Minnesota Taekwondo Center - Philosophy of Taeguk Forms

The Art in Martial Art
It is sometimes said that the practice of taekwondo can be divided into three aspects: sport, art and science. The sport aspect is fairly evident. Science gets involved in everything from physical fitness to physics. (It's particularly evident in breaking, where accuracy, focus, speed and penetration are critical.) And no where is the art more beautifully manifest than in form.

The official forms of the United State Taekwondo Union until very recently have been exclusively Taegeuk. (Now an older set of forms, Pal-gwe, are also recognized as official competition forms.)

Taeguk Forms
The philosophical basis for the Taegeuk forms comes from the consideration of death and the meaning of life. It is derived from ideas found in an ancient Chinese manuscript called the "Jooyeok" in Korean, better known to us as the "I Ching" (or "Book of Changes").

This book addressed the meaning of the human condition in terms of moral harmony in an environment of constant change. Originating over 3,000 years ago, it is still studied today for its insights. Each of the eight Taegeuk forms represent an ancient trigram and derives meaning from the "I Ching". They are intended to provide mental as well as physical training for Taekwondo practitioners, combining basic movements with philosophical thoughts. "Tae" in this context means "bigness" and "geuk" means "eternity".

Based on this background, here are the philosophical meanings of the eight Taegeuk forms:

Taegeuk IL JANG (#1)
Heaven
(Keon = Heaven and Light)
Powerful, Manly, Pure Yang

Taegeuk I JANG (#2)
Lake
(Tae = Joyful, Serene)
Gentle, Firm, Feminine

Taegeuk SAM JANG (#3)
Fire
(Ri = Fire and Sun)
Variety, Passion like fire, Feminine

Taegeuk SA JANG (#4)
Thunder
(Jin = Brave)
Calm in the face of danger, Masculine

Taegeuk OH JANG (#5)
Wind
(Seon = Alternately yielding and powerful)
Feminine

Taegeuk YOOK JANG (#6)
Water
(Gam = Flowing)
Gentle and destructive, Masculine

Taegeuk CHIL JANG (#7)
Mountain
(Gan = Stable, Motion and Immobility)
Knowing where and when to stop, Masculine

Taegeuk PAL JANG (#8)
Earth
(Gon = Strong, Concentrated)
Respect, Pure Um (or Yin), Feminine

The Philosophy of Taeguk Forms —