Foundations are everything…
Foundations are everything… just like the story of the foolish man who built his house on sand, the strongest of homes are built on firm foundations, and this is true of learning new skills in life, as an artist may learn to draw basic shapes before being able to produce a beautiful picture or a sculptor would practice producing basic forms before carving a masterpiece… so in Tae Kwon Do, this analogy translates into learning the fundamental moves as completely as possible before moving on to new techniques .
It takes 7 times more effort to relearn and correct an inaccurate technique if it has become an automotive (muscle memory) move, than the effort taken to get it perfect in the first place.
The foundations of technique
Timing, Distance and focus...
Timing – all of the movement should be in time with and appropriate to the opponents movement.
Distance – there is an optimum position to be in for a technique to work effectively, so you must ensure you achieve it, not to close nor too far away.
Focus – this is the most obvious to see in the performance of a Tul ‘pattern’ as it is the culmination of the principles... to focus a technique you must be accurate and balanced, while concentrating the speed and/or mass of the body into the attack or block, using the correct reaction force and breath control.