Jitae

Quick Facts

About the kata

Jitae is a Kukkiwon master poomsae that the Taekwondo Compendium (nbtkda.com) places at 6th dan. Kukkiwon reads the name as a person standing on the ground with both feet to kick, walk and jump, seeing in it the struggle of human life; it says the poomsae weaves that struggle into its movements. It is practiced along a line shaped like ㅗ: the lower horizontal line stands for the earth, the short vertical mark above it for the sky. The movement count depends on how it is counted: Springwater Taekwondo lists 28 movements, while the Compendium splits it into 22 counts. Per the Compendium, the two kihap shouts fall on the hammer-fist strike to a target, me jumeok pyojeok an chigi, in juchum seogi stance, and on the bandae jireugi punch. It ends about one ap gubi stance behind the starting point. According to the Taekwondo Compendium, Jitae is the only poomsae where the double punch baro dubeon jireugi starts with the rear hand, and the block hwangso makgi is done differently than in Sipjin. The Compendium says the hammer-fist strike teaches turning the trunk rotational force into a line, and that the knife-hand blocks aided by the other hand, sonnal geodeureo makgi, show that defense and attack can coexist, depending on the situation.

The kata in different styles

Meaning of the name

The Taekwondo Compendium links the name to the hexagram Jicheontae (지천태), the eleventh of the 64 hexagrams of the Book of Changes, combining the trigram of heaven (☰) with that of earth (☷). Kukkiwon describes a level at which body and mind are one and the body answers an opponent's attack instinctively; no longer an artificial judging of attack and defense, but movement in self-forgetfulness. The Compendium calls this state Suseung Hwagang (수승화강), a body full of energy from the natural union of yin and yang, and writes that all movements revolve around the lower abdomen. Hoosain Narker (taekwondosa.za.org) cites an older 1975 poomsae textbook stating that, in Eastern belief, all living things come from earth and return to it; the English Wikipedia explains it similarly.

The hardest part

The Taekwondo Compendium's performance notes clarify several transitions. The opening block ollyeo makgi and the punch baro jireugi each take about four seconds, eight together, and the elbows should stay close to the body as the block joins the punch. The block naeryeo makgi and the following sonnal ollyeo makgi are done in a faster, attacking rhythm rather than a slower defensive one, as is the pair momtong an makgi and geodeureo momtong an makgi. In the slow blocks momtong bakkat makgi and ollyeo makgi, the withdrawing hand should be roughly at solar-plexus height halfway through. The block sonnal yeop makgi ends at shoulder height, after which the hand rises to upper-lip height for the hammer-fist strike. In hwangso makgi, the fists start about hip-width apart and rise vertically. After the first side kick, the right foot sets down beside the left into moa seogi stance, and only then comes the next hakdari seogi.

In competition

World Taekwondo competition rules in force from 30 September 2024 place Jitae among the compulsory poomsae for individuals from the under-30 category up to over-65, and for pairs and teams from under-30 up to over-60. It is missing from the cadet and junior lists, which end with the poomsae Taebaek and Pyongwon respectively. USA Taekwondo's 2026 rules list it in the same categories, and for individuals also over-70.

Competition status

• Taekwondo WT (Olympic) – WT Taekwondo — Compulsory routine · Seniors, Veterans · team events too · valid from 9/30/2024 ↗

In grading syllabi

• Kukkiwon system (poom and dan): 6th dan
• Kukkiwon system (poom and dan): 7th dan
• Kukkiwon system (poom and dan): 8th dan
• Kukkiwon system (poom and dan): 9th dan