<<Division 7. On Poomsae>>

 Chapter 51.

Having Poomsae Alive

 

Taekwondo poomsae is composed of series of man's motions. By the way, if we compare its component motions to man's skin we can also think of something compared to flesh which fills inside the skin(i.e. motion) and to skeleton which supports them from their inside, for none of man's body can be composed of only skin without flesh and skeleton. Each thing that matches to flesh or skeleton is called "Sseuim-sae" or "Sseuim-nal", and briefly <Sae> or <Nal>.

The sseuim-sae is the skill or method of how to control over the opponent and protect youself, i.e. the principle of organizing motions in poomsae. So the meaning of each motion in poomsae; what is this motion for, is the sseuim-sae. And, just as the sharp edge of a nife is necessary to cut something the powerfulness in motions of poomsae is necessary to fell down and suppress the opponent when the motions were used along the way of sseuim-sae, and this is the sseuim-nal. Even though you learn poomsae, unless you know its <Sae>, you can neither use your skilled motion nor think of using them when needed, and unless you have <Nal> in your poomsae you will fail to fell him down or to get control over him even though you succeed to hit the exact target. Although you practice and make series of similar motions, unless you have sseuim-sae or sseuim-nal, it cannot be poomsae at all. It is just like that a balloon, though it looked like a man, cannot be a man.

It is ultimately Taekwondo man's mind that rules motions of poomsae, which is full of sseuim-sae and sseuim-nal in oneness. Since each of sseumin-sae, sseuim-nal and the mind corresponds to each of three essential materials; Sky, Earth and Man, every motion becomes perfect when you get all of these three in it. In this manner, every Taekwondo movement, which constitutes the perfect poomsae, never goes out of the three ways of Sky, Earth and Man. Thus, each motion of a skilled man includes the harmony of center, rhythme, breath and meaning, impressing observers deeply with its natural beauty while an unskilled man cannot compete with the skilled man in filling the motion even though he can immitate only the appearance. The perfection of the complete motion goes even up to the harmony of the art, and this is why we call the perfect martial art <Muyae>, with the name of "yae()".

Because Taekwondo and art are related like this it is also natural that poomsae is similar to dance in its essence. Owing to this reason the best dance is not only smooth but rather powerful and energetic with flexibility. It sometimes shows joints and connections of strong and sharp movements and sometimes smooth flow. In the same manner, Taekwondo poomsae is not only strong and sharp but also smooth with its rhythmical flow to be energetic when performed in right ways with enough meaning. Which is dnace and which is Taekwondo, then?

Dance and Taekwondo can be same on one hand like this because there is nondistinctive <Do> behind the distinction of dance and Taekwnodo, which only then makes the distinction possible. The <Do> of dance and Taekwondo is that of motion. By the same way, each of center, rhythme, breath and meaning has <Do> in it. <Do> is one and has neither a part nor a whole, and it is with no shape behind everything. Thus, each thing when perfect makes all anothers complete in its rightness while anyone when faulty causes everything to fail. Therefore, everything has <Do> while nothing is <Do>.