Pyongwon

Quick Facts

About the kata

Pyongwon is a Kukkiwon master poomsae that Taekwondo Compendium (nbtkda.com) places at 4th dan. Kukkiwon ranks it after Koryo, Keumgang and Taebaek, the first group of master forms. The English club Phoenix Taekwondo requires it only for the 5th dan examination. The name means a vast plain, and the whole poomsae follows a single straight line shaped like the character 一. Phoenix Taekwondo counts 21 movements and 29 techniques in it. According to Taekwondo Compendium, the two kihap shouts fall on the first and second stamp combined with the drawn-in backfist strike danggyeo deungjumeok ap chigi. Phoenix notes the many crossed stances ap kkoa seogi and head turns, where body direction and gaze must be coordinated. The new technique is the spinning side kick dwi dora yeop chagi; Taekwondo Compendium writes that it teaches the body's central axis and cannot be done without balance. The poomsae opens with the ready position gyeopson junbi jase, hands folded left over right, gathering power from the lower abdomen. The same source says the elbow strikes palgup ollyeo chigi from below to the chin teach delivering power over a short distance by turning the body.

The kata in different styles

Meaning of the name

Kukkiwon interprets Pyongwon as a great land spread in every direction, representing the preservation of life as mother of all living things and the foundation of human life. The poomsae follows the principle of peace and combat through the pair Bon (essence) and Yong (application). Kukkiwon calls it a transition from combat techniques to a martial art: the practitioner joins yin and yang step by step by linking Jeong (body), Ki (energy) and Shin (consciousness). The variety of changing movements means attack and defence occur instinctively, the body returning to calm even after sudden movements. The English Wikipedia adds that the name carries a hint of greatness and majesty.

Creator and history

We have not been able to find in the sources when or by whom the poomsae was composed. The blog Foot Fist Way notes that Pyongwon took its emblem and some movements from the Okinawan kata Naihanchi, but avoids comparing them. Ørjan Nilsen (Traditional Taekwondo Ramblings) shows a movement from Tekki Shodan (early taekwondo's Chulgi il hyung) he considers identical to one in today's Pyongwon.

Bunkai – applications

Ørjan Nilsen cites the Kukkiwon Textbook (p. 504), according to which the opening block hechyeo santeul makgi can be used against a single opponent's arm as a hold, not as a simultaneous block against two attackers. In another text, he picks out a sequence from Pyongwon that begins with an elbow lock: when it fails and the opponent counters, the practitioner deflects the attack, grabs and pulls, gets to the outside of the opponent, and strikes his elbow with the elbow strike from below palgup ollyeo chigi, possibly followed by a kick.

The hardest part

Taekwondo Compendium's notes clarify several transitions. In the elbow strike from below, the body turns about 30° over the front leg, the elbow tip on the centre line, ending under the chin. After ap chagi, the foot must land turned fully 180°, only then the spinning side kick follows, with the supporting leg staying put for dwit gubi. In the drawn-in backfist strike, the stamping leg first touches the supporting knee's inner side and lands with the strike and kihap; the aiming hand is open the first time, a fist the second.

In competition

The World Taekwondo competition rules in force since 30 September 2024 include Pyongwon among the compulsory poomsae for juniors and for all adult age categories, for individuals from the under-30 category up to over 65, and also for pairs and teams. It is missing from the cadet list, which ends with the poomsae Taebaek.

Competition status

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

In grading syllabi

• Kukkiwon system (poom and dan): 5th dan
• Kukkiwon system (poom and dan): 6th dan
• Kukkiwon system (poom and dan): 7th dan

Technique Sequence — WT Taekwondo

Breakdown source: phoenixtaekwondo.net

1. #1
   Narani SeogiSonnal Hecheo Makgi
2. #2
   Narani Seogi
3. #3
   Dwit KubiSonnal Naeryeo Makgi
4. #4
   Dwit KubiSonnal Yeop Makgi
5. #5
   Ap KubiPalgup Ollyeo Chigi
6. #6
   Ap Chagi
7. #7
   Dwi Dora Yeop Chagi
8. #8
   Dwit KubiSonnal Geodeureo Bakkat Makgi
9. #9
   Dwit KubiSonnal Geodeureo Bakkat Makgi
10. #10
    Juchum Seogi
11. #11
    Juchum SeogiDanggyeo Deungjumeok Ap Chigi
    kiai
12. #12
    Juchum SeogiDeungjumeok Geodeureo Ap Chigi
13. #13
    Ap Kkoa SeogiDu Palgup Yeop Chigi
14. #14
    Juchum SeogiHecheo Santeul Makgi
15. #15
    Hakdari SeogiKeumgang Makgi
16. #16
    Yeop Chagi
17. #17
    Ap KubiPalgup Pyojeok Chigi
18. #18
    Ap Chagi
19. #19
    Dwi Dora Yeop Chagi
20. #20
    Dwit KubiSonnal Geodeureo Bakkat Makgi
21. #21
    Dwit KubiSonnal Geodeureo Bakkat Makgi
22. #22
    Juchum Seogi
23. #23
    Juchum SeogiDanggyeo Deungjumeok Ap Chigi
    kiai
24. #24
    Juchum SeogiDeungjumeok Geodeureo Ap Chigi
25. #25
    Ap Kkoa SeogiDu Palgup Yeop Chigi
26. #26
    Juchum SeogiHecheo Santeul Makgi
27. #27
    Hakdari SeogiKeumgang Makgi
28. #28
    Yeop ChagiMejumeok Bakkat Chigi
29. #29
    Ap KubiPalgup Pyojeok Chigi