A teul or tul (, ) is a detailed choreographed pattern of Taekwon-Do movements, defined by the International Taekwon-Do Federation. Teul resemble combat, but are essentially non-combative in nature and serve to practice techniques and stances. There are 24 teul, three beginners exercises, and two former teul.
Each pattern has a fixed set of movements and is associated with a geup or dan degree, at which Taekwon-Do student are first introduced to the pattern. Teul are part of examinations for higher degrees and tournaments.
Performance Each pattern has a pre-determined set of movements, as well as a ready stance. This ready stance is the begin and end position of the pattern. When performing a pattern, the student stands in the ready stance and waits for instructions from their teacher to start the performance. Upon receiving these, the student starts performing each movement in the pre-determined order, using sine wave and accentuated breathing. At the end of the performance, the students says the pattern's name out loud and returns to the ready stance upon receiving instructions to do so.
Each movement in a teul has a stance, weapon, type of technique, height, and motion, as well as optional specifications. These are all described in Taekwon-Do manuals and practiced in the same way worldwide.
History Teul have all been designed by general Choi Hong-hi, the founder of Taekwon-Do, in cooperation with various Taekwon-Do pioneers. The patterns are based on kata from karate and were first created in four different eras.
1955–1959: The first five patterns were created and were still called hyung. The first pattern was Hwa-Rang (1955), and the other ones created before 1959 were Choong-Moo, Ul-Ji, Sam-Il, and U-Nam. 1961–1964: Sixteen new patterns were created right before or during Choi's stay in Malaysia between 1962 and 1964: Chon-Ji, Dan-Gun, Do-San, Won-Hyo, Yul-Gok, Joong-Gun, Toi-Gye, Kwang-Gae, Po-Eun, Ko-Dang, Choong-Jang, Choi-Yong, Yoo-Sin, Se-Jong, and Tong-Il. In the meantime, hyung were renamed to teul, and U-Nam was removed from the curriculum for political reasons. In total, Taekwon-Do had 20 teul when Choi published his first English-language Taekwon-Do book, titled Taekwon-Do: The Art of Self-Defence. The Taekwon-Do pioneers that helped general Choi develop these patterns were Nam Tae Hi, Han Cha Kyo, Choi Chang Keun, Park Won Ha, Woo Jae Lim, Kim Bok Man and Cho Sang Min. 1968: Four final patterns were added: Eui-Am, Yon-Gae, Moon-Moo, and So-San, designed by general Choi and Kim J.C., Park Jong Soo, and Lee Byung Moo. 1981–1983: Ko-Dang was removed from the curriculum and replaced by Juche for political reasons. Park Jung Tae, likely assisted by Choi Jung Hwa (General Choi's son), Michael McCormack (General Choi's son-in-law) and Lim Won Sup, is credited with developing Juche.
Each pattern was created based on a set of principles set out by general Choi Hong-hi. These include that every technique was designed to produce maximum power, that the purpose of each technique is clear, that the pattern can be learned by anyone, and that each movement in a pattern expresses the personality of he person it is named after.
List of teul There are 24 teul that are included in the curriculum of the International Taekwon-Do Federation. Besides these 24 patterns, there are two patterns that were previously practiced, but –to various degrees– do not form part of ITF Taekwon-Do anymore. +Nr.Name (RR)Name (Hangul)DegreeCreatedMovementsMeaning1Chon-Ji천지9th geup1962–196419Heaven and earth2Dan-Gun단군8th geup1962–196421Dangun3Do-San도산7th geup1962–196424Ahn Changho4Won-Hyo원효6th geup1962–196428Wonhyo5Yul-Gok율곡5th geup1962–196438Yi I6Joong-Gun중근4th geup1962–196432An Junggeun7Toi-Gye퇴계3rd geup1962–196437Yi Hwang8Hwa-Rang화랑2nd geup195529Hwarang9Choong-Moo충무1st geup195530Yi Sunsin10Kwang-Gae광개1st dan1962–196439Gwanggaeto of Goguryeo11Po-Eun포은1st dan1962–196436Jeong Mongju12Ge-Baek계백1st dan196144Gyebaek13Eui-Am의암2nd dan196845Son Byeonghui14Choong-Jang충장2nd dan1962–196452Kim Deokryeong15Juche주체2nd dan1981–198345Juche16Sam-Il삼일3rd dan1955–195933March First Movement17Yoo-Sin유신3rd dan1962–196468Kim Yusin18Choi-Yong최영3rd dan1962–196446Choe Yeong19Yon-Gae연개4th dan196849Yeon Gaesomun20Ul-Ji을지4th dan195742Eulji Mundeok21Moon-Moo문무4th dan196861Munmu of Silla22So-San서산5th dan196872Hyujeong23Se-Jong세종5th dan1962–196424Sejong of Joseon24Tong-Il창헌6th dan1962–196456Korean reunification -Ko-Dang고당 -1962–196439Jo Mansik -U-Nam우남 -195542Syngman Rhee
Periods Each pattern is named after a person, concept, or event relevant to Korean history, ranging from before the Three Kingdoms of Korea to the post-Korean War era. Together, the set of 24 patterns is meant to represent the entirety of Korean history and explain some of the most important events.
Ancient Korea (–57 BC): Chon-Ji, Dan-Gun Three Kingdoms of Korea (57 BC–668 AD) Kingdom of Silla: Hwa-Rang, Yoo-Sin, Moon-Moo Kingdom of Goguryeo: Kwang-Gae, Yon-Gae, Ul-Ji Kingdom of Baekje: Ge-Baek Unified Silla (668–935): Won-Hyo Goryeo dynasty (918–1392): Po-Eun, Choi-Yong Joseon dynasty (1392–1897): Yul-Gok, Toi-Gye, Choong-Moo, Choong-Jang, So-San, Se-Jong Korean Empire (1897–1910): Joong-Gun Korea under Japanese rule (1910–1945): Do-San, Eui-Am, Sam-Il, Ko-Dang Division of Korea (1945–): Juche, Tong-Il, U-Nam In some cases, persons after whom a pattern was named knew each other, such as Yi I and Yi Hwang, or Ahn Chang Ho and An Jung Geun.
Saju Next to the 24 teul, there are three saju (), beginners exercises to prepare Taekwon-Do students for teul. These exercises consist of four repetitions of one or two techniques in all four cardinal directions, performed clockwise and counter-clockwise. While in theory, saju can be created based on any combination of techniques, but only three saju have been created by general Choi Honghi, which are still practised by ITF Taekwon-Do students. The saju are named after their main or only technique. Name (RR)Name (Hangul)DegreeMovementsMeaningSaju jirugi사주지르기10th geup14Four-way punchSaju makgi사주막기10th geup16Four-way blockSaju tulgi사주뚫기2nd geup8Four-way thrust
Competition Teul are part of Taekwon-Do tournaments, in which either two individuals or two groups of five individuals each demonstrate the same pattern simultaneously. After demonstrating the pattern, referees award points to each competitor based on technical precision, power, balance, breath control, and rhythm. The winner advances to the next round in a knock-out system. The performance of a pattern in a tournament includes pre-determined greeting procedures.
Practice instructions In the Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do (1999), General Choi Hong-hi phrased nine points that should be taken into account by all Taekwon-Do students when performing teul.
Pattern should begin and end at exactly the same spot. This will indicate the performer's accuracy. Correct posture and facing must be maintained at all times. Muscles of the body should be either tensed or relaxed at the proper critical moments in the exercise. The exercise should be performed in a rhythmic movement with an absence of stiffness. Movements should be accelerated or decelerated according to the instructions in this book. Each pattern should be perfected before moving to the next. Students should know the purpose of each movement. Students should perform each movement with realism. Attack and defense techniques should be equally distributed among right and left hands and feet.
See also Korean martial arts Kata Hyeong Taegeuk
References