Tae Kwon Do Black Belt Essay
(June 3, 2000)

Poomse's

Patterns are something I have grown up with. During my first class I learned the first five movements of Taeguk 1 because I joined right after the most recent colour belt grading. I practiced this at home and ran through the movements in my mind even though the movements were simple and easy to remember. As I advanced in the belt levels, I learned more difficult and harder to remember patterns and realized that people have different styles of doing them; they have subtle differences that make every person unique yet still a part of the group. Myself, I tried to create a style all my own for practicing them at home, and performing them in front of others who are watching and possibly grading me.

There is a set order of movements where every movement deals with a specific attack and how to defend yourself against any possible attacks in real life. Some movements I do not understand on my own, and need someone of a higher level, usually a black belt, to explain to me what would be happening if I were to use that particular move in real life. There is a reason for every movement, and they all have their own purpose.

Practicing them gives me the chance to imagine myself in that position, which I would never want to be in, but it prepares me for if it should ever happen. Many of the movements follow a natural flow of how things should occur, and help my way of thinking while sparring or defending myself. Because of practicing my Poomse’s, I can also practice in my mind the other things. Practicing patterns also gives me a calming effect. I do not know if this is the same with everyone else, but when I practice, I only need to concentrate on the next movement, how to improve a stance and if I executed the movement with intensity and power. Nothing else goes through my mind because I am focusing myself on the patterns.

Being able to do this has helped my life outside of Tae Kwon Do, which is a good thing because I have learned to concentrate on doing one task at a time and not thinking of too many things at once, which tends to confuse and frustrate me. This has helped my life a lot more than I ever expected it to.

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