Forms on wrong foot

[MatsuShinshii]

I ponder these things because a form is meant to convey the essence of the art. At some point in history, and skilled fighter has put together some moves that he thinks will show all the basic movements from which everything else is built.

If that skilled fighter from history could only fight right handed opponents, then he wasn't really that skilled.

Therefore I suspect the intention might have been to use the form as a mere template on which to base ones practice and study.

In another thread, I asked how does one decide when they truly know a form. Well I think if you can't do it with the directions swapped or reversed, then you don't know it.

To the bold. The Kata does not convey the art. What it contains conveys the art. The Kata is a teacher of balance, body shifting, body mechanics and to teach the proper stance to generate optimum power but it does not convey the art itself unless your speaking in more modern terms post Japanization of the art.

The Kata is a collection of postures that, each and together, represent the applications of the art. The founders (Chinese or Okinawan) put the postures into the Kata in the most logical and efficient way so that a student could practice the postures and to also have a way to remember them as the Okinawan's did not (at least to our historical knowledge) keep written records. The Kata is the record of the art and contain the applications and techniques of the art but does not represent the art in and of itself.

[DWx]

Never done it in TKD, but when I studied Tai Chi we'd do mirror image and also in reverse for balance.

I wonder if it has to do with the majority of the population in human history being right handed. If you step to your left to start the form, that puts the right hand side, which for most of us, is our power side, back, which is the usual position for generating power with an attack or defense from the right side of the body.

Subsequently, it could be that the initial attack from a threat is with their own right hand, perhaps grabbing our left wrist, or left shoulder, or otherwise attacking with their right hand, thus forcing us to defend with the closest tool, out left side.

Interestingly if you do the Chang Hon forms, virtually all start with a defensive movement and with the left arm. The two that do start with attacking techniques, Ul Ji and Tong Il, start by stepping backwards. I always heard this was because the General said Taekwon-Do is supposed to be primarily used for defense and not in aggression. As to why it's a left hand first, the training convention in ITF TKD is to always start blocks with the left and attacks with the right when doing line work.

[bushido_man96]

Never done it in TKD, but when I studied Tai Chi we'd do mirror image and also in reverse for balance.

I wonder if it has to do with the majority of the population in human history being right handed. If you step to your left to start the form, that puts the right hand side, which for most of us, is our power side, back, which is the usual position for generating power with an attack or defense from the right side of the body.

Subsequently, it could be that the initial attack from a threat is with their own right hand, perhaps grabbing our left wrist, or left shoulder, or otherwise attacking with their right hand, thus forcing us to defend with the closest tool, out left side.

Interestingly if you do the Chang Hon forms, virtually all start with a defensive movement and with the left arm. The two that do start with attacking techniques, Ul Ji and Tong Il, start by stepping backwards. I always heard this was because the General said Taekwon-Do is supposed to be primarily used for defense and not in aggression. As to why it's a left hand first, the training convention in ITF TKD is to always start blocks with the left and attacks with the right when doing line work.

Which seems logical, blocking with the left hand and then counterattacking with the strong right hand (for most of the population).