Analogies: Set 7
Technique versus Kick like a Duck
When beginners try to kick enthusiastically, they generally use every part of their body. They flap their arms, shrug their shoulders, grit their teeth, duck their head, lean backward etc. What they really need to do is kick similar to a duck swimming.
Picture a duck swimming along, minding its business. The part of the duck which you can see, that which is above the water, is perfectly relaxed and composed, cruising along undisturbed. The picture under the water is completely different. The duck's legs are churning away, working up a storm.
This is the image a kicker should try to imitate. From the waist up the upper body and arms should be relaxed and undisturbed by what the legs and hips are doing. The head should be upright, with the chin back and down, without ducking the head. The shoulders, arms, and hands should be relaxed.
The legs and hips should be relaxed, but working away. Keep in mind that the feeling is that of the hips moving the legs, not the legs moving the hips. The tail does not wag the dog. The feeling of a kick should be that of popping a wet towel.
However, no matter how hard you are working, keep the upper body as upright as possible and let it just go along for the ride. Remember, kick duck style. However, do not flap your arms when you do it, you are never going to fly.
Technique versus Chickens
Most people relate being called "chicken" to being accused of being afraid to do something, but this type of chicken relates to some types of mistakes that are made while sparring.
Ever notice how chickens walk. When they move, they poke their head forward before they take a step. It is called "sticking your neck out." Some fighters start forward movement by making a forward movement of their head. In spinning techniques, the head must turn first so it may reacquire the target as soon as possible and so they body may spin quicker. When moving forward, the target is already acquired, so the head does not need to move first. So, when you are moving forward, move the entire body as a unit. If you move the head first, it will be the first thing hit.
Chickens have wings, but they cannot fly. However, this does not keep them from trying to fly. Some fighters look similar to chickens trying to fly. When they kick, they wave their arms around, so they get counter punched to the face. When they spin, they wave their arms around, so they spin into a kick to the face. Remember, the arms arm for blocking and attacking, not for maintaining balance. Balance is maintained using internal adjustments to body parts.
Technique versus Expression
Language permits the expression of thoughts, ideas, and personal differences. Taekwondo also permits these expressions. Even though many people may be performing the same pattern, each has his or her unique way of expressing the pattern. As with other expressions, not everyone will agree with the way a pattern is expressed.
Technique versus Evolution
Even though a language stays basically the same though the centuries, it evolves, so much that it may not seem to be the same language after a few centuries. Taekwondo is the same. It has evolved since its creation and it will continue to evolve.
Styles versus Dialects
The way a language is spoken within a country depends on what area of the country the person was raised. All the people may speak the same language in a country, but they may have minor, or major, differences in the way they speak. Sometimes within the same country, people of one region will make fun of or criticize the way people of another region speak. The same is true for Taekwondo. There are sport, traditional, full-contact, mixed, etc. versions of Taekwondo. All versions have some elements in common and are recognizable between practitioners, but some people have difficulty understanding some aspects of the different versions.
We must careful not mistake a dialect with jargon or slang. While a dialect wants and needs everyone to be involved and participating, jargon and slang are exclusive. The members of some groups want to be separated from the masses, so they develop slang to make themselves different and so the public will not understand what they are saying. The same is true of Taekwondo. Some versions of Taekwondo try to be different, just to be different, such as Tae Bo. Similar to slang, these transient versions come and go. Only the original versions survive and flourish.