Sam-Il

삼일 · Samil

Literally: „Three-one, i.e. March 1“

Also known as: Sam Il, Sam Il Tul, Sam-Il Tul

An ITF tul for 3rd dan with 33 movements. It recalls the Korean independence movement that began on March 1, 1919; the movement count matches the 33 patriots who planned it.

Quick Facts

Martial Arts

Taekwondo ITF Taekwondo

People

Choi Hong-hi · Creator

Form typeTul

SeriesChang-Hon tul (ITF) (16)

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About the kata

Sam-Il is an ITF tul with 33 movements. Per tkdcoaching.com it is the first tul taught at 3rd dan level, and the German federation ITF-D requires it for the exam from 3rd to 4th dan. It begins in the closed stance Moa Junbi Sogi C, in the first movement, per dotaekwondo.net, moves into Niunja Sogi with the middle block Kaunde Palmok Daebi Makgi, and ends with a high vertical strike with both fists Sang Joomuk Sewo Jirugi in Gunnun Sogi. In the middle of the tul is a sequence ending in a jump. Per kidokwan.org, in movement 15, in the fixed stance Gojung Sogi, the practitioner blocks with the U-shaped block Digutja Makgi, movement 16 follows with the sweeping kick Suroh Chagi ending in the same block, and in movement 17 the practitioner jumps, turns counterclockwise, and lands on the same spot in Niunja Sogi with a knife-hand block. Among further techniques, dotaekwondo.net lists the back-elbow strike Dwit Palkup Tulgi and the W-shaped block San Makgi. Movements 30 and 31, a middle forearm block and a high fist strike, are performed, per both ITF-D and dotaekwondo.net, in one continuous motion. The length of the whole tul is estimated by tkdcoaching.com at roughly 45 seconds, explicitly only as an unofficial guide.

The kata in different styles

Style	Name in the style	Movements	Kiai
ITF Taekwondo	Sam-Il	33	—

Meaning of the name

The name is written in hangul 삼일 and hanja 三一 (kidokwan.org), literally "three-one," short for March 1. The movement it recalls was prepared, per the English Wikipedia, by 33 representatives of various groups: on February 25-27, 1919 they met secretly in Seoul and signed Korea's Declaration of Independence. The protests began with a public reading at the T'aehwagwan restaurant and in Tapgol Park.

Creator and history

Per the Chang Hon Origins Project, Sam-Il is among the oldest tuls of the series: it already appeared in the first book on taekwondo, published in October 1959, alongside several karate kata and the tuls Hwa Rang, Choong Moo, Ul Ji, and U Nam. Per the project, Choi Hong-hi designed and created the whole series. The English Wikipedia states that Kim Bok-man, who prepared fifteen tuls with Choi in 1962-1964, did not take part in Sam-Il. We have not been able to establish whether today's form matches the 1959 version.

The hardest part

Tkdcoaching.com clarifies two spots: the kick Bituro Chagi in movement 4 aims at solar-plexus height at a target diagonally forward, and the sweeping kick in movement 16 is at a 45-degree angle, with the standing leg turned out roughly 25 degrees. For the shift from Sasun Sogi to Gunnun Sogi in movement 21, it advises a short sine-wave motion, with the pressing block only at its end.

Key Tip

According to tkdcoaching.com, practice the sweeping kick Suroh Chagi and the kick Bituro Chagi separately in short series, watching the wind-up, the kick's path, and a controlled return of the leg.

Technique Sequence — ITF Taekwondo

Breakdown source: dotaekwondo.net

Further sources on this topic (11)