My New Form

My old master taught me traditional Taekwondo forms. The traditional Taekwondo forms are very nice looking forms, full of detail and great technique. He taught me eleven color belt forms and six Black Belt forms. That was in ten years of training. When I left my old master, I had to tech myself my on forms. I felt it was a skill I was trained to do, and a task a true master would be able to do. Seven months after we went separate ways I tested for 3rd Degree Black Belt. In traditional Taekwondo (ITF), the Black Belts know several forms for their rank.

At the time I was a 2nd Degree Black Belt. A 2nd Degree Black Belt knows 4 forms and I only knew three. So I taught myself the fourth 2nd Degree form, Juche. The original instructions to this form created by General Choi was very difficult to figure out. I had the papers and the directions went by letters like A,D,C,B,CD,AD, angles etc. Walking stance was front stance, L-stance was back stance, etc. I felt like an archeologist translating ancient runes. 

After my 3rd Degree test, I taught myself eight Olympic forms and the 1st Degree and 2nd Degree Black Belt Olympic forms. Then over time I taught myself a different Olympic style of another eight forms. On my own I taught myself eighteen Olympic Taekwondo forms and a 2nd Degree traditional form. I really felt like I got the hang f it. But I also found, when training with Master Balon, that some of the forms taught to me by my old master was wrong! I couldn't believe it. As great as my old master was with details, he still managed to screw up the style! And I am VERY picky when it comes to my details, I go very much by the book.

But I also had to learn three 3rd Degree Black Belt forms, and I was going to learn them on my own. After my 3rd Dan test I taught myself the first form called Sam Il. I learned, trained myself to have the memorization inside and out, and cleaned up the details greatly. This was all while I was teaching myself those other Olympic forms. Then in my second year I learned the second form called Yoo Sin, a much more difficult, yet very cool looking form. Then that is when I taught myself those newer Olympic forms, and just recently did I learn my 3rd Degree Olympic form, which was quite simple, to be honest.

Well today while training with Robert I decided since I had him with me, maybe he could give me a hand in learning my last 3rd Degree form, Choi Yong. Well Robert got to see exactly what I had to do to learn all those other forms. I had the papers out, and I began translating movement names to the ones I use, stances to the stances I call them, A's and B's to lefts and rights, redundancy and long winded descriptions of movements ot the simple movement names, then practicing it in parts, creating the parts and patterns as if I were teaching it, crossing out words, inserting descriptions, making notes ot help for memorization or teaching purposes, etc.

Robert said exactly how I felt three years ago: It's like watching an archeologist reading hieroglyphics! But I did it! I was always able to learn a form rather quickly and took great pride in that. This was no different. And once I finished learning it, it dawned on me-- this is the last form I needed to learn before my 4th Degree Black Belt test! I have them all now. Eleven color belt traditional forms, three 1st Degree ITF forms, four 2nd Degree ITF forms, three 3rd Degree ITF forms, sixteen Olympic forms, and three Olympic Black Belt forms. It's getting closer, and I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Yours in service,
ANDREW TRENTO