A Philosophical Look at Chon-Ji Tul

[Postmaster]

I wrote an essay intended for THE SIDEKICK on the philosophical
underpinning of the pattern Chon-Ji. Since THE SIDEKICK is suspended
until further notice, I decided that I will edit the essay and submit
it to Totally Tae Kwon Do magazine instead. However, to preserve the
original I’ve posted it on the Soo Shim Kwan blog; you can read it
here:

http://sooshimkwan.blogspot.com/2010/07/philosophical-look-at-chon-ji-tul.html

The essay discusses the concept of yin-yang in Chon-Ji. It
specifically looks at the Korean version of yin-yang, which consists
of three aspects: heaven, earth and human beings, and how the pattern
Chon-Ji also consists of three sections (not only two as commonly
believed). I further point out how the three sections, consisting of
eight, eight, and three movements respectively, might refer to the
Oriental concept of Palgwae / Bagua (often associated with certain
Kung Fu styles). I finally refer to related symbolism in the SA-ITF’s
logo, and explain the philosophical meaning behind it, which may be of
interest to some of our SA-ITF members.