The basics lay the foundation for all we do in our jobs, hobbies, and life. The effort you put into learning and mastering them, the better you will be. In Chung Nam Yun Tang Soo Do, Master Yun heavily emphasized training in the basics.
The basic techniques made up the core of the art and were practiced at the beginning of every class, walking up and down the floor as a warmup. The number of repetitions varied, but the basics were ALWAYS done.
As mentioned in the previous article, Master Yun’s English was fairly limited, but he taught American servicemen and women in English.
The sign to the left is the sign that hung on the wall of his dojang. It lays out all of the basic techniques, which were performed daily, never skipping any of them.
This is my updated version of the same list, which hangs in my garage today. I have never changed the names of the techniques or the order in which they are practiced.
These techniques are learned and trained two or three at a time until the student is comfortable with them and the principles are mastered. Then three more are added, and the process repeats until all of the techniques are performed at once with proper speed, balance, and power.
This is when students often quit because learning and training the basics is repetitive and can be boring, but they are critically important in your journey. These basics build the foundation upon which all of the more advanced techniques and hyung are built upon.
Just like all of the house analogies you’ve heard, if your home is built on a weak, unstable foundation, it will collapse. In martial arts terms, if you do not have mastery of the basics you will find it hard to learn more advanced techniques and they probably won’t work for you in a self-defense situation.
Working your way through the basics and going through the “boring” parts of your training creates discipline, focus, and forges your indomitable spirit.
Whether you have been training a day, year, decade, or century, always focus on the basics. Never stop training them and keep your foundation strong, and it will serve you for a lifetime in ways you never imagine.
For more on the basic techniques of Chung Nam Yun Tang Soo Do, check out the videos below. (or click HERE)
