Forms, Sparring, Belts

Chapter 4 showed that "taekwondo" names several families. This chapter shows what that means on the floor of a training hall or tournament: three different words for forms, two quite different sparring rule sets, and a belt system that, in the Taekwondo article's words, is "not standardized". It is a rules-and-structure chapter, not a technique chapter. It reads what the sources say about how the activities are organised, scored and ranked, and how the rules have changed, and it flags where two articles give different numbers.

Forms: One Idea, Three Words

The Taekwondo article says that "three Korean terms may be used with reference to taekwondo forms or patterns", and that "these forms are equivalent to kata in karate":

It defines a hyeong as "a systematic, prearranged sequence of martial techniques that is performed either with or without the use of a weapon", and adds that "different taekwondo styles and associations (ATA, ITF, GTF, WT, etc.) use different taekwondo forms". For the ITF, the ITF article says there are "24 patterns in the official ITF syllabus; this is symbolic of the 24 hours in a day" and that the names "typically refer either to events in Korean history or to important people in Korean history". It adds that one pattern, Ko-Dang, "was retired/replaced by Juche in 1986 by General Choi Hong Hi", and that patterns are performed "in accordance with 'The Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do' in 15 volumes written by General Choi". The symbolism ("24 hours") is the ITF article's statement and I have no second source for it.

Under World Taekwondo, the article says the federation "sanctions competition in poomsae or forms, although this is not an Olympic event". Competitors are assessed on "accuracy (accuracy of movements, balance, precision of details) and presentation (speed and power, rhythm, energy)", with deductions for errors; pair and team events exist, and "there is experimentation with freestyle forms that allow more creativity".

Sparring: Two Rule Sets

The Taekwondo article separates "two kinds of competition sparring": "point sparring, in which all strikes are light contact and the clock is stopped when a point is scored; and Olympic sparring, where all strikes are full contact and the clock continues when points are scored". In Olympic competition, it says, "only sparring (using WT competition rules) is performed". Other tournaments "typically involve sparring, breaking, and patterns", sometimes with demonstration teams and self-defence.

The WT / Olympic style

• Contact and scoring. "Full-contact", "continuous scoring", in an 8-metre area (square or octagon). Matches are three two-minute rounds with one minute's rest, with a "golden point" round for ties.
• Equipment. The Taekwondo article says the Kukkiwon/WT tradition always uses "padded helmets called homyun" and "padded torso protectors called hogu", with protectors for feet, shins, groin, hands and forearms. In the ITF tradition "typically only the hands and feet are padded".
• Scoring. Electronic: the article says "all major national and international tournaments have moved fully (as of 2017) to electronic scoring, including the use of electronic headgear", with human judges still assessing "technical (spinning) techniques" and punches.
• What counts. Only kicks (using "an area of the foot below the ankle"), punches with the closed fist, and pushes are allowed. The article says kicks below the waist are not permitted, and that punches to the head are not allowed. It notes that WT sparring "award[s] additional points for strikes that incorporate spinning kicks, kicks to the head, or both".

The ITF style

The Taekwondo article says the ITF's rules are "similar to the WT's, but they differ in some ways": hand attacks to the head are allowed, the competition "is not full contact", "excessive contact is not allowed", and a competitor who injures an opponent so he cannot continue is disqualified. Scoring is 1 point for a punch to body or head, 2 for a jumping kick to the body or a kick to the head, and 3 for a jumping kick to the head. The competition area is 9 × 9 metres for international events, and competitors "do not wear the hogu".

Rules Change: A Timeline from the WT Article

Belts and Dan Grades

The Taekwondo article says: "Taekwondo ranks vary from style to style and are not standardized." The structure it describes is common:

• Junior ranks use geup (also gup or kup), a number paired with a belt colour, sometimes with a stripe. These "typically count down from higher numbers to lower ones".
• Senior ("black belt") ranks are each a dan or "degree", which "counts upwards".
• Promotion requires passing tests, and "promotions happen at a progressive rate depending on the school".

Titles attach to rank, differently in each family:

The Kukkiwon article adds that issuing and recognising dan ranks is one of its main functions. So the Kukkiwon is, in practice, the issuing body for the largest rank system, while the ITF groups issue their own. The same black belt can therefore mean different things in different halls.

Reading Rules From This Chapter

1. Which family? A term (ap seogi), a form name or a rank title is only meaningful once you know the ITF, Kukkiwon/WT or another style.
2. Which year? Competition rules are amended often, and the sources give figures from different dates. A number without a date is a weak fact.
3. Rules shape the sport. Full-contact scoring with electronic equipment encourages different behaviour from light-contact point sparring. A reported controversy about headgear is a reminder that a scoring system is also a design choice.
4. Rank is not universal. A black belt's meaning depends on who issued it and what that body requires.

Exercises

Next chapter: Going Global, which looks at the spread overseas, the Olympic path in more detail, and what the sources say about numbers of practitioners.