What
is Poomsae in TAEKWONDO
 Poomsae
is not for demonstration. It is in some cases for training and in anothers for
Taekwondo itself. You may know why I underline this point. Really many practice
Poomsae for the sake of demonstration or the appropiate way only for demonstration
with no consciousness. I think, it is owing to that they don't or cannot understand
the full meaning of Poomsae.
At first, Poomsae of Taekwondo seems to be a series of movements, like dancing,
so that it is merely a practice of physical exercise. But Poomsae is not confined
within mere motions. It is a part of image training, and this is the key point
of doing poomsae.
Therefore, there
is something you must always keep in mind as you practice poomsae.
Poomsae is not merely a series of movements made only by you.
It also serves to situate your opponent. While this opponent
is not seen by others, it can be seen by the Taekwondo-Een who
practices poomsae. Therefore, the poomsae that excludes him
ceases immediately to be poomsae. It ceases to be Taekwondo
as well. (Ch.50 of Taekwondo
Principle)
Then, what is poomsae? Poomsae is the established pattern focused
on skills that standardized right motions every Taekwondo man should follow
in most universal situations.( Ch.49)
Thus, poomsae is a sort of training method and its elements are skills; the
skills of fighting. Unless you cannot find why those motions can be a good fighting
skill, then you don't understand the poomsae yet.
That is, poomsae is a set of fighting technique, so it is acting
in relation to your opponent. Poomsae,
as the optimum way of acting in relation to an opponent, developed
not by chance but through the infinite experience and accumulated
wisdom of the ancients. Therefore, the practitioner of Taekwondo
poomsae does not fight alone but with the wisdom of his forebears.
All true wisdom cannot be fixed but must flux with its own life
situated in reality. The wisdom of Taekwondo in poomsae may
at first appear as fixed formality; however, through that formality
opens up infinite creative potential. Correct Taekwondo is simply
creativity within temperate formality. (Ch.50 of Taekwondo
Principle )
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