Punctuate Your Performance

A headline writer may write: 

WOMAN WITHOUT: her man is a savage.

A man named Herman may write: 

Woman, without Herman, is a savage.

Just as punctuation can change the meaning of the sentence, small movements (intentional or unintentional) can change the meaning of a pattern. Remember when to perform a technique with power and when to perform it for esthetics. Also remember, what you consider esthetic, another may consider to be a flaw. By all means, add your personal touch to patterns, but be careful not to change the pattern movements or their intended meaning.

Each pattern has unique characteristics that serve as special learning tools to the developing students. If these moves are mixed, or arbitrary, a pattern loses its effectiveness as a development exercise. There is no longer a systematic development that serves as an incremental process toward imprinting correct form, timing, breath control, etc. If alterations are made on an individual basis or on a whim, standards will be lost and with them, the essence of Taekwondo. Pattern performance must be true to Taekwondo fundamentals and must not be altered to make them easier to maintain control for appearances sake. The validity of the movement is lost to theatrical value. Perfection of movement and perfection of character are the focal points of pattern performance.