form, for 9th Degree Black Belt, being introduced and demonstrated in 1994 at the 25th Anniversary of the ATA.

[IcemanSK]

Thanks for resurecting an old thread. I'm not sure we could ever definitively say which TKD forms are "Best," but we can exchange ideas on the merits of each.

I like the Chang Hon forms for a few reasons. 1) They each have a unique name & history. 2) They are complex & use more than just basic techniques. Although, I'm not a fan of the sine wave.

I like the Pal Gue forms also because they have unique techniques in them. I like Koryo & the few other BB form I've seen. In my experience, I've seen many more ITF BB forms than the WTF forms. The ITF folks that I've seen really seem to enjoy their forms.

[MasterH]

I'll jump in here as well.

I'm a former ATA instructor. Former as in out for over 5 years. I now study Hwa-Rang Taekwondo under Grand Master Jack Pierce (ITF certified) I can say of all the Korean MA's the Songham forms are the best. They flow very well, from beginning to end. They mix in much more feet than the normal (ITF/WTF) form. The best way to compare these forms would be to look at Moon-moo (for you ITF people) and I really can't think of a WTF form that would come close. Maybe Ko-Ryo or Kum-Kang, but there really is not that much leg work with thoes. I do miss thoes forms, and I still practice them.

-Adam

[aefibird]

I can't really comment on TKD forms, as I've only been studying a short while and only know the Taeguek forms (I know 1-5 and am learning 6).

However, (coming from a karate background), I was surprised at how "karate-ish" the Taeguek patterns are - I would have thought that there would have been much more kicking in them than there actually is.

[MasterH]

I can't really comment on TKD forms, as I've only been studying a short while and only know the Taeguek forms (I know 1-5 and am learning 6).

However, (coming from a karate background), I was surprised at how "karate-ish" the Taeguek patterns are - I would have thought that there would have been much more kicking in them than there actually is.

TKD did get it's start via Japan............

Edit: Modern Taekwondo got it's start via Japan.

Edited November 13, 2005 by MasterH

[writerlady04]

Well to be completely honest, I study Choi Hong style Tkd. Our company is actually a subdivision of ATA- our instructor was taught by master lee the orginial person who brought tkd to america, and of all the forms that I have done, I think I pretty much like ours because it's first starts out simple and then it becomes more challenging towards black belt, I should know, I'm testing for my black belt next month.

[Aodhan]

Well to be completely honest, I study Choi Hong style Tkd. Our company is actually a subdivision of ATA- our instructor was taught by master lee the orginial person who brought tkd to america, and of all the forms that I have done, I think I pretty much like ours because it's first starts out simple and then it becomes more challenging towards black belt, I should know, I'm testing for my black belt next month.

Subdivision of ATA? Do you mean STF or WTTU? Or are you part of another federation? Oh, and what style of forms are you using?

Aodhan

[shogeri]

I have learned both WTF and ITF. The Tae Guek are simple in many ways, but that doesn't mean someone can't benefit from them.

I am not sure about ATA forms, for I haven't seen any of them in action yet.

Regardless of which way of TKD that a person learns the underlying philosophy should never change, else it is not TKD.

TKD is supposed to be an even mixture of hands and feet. It's up to the individual to figure out their own weaknesses or limitations and work with them or around them.

Some people are good with their legs, and other's good with their hands.

Then there are those that effectively combine both.

Just my spare thoughts...