It's the A to Z Challenge Kick-off! A is for...

 

A is for... Ahp cha gi

and Art

My style of karate is called Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan (more on that later).  It's a Korean-style martial art.  As such, our terminology and the commands for our basic techniques are Korean.  Ahp cha gi is one of our basic kicks- the front kick.

The key to a successful front kick is to pull back your hips and chamber your foot at the height you want the kick to be (the higher the desired kick, the higher the chamber has to be).  Then you extend your leg and push your foot forward while pulling your toes back, sort-of like pressing down the gas pedal on a car.  Like any good kick, you have to maintain head over hips in order for the kick to have power.  

 







A common mistake is when people chamber their kicks low and then kick upwards.  This looks pretty flashy (thus why the bulk of high kicks you see in movies are done this way) but has no real power when it comes to injuring an attacker or breaking boards.  (It's a common theme that flashy fight choreography has literally no real-world utility.)

Once the basic kick is mastered it can be combined in punch-kick or multiple kick combinations including the double front (which was a requirement for my 2nd Dan test).

A is also for Art.  As in Martial Arts.  Note that it's not called "Martial Science" or "Martial Mimicry" because it's not about learning the moves correctly and then repeating them exactly the same way each and every time.  It's about understanding the moves and then using them to create something new.  High-level masters are expected to create their own forms combining different techniques and elevating them to a higher level.  Much like a painter uses color, martial artists are expected to use their techniques to create new works of art.  This is something that I am still learning about as simply perfecting the techniques has been (and still is) a looooong journey.  But the more I study, the more I begin to see ways in which I can make the moves my own, apply them in different contexts and elevate my performance as a martial artist.  It's a long road ahead, (and another four years of training before my master test) but I'm excited to be on it.

Bonus As!  A quick thanks to the founder of this fantastic challenge Mr. Arlee Bird and to one its main champions Mr. Alex J. Cavanaugh.  You guys absolutely rock my world.