Brown Belt Form – Choong Jung I and Sparring Combinations
NOTE: Videos and online reference materials should be used ONLY after learning the material directly from your INSTRUCTOR. They are an aid to training and for practicing what you have already learned. Learning directly from a video first can lead to mistakes, and missing small nuances to the techniques that are important, but can only be caught by an experienced instructor.
This is a reference page for Students at Kowkabany’s Family Martial Arts in Tampa, Florida, and covers ATA’s Brown Belt Form and the Brown/Red Sparring Combinations; it is broken down into four parts:
1) A video of the Form – Choong Jung I – being done slowly, with a voice-over by Sr. Master David Kowkabany providing additional guidance on how to execute the techniques properly while avoiding some common mistakes.
2) A video of the Sparring combinations being performed slowly and at full-speed, with a voice-over providing additional guidance on how to execute the techniques properly.
3) A text segment for those who want to read more about the design of this Form, as well as some of the philosophy and methodology behind the Songahm Forms in general.
4) A page showing the specific breakdown of the form line by line.
In Japanese styles, like Karate, the forms are referred to as Kata. In Taekwondo, the Korean term is “Poomse.” The forms are a major aspect of the “art,” as they can be performed by students of any age and do not require a partner to practice. They can be performed slowly to develop stances and perfect the techniques, or with more power and intensity to develop strength, balance and to improve breathing.
OK, let’s get started!
Choong Jung 1 Performed Slowly with Voice Over Explanations
Sparring Combinations for Brown and Red Belt Forms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgSmyc3OH3Q
Here is some additional information regarding this Form!
At Kowkabany’s Family Martial Arts, we teach the Songahm Forms developed by the American Taekwondo Association in 1983. As with most forms taught in traditional martial arts, our forms were developed to help students improve the quality of their technique. The ATA took this basic concept much further, allowing for three main differences in our Songahm Forms:
First, every form is symmetrical—techniques done on one side of the body are done later in the form on the opposite side, promoting balanced development of techniques and of the body.
Second, every form is designed to teach the basic kicks, strikes, blocks and stances that a student at that rank should be practicing. For example, in Choong Jung 1, the student will practice front kick-round kick combinations, the upset ridgehand strike, and #3 jump outer crescent kicks.
Third, every form taught in our traditional taekwondo system is on a set pattern of lines as depicted in the Songahm star, and begins and ends at the same point. There are 9 Color Belt Forms that use North, South, East and West lines; there are also 9 Black Belt Forms that use the same 4 basic directions, but also the diagonal lines that run Northeast, Southeast, Northwest and Southwest.
Choong Jung I Basic Facts:
* The form consists of 44 moves, and is the second-highest ranking color belt form in the Songahm system.
* The pattern of the form is two squares side-by-side.
* The strikes in this form are all done at mixed levels. Remember, for midsection level strikes should be equal to the student’s solar plexus (not shoulder level), and high-section techniques should be equal to the student’s head, not above .
* There are six stances in this form, the back, front, sparring, middle, rear and closed stances.
* This form introduces the upset ridgehand strike, the knifehand high-low block, the front-round kick combination, the double low block, the double knifehand low block, the high x-block, the #3 jump outer crescent kick landing in a back stance, and the #1 jump side kick.
* When performing the concentration techniques, both hands should be moving at the same time and at the same speed. Unless otherwise noted, concentration moves should take 5 seconds to complete.
* The kihaps (yells) are on moves: #12 — the front kick in the first front-round kick combination, #22 — the first punch from a closed stance, and #32 — the second reverse palm heel strike at face level.
* The color “Brown” represents the student’s martial arts ‘roots’ now reach deep down into the earth.
* As with all Songahm forms, the passive hand (hand not executing a technique) should be drawn back tight and high on the ribs after the other hand executes a technique; however, both hands should be “up” when executing kicks.
* COMMON MISTAKES:
— when executing the front-round kick combination, rechamber the front kick as a round kick, to ‘set-up’ the second kick;
— the #1 jump side kick (moves #24 & @27) requires the student to stop forward motion before throwing the kick, otherwise it will appear as a #3 jump side kick;
— stay low when transitioning from move #3 to move #4 to avoid up and down motions;
— when performing the #3 jump outer crescent kick, make sure to land in a back stance, with the back knee directly above the back foot.
CLICK ON IMAGE BELOW TO ENLARGE IT!
