AKSD Official Katas

by Ray Bennett

American Karate & Self Defense teaches 11 katas before black belt. Below is each kata by name, at what belt rank it is taught, how many movements are in each kata, and a short description of the meaning of each kata.

Jay-oo

Gold Belt - 26 movements
In Korean, Jay-oo means 'freedom'. This kata was developed by Jhun Rhee and is the first kata you learn at AKSD. In the words of Jhoon Rhee:

The form "Jayoo" has been created in appreciation of the value of freedom. A concept which has been spread throughout the world since our founding fathers created this nation with the freedom system protected by the Constitution of the United States of America.

George Mason, one of the wisest of those founding fathers said, "Liberty is the gift of God, not the government; and the purpose of government is to protect that liberty, not destroy it." I believe our future world can be bright only if we choose to work to light the hearts of our young people by our living example. True liberty is practiced within the law of human conscience. Free behaviors that follow the animal instinct are not true freedom but are license. We must be able to distinguish license from freedom.

Chun-Gi

Orange Belt - 19 movements
Literally, Chun-Ji means "heaven and earth" and refers to the creation of the world or the beginning of human history.

Tan-Gun

Green Belt - 21 movements
Tan-Gun is named after the holy Dangun, the legendary founder of Korea in 2333 BC. All the punches in Tan-Gun are high section (at chin level), symbolising Dangun scaling a mountain.

Toe-San

Blue Belt - 27 movements
Toe-San is a pseudonym of the patriot Ahn Chang-ho. The movements represent his entire life, which he devoted to furthering education in Korea and the Korean independence movement.

Won-Hyo

Adv. Blue Belt - 27 movements
This pattern is named after the noted monk Wonhyo who introduced Buddhism to the Silla Dynasty in the year 686 AD.

Yul-Gok

Purple Belt - 36 movements
Yul-Gok is a pseudonym of a great philosopher and scholar Yi I nicknamed the "Confucius of Korea". Originally the kata had 38 movements that refer to his birthplace on 38-degree latitude and the diagram of the pattern represents scholar.

Chun-Gwen

Adv. Purple - 36 movements
Chun-Gwen (or Joong-Gun) is named after the patriot Ahn Joong-Gun who assassinated Itō Hirobumi, the first Japanese governor-general of Korea, known as the man who played the leading part in the Korea-Japan merger. Originally the kata had 32 movements to represent Mr Ahn's age when he was executed at Lui-Shung Prison in 1910.

Hwa-Rang

Red Belt - 29 movements
Hwa-Rang is named after the Hwarang youth group which originated in the Silla Dynasty in the early 7th century. The group eventually became the actual driving force for the unification of the three Kingdoms of Korea. The 29 movements refer to the 29th infantry Division, where Taekwondo developed into maturity.

Chung-Mu

Adv. Red Belt - 30 movements
Chung-Mu (or Choong-Moo) was the name given to the great Admiral Yi Sun-sin of the Yi Dynasty. He was reputed to have invented the first armored battleship (kobukson) in 1592, which is said to be the precursor the present day submarine. The reason this pattern ends with a left hand attack is to symbolize his regrettable death having no chance to show his unrestrained potentiality checked by the forced reservation of his loyalty to the King.

Chul-Gi

Brown Belt - 25 movements
Chul-Gi literally means Iron Horse and stresses techniques performed in a horse/riding stance. Chul-Gi is Japanese in origin and practiced by many martial arts styles. Chul-Gi is known as Naihanchi in Okinawan Karate and as Tekki in Shotokan Karate.

Basai

Adv. Brown Belt - 42 movements
Basai is also Japanese in origin and is practiced in Taekwondo and Tang Soo Do (tangsudo) as well as many Japanese and Okinawan Karate styles. Basai is also known as Balsek. Basai is often translated as "to break down the fortress". The Korean pronunciation of the characters that make up Basai is "Patsai". It is usually associated with the Cobra, because of the quick, snapping motions of the techniques.

Once you earn your black belt at American Karate & Self Defense, your kata training does not end. In fact, you are encouraged to create your own katas. Below are several katas you learn as a black belt.

Gwang-Gae

39 movements
Gwang-Gae (or Kwang-Gae) is named after the famous Kwang-Gae-Toh-Wang, the 19th king of the Goguryeo Dynasty, who achieved the greatest territorial expansion including the greater part of Manchuria. The diagram of the form represents the expansion and recovery of lost territory. The 39 movements refer to the first two figures of 391 AD, the year he came to the throne.

Po Eun

36 movements
Po Eun is the pseudonym of a loyal subject Jeong Mongju who was a distinguished scholar of neo-Confucianism during the Goryeo Dynasty. His poem "I would not serve a second master though I might be crucified a hundred times" is known to every Korean. The diagram, which is simply a straight line represents his unerring loyalty to the king and his country.

Gye-Baek

44 movements
The Gye-Baek (or Gae-Baek) hyeong has 44 Movements. Gae-Baek is named after Gyebaek, a great general in the Baekje Dynasty. The diagram represents his severe and strict military discipline.

Marriage of East and West

This is another Jhoon Rhee kata and it is performed to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, to promote the philosophy of peace and harmony among all people of the world. The philosophy of marriage of East and West is expressed in the following prose by Jhoon Rhee himself:

"The martial arts represents Eastern culture to the West, and classical music symbolizes Western culture to the East. Rudyard Kipling, a poet laureate of Victorian England, once wrote: 'The East is East and the West is West. Never the twain shall meet.' Since his time, we have seen a dramatic change. Because of today's advanced communications, our world has become smaller and from this smaller world evolved a cultural exchange between East and West. This has provided a better understanding among all people. Let us take a step further to eliminate the narrow gap that still exists. An exchange may not be enough. What may be needed is a marriage of two cultures."

... I became U.S. Citizens on February 28, 1873. To commemorate the occasion, we created a new idea, the Jhoon Rhee Martial Arts Ballet. The day my family "married" America the beautiful, my Tae Kwon Do married her inspirational music. We saw a new intriguing beauty and a power generated from the union. It is a happy marriage of Eastern and Western cultures, which I hope someday will become a significant contribution to peace among all people.

Watch a video of Marriage of East and West performed by our own Mr. Cmar.