Sipjin

Quick Facts

About the kata

Sipjin is a Kukkiwon master poomsae that both Taekwondo Compendium (nbtkda.com) and taekwondonation.com place at 5th dan. The English club Phoenix Taekwondo requires it in its syllabus for the 6th dan test; Ørjan Nilsen, on his blog, links it to 4th dan. It is practised along a line shaped like the symbol 十 (ten); Kukkiwon requires that the body's axis stay on the centre line while moving in every direction. Phoenix Taekwondo counts 28 movements and 41 techniques for it, taekwondonation.com 40 steps; the difference comes from the counting method. Taekwondo Compendium calls it the only recognized poomsae with three kihap shouts: two fall on side punches in the riding stance juchum seogi, the third on a stamp with a supported back-fist strike. As new techniques, the same source names the rock-push bawi milgi, the fork strike chetdari jireugi, the small hinge jageun doljjeogwi and the supported block with the thumb-edge of the palm sonnal deung geodeureo makgi. According to it, the poomsae joins weight and agility: bawi milgi strengthens the lower body by concentrating the breath into the lower abdomen, and in jageun doljjeogwi with the front kick ap chagi, the upper body pulls against the kicking leg.

The kata in different styles

Meaning of the name

Kukkiwon reads Sipjin, per Taoist thought, as the ten symbols of long life: two celestial bodies, three natural formations, two plants and three animals, namely the sun, the moon, the mountain, water, rock, the pine, the herb of eternal youth, the turtle, the deer and the crane. They symbolize great nature and people's trust, longing and love. Taekwondo Compendium adds that the symbol 十 expresses the endless counting of the decimal system and constant development; broadly it embraces the universe and the cycle of seasons, narrowly the human body and mind. Phoenix Taekwondo translates the name as "tenfold" and calls the ten symbols of longevity a traditional Korean idea.

Rhythm and dynamics

Taekwondo Compendium notes that intervals between movements differ depending on whether a defence or an attack follows. The bull block hwangso makgi, the wrist rotation palmok dollyeo and the rock-push bawi milgi take about five seconds, with a tolerance of one second. In hwangso makgi, the fists rise to the nose over four seconds and on the fifth shoot up quickly and open. The transition from the low opening block sonnal arae hechyeo makgi to standing upright with clenched fists is, per the same source, practised since 14 June 2024 over eight seconds (twice four) instead of five. Phoenix Taekwondo, in its own breakdown, gives eight seconds for the open-hand preparation in back stance.

Bunkai – applications

Ørjan Nilsen (blog Traditional Taekwondo Ramblings) cites Kukkiwon's 2006 textbook (p. 241): in the fork strike chetdari jireugi, both fists hit the opponent's torso with equal force. He objects that the form does not match this, since with the shoulder turned 45° and the elbow bent, both fists cannot land at the same time and with equal force, and that the strike leaves the face open to a counterattack. He finds the same movement in the kata Tekki Shodan and draws on Motobu Choki, who interpreted it as mefutode, "the hands of a married couple": both hands work together to receive the opponent's attack and answer it.

In competition

World Taekwondo's rules since 30 September 2024 list Sipjin, spelled Shipjin, among compulsory poomsae for individuals from under 30 to over 65, and for pairs and teams from under 30 to over 60. It is missing from the cadet and junior lists; cadets end with Taebaek, juniors with Pyongwon.

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

Techniques in the kata