13.5.2019 / Seminar with GM Kim Bok Man2 coments

Meeting the legend

Seminar with 85 years old grandmaster Kim Bok Man

Hip twist, no sine wave, being kicked, sword, different techniques preparations, hips, Taekwon-do history, ball of the foot, self-defence, fighting fans, „challenge me with knife“, hips, pain in elbow, ripping the shoulder, stances, real boards…

These words are floating in my mind 2 weeks after experience with GM Kim Bok Man seminar. With Pavel Šnábl, III. Dan we did easy training in our park day before, chatted drinking beer and left Prague before 6 AM on Saturday. Was pretty tired but looking forward to it. It was intensive experience so look into my head if you are interested to:
Hips – I am very focused on hip twist while both practicing and teaching Taekwon-do, but often you get corrected in what you think you are good in. Grandmaster Kim Bok Man´s style (GM KBM) is really based on hip twist, often twisting on ball of the foot. In fundemental movements, kicks, self- defence – always very quick and sharp.
No sine-wave – GM KBM is criticizing sinewave, which we take as fundamental principle of Taekwon-do. Describing it as too slow. It may lead to never-ending discussion, but it makes sense to me to focus on hip twist even more (way they develop power, not being against our principles).

Sword – we know Taekwon-do as modern art of empty-hand combat. But for KBM, weapons are integral part of Taekwon-do saying that weapons were the reason why it got so popular during first demonstrations. I thought it was because of top level foot techniques (what led, in my opinion in later focusing more on leg techniques than on hand techniques). Maybe truth is somewhere in between. Grandmaster Kim Bok Man´s style (Chun Kuhn Do Taekwon-do) contains sword, baton, stick, pole, bayonet, fan, nunchaku and kamas. It is strange for ITF practicioner, but as I got weapon in my hand it started to make sense immediately. After my last-years experince with hopae this was next fresh air into my practice after 20 years of empty hands practice. Learning sword pattern brought fun, intense brain conditioning and happiness with every new skill as years before with Taekwon-do white belt.

Different techniques preparations – some techniques were different, really different, sometimes even opposite from how we practice it. But I don´t panic. My point is that one have to know why he is doing something in his way. In reply „because we are tought to“ is not enought. I have to be able to reply to both others and myself why do I do things some way (technique preparation, sine-wave, Taekwon-do itself, teaching…).

Hips – it just comes back to my mind, they were really skillful!

Taekwon-do history – GM KBM helped Gen. Choi to develop Taekwon-do as we know it at the very beginning helping to design many of patterns. I´ve bought his very interesting book Taekwon-Do: Origins of the Art: Bok Man Kim's Historic Photospective (1955-2015). I will be happy to share it with you on our training camps.

Apkumchi – I do focus on it deeply, considering ball of foot very imporant part of our movement. And as I saw I am not the only one :o)
Self-defence – we spent lot of time in self-defence and knife-defence. I am kind of focused on self-defence (compared to „normal“ taekwondoists), but Chun Kuhn Do detailed system is a big inspiration for me.
Elbow pain – we practiced self-defence for about a hour without break, again and again, wasting time was not allowed. I felt my arms half a meter longer and all joints as from gel. But that´s why I hopefully will be able to repeat and perfect those techniques. Do we normally practice like this or do we only try techniques without goal of „naturalizing“ it.

Stances – Chun Kuhn Do stances looked kind of „lazy“ to me, as it is shorter then ours, but there is big importance – stances measured by ones foot and being used in everything with precises stepping even in selfdefence.

Being kicked – I believe it was my first time to be kicked by a teacher for motivation. Grandmaster personally helped me and Pavel with some self-defence movement. He said „L-stance“ to ephasize that I need to do niunja sogi to rip Pavel´s shoulder off. But I did not do it. He shouted „L- stance“ and kicked my behind. And I did it right and probably will never forget it. I would consider it inappropriate, but here it was with perfect timing, in perfect moment. Kick worth of gold.

Wooden boards – as I go through historical book mentioned above I always see boards of 1 inch. And it reminds me GM Kim mention of 1 cm board as a kind of unfair, too easy to break for adults to show power.

„Challenge me with knife“ – Cannot forget grandmaster giving us opening history speech before seminar motivating us to get at least one correction, saying that he wants to help us. Then emphasizing it by saying „Don´t think I am too old, challenge me with knife, anyone of you, I am still able to kill anyone“.
Very different Taekwon-do than we know, but very reasonable, very meaningful.

We participated only for one day, but I feel I got enought material for many coming months to practice and think about. Looking foward to practice some techniques and principles by myself and with my friends and students.

Martin Svitek, V. Dan, Sonkal Praha