There are 12 essential points of emphasis that must be followed in order to have an effective technique.  With a proper understanding and application of all 12 points, your technique will be efficient, effective, and beautiful.  They include:

1. Proper Foundation
2. Proper Body Connection
3. Proper Shi Sun—Mental and Physical Focus and Intent.
4. Proper Choong Shim—Proper balance throughout the motion centered in the dan jun.
5. Proper weapon and proper weapon to target application
6. Proper conditioning of your weapon
7. Proper Ho Hoop Cho Chung—Dan Jun breathing connected to movement.
8. Proper Him Cho Chung
9. Proper Shin Chook—Both internal and external expansion/contraction and tension/relaxation.
10. Proper Wan Gup—Understanding of proper speed and acceleration in motion.
11. Proper distance control through adjustments in body positioning
12. Proper application of F=MA

Proper Foundation

A proper foundation is centered around Ja Seh, roughly translated as Stance.  Literally, Ja Seh translates to “Strength Posture”.   Your stance connects you with Mother Earth, giving you stability, balance, and energy.  A proper stance will allow you to use gravity to your advantage, whereas an improper stance will force you to fight against gravity.

Remember, your foundational stance will change depending on the intent of your technique.  The longer and deeper a stance, the more stable and less mobile it is.  The shorter and shallower the stance, the more mobile but less stable it is.  A Ki Ma Ja Seh is very stable, but not very mobile.  A Pyong Rip Ja Seh (natural standing stance) is highly mobile but not very stable.  It is essential to understand this relationship and be able to adjust your stances based on circumstance.

The Song of Ship Sam Seh says “Hold your head as if suspended by a string” and “when the base of the spine is erect, energy rises to the top of the head.”  Once the proper stance is acquired, it is important to maintain your center.  Your physical and spiritual center resides two to three inches below your navel and is called “dan jun” in Korean.  Your dan jun must always be positioned in the center of your base.  A common mistake with a wide stance is to lean forward or backward depending on whether your intent is on offense or defense.  When you move, your center moves first, forcing the rest of your body to follow.  Keeping your head up and your spine erect, will help ensure that you are moving from your center and that you are properly balanced.  Never learn forward or back with your spine or your head.  Everything should be in alignment with your waist.  If you need to move forward or back, remember to do so from the dan jun rather than from your spine.

This is part one of twelve sections on the 12 Propers of Technique.  The next article will discuss Proper Body Connection.  If you have questions or a new perspective on the 12 Propers in General or would like to ask a specific question or give a unique insight into a Proper Foundation, please leave a comment.

Learn what Kwan Jang Nim HC Hwang has to say about the science behind our technique:  click here

The Yuk Keun Kyung (Yi Jin Jing   in Chinese) are a set of ancient Chinese exercises, supposedly created by Pan Wei during the Qing Dynasty.  They are similar in purpose and style to the Moo Pahl Dan Kuhm (Ba Duan Jin) exercises familiar to Soo Bahk Do and Tai Chi practitioners worldwide.  Kwan Jang Nim Hwang Kee trained in the Chinese arts while he worked on the railroad.  It is safe to assume that it was during this period that he came across the Yuk Keun Kyung.  He found these techniques to be extremely important and copied the manuscripts in his Volume I textbook on Tang Soo Do (Soo Bahk Do).  Anyone who is affiliated with the Moo Duk Kwan or has been influenced by the Moo Duk Kwan should, in my opinion, have an interest in these forgotten exercises.  Interestingly, you’ll be hard pressed to find a Korean practitioner who has an understanding of them.  Luckily, Master Daniel Segarra, former member of the Moo Duk Kwan and current founder of a new Korean system called Moo Sa Do, is currently working on a publication that will have his translation of the Yuk Keun Kyung, along with other Ki Gong exercises.  You can stay up-to-date at the Warrior-Scholar Forum.

From what I understand, the Yuk Keun Kyung are a set of 12 exercises that resemble many of our modern stretching techniques and are based on Chinese accupuncture points and the 12 meridian system.  I’ll be updating this blog post as I continue my research and hope that others will add to it as well.  Below is a diagram of some of the techniques.  There is also a youtube clip that is helpful.