Beginner's Form is now in the Forms Classroom. This isn't Kicksite - this video gives a lot of depth and explanation for the form. It's a little over 15 minutes, but discusses key things I think people skim over or miss altogether. Comment here to let me know what you think!

A monk was walking through a wealthy city during a pilgrimage. As was customary during the time he held his bowl out for food. This practice allowed others to do a good deed by feeding a holy person. However, on this day a rich merchant riding in a rickshaw saw the monk and began to make fun of him. "You look like a pig! Dirty, shuffling along on your paws and waiting for someone to feed you!" The monk looked at him, smiled then bowed. "And you, good sir, look like a magnificent Buddha to me." The merchant laughed more loudly and rudely. "How pathetic you are! I say you look like a pig, and you tell me I look like a Buddha! Do you think I'm so easily swayed that I'll give you food or money for saying such things?" Despite continuing to mock the monk, the merchant looked very pleased with himself - especially as a small crowd was starting to form. "Giving food is to gain merit! Of course such a spiritually accomplished person as you does not need additional merit!" The monk replied. At this the merchant swelled with pride and lounged further into his seat. The monk continued. "I see your wonderful clothing, the colorful silk scarfs you carry. Beautiful! Please, sir, could you hold that red one up, I would like to admire it." The merchant chuckled and held it for all to see. "It is so perfectly thin, I can see you through it like a window! Except you are red! Please, can you show us whether the blue scarf is as high a quality?" The merchant immediately held the blue scarf aloft to prove all of his belongings were of the same caliber. "Amazing," said the monk. "When you hold the red one up, I see the world is red. When you hold the blue one up, I see the world is blue. We are all like this, we all see through our own veils. Someone holding red sees red. Someone holding blue sees blue, and someone who sees through the eyes of a Buddha sees Buddha." With this last statement, the Monk bowed to the merchant, and the crowd, and continued on his way while the merchant processed the meaning of the monks words. The merchant, while full of ego, was no fool. He understood the unsaid meaning of the monk's words. The monk saw the merchant as a Buddha because he perceived the world through the eyes of compassion and recognized the Buddha-nature that existed within the merchant, while the merchant saw the monk as a pig because he allowed his own greed and contempt to control how he perceived the world and blind him to people's true nature.

The founder and creator of Tukong Moosul is Grandmaster Yi Wonik. He learned martial arts growing up in the Daeyeon Sa which is commonly translated as Great Achievement Temple. However, the translation is something more like "Great conditions" with the meaning of "the confluence and gathering of the correct conditions from which great achievement may arise." This speaks to the art of Tukong Moosul in that it is not taught as "the martial way" (Do as in Taekwon-Do, Hapki-Do, or Karate-Do), rather as the techniques that underpin and allow one to understand and embrace the martial way (Moo Sul). Tukong is generally translated as "Special Attack", or "Special Combat". The special aspect of the art is in laying out all of the conditions for correct action, and for organic action. It is in the unification of hard and soft, martial way and philosophical understanding, speed power and balance - it is the great conditions that lead to great achievement. The special is you. No promises are made of greatness or even effectiveness. However, the tools are given to achieve both greatness and effectiveness. It is like philosophy - reading and speaking the words and phrases does not guarantee understanding or internalization of the meaning of those words and phrases. That is up to you. Learning the movements, techniques, forms, sets, etc does not mean one is a capable martial artist. Those things are just the underlying conditions of capability. Without those things capability are unlikely, with them capability is merely possible. The bridge between knowing and understanding, academic knowledge and capability, between Sul and Do, is personal effort, contemplation, and hard work.

Perform the entire warm up routine without touching your foot down. (Right leg front kick slides, Right leg Side kick Slides, Right leg switch slides. Left side, same.) Then forward switches / reverse switches. You should be targeting about 30 feet (or more) of distance 😎