Patterns / Grading

As a student advances through the grades of Taekwon-do increasingly complex patterns are learnt. Patterns incorporate every offensive and defensive technique of the art so students can learn more by practising patterns than sparring.

Why there are 24 patterns

There are 24 patterns, each with a symbolic name and meaning. Many are named after figures from Korean History. General Choi Hong Hi wrote:

"The life of a human being, perhaps 100 years, can be considered as a day when compared with eternity. Therefore, we mortals are no more than simple travellers who pass by the eternal years of an eon in a day. Here I leave Taekwon-do for mankind as a trace of man of the late 20th century.

The 24 patterns represent 24 hours, one day, or all my life.

"It is evident that no one can live more than a limited amount of time. Nevertheless, most people foolishly enslave themselves to materialism as if they could live for thousands of years. And some people strive to bequeath a good spiritual legacy for coming generations, in this way, gaining immortality. Obviously, the spirit is perpetual while material is not. Therefore, what we can do to leave behind something for the welfare of mankind is, perhaps, the most important thing in our lives.

Purpose of Patterns

'To perfect fundamental movements', historically patterns were developed as a result of the strictly enforced law of Hamurabi. This was in effect, "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth". Clearly practicing martial arts was severely limited as you could not effectively fight a moving opponent. For this reason patterns were developed.

A patterns therefore is a series of defensive and offensive moves against an imaginary opponent or opponents..

Benefits of Practicing Patterns

There are a number of benefits to the continual practice of patterns:

To practice many fundamental movements
To develop sparring techniques
To improve the flexibility of movements
To master body shifting
To build muscles (with slow motion techniques for example) and improve breathing techniques
To develop fluid and smooth motions
To gain rhythmical movements (through practice)

Points to Remember When Performing a Pattern:

Patterns should begin and end on the same spot.
Correct posture, stance and facing must be maintained at all times.
The pattern should be performed in a rhythmic motion, with the absence of stiffness or jerky motions (smooth and fluid motions are the key)
Movements should be accelerated/decelerated where appropriate.
Perfect each pattern before moving onto the next
Know the purpose of each movement .
And perform each movement with realism.

*Please note that the information provided on gradings is only an indication of the required knowledge and skills needed as detailed in the ITF curriculum and is by no means definitive.

7th Kup

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