Taegeuk Chil Jang

태극 7장 · Taegeuk chiljang

Literally: „The seventh part of Taegeuk“

Also known as: Taegeuk 7 Jang, Taegeuk Chil-Jang, Taegeuk Chiljang

The seventh Taegeuk form, linked to the trigram Gan – the mountain. It brings the series' first beom seogi stance, scissor block gawi makgi and knee strike to the abdomen.

Quick Facts

Martial Arts

Taekwondo WT Taekwondo

Form typePoomsae

SeriesTaegeuk (7)

OriginSouth Korea

Period of origin20th century

CharacterStance-based, stable

Floor pattern (embusen)王 shape

← Previous: Taegeuk Yook Jang Next: Taegeuk Pal Jang →

About the kata

Taegeuk Chil Jang is the seventh of the Taegeuk series' eight forms; per the English Wikipedia, the name means "the seventh part of Taegeuk." It carries the trigram Gan (간, ☶), the mountain. Per Wikipedia, Kukkiwon teaches it with movements as unyielding and still as a mountain. Grading placement differs: Wikipedia and nbtkda.com link it to 2nd geup, phoenixtaekwondo.net to 1st kup, taekwondopreschool.com to 3rd geup. The form begins with the beom seogi stance, in which, per nbtkda.com, distance and direction change easily while attacking and defending. Among the eight novelties, Wikipedia also lists the downward knife-hand block supported by the other arm sonnal geodeureo arae makgi, the palm block and back-fist strike braced on the other arm, the scissor block gawi makgi, a knee strike to the abdomen and the palm-heel kick pyojeok chagi. Phoenixtaekwondo.net counts 25 movements from 33 techniques, taekwondopreschool.com about 31 – the difference is in the counting method. The single kihap belongs, per nbtkda.com, to the side strike yeop jireugi. Per the same source, the form has unusually many fine details on which points are deducted. Its floor pattern, per phoenixtaekwondo.net, follows the character 王, "king."

The kata in different styles

Style	Name in the style	Movements	Kiai
WT Taekwondo	Taegeuk Chil Jang	25	1

Meaning of the name

Taekwondo Compendium (nbtkda.com) interprets Gan as a mighty mountain range with winding ridges and connections between peaks; in the human body it corresponds to the spine and to the bending and stretching of joints and vertebrae. Phoenixtaekwondo.net reads the mountain as the stability and self-assurance that the practitioner should maintain in the beom seogi stance, both at rest and in motion. Taekwondopreschool.com emphasises the indomitability and majesty of the mountain that the form is meant to express.

Differences between styles

Taekwondo Compendium (nbtkda.com) describes a difference, for the grabbing knee strike, between the sport World Taekwondo poomsae and the Kukkiwon standard: in the sport version the hands reach shoulder height with the palms down, according to Kukkiwon they reach head or neck height with the palms inward. According to the same source, the dwi kkoa seogi stance has the front foot turned out about 30° in this form, while in Taegeuk Oh Jang it is turned in by 30°.

Bunkai – applications

The English Wikipedia sees the otgoreo arae makgi block as the first block in the Taegeuk series that does not deflect the attack sideways but catches it; according to it, this is where the mountain's unyieldingness shows most clearly. Taekwondo Compendium (nbtkda.com) adds, about the double strike du jumeok jecheo jireugi after the knee strike, that it is not an uppercut but a strike delivered straight into the body.

In grading syllabi

Kukkiwon system (poom and dan): 1st poom
Kukkiwon system (poom and dan): 2nd poom
Kukkiwon system (poom and dan): 3rd poom
Kukkiwon system (poom and dan): 4th poom
Kukkiwon system (poom and dan): 1st dan
Kukkiwon system (poom and dan): 2nd dan
Kukkiwon system (poom and dan): 3rd dan
Kukkiwon system (poom and dan): 4th dan
Kukkiwon system (poom and dan): 5th dan

Common Mistakes

The downward block in the scissor block gawi makgi starts before the outer block's fist rises to shoulder height. In the pyojeok chagi kick, the chest turns to follow the kick instead of staying in place. In the first position of the otgoreo arae makgi block, the fists touch instead of the wrists.

Key Tip

Set the pacing between movements by whether the next technique attacks or defends; practise the pair of sonnal geodeureo arae makgi blocks, according to Taekwondo Compendium, at an attacking tempo, not a defensive one.

Technique Sequence — WT Taekwondo

Breakdown source: phoenixtaekwondo.net

Further sources on this topic (6)