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Taekwondo Bible Vol.1
Preface to the English ver.
Introduction

Part. I

1. Oneness and ...
2. There is Do ...
3. The World, ...
4. Picturing ...

5. There is ...
6. The Principles ...

Part. II

7. In Taekwondo ...
8. Facing the ...
9. Erasing ...
10. Thinking ...
11. Doing TKD
12. Not Losing ...
13. Three ...

Part. III

14. Taekwondo's ...
15. Distinction ...
16. Doing Both ...
17. Questioning ...
18. Looking Out ...
19. Endless ...
20. Finding ...
21. Begining ...
22. Keeping ...

Part. IV

23. Moving ...
24. Controling ...
25. Attacking ...
26. Leading ...
27. Surpassing ...
28. Attacking ...
29. Capturing ...

Part. V

30. Having ...
31. Knowing ...
32. Filling Mind ...
33. Taekwondo ...
34. Hitting ...
35. Attacking ...
36. Making ...
37. Avoiding ...
38. Offense and ...
39. Winning with ...

Part. VI

40. Offense and ...
41. Having Softness ...
42. There Be ...
43. Controling ...
44. Being Able ...
45. Harmony of ...
46. Beautifulness ...
47. Able to Stab ...

Part. VII

48. Seeing Motion ...
49. Sparring with ...
50. Free in Strict ...
51. Having Poomsae ...
52. Perfection ...
53. Having Yourself ...
54. There being ...
55. Getting Everything ...

Part. VIII

56. Completing ...
57. Taekwondo Be ...
58. A Piece of String ...
59. Seeing New ...
60. Everything in ...
61. Begining Training ...
62. Seeing the World ...
63. Truth of TKD ...
64. Oneness and ...

Taekwondo Bible Vol.2

Taekwondo Bible Vol.3

Taekwondo Poem


 

History & Discuddion


 

TKD Culture Network

 



Part IV. ON TECHNIQUE

Chapter 23

Flowing Like Water with your Opponent  

   

“I often fail to use my technique.”

“Because in your technique your mind is lacking.”

 

 

 

 

Performed correctly, TAEKWONDO does not discriminate between your own motion and that of the opponent. Samjae, which composes change in the ways of Haneul, Tang, and Saram, also resolves itself into such non-distinction. Therefore, a good Taekwondo-Een always moves together with his opponent. The motion may be unseen. In transcendental motion movement and stasis are the same and beyond distinction, therefore the complete truth of Taekwondo also stands beyond distinction.

In this case, the Taekwondo-Een’s mind as he faces his opponent is a transcendentally vacant one. One’s mind, rather than being filled with the conviction of vanquishing the opponent, is erased by it. This complete emptying of the mind with confidence and conviction so that even one’s own sense of self is overcome is called “Erasing Oneself”.

Erasing oneself as a Taekwondo-Een ends by allowing one to view the self, the opponent, and all else, not with the eyes but with the mind. This is possible because mind and body are ultimately no different and they harmonize with all of life. Therefore, when you as a Taekwondo-Een view your opponent with your erased self you will perceive him with your intuitive mind. Only then can you engage him with your whole body. In this way, as you see everything of your opponent you can place him in yourself, and as he is already within you, you can move with him.

You must always see your opponent. When you cease to see him he moves out of reach of your attack and surprises your defenses. On the other hand, you should always keep moving so that he cannot see you. When you can move where he cannot see you but you can see him, then you can grasp his HeoSil (??[])1 moving into the best position in relation to him.

When you practice Taekwondo correctly you can see your opponent under any condition because you ‘are’ and your opponent also ‘is’. It is Do that harmoniously penetrates every being. By understanding correct TAEKWONDO you can see everything of your opponent. You can feel him as much as see him; and if you view him in the correct way you can perceive everything of him.

This perception is accompanied by the proper motion that precedes thought. It is like placing your hand in a basin of water. The water at first recedes and then moves in and contours itself around every corner and crevice of your submerged hand, and then, when the hand is withdrawn, it immediately flows away, flowing into all gaps. Thus, you can feel who your opponent is, what he thinks, and the level of his strength. This kind of knowledge of Taekwondo is non-distinctive; so, even if he can deceive your thoughts, he cannot deceive your motion, which moves as one with him.

Water. The motion of Taekwondo must flow like water with the opponent . Water, which recedes in exact proportion to whatever is placed in it, never too much nor too little. Likewise, water flows immediately in to fill the gap left by anything withdrawn from it, never too much but only to the exact degree of the emptied space.

Imitating the qualities of water, the motion of Taekwondo draws back only to such a degree as the opponent’s attack cannot reach you whatsoever it might be. Once you find an opportunity, you again move in your proper tide but only to its precise degree. What more do you need to protect yourself and subdue your opponent than such a motion harmonized with him? The ideal distance, tide, and balance in Taekwondo are to be found in this harmonious interplay with the opponent.

As a Taekwondo-Een moving as one with your opponent, how should your mind be set? Do not hesitate. Empty your mind and yet be resolved. Then erase your decision and follow it through to the end. The time, during which you seek for a chance to attack in front of your opponent, stops in a moment! You should be able to throw yourself to him. If you do not throw yourself in danger you cannot be stronger, and if you are not stronger you cannot subdue your opponent. Throwing yourself to him is equal to throwing him to you. Only then it will be possible for you to move together with your opponent.

What is the reason that you can make good decision by way of no hesitation? It is because in Taekwondo you do not think only with your ideas but with your entirety to the harmony in accordance with the world. And it is also because you build right thoughts in the course of training preserving them in your instinctive motion through repetition. Thus, we can find no luck in every momentary victory or defeat.

If you do not throw yourself off you cannot rescue yourself either. When you throw yourself to your opponent in the spirit of penetrating him with all of yours you will be able to subdue him at a good distance breaking the flow of his in an overwhelming tide after all. You should throw your entirety to him whenever you hit him for the sake of this doing both of throwing and rescuing yourself at once.

To be able to hit your opponent you should also go into the distance where he can hit you, and in order to catch him you first go into the distance where he can also catch you. To be able to see him you cannot help going to where he can also see you. To put yourself where you can strike him while he cannot strike you under same condition, and to have him unable to see you while you can see him; it is TAEKWONDO which includes your continuous and endless motion that moves together with the opponent. It is your life itself.


<footnotes>

1) HeoSil is composition of two concepts ; Heo, which means emptiness or deficiency or weakness or blind point or all of these, and Sil, which means fullness or merit or strongness or all of these. The concept of HeoSil is very useful and important in Taekwondo and in everykind of martial arts, but almost impossible to replace it with a simple english term. So I will keep using this original term in all of my articles