Um Yang Philosophy

Throughout all of history, man has tried to understand the workings of the universe and his relationship with both Heaven and Earth.  In ancient Korea, the traditional Um/Yang symbol had three distinct sections: heaven, earth and human.  These people deduced that whenever two forces opposed one another one of two things would happen: one force would dominate the other, thus one would be superior and the other inferior; or the two forces would be equal cancelling one another out.

It was from this observation that the Um/Yang philosophy was born.  Everything around us has an opposite:  hot and cold, high and low, summer and winter, fire and water.  Um energy is soft, yielding and passive.  Yang is hard, aggressive and active. Striking a balance between Um and Yang energies would result in Tae Guk or Grand Ultimate.  Tae Guk is a state of neutrality where perfect harmony exists.  Energies naturally flow from yang to um and back to yang effortlessly.  Neither force dominates the other.

Western minds think in a linear fashion with a beginning and multiple steps leading to an end.  Conversely, Eastern thought can be illustrated better by a circle.  There is neither a beginning nor an end but a circle filled with a number of phases, each leading in both directions to another.  An example that can be found in both Western and Eastern culture is the concept of the “circle of life”.  Initially, you may think of life as a straight line beginning with birth (yang) and ending in death (um).  However, after we die, our bodies return to the earth and give nutrients to the soil to produce more life (yang), which will eventually produce more death (um).  This endless circle is an example of how nature is constantly flowing from Yang to Um energy.

Ship Sam Seh

This Um/Yang philosophy can be found in every aspect of Korean culture including Astrology, agriculture, architecture, nutrition and even fighting arts (kwon bup).  The variation of Um/Yang philosophy that correlates with kwon bup is known as Ship Sam Seh (13 Principles/Influences).  The Ship Sam Seh can be broken down into Pal Gwe (8 Forces/Directions) and Oh Haeng (5 Energies/Elements).

Having an understanding of Ship Sam Seh philosophy will teach you how to react to neutralize an attack.  If someone attacks high (yang), then counter low (um).  If your opponent has a strong straight line (yang), then side-step off of his line (um).  There are, however, more strategies than merely Um and Yang.  You have only scratched the surface of the possibilities.  The Pal Gwe and the Oh Haeng are derivatives of Um/Yang, each having an Um or Yang characteristic, but each is also distinct with its own set of unique attributes.

Pal Gwe

The Pal Gwe, or 8 forces, are connected to the 8 directions on a compass.  The directions are further divided into Sa Jung (four principle directions) and Sa Woo (four corners or intermediary directions).  This shows your positioning in space and the ability to move in the 8 directions by stepping, hopping, lunging, etc.  Without stepping, you can also use Pal Gwe on the way you move your mass.  This is done by moving your waist:  Left, Right, Forward, Backward, Up, Down, Clockwise, Counter clockwise.

Besides physical direction (yang), each Gwe has a specific strategy or technique (um) associated with it.  Anyone who has studied Tae Kuk Kwon (Tai Chi Chuan) will be familiar with these strategies.   It is my belief that Kwan Jang Nim Hwang Kee learned much of his Ship Sam Seh knowledge while he trained with Master Yang in China.  It was during that time that Kwan Jang Nim learned Tae Kuk Kwon.

The Sa Jung, or four principle directions, are considered “Yang” and are more aggressive and should be used when there is a greater distance between you and your opponent.  The intent of these strategies may include exposing vulnerabilities for counter attacking, redirecting the energy of an attack, creating distance from your opponent, or disrupting your opponent’s center and rendering him off-balance.  Table 1 lists the Sa Jung.

Table 1

The Sa Woo, or intermediary directions, are “Um” in nature and are designed for in-close fighting.  In-close fighting has a new set of cahllenges and opportunities.  You can trap, grab, or pull a limb as a counter measure or even as an attack.  You can also strike, create distance, or disrupt your opponent’s center.  Table 2 lists the Sa Woo.

Table 2

Oh Haeng

Just as the Um and Yang philosophy was an ancient way of explaining nature, the Oh Haeng was a further attempt to explain more complex forces of nature.  The Oh Haeng, or 5 Elements/Energies include: Fire, Water, Wood, Metal and Earth.  Each element produces a unique energy (Ki) that can be cultivated for Kwon Bup and for health.

Table 3

The 5 Elements demonstrate two important cycles in nature:  the creative cycle and the destructive cycle.  Creation occurs in the following order:  Water is needed to grow wood, wood ignites to create fire, fire burns the wood which creates ash (earth), metal is extracted from the earth, and water condenses and forms on metal.  You can use the creation cycle in many ways:

Respect  >   Kindness  >  Trust  >  Openness  >  Honesty  > Respect
Fear        >  Anger        >  Envy   >  Worry       >  Sadness  >  Fear

The destructive cycle is equally as intuitive:  Water smothers a fire.  Fire melts metal.  Metal chops wood. Wood breaks up the earth.  Earth muddies water.  The destructive cycle also holds true:

Respect  >  Trust  >  Honesty  >  Kindness  >  Openness  >  Respect
Fear        >  Envy   >  Sadness  >  Anger      >  Worry        >  Fear

Within the context of Kwon Bup, each element has unique attributes and can be sub-divided by Um (internal) and Yang (external).  The Oh Bo are the 5 Steps—Advance, Retreat, Right, Left, Center—and refers only to direction of movement.  The internal strategies, called Oh Mal, are much more telling:  Listen, Connect, Adhere, Redirect and Yield.  Table 4 summarizes the Oh Haeng.

Table 4

The O Mal, or 5 Strategies, seem to be  a set of ordered instructions on how to face an opponent effectively.  The first step is to have good shi sun and “pay attention to the slightest change from full to empty.”  Many of these strategies can be found intertwined in the Song of Ship Sam Seh.  Listening hands has to do with reading your opponenet based on his eyes, body movement, stance and breath.  Once you begin to read your opponent, then you try and connect with him.  “Surprising things will happen when you meet youur opponent.”  Move in harmony with your opponent so that you move as one entity.  “Pay attention to the slightest change from full to empty”.  This is the beginning of controlling your opponent.

Once you have gained a connection with your opponent, you must maintain it by adhering to him.  This can be physically through an exercise called “sticky hands” or it could be a mu sang exercise where you do not break the connection you have.  Learn to follow or lead your opponent without aggression.  You will begin to control your opponent without any effort (don’t oppose force).  Each strategy seamlessly prepares you for the next strategy.  Unlike the rest of the Oh Haeng and Pal Gwe groupings, these strategies are to be used simultaneously.

This article has given a brief overview of the Ship Sam Seh.  The next article will give some practice drills on how to incorporate Pal Gwe and Oh Haeng in your training.

*The information contained in this paper is a result of years of study and compilation.  Some of my major sources include Hwang Kee’s Volume I text, online articles by Master Daniel Segarra.