CHANG HON Tuls

Not to confuse with ITF President, Prof. Chang Un. It may sounds similar but Chang Hon or Chang-Hun Taekwon-Do was developed by Choi Hong Hi (1918 - 2002). Chang Hon, meaning "blue cottage" was Choi's pen name given to him by his calligraphy teacher. Chang Hun Taekwon-Do is mainly based on Taekyon and Shotokan Karate. Choi studied Taekyon in Korea under Han Il Dong and Karate in Japan under the supervision of Master Giichin Funakoshi, the founder of Shotokan Karate.

Chang Hon Taekwon-Do has 24 patterns (tuls), each representing an hour in a day. The patterns are known for the combination of fast and slow, light and forceful movements together with extensive footwork. The patterns are performed with a sine wave motion that uses gravity to achieve maximum power.

The names of the patterns, the number of movements and the directions in which the practitioner moves were designed to symbolise either heroes or events from Korean history. Officially there are only twenty four patterns practised by ITF organisations, so it may seem odd to give twenty eight below. The reasons for this are as follows: The ‘patterns’ known as ‘Saju Jirugi’ (‘Four Directional Punch’), ‘Saju Makgi’ (‘Four Directional Block’), and in certain organisation ‘Saju Tulgi’ (‘Four Directional Thrust’) are not officially ‘patterns’. They are exercises used to introduce new students to ‘classical’ movements (such as low stances and footwork) in Tae Kwon-Do.

This leaves 25 patterns. The one that should not be there ‘officially’ is Ko-Dang. Ko-Dang was replaced in the ITF syllabus by Juche. The official reason for this was that Ko-Dang was considered inadequate though many suspect it was for political reasons. As a result, whilst most ITF schools teach Juche, some traditions and organisations like Global Taekwon-Do Federation (GTF) continue to teach Ko-Dang. Hence Ko-Dang has been included mainly for historical interest, but also because there could the rare case of someone who needs to know it instead of Juche. With Ko-Dang excluded there would be the correct number – twenty-four. In our Terengganu organisation, both Juche and Ko-Dang are practised because both have its quality and beauty.

Ref: Team Durham - University of Durham | Pictures: Kidokwan Martial Arts International