Jitae Poomsae

By Sir Nathaniel 3X Rhine

The word "Jitae" means a man standing on the ground with two feet, looking over the sky. A man on the earth represents the way of struggling for human life, such as kicking, trading and jumping on the ground. Therefore, the Poomse symbolizes various aspects occurring in the course of human being's struggle for existence.

The new techniques introduced in this Poomse are han-son-nal-olgul-makki, keumkang-momtong-jireugi, and me-jumeok-yop-pyojeok-chigi only, and the Poomse line signified a man standing on earth to spring up toward the heaven.

The key point of this Poomsae lies in the movements which are derived from the harmony of willing power and strong muscles, just as the universal mind of the earth lies in the implicitness and vigor of life. Jitae Poomsae is the first official 5th Dan Black Belt pattern of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), and has 28 movements.

Sipjin Poomsae

By Sir Nathaniel 3X Rhine

 

The word "Sipjin" derived from the thought of 10 longevity, which advocates there are ten creatures of long life, namely, sun, moon, mountain, water, stone, pine-tree, herb of eternal youth, tortoise, deer, and crane.

There are two heavenly bodies, three natural resources, two plants and three animals, all giving human beings faith, hope and love. The Sipjin Poomsae symbolizes those things.

The new techniques introduced in this Poomse are hwangso-makki [bull makki], son-badak[palm]-kodureo-makki, opeun-son-nal-jireugi, son-nal-arae-makki, bawi-milgi [rock pushing], son-nal-deung-momtong-hecho-makki, kodeo-olligi [lifting up], chettari-jireugi [fork-shape jireugi], son-nal-otkoreo-arae-makki, son-nal-deung-momtong-makki, which comes to ten.

The Chinese letter meaning "ten" is the form of the Poomse line, which signifies an infinite numbering of the decimal system and ceaseless development.

Kukkiwon Black Belt Testing at World Taekwondo Instructors' Academy - October 24, 2010

By Sir Nathaniel 3X Rhine

Sunday, October 24, 2010 marked the date for the Kukkiwon Black Belt Testing held at the dojang of the World Taekwondo Instructors' Academy (Malaysia), in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The vast majority of the participants were red belt holders wanting to be promoted to their first black belt, First Dan Black Belt.

There were two First Dan Black belt holders who sat to be promoted to Second Dan Black Belt.

There were two Third Dan Black Belt holders who sat to be promoted to the Fourth Dan Black Belt.

Two Fourth Dan Black Belt holders sat for the promotion test to be promoted to Fifth Dan Black Belt.

And one Sixth Dan Black Belt holder sat to be promoted to the Seventh Dan Black Belt.

This was the very first time in which I had the honor and privilege of seeing high ranking Black Belt holders being examined for their promotions. Not only that, but it was the very first time in which I saw Korean Masters being promoted! That in itself was inspiring.

Unfortunately, the few photographs that I was able to capture didn't turn out so well, for the two reasons being that I do not have a good camera and secondly, because I am not a great photographer. I do hope that you will get a sense of the event that took place. However, it was nothing like being there in person seeing the Masters perform their promotional testing.

Moreover, possessing a Black Belt certificate from Kukkiwon, the Headquarters of The World Taekwondo Federation, in Korea is a must if one desire to be recognized worldwide as a Taekwondo Instructor/Master of Taekwondo. Anywhere in the world, one will recognize and respect your credentials as a martial arts of Taekwondo with a Kukkiwon Black Belt Certificate. Yes, it is costly to obtain, however, the benefits are priceless. To learn more about Kukkiwon, please visit their website for more details.

To all of the participants of this weekend's Black Belt Promotional Testing, I would like to congradulate you on a job well done and encourage you to continue in this wonderful way of life we call, Taekwondo.

Things to Consider When Performing Poomsae (Patterns)

By Sir Nathaniel Rhine

Poomsae should begin and end on the same spot. This will indicate the performer’s accuracy.


Correct posture and facing must be maintained at all times.


Muscles of the entire body should be tensed or relaxed at the proper critical moments in the poomsae.


The poomsae should be performed in a rhythmic movement with the absence of stiffness.


Each movement of the poomsae should be executed accordingly. Some sequences are to be accelerated or decelerated accordingly.


Each poomsae should be perfected before moving on to the next.


Students should know the purpose of each and every movement performed within the poomsae.


Students should perform the poomsae with realism.