Competitive Taekwondo Master Yong Sup Kil Kil’s Taekwondo Centers Human Kinetics Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Kil, Yong Sup. Competitive taekwondo / Master Yong Sup Kil. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN-13: 978-0-7360-5870-4 (soft cover) ISBN-10: 0-7360-5870-2 (soft cover) 1. Tae kwon do. I. Title. GV1114.9.K52 2006 796.815'3--dc22 2006004463 ISBN-10: 0-7360-5870-2 (print) ISBN-10: 0-7360-8519-X (Adobe PDF) ISBN-13: 978-0-7360-5870-4 (print) ISBN-13: 978-0-7360-8519-9 (Adobe PDF) Copyright © 2006 by Yong Sup Kil All rights reserved. Except for use in a review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying, and recording, and in any information storage and retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher. 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Box 5076 57A Price Avenue Champaign, IL 61825-5076 Lower Mitcham, South Australia 5062 800-747-4457 08 8277 1555 e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Canada: Human Kinetics New Zealand: Human Kinetics 475 Devonshire Road Unit 100 Division of Sports Distributors NZ Ltd. Windsor, ON N8Y 2L5 P.O. Box 300 226 Albany 800-465-7301 (in Canada only) North Shore City e-mail: [email protected] Auckland 0064 9 448 1207 Europe: Human Kinetics e-mail: [email protected] 107 Bradford Road Stanningley Leeds LS28 6AT, United Kingdom +44 (0) 113 255 5665 e-mail: [email protected] To my mother, for her spiritual strength and loving heart in raising eight wonderful children. Contents Foreword by Chungwon Choue, President, World Taekwondo Federation vi Acknowledgments vii Introduction viii 1 Finding Motivation and Setting Goals 1 2 Training to Win 7 3 Increasing Strength, Explosive Power, Endurance, and Agility 23 4 Kicking and Blocking 29 5 Stepping and Footwork 53 6 Taking Competitive Stances 73 7 Using Feints and Timing 77 iv 8 Developing the Mind of a Champion 81 9 Drilling for Competition 89 10 Attacking 121 11 Counterattacking 143 12 Making Weight 185 13 Controlling the Match 189 14 Winning With a Coach 199 Index 207 About the Author 211 v Foreword Taekwondo is a growing martial art all over the world. Its increasing popularity is evidenced by the 60 million students of this martial art in 179 countries. International competition continues to advance through events such as the World Championships and the Olympic Games. Competitive Taekwondo, written by Master Yong Sup Kil and endorsed by the World Taekwondo Federation, contains the insight of a veteran athlete and coach. The book covers the theoretical background of the match, training methods for athletes, kicks, steps, tactics, and sparring strategies. The variety of training covered in the book will expedite a better understanding of t aekwondo and give readers a competitive edge. This is a good guidebook for trainees, athletes, and coaches who have a keen desire to understand taekwondo. It is my sincere wish this wonderful martial art continues to inspire all those who seek knowledge of the sport. Chungwon Choue, PhD President World Taekwondo Federation vi Acknowledgments In the odyssey of writing this book, many friends and colleagues helped bring this project to fruition. I would like to acknowledge their loyalty and friendship. First and foremost, I want to thank Master Jong Chul Lee, Korean national champion 1973 to 1980, 1988 Olympic coach for the Mexican national team, head coach of the 2003 U.S. national collegiate team to the Summer World Universiade games, and professor of martial arts at the University of Bridge- port, Connecticut. For technical advice and his support and strong influence in my life, I thank my dear brother, Grand Master Sang Sup Kil, an international sport leader; Grand Master Kwang Sup Kil, my brother, friend, and colleague; Master Ali Koubeissi, vice president of the Michigan TKD Association and head coach of the Michigan TKD team; Master Young Seoung Kim, Korean national cham- pion and U.S. national and college team coach; Master Jae Ho Kim, Korean national champion and U.S. national and college team coach; Professor Jun Chul Yoon, Korean champion and U.S. national and college team coach; Master Eric Sang Kim and Master Chang Kil Kim, friends and colleagues; and Kil’s branch instructors Bill and Tammy Walker and Jack Kittinger. Special thanks to Denise Delleree, second dan, for her patience and under- standing as my editing assistant. Without her help and technical knowledge, this book would not have been completed. Thanks to Thomas Rossman, Tom Mays, Amanda Mays, and Kevin R. MacRitchie. Thanks to the sparring partners (and my students) who helped individuali ze and break down the movements of taekwondo—Benjamin Kil, Kelly Verpoort, and Juan Perez. Thanks to my family, especially my mom and my wife, for supporting my dream. And finally, thanks to Cynthia McEntire for walking me through this endeavor and to the staff at Human Kinetics for believing in me. vii Introduction Taekwondo is my life! My life started prematurely, which gave my mother and father great concern. As I grew and became healthy, my parents enrolled me in taekwondo to build my body and mind. At five years of age, I had already watched two older brothers grow through the teachings of a taekwondo master in Korea. Starting out a little smaller in this world did not diminish my motivation to be the best. My training continues to this day. I have been directly involved in national and international competitions throughout my career. Over the years I have made use of many writings, manuals, and philosophies of taekwondo for information, expertise, and inspiration in my technique. However, as I became more involved in coaching, refereeing, and, most recently, teaching taekwondo at the university level, it became apparent to me that there was a great need for a book focusing on competition. Of course, there are many martial arts books on the market, but they are directed toward the fundamental aspects of the sport. This void in martial arts literature led me to write this book. Even though my knowledge and experience are extensive, I am sure there are omissions of strategy and technique, and others in the field of taekwondo may have greater expertise in certain areas. My goal is to provide basic guidelines and sugges- tions for training and competition. The task of putting words on paper to describe the movements of an ath- lete is difficult at best. There are so many nuances to the art of taekwondo and its rhythm, strength, and grace that sometimes it feels as if a disservice has been done to the athletes of the sport. However, my heart and spirit are pure in intention. My desire is for this text to become a guide for coaches, instructors, masters, and athletes everywhere who love taekwondo as much as I do. UNDERSTANDING TAEKWONDO Taekwondo is a unique martial art that began more than 2,000 years ago as a system of defense for aristocrats. Over the centuries these self-defense methods viii Introduction ix evolved into specific skills and a philosophy that found their way into the daily life of the common people. As its popularity grew, taekwondo became more competitive. Yaksok gyorugi (promise sparring), a form of taekwondo interaction with drills, became widespread and was developed as a sport. However, yaksok gyorugi did not satisfy the competitive drive of the athletes because it lacked the spontaneous use of skill and independent action. Over time the sport become more organized, and in 1962 the Korean Taesudo Association, the Korean Taekwondo Association, and the Korean Amateur Sports Association joined forces. The goal of building a national Korean sport started to take shape. Taekwondo nurtures the mind and body by creating harmony between physical and mental training through the use of the hands and feet. The word taekwondo delivers the full meaning of the martial art. Tae stands for basic kicks, including kicks in the air. The word kwon means “fist that blocks and punches.” Finally, the word do translates into a philosophy of conduct that is cultivated through discipline and training of body and mind. Although students can build physical strength and skills under the tutelage of a taekwondo master, it is the philosophical foundation of taekwondo that makes the student a whole athlete. The spirit of taekwondo centers on integrity, self-control, indomitable spirit, perseverance, humility, and courtesy. These tenets are the foundation of training in and out of the dojang (school) for those who embrace the art. Taekwondo is a unique sport in that the master and student forge a sym- biotic relationship. Whereas a coach and athlete will train and compete as a team, in taekwondo there is a sense of honor and respect for the master that goes deeper than the sport itself. Trainees quickly learn the deep-seated culture of respect and courtesy practiced in taekwondo. Self-confidence and achieve- ment are gained by persevering through repetitive training with resoluteness and indomitable spirit. Correct sporting behavior requires accepting the win or loss of a game in the spirit of fair play. When the proper attitude toward winning or losing becomes more important than the result of a match, an athlete is born again as a man or woman of taekwondo. Today the sport of international taekwondo consists of basic motions (a set of standard stances), yaksok gyorugi, jayu gyorugi (free sparring or contest without preset rules and with spontaneous actions), breaking, and the art of self-defense. Formal competition is composed of three elements: poomse, sparring, and breaking. Poomse (forms) are combinations of basic movements such as blocking, punching, and kicking. The athlete demonstrates skill by quickly evading attack from the left and right sides, following imaginary poomse lines with speed, accuracy, rhythm, balance, and concentration. Poomse teach a fighter to respond quickly to constantly changing motion. Skills developed in poomse provide a strong foundation for sparring competition. x Introduction COMPETITIVE DEVELOPMENT Even though martial arts have been around for more than 2,000 years, only in the last 30 years have they evolved into organized, competitive sports recognized by the international athletic community. On May 28, 1973, the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) was founded, and soon after many countries around the world established taekwondo associations. In 1975 the WTF became a member of the International Amateur Sports Federation (IASF), which further solidified the presence of competitive taekwondo on the international sport scene. In May of 1980, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognized taekwondo as an international sport. In 1988 and 1992, taekwondo was chosen as a demonstration event at the Olympic Games, and in 2000 and 2004 it was included as an official Olympic event. The three major arenas of competitive taekwondo are official international taekwondo competitions, international goodwill competitions, and combined sports games. These are all official international games. Official international taekwondo competitions include the World Tae- kwondo Championship; the World Junior Taekwondo Championship; the World University Taekwondo Championship, sponsored by International University Sports Federation (FISU); the World International Servicemen Taekwondo Championship; and the World Cup. In international goodwill taekwondo competitions, there is no restric- tion on participation; anyone can compete. This arena includes games that are sponsored by different countries, such as the U.S. Open, Mexico Open, European Open, and Korean Open. Combined sports games include the Summer Olympic Games, Summer World University Games, World Games, Pan American Games, Central American and Caribbean Sports Games, All Africa Games, Asian Games, and Goodwill Games. The competitive aspect of taekwondo, the matches in which athletes pit their power and skill against each other, is the highlight of the sport. The purpose of competition is to provide an arena in which athletes can measure their skills against those of other athletes. A match is conducted within a limited time and is judged within specific parameters. A judge reviews the legal attack points, the power and displacement of punches, and the striking positions of the feet, all within limited rules. The perfection of taekwondo skills can be realized in the spirit of fair play and within a safe environment. RULES OF COMPETITION Taekwondo match rules are action-limiting regulations that became official. Today taekwondo competition is structured in such a way that only certain