Punctuate your pattern

[Archimoto]

I think I learned about this site from DWx, or at least someone on this board.

Just read this article on patterns and find it very insightful, thought I'd share:

http://tkdtutor.com/articles/topics/patterns/138-what-are-patterns/697-punctuate-your-performance

Some of you have alluded to this on other threads, and so has my GM. I have often played with the tempo of a pattern and find the example of the sentence in the article fascinating. Certainly the blocks in a pattern can punctuate differently from strikes. I'm still processing this because often times when watching patterns I don't notice any punctuation. Just a monotonous motion. This is definitely a topic I look forward to sharing with my GM!

[sensei8]

Nice article...thanks for sharing it.

Tempo IS the punctuation to any kata/form. One can watch a kata/form being performed, and notice that, while said performers are doing the same named form/kata, there's a noted difference. That's the tempo.

Speed it up or slow it down or mix it up at some certain points, there's the punctuation. Some MA styles punctuate on purpose because that's their stamp on said form/kata, while others do it only on purpose while performing on a competition mat.

If said form/kata is boring, then tempo will bring it to life!! Own the form/kata; not vise versa.

TEMPO!! RHYTHM!! These are the notes that punctuate the music!! While one may play the classical piano masterpieces flawlessly, it's those performers that play that same masterpiece differently, therefore, making said masterpiece their own.

Ok...I'm going back to my karate corner, now!

[DWx]

TKDTutor is a great site. Lots of great articles on there.

What kind of TKD are you doing Archimoto?

Maybe others will find it boring but ITF Taekwon-Do has a rigidly defined tempo due to the use of sine wave and strict rules around what the timing of individual moves are. The cool thing is that when practitioners from different schools and countries get together at seminars and tournaments, even though they've never met or trained with each other they all move as one unit.

[bushido_man96]

TKDTutor is a great site. Lots of great articles on there.

What kind of TKD are you doing Archimoto?

Maybe others will find it boring but ITF Taekwon-Do has a rigidly defined tempo due to the use of sine wave and strict rules around what the timing of individual moves are. The cool thing is that when practitioners from different schools and countries get together at seminars and tournaments, even though they've never met or trained with each other they all move as one unit.

I'm in a weird position, because I do ITF forms, but no sine-wave. So I have to find different ways to affect the tempo of the form. I haven't read the article yet, but will take a look at it. I think I will add TKD tutor to my phone...

[bushido_man96]

It was a very brief article. I was looking for the rest of it upon finishing it.... But, I think the author makes some valid points on making the form your own, but not altering it so much that it becomes something else.

This is another point of interest in my style of TKD. We do ITF forms, but some of them have different moves swapped out for others. The form stays pretty much the same, but some of them have noticeable differences from the ITF standard, aside from the lack of sine wave. But, I stay true to the way I have been taught.

[DWx]

It was a very brief article. I was looking for the rest of it upon finishing it.... But, I think the author makes some valid points on making the form your own, but not altering it so much that it becomes something else.

This is another point of interest in my style of TKD. We do ITF forms, but some of them have different moves swapped out for others. The form stays pretty much the same, but some of them have noticeable differences from the ITF standard, aside from the lack of sine wave. But, I stay true to the way I have been taught.

Is this just personal preference of your master or are there technical reasons for the changes? I'm curious Do you have an example? Must be difficult to learn new forms without being able to refer to the common videos and source material.

[hammer]

I also learned the ITF forms without sine wave and there was a definite tempo to moves within each form. We also had differences in moves which AFAIK was personal preferences of the GM...we were always told that "this was how the forms were originally done" but without any reference material outside of the club I had no way of really knowing.

[Archimoto]

TKDTutor is a great site. Lots of great articles on there.

What kind of TKD are you doing Archimoto?

Hi, I'm embarrassed to say that I don't know the exact answer to this. I chose the school because I really really like the instructor, he's great teaching me and my kids, and we have a blast each and very class. The bottom of my last certificate says World Tae Kwon Do Federation...does that answer the question?

This is obviously something that I need to get smart on.

[bushido_man96]

TKDTutor is a great site. Lots of great articles on there.

What kind of TKD are you doing Archimoto?

Hi, I'm embarrassed to say that I don't know the exact answer to this. I chose the school because I really really like the instructor, he's great teaching me and my kids, and we have a blast each and very class. The bottom of my last certificate says World Tae Kwon Do Federation...does that answer the question?

This is obviously something that I need to get smart on.

Sounds like WTF to me.

Is this just personal preference of your master or are there technical reasons for the changes? I'm curious Do you have an example? Must be difficult to learn new forms without being able to refer to the common videos and source material.

That is a good question, Danielle. I'd love to know, but I've never asked him about it. From what I can gather, and this is just from what I've picked up on, he must have done WTF at one time (whether it was before the current pattern set, or the pal gwe set, I don't know), and when he left Korea, he changed to the ITF set, but I'm not sure when/how he learned them.

As for examples, I can give a few real quick, and more when I have time. In Yoo Sin, when you do the U-shaped punches, we do a knee level side kick prior to each one. In Choong Jang, instead of the middle block/down blocks at the beginning, followed by the circle punch, we do nine blocks, and then slowly come into the fist over fist ready position.

Like I say, wish I knew why. My instructor has said that our GM claims that "Choi didn't necessarily make those forms..." and doesn't say anymore. I know that Choi had input from other instructors in the creation of his tuls, but I don't know what my GM is really getting at.

[DWx]

TKDTutor is a great site. Lots of great articles on there.

What kind of TKD are you doing Archimoto?

Hi, I'm embarrassed to say that I don't know the exact answer to this. I chose the school because I really really like the instructor, he's great teaching me and my kids, and we have a blast each and very class. The bottom of my last certificate says World Tae Kwon Do Federation...does that answer the question?

This is obviously something that I need to get smart on.

Sounds like WTF to me.

Is this just personal preference of your master or are there technical reasons for the changes? I'm curious Do you have an example? Must be difficult to learn new forms without being able to refer to the common videos and source material.

That is a good question, Danielle. I'd love to know, but I've never asked him about it. From what I can gather, and this is just from what I've picked up on, he must have done WTF at one time (whether it was before the current pattern set, or the pal gwe set, I don't know), and when he left Korea, he changed to the ITF set, but I'm not sure when/how he learned them.

As for examples, I can give a few real quick, and more when I have time. In Yoo Sin, when you do the U-shaped punches, we do a knee level side kick prior to each one. In Choong Jang, instead of the middle block/down blocks at the beginning, followed by the circle punch, we do nine blocks, and then slowly come into the fist over fist ready position.

Like I say, wish I knew why. My instructor has said that our GM claims that "Choi didn't necessarily make those forms..." and doesn't say anymore. I know that Choi had input from other instructors in the creation of his tuls, but I don't know what my GM is really getting at.

While Choi didn't create them solely by himself, they were his forms in the sense that he pioneered them and pushed for all Taekwon-Do instructors to adopt and teach them. It's interesting the changes your GM made. They are quite definitive differences and not just say changing a middle side kick to a high side kick. Have you ever compared them to the original Kata the Chang Hon forms take inspiration from? Maybe one of the Karate guys on the forum could suggest if there is a kata this bit in Yoo Sin matches up to:

Yoo Sin - Suska: http://youtu.be/iWCaMPfq0cI#t=1min17s

Does it have side kicks in the kata version (if there is one?).