Special Notes
General:
Step
sparring is not intended for the attacker to show off. The emphasis should be placed on the defender’s
performance.
Students are expected to make firm contact on any block, but attacks or counter-attacks should be
impact free. Students are expected to demonstrate good power and speed while also demonstrating good
control by performing their techniques as close as possible to their partner without making any contact, except where noted
in the instructions for each type of step sparring.
Step sparring should be performed in a formal manner and the partners
should demonstrate good courtesy.
It is important that students demonstrate good stances when performing step sparring.
This will demonstrate the students understanding of correct stance characteristics and distances.
It
is important that students perform all blocks and attacks to the proper target and with the correct tool. This
will demonstrate the students understanding of which tools are appropriate for different targets.
Students should not be
in a hurry when performing Step-Sparring routines.
Students will be familiar with Taekwon-Do
terminology to ensure that giving and receiving instructions for Step-Sparring routines proceeds smoothly and quickly. Instructions
given to Step-Sparring partners will be easily understood and technically correct.
Attention Positions and Bowing:
All Step Sparring:
A Step-Sparring demonstration
begins with the partners stepping into an Attention Stance and bowing to each other. The bow will be a
15o bend at the waist and the partners will maintain eye contact with each other throughout the bow. The
junior partner will not begin to rise from their bow until the senior partner has begun to rise from their bow.
Ready Positions:
All Step Sparring:
The attacker will
step into a Parallel Ready Stance with their right foot. The defender will step into a Parallel Ready Stance
with their left foot.
The junior partner will not begin to step into their ready position until the senior partner has begun to step
into their ready position.
Three-Step Sparring:
The attacker’s ready position depends upon which stance the defender wants them to attack
from.
At the end of the routine, if the distance between the partners needs to
be re-adjusted, then the new attacker will step into an Attention Stance to signal the new defender that it is necessary
to re-measure the distance. The new defender will step into an Attention Stance and the new attacker
will re-measure the distance.
Two-Step Sparring:
The
defender may choose which ready position to use.
At the end of the
routine, if the distance between the partners needs to be re-adjusted, then the new attacker will step into an Attention
Stance to signal the new defender that it is necessary to re-measure the distance. The new defender
will step into an Attention Stance and the new attacker will re-measure the distance.
One-Step
Sparring:
The attacker will step into a Parallel Ready Stance with their
right foot if their attack is a hand technique.
The attacker will step back into
an L-Stance executing a middle Guarding Block with the Outer Forearm if their attack is a foot technique.
Model Step Sparring:
The
attacker will step into a Parallel Ready Stance with their right foot if their attack is a hand technique.
The attacker will step back into an L-Stance if their attack is a foot technique.
Pre-Arranged Step Sparring:
The attacker will step into a Parallel Ready Stance with their right foot. The
defender will step into a Parallel Ready Stance with their left foot.
The
attacker will step back into a L-Stance executing a middle Guarding Block with the Outer Forearm and ki-ap to signal that
they are ready to begin attack.
The defender will step back into a L-Stance
executing a middle Guarding Block with the Outer Forearm and will not ki-ap.
The
attacker and defender will step into their positions simultaneously.
Foot Technique
Step Sparring:
The attacker will step into a Parallel Ready Stance with their right foot. The
defender will step into a Parallel Ready Stance with their left foot.
The
attacker and defender will step into their ready positions simultaneously.
The
attacker will step back into L-Stance executing a middle Guarding Block with the Outer Forearm and ki-ap to signal that
they are ready to begin attack.
The defender will step back into L-Stance executing
middle Guarding Block with the Outer Forearm and will not ki-ap.
Stepping:
Three-Step Sparring:
If the attacker
uses Walking Stances and the defender uses Walking Stances, then the attacker will step to the outside of the defender’s
lead foot, then to the inside, and then to the outside.
If the attacker
uses L-Stances and the defender uses L-Stances, then the attacker will step to the inside of the defender’s lead foot,
then to the outside, and then to the inside.
If
the attacker uses Walking Stances and the defender uses L-Stances, then the attacker will step to the outside of the defender’s
lead foot all three times.
If the attacker uses L-Stances and the defender
uses Walking Stances, then the attacker will step to the inside of defender’s lead foot all three times.
The attacker must step to the same spot
from which they measured for their first attack.
Attacks:
All
Step Sparring:
For simplicity "…step forward
into…" and "…step backward into…" have been used to describe the motion of attacks and
defenses, however for higher rank Step-Sparring routines jumping techniques, dodging techniques, skipping techniques,
and sliding techniques are also permitted.
Three-Step Sparring:
The three attacks will be the same hand technique or foot technique and will be from the
same stance.
Two-Step Sparring:
The two attacks will be a hand technique and then a foot technique or a foot technique and then a hand technique.
One-Step Sparring:
The attacks
for each routine will alternate between hand techniques and foot techniques.
Semi-Free Step Sparring:
The
attacker’s attack will alternate between hand techniques and foot techniques.
Model
Sparring:
The attacks for each routine will alternate between
hand techniques and foot techniques.
Pre-Arranged Step Sparring:
The
attacks for each routine will alternate between hand techniques and foot techniques.
Foot Technique Step Sparring:
All attacks will be foot techniques.
Counter Attacks:
All Step Sparring:
If the last
counter attack is a foot technique, then the defender will step forward into an L-Stance with the kicking leg before continuing
on to the ready position.
Three-Step Sparring:
Alone and Beginning: One counter-attack will be used.
Intermediate: Two counterattacks will be used. The counter-attacks will be a hand technique
and then a foot technique or a foot technique and then a hand technique.
Advanced: Three counter-attacks will be used. The first two counter-attacks will be a hand
technique and then a foot technique or a foot technique and then a hand technique and the third counter-attack maybe either
a hand technique or a foot technique.
Two Step-Sparring:
Double
or consecutive foot techniques are allowed, and the defender may use a defensive foot technique and counter-attack with
an offensive foot technique.
Beginning:
One counter-attack will be used.
Intermediate: Two counter-attacks
will be used. The counter-attacks will be a hand technique and then a foot technique or a foot technique
and then a hand technique.
Two-Way Two-Step: Three counter-attacks
will be used. These counter-attacks may consist
of mixture of both hand and foot attack combinations. (i.e., hand-foot-hand, foot-hand-foot, hand-foot-foot, foot-foot-hand,
or hand-hand-foot, etc.)
One-Step Sparring:
Double, triple or consecutive foot techniques are allowed and the defender may use a defensive foot technique and
counter-attack with an offensive foot technique.
Beginning:
One counter-attack will be used.
Intermediate: Two
counter-attacks will be used. The counter-attacks will be a hand technique and then a foot technique or
a foot technique and then a hand technique.
Advanced: Multiple
counterattacks are to be used, but the number of counter-attacks should not be excessive. The counter-attacks
may consist of any combination, consecutive, or multiple hand techniques and foot techniques however Advanced One-Step
Sparring is designed for the defender to demonstrate their kicking abilities, so no more than one hand technique should
be used in each routine.
Semi-Free Step Sparring:
The defender will counter-attack
with the same type of technique that the initial attacker used last. (i.e. A foot
technique for a foot technique, a hand technique for a hand technique, a flying technique for a flying technique, a skipping
technique for a skipping technique, a sliding technique for a sliding technique, etc.)
Model
Step-Sparring:
Multiple counter-attacks are to be used, but
the number of counter-attacks should not be excessive. The counter-attacks may consist of any combination,
consecutive, or multiple hand techniques and foot techniques however Model Sparring is designed for the student to demonstrate
their kicking ability with high target kicking, posed kicking, and difficult combination and consecutive kicking.
An ideal counter-attack for Model Sparring would be one hand technique and up to three foot techniques. No jumping,
flying or mid-air kicks are allowed.
Pre-Arranged Step-Sparring:
Multiple counter-attacks may be used however the final ideal counter-attack for a Pre-Arranged
Free-Sparring routine would be one powerful hand technique or foot technique.
Foot Technique
Step Sparring:
Multiple counter-attacks may be used however an ideal counter-attack for a Foot Technique Sparring
routine would be one powerful hand technique or foot technique.
Dodging Techniques:
Dodging allows the
attacker to use any technique freely at the proper distance, and increases the opportunity of targets. The
added advantage of this technique is not only to avoid collision at a close distance, but to allow a surprise attack while
flying away from the opponent. With technique alone, Taekwon-Do can be clearly differentiated from any
other existing martial art.
Flying Multiple
Techniques:
A student of Taekwon-Do is encouraged to
use as many multiple techniques as possible, such as; consecutive, combination or double kicks, punches or strikes.
These types of techniques are principally used while flying - though occasionally on the ground.
