♦ Basic Forms and Techniques

Blocks and strikes are used in conjunction with the various stances within the seven basic, traditional forms.  The traditional forms are used to develop and reinforce basic blocking and striking techniques. 

Stances

There are four primary stances used in tae kwon do:

• ready stance
• front stance (walking stance)
• back stance
• horse stance 

Stances provide stability when performing moves.  In all the stances, keep your back straight and pelvis perpendicular to the ground.  Care should be taken to center your weight evenly on the balls of the feet (except in backs stance, where the weight is 70% on the back leg and 30% on the front).  When moving from the stance, the shoulders should remain at the same level from the ground, without an up-and-down motion. 

Strikes & Punches

There are five basic strikes and punches:

• low punch
• high punch
• reinforced strike
• knife-hand strike
• reverse punch

The key to performing effective punches and strikes is to engage the shoulders, while keeping them relaxed. 

Blocks

There are three basic blocks:

• down block
• knife-hand block 
• high-rising block

The key to performing effective blocks is to engage the shoulders, while keeping them relaxed.

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Basic Forms

The student performs his basic forms in the following order:

• low punch with front stance (a down block starts the motion when turning)
• high punch with front stance
• knife-hand block with back stance
• reinforced strike with front stance
• high-rising block with front stance
• knife-hand strike with back stance
• reverse punch with back stance (a knife-hand strike starts the motion when turning)

When performing basic forms in class, the student makes a Qi-ap! at the top and bottom of the form before turning.  Reverse punch is often performed a second time with a Qi-ap! after each punch.

updated 22 April 2013