Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, Guest Writers, The Poomsae Series, Training Tips

Guest Writer: Kata in Aikidō: Form, Principle, and Transformation

I’ve always been a fan of forms (poomsae in Korean) and appreciate their ability to focus the practitioner on technique, execution, proper form, and breathing. Forms are practiced across many different martial arts, including Aikido. Josh MacDonald, Calgary Rakushinkan Aikidō, shares his expertise about the history and current practice of forms (kata) in Aikido. If you would like to be a guest writer for Little Black Belt please review the guest writer guidelines and contact me.

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Melanie Gibson Class Diaries, Self-Development and Leadership, Work and Martial Arts

Inspired by Greatness (or, What I Learned from a Kung Fu Girl)

female kung fu poses - Google Search | 太極拳, カンフー, 格闘

Last Thursday was one of those taekwondo classes that makes you feel better inside and out. We had that perfect mix of students who take their sport seriously and are there to work hard, even the youngest ones. One younger student, a girl of about ten or eleven, was trying out our dojang for the first time. She had trained in kung fu, and for whatever reason, was looking for a new place to train. She kept up with us perfectly during movement drills and kicking practice. But the real magic happened when she did her form.

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Melanie Gibson Class Diaries, Injury and Recovery

A Year of Private Lessons: My TKD Comeback Tour

Getting my mojo back. Photo by Wesley Kirk.

 

The first time I set foot in my dojang after the night I tore my ACL was in mid-December 2020. A girl who had been a student of mine at the old dojang before transferring to our new one was testing for black belt. I was still wearing a knee brace and was deeply mired in rehab at home and at the healthcare facility. 
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Melanie Gibson Class Diaries, The Poomsae Series

Learning Taeguk Forms

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I’m still calling walking stance “broken knee stance.”

There sure are a lot of outside-to-inside blocks in Taeguk forms.

When I joined my new dojang at the end of 2018 I began learning Taeguk forms. I’d learned the Palgwe style in my other dojang, and since I can’t remember which forms I learned as a child (other than the universal kibon), I’ll claim Palgwe as my foundational set.

I started thinking about the new language I was learning. If Palgwes could be summed up in one or two moves I’d say they’re very heavy on using the front (or long) stance and double knife hand block (in a back stance of course).
Taeguk’s main theme seems to be the outside block…from the back hand…in walking stance.

Sigh…

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Melanie Gibson Injury and Recovery, The Poomsae Series, Training Tips

Using Martial Arts Basics To Recover From an Injury

white belt uniform

If you’ve read my blog for a while, you know how I feel about forms. I’ve written over two dozen blog posts about the mental and physical benefits (and inevitable life lessons) of practicing poomsae.

To my surprise, my physical therapist casually mentioned that I should start doing slow-motion forms to work on balance and transferring weight back and forth on my legs. I’m nearly three weeks post-op from ACL reconstruction surgery, and, if I’m careful, I can move around the house with just my leg brace. I was excited about the prospect.

I’ve done forms as mental therapy. I’ve never done them as physical therapy, so this will be a new recovery/martial arts adventure for me.

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Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, The Poomsae Series, Training Tips

How Kickboxing Upped My Poomsae (Forms) Game

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In the martial arts world we often tout the practice of forms (poomsae, kata, etc) as a means to hone techniques for self-defense and fighting. But have we ever thought about reversing the practice? How can we use our striking, kicking, and sparring practice to power up our poomsae game?

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Melanie Gibson Work and Martial Arts

When Starting is More Difficult Than Finishing

FirstStep

I can win a game of pool, but I’m not very good at starting one. Let’s just be real–I’m terrible at breaking. I can never seem to get enough power to create a smooth and clean strike. More often than not, the cue ball barely moves the rack of balls, and sometimes I end up scratching. The last time I did a decent break had more to do with the extra-smooth surface of the table I was playing on than any of my technique.

Come to think of it, I could never get the hang of serving in a tennis match either. Sure, I could chase after the ball and lob it over the net, but starting the game on a strong note always seemed to elude me.
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Melanie Gibson The Poomsae Series

Taeguk 6 – Can We Pause For a Change Revisited (The Poomsae Series Part 15)

Girl with a choice near the forked road

The Poomsae Series is back! I wasn’t sure I’d be able to write individual posts for the Taeguk forms I’ve been learning (I was trained in Palgwe at my old dojang), but they’ve grown on me in the past few weeks. I’ve started to appreciate the individual experiences of learning and practicing the forms rather than just memorizing movements as part of a set. Now that I’ve gotten to know the forms better I can experience them and express them on a deeper level.

This past week I learned my final form of the Taeguk collection (gotta catch em all!) and the thirtieth in my overall repertoire. On Tuesday one of my instructors walked me and another much younger black belt through Taeguk Yuk Jang (6), and to be honest, we were all a little turned around. This form amps up the challenge to anyone trying to learn or re-learn it, even for those familiar with the Taeguk patterns.
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Melanie Gibson Class Diaries, The Poomsae Series

When You Love What You Do, You Do It Well (Whether You Think So Or Not)

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“Your form looks REALLY good,” said B, a sweet, friendly and very tenacious blue belt/red stripe during a break in her taekwondo class. She added an emphatic nod and I smiled and bowed in her direction.

I had shown up early to the dojang to warm up and practice forms while I waited for the later class to begin. I usually try to get there about 40-45 minutes early partially to warm up my otherwise fairly sedentary body (thank you, office job that pays for my taekwondo classes) and to practice the 29 forms I had committed to memory. Practicing forms is a great way to shift my mental and physical focus from the outside world and the rest of my life into the pure taekwondo black belt zone. It was nice to know that my efforts had not gone unnoticed.
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Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, The Poomsae Series, Work and Martial Arts

I’m Learning Taeguk Forms

conformity

It’s begun. I am learning Taeguk forms.

A little bit of history about poomsae (forms): The preference for Taeguk rose alongside the focus of taekwondo turning to sport taekwondo, or Olympic style sparring. Stances are higher and shorter, and the movements are much simpler than the Palgwe forms. I also think some practitioners just didn’t want to associate with the similarity Palgwe forms had with karate and in turn the unpleasant history Korea shared with Japan. But what do I know.

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