Palgue Bunkai

This is the text of my book "Palgue Bunkai" illustrating the amazing bunkai of the

Korean karate Palgue kata series.

If you would like a printed book version or to download it on your Kindle, you can

purchase a copy using the following links:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08FP25J84

USA: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FP25J84

Germany: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B08FP25J84

Or search your local Amazon for "Palgue Bunkai".

I hope you end up being as excited by the bunkai in this kata series as I am. Enjoy…

Palgue Bunkai

Decoding the self-defence syllabus

contained in the

Korean karate Palgue kata series

Copyright © 2020 Pete Cordell

All rights reserved.

This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any

manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author

except for the use of brief quotations with accompanying references.

Revision 15.

1

Introduction

I gained my 1st Dan in Korean karate in 2016. Like many new Black Belts, I then asked

myself the question, "what next?"

Gaining your Black Belt offers you the opportunity to look beyond the syllabus and

explore where you'd like to direct your martial arts energies next. As an aging

karateka I was not going to have a future in competition. I'm still not particularly

good at sparring. So I decided to explore kata. Particularly the Japanese katas that I

hadn't covered in my Korean style.

The Internet, and YouTube in particular, is a great tool for this type of self-study. As I

explored kata videos I came across many that included in the title the words "… with

bunkai" [Bunkai] (Note: All references at listed at the back of the book). If you've

picked up this book, you will likely know that "bunkai" roughly means "application".

In essence, "what do the moves in the kata represent".

Exploring the YouTube comments (not usually a worthwhile exercise!), I came across

references to the work of Iain Abernethy [Jutsu], and from there into the history of

karate and what some call "Applied Karate" or "Practical Karate". This led me to

reflect on the Korean katas that I had already learnt.

In the process of decoding the Korean katas from an "Applied Karate" perspective I

was blown away by how well the katas were constructed. As far as I can tell, this is

knowledge that has been lost. This felt like a great tragedy and I felt compelled to

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write down what I had deduced so that future generations of karateka have the

opportunity to marvel at the genius of these katas' authors as I have done.

3

Background, Principles and

Concepts

But first, let's take a step back. Why is kata a thing and why do we do it? Let's have a

look at a simplified history of karate and kata.

Fighting techniques that evolved into karate emerged in China and crossed into the

Japanese island of Okinawa as a result of trade via shipping. Many styles developed,

with more or less cross-fertilisation on an ad-hoc basis.

Before YouTube and widespread literacy, the method adopted for recording fighting

techniques was kata. For this reason, kata is often called the textbook of karate. A

key task of an instructor is to mould their students into a new copy of the style's

textbook, and part of the black belt grading is to ensure that the students are a

sufficiently good copy of the textbook. This is one of the reasons why kata plays such

a big part in karate.

Early styles often focussed around a single kata. It was very rare for someone to

know more than two or three. Funakoshi, the founder of the Shotokan style of

karate, is said to have spent three years learning the kata Kiba Dachi Shodan (similar

to the Korean kata Chul Gi and the kata Teki Shodan) before he was allowed to

attempt the next kata in the series.

One of Funakoshi's teachers was Itosu. At the beginning of the 1900s, Itosu

convinced the authorities to introduce karate into schools as a form of physical

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education. The focus was put more on physical conditioning, self-control and

discipline rather than pure combat. As part of this, he felt that the traditional katas

were too complicated for children to learn. Legend has it that he therefore broke the

longer, and more difficult, Kusanku (also known as Kanku Dai) into 5 parts to form

the Pinan series of katas. Others theorise that the Pinan series is based on multiple

katas and may even have multiple authors. Either way, the key innovation is having

multiple related katas instead of one long kata.

Pinan is a Chinese word and Funakoshi changed the name to Heian to make it more

Japanese friendly. He also swapped the order of the first two katas around as he

thought that made for a better progression from easy to difficult.

This process of simplifying karate and making it accessible to school children was

essential for making karate as popular as it is today. But it meant that many

advanced techniques were put aside, including the deeper meaning, or bunkai, of the

techniques captured in the katas. As children grew into adults they would start their

own karate schools, teaching other children, and never acquired that advanced

knowledge. Hence the skills were lost. The new teachers were copies of the karate

textbook but with the final chapters missing.

Some karateka lament this change of direction. However, I feel it is similar to being

taught how to count before you are taught how to do partial differential calculus –

whatever that is! Karate would probably not have survived if the change hadn't been

made and as a result many karateka would not have had the opportunity to discover

all that karate has to offer. With the power of YouTube and the Internet we now

have the opportunity to try and rediscover those missing chapters.

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But back to the story… A number of Koreans also studied under Funakoshi. When

they returned to Korea, encouraged by various military authorities, they developed

their own variations of the Pinan/Heian katas; the Palgue series covered in this book

being one of them.

When we start trying to understand kata rather than merely reproduce them, we

quickly discover they are like onions: They have layers.

As described by Iain Abernethy [Abernethy], there is the analysing part

(Bunkai/Bunseki) of kata and then there is the practical part (Oyo). There is also

Omote and Ura. Omote and Ura are two sides to the same medal in the Japanese

culture. Omote is the obvious and Ura is the hidden introverted side.

YouTuber Jesse Enkamp, AKA The Karate Nerd, divides kata interpretations into

Omote, Ura and Honto [Enkamp]. Omote is the surface interpretation. If a downward

block is performed, then a downward block is the interpretation. Ura means

backside, back or reverse. We see it in the kick name "Ura Mawashi Geri" (Reverse

Roundhouse Kick). Here a downward block can become a strike to the groin. Honto

means truth. In this interpretation, rather than being a block or a strike, a downward

block can be interpreted as something quite different, such as an armlock.

In this book we will be doing Bunkai (analysing) of the Ura and Honto aspects of the

katas' Oyo (application).

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Rules

If kata is the textbook of karate then the moves within them are the words. In the

same way that sheet music is a notation for music, the moves within kata are a

notation for fighting moves. The difference between sheet music and real music is

large. The difference between kata moves and real fighting moves is much smaller.

But there is still the difference between the notation and what they represent, and

this must be remembered when interpreting the kata.

To help with decoding the notation the Gōjū-ryū style of karate has a set of rules for

interpreting kata [Rules]:

Three basic rules - Shuyo san gensoko

1. Don't be deceived by the shape (embusen) of the kata.

The kata embusen is designed to allow the kata to be performed within a small

space. The shape of the embusen has no bearing on the meaning of the

techniques in the kata.

2. Techniques executed while advancing are offensive. Those executed while retreating are defensive.

3. There is only one opponent and he is in front of you.

Turning to face a new direction while performing the kata does not mean you

are turning to face a new opponent.

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Advanced rules - Hosoku joko

1. Every movement in kata is significant and is to be used in application.

There are no "salutation", religious or empty movements in kata. All

movements in the kata have meaning.

2. A closed pulling hand returning to chamber usually has some part of the opponent in it.

When pulling a hand to the chamber position (such as on the hip), particularly

if it is closed, it should be considered to have some part of the opponent in its

grip. e.g. an arm, wrist or even head.

3. Utilize the shortest distance to your opponent.

The kata will typically attack the opponent with the closest part of your body.

4. If you control an opponent’s head you control the opponent.

Kata techniques often target vital or weak points of the body (Kyusho), many

of the most important of these are in the head. e.g. eyes or throat.

5. There are no blocks.

Uke are not blocks, they are "defences", however in kata they may not even

represent defences, but simply be the movements of the limbs required to

execute a more complex technique like a throw.

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6. Angles in kata are very important.

The angle to which you turn represents the angle which you must take relative

to the opponent for the technique to work. It does not represent turning to

face a new opponent.

7. Touching your own body in kata indicates that you are touching part of your opponent.

In the absence of a partner to practice with, where the kata touches your own

body, you would be touching or holding part of the opponent's body.

8. Don't attack hard parts of your opponent with hard parts of your body.

The kata typically strikes hard parts of the opponent with soft parts of your

body and soft parts with hard parts of your body.

9. There are no pauses in the application.

The rhythm of the performance of kata has no bearing on the performance of

the techniques extracted from it.

Note that Advanced Rule 6, "Angles in kata are very important", appears to

contradict Simple Rule 1, "Don't be deceived by the shape (embusen) of the kata".

Clearly some changes of direction are more important than others. In the Palgue

series, the majority of changes of direction are simply to fit the kata within a

reasonable floor area. What is significant is each kata contains a number of

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combinations. Changes of direction often mark the beginning and end of

combinations. Thus a change of direction at the start of a combination doesn't

immediately suggest taking on an angle relative to an opponent. The new

combination represents dealing with an opponent under different circumstances, not

moving on to attacking a new opponent having completed dealing with the first.

Conversely, a change of direction within a combination typically represents changing

position relative to a single opponent, not moving on to another opponent.

Advanced Rule 5 says "There are no blocks". This doesn't mean you shouldn't do

blocks. Blocks in an application are done on an as-needed basis. A kata may restrict

the options that an opponent has to counter but it can't anticipate all actions of an

opponent. Hence, in an application you may have to block mid-way through a

combination, or even abandon a combination entirely and start a new one, due to

the actions of the opponent. The exception I make to this is a block at the start of a

combination that directly leads on to a technique that either strikes or controls the

opponent. For example, a block may lead to a wrist grab which is then pulled back to

the hip to restrict the movement of the opponent. In that way, a kata can tell you

that if you find yourself doing a particular block which techniques follow on fluidly

from there.

In addition to No Blocks, I would go further and say in the Palgue katas "There are no

punches". A punch is a fairly unimaginative move. Punches and elbow strikes can be

added into a combination as the opportunities present themselves (adding dirt as

some call it) but in most cases are not choreographed into a combination. A punch in

a kata typically represents something else – except for the odd occasion when it does

actually represent a punch!

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Another important consideration is, as mentioned earlier, kata is the textbook of

karate. Each person that learns the katas is a new copy of the textbook. They will

hopefully go on to teach others to be copies of the textbook. This means that the

katas have to be designed in such a way that they can be copied time and time again

without any loss of fidelity. Those of a certain age will be familiar with the issue of

loss of fidelity caused by copying from using cassette tapes and photocopying. For

example, having a move that is best performed at an angle of 78.3° to the attacker

can't be represented in the kata so specifically because people are not very good a

measuring such angles with sufficient precision. As more copies of the kata are

made, the represented angle would drift. And you have to remember that the

optimum angle of a technique may depend on the person performing the technique,

the person that the technique is being performed on and even the terrain the

technique is performed on. To address this, the katas round the various angles to

ones that can be more easily represented, such as 90° and 45°.

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Shorthand

One thing I have found when reading books on kata is that it is very hard to follow a

kata simply from written words. This book does not seek to teach the katas, but it is

important to be able to know which part of a kata is being discussed.

To help with this I have devised a simple, concise notation for various moves in kata.

This is as follows:

… A pause or space between moves.

N, S, E, W The direction you are facing relative to compass coordinates. You always start facing North, represented by "N". If you left 90° you will be facing West, represented by "W".

^ Indicates a move forward.

v Move backwards.

< or > followed by a number

Turn to the left ("<") or right (">") by the indicated number of degrees. For example, "<90" means turns left 90 degrees. Bear in mind that most turns start with the front leg except the 270° turns which start with the back leg.

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= Ready stance - Chumbi

\ or / Indicates a forward stance, either left foot forwards ("\") or right foot forwards ("/"). To understand this notation, imagine you are standing on the page, looking to the top of the page. Your front foot is positioned on the top of the symbol and your back foot on the bottom.

] or [ Indicates a back stance, with back foot pointing left ("]") or back foot facing right ("["). To understand this notation, imagine you are standing on the page, looking to the top of the page. The bottom of the symbol indicates the direction your back foot is pointing. Ignore the mark at the top of the symbol!

_ (Underscore) Horse stance

DB Downward block

SB Side block. In our style side block starts inside and moves to the outside. For example, the left fist goes first to the right hip and then blocks to the left.

RSB Reinforced side block

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UB Upper block

MB Middle area block. In our style middle area block starts outside and then moves to the centreline of the body. For example, the left fist starts to the left of the body and then blocks to the centreline of the body.

KH Knife hand block

LKH Low knife hand block

HF Hammer fist block (similar to low knife hand but with hands closed)

SH Spear hand

PHS Palm heal strike

IC Inside chop. For example, open left hand starts at the left ear, is swept outwards then forwards to end with hand open, palm up at the imaginary opponent's neck.

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OC Outside chop. For example, open left hand goes to right shoulder, palm down, then swept forward to the imaginary opponent's neck.

BF Back fist. In the case of these katas the back fist is in the vertical plane, striking down

ES Elbow strike

Pb Punch body

Ph Punch head

FK Front kick

SK Side kick

suSK Step up side kick

r, l, f, b When prefixed to one of the notations above, Right, Left, Front, Back respectively. It refers to an arm or a leg. For example, the left arm in a side block position and the right arm in a downward block position would be described as "lSB rDB"

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ho, hc Hand open, hand closed. "UB ho" refers to an upper block with hand open (rather than the normal closed hand). "lUB ho" means left arm in upper block position with hand open

* Kiai (Shout)

?, ?1, ?2 etc A reference to a note or more detailed description that is explained in subsequent text. For example: <90 S UB ?1 ?1 = hand open

For example, the first few moves of Palgue Il Jang are represented by:

= N … <90 W \ DB … ^ / SB … >180 E / DB … ^ \ SB

That all means, start in Chumbi (Ready stance) facing North. Turn left 90° to face

West into a forward stance with downward block. Move forwards in forward stance

with side block. Turn right 180° to face East into forward stance with downward

block. Move forwards in forward stance with side block.

Where a move is more specific, I just resort to a full description in curly braces: {}.

Naturally when breaking down a kata I speak about combinations. Often a

combination is performed first in one direction and then the mirror image is

performed in the opposite direction. For the sake of brevity, rather than saying

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things like "skipping the mirror combination and moving onto the combination after

that" I simply use the term "next different combination" or just "next combination".

Hence, in Palgue Il Jang, having performed the initial combination to the West, I use

"next combination" to mean moving onto the combination going North rather than

the mirrored combination going East.

At the start of the discussion of each combination a small icon is shown. The icon

shows the kata embusen with an arrowhead showing the position of the

combination. In addition to showing where in the kata the combination appears, they

also serve as a way of separating one combination's description from another. At

Ready stance (Chumbi) you start at the bottom of the icon, facing up the page. The

icon for the first combination of Palgue Il Jang is:

You will have noticed that I have used English names for the various moves rather

than the Korean names. This is so our fellow Japanese karate practitioners can more

easily follow the text.

Website

This book has an accompanying website at http://palgue-bunkai.org. The YouTube

videos and other web links referenced in this book can be more easily accessed

there. It is planned to add additional supporting material over time.

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Club Variations

(Note: The links in this section are also available at http://palgue-bunkai.org.)

Our club's style of Korean karate was imported to the UK by American military

personnel who had served in Korea.

Korean karate was imported into the US and the West via other similar routes.

While a key consideration of kata is that it should be possible to hand it down from

person-to-person-to-person, evidence shows that this hasn't always been successful.

For example, looking at YouTube there are number of variations of the first kata,

Palgue Il Jang.

You would have thought that being the first kata this is likely to be the simplest and

therefore most easy to copy. It seems not.

In our club's execution of Palgue Il Jang there are eight side blocks and no middle

area blocks (as shown in the YouTube video https://youtu.be/27VMrs1VB1c).

Other clubs seem to change some or all of these side blocks into middle area blocks.

The video at https://youtu.be/_9Fjqw7hf5s shows the two initial side blocks being

replaced by middle area blocks and the rest left as side blocks.

The video at https://youtu.be/qTfKXbtXAVs shows side blocks 1, 2, 5, 6, 7 and 8

being replaced by middle area blocks.

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The video at https://youtu.be/oxH0ShWGPQg has side blocks 1, 2, 7 and 8, but

middle area blocks in place of side blocks 3, 4, 5 and 6.

And the video at https://youtu.be/aRvz1g4AYBQ shows all the side blocks replaced

by middle area blocks.

Many of the Palgue series katas on YouTube show large, often arcing, movements to

increase the power of the techniques. By contrast our style has much more of the

"feel" of the Heian series katas with their minimalist, direct movements. As such our

style focuses on exploiting the shortest path to the opponent and prioritises speed

over power. Hence some practitioners of the Palgue katas may, for example, change

foot position where our style does not, and this might affect the perception of how

close the katas match the bunkai presented in this book.

I only describe Bunkai for the style and variations that our club uses. To me they

make sense from the Bunkai presented here. I'll leave it to others to explore their

own club variations. I hope the contents of this book offers some insight on that

quest.

Photos

The photos in the book were taken during the coronavirus lockdown during which we

didn't have access to our regular training hall. This is why the kata photos are taken

on grass and with trainers on.

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Acknowledgements

Before launching into the main part of this book I'd like to acknowledge all the

instructors and fellow students that have made me the karateka I am today. I need to

emphasise that this is very much an "off syllabus" work of my own, so if you conclude

that this is the work of a fool that is no reflection on my association and those

mentioned here – other than that they are prepared to try to teach a fool.

So, thank you Mick, Billy, Paul, Martyn, Cealwyn, Michael, Leonie, Stuart, John, Jan

and Michel.

Special thanks go also to those who volunteered to review early proofs of the text:

Kirsty, Paul, Joe, Diane and Theo. (I hear they are all recovering nicely.)

Finally I'd like to thank Iain Abernethy. Not only did his work start me on this path, he

was kind enough to offer very speedy feedback on drafts of this book and suggested

adding the photos which have improved the book immensely.

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Palgue Il Jang

The First Kata

Imagine that a student enters a dojang (dojo) and tells the instructor that they are

fed up of being attacked and wish to be able to defend themselves. Any instructor

will know that most people cannot punch well without instruction and practice.

Kicking is even less of an option on the first day. So what does the instructor do?

The instructor may start by informing the student that the best form of self-defence

is to run away. Actually, this is the second-best form of self-defence. The best form of

self-defence is to not be in a dangerous position in the first place – situational

awareness. Avoid going up dark alleys where it is known half a dozen people have

been murdered in the last month!

But our student persists saying they don't always have the choice where they have to

go and wants answers. So what does the instructor do?

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Let's look at the first combination of Palgue Il Jang:

= N … <90 W \ DB … ^ / SB … >180 E / DB

(From chumbi – ready stance, turn left 90° to face west into forward stance with

downward block, followed by step forward into side block, followed by a 180° into

downward block.)

Now imagine the scene… our student is in the streets and confronted, face-to-face by

an attacker. Running away is still an option, so our instructor advises that, by turning

to the right. If this is successful there is no further techniques required and the kata

is complete. Following the instructions in the kata has been a success.

But what happens if running away is not successful? We need to consider how the

attacker stops the student. Likely as the student turns to the right the attacker will

grab the student's left arm or shoulder using their right hand. If we're lucky, the

attacker will step forward with their right foot.

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This nicely opens the attacker up for the student to turn to their left and do a

downward block – to attacker's gentleman parts (<90 W \ DB).

Executed well, the attacker's response to this is reasonably predictable. Unless he

has balls of steel, his reflex will be to clench tightly with his right hand, firmly holding

on to the student's arm, bend over slightly and twist away from the student.

This opens the way for the student's next move - ^ / SB. The student steps forward,

threads their right arm under the attacker's right arm and brings their hand to grab

the attacker's shoulder.

This on its own is not useful, but if the student moves their front foot back, turning as

they do, and pushes down with their right hand, that is to say >180 E / DB,

encouraged by the pain in his lower body, the attacker will be forced to the ground,

and the student can run away. Once again, the strategy encoded in the kata for

dealing with this situation has been completed, and the technique is a success.

At this point you may be thinking that this is all very well but rather idealistic. And I'd

agree. What could go wrong?

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An obvious thing that can go wrong is that the strike to the crown jewels isn't as

successful as the student would have liked - or the attacker is female. The attacker

doesn't bend over so far so the student is unable to push the attacker down with the

turning move. Clearly the fancy kata technique just described doesn't help here.

But before you start thinking that this kata is a load of rubbish, I need to quickly

remind you that there is more to it.

Let's look at the next different combination:

<90 N \ DB … ^ ] SB … ^ [ SB … ^ / Pb *

The <90 N \ DB part (turn into forward stance with downward block) is the same as

in the first combination. The ^ ] SB part (move forward into side block back stance) is

similar to the first combination, but because the attacker has not bent over so much

the student has to reach further round to reach under the attacker's arm. The

student would try to continue as they did in the first combination; turning to the

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right and pushing the attacker down. But on finding this isn't going to work, the

student changes tactic. This time threading their left arm under the attacker's body

and pressing against the attacker's chest (^ [ SB). This is quickly followed by a strong

shove by the right arm (^ / Pb), pushing the attacker away, allowing space for escape.

(A heel behind the attacker's foot may also help.)

You may be thinking that the second side block and punch is a weak technique. You

need to remember, however, that the attacker will have been resisting the student's

attempt to pull them to the right. As the student changes from effectively pulling to

the right into pushing to the left, the student will be pushing in the direction the

attacker is already trying to go. The student is therefore able to move the attacker in

the new direction with little effort. This changing direction of the force the student

applies is a recurring theme in the katas. I call it turning "resistance into assistance."

Another thing worth looking at is that in the kata this combination consists of 4 equal

length steps. In application the spacing between the steps may not be so evenly

spaced. The step between the two side blocks may even involve the right leg

stepping back slightly, depending on the circumstances. To a large degree, the

movement of the attacker dictates the spacing of the steps you need to use, and you

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need to adapt accordingly. And unlike in the performance of a kata, to be effective

the timing between the moves is unlikely to be even. The time between the two side

blocks may be relatively long compared to the much quicker timing between the

second side block and the punch (shove). This is an example of Advanced Rule 9,

"There are no pauses in the application". For this reason, for the kata to be truly

useful in practice, it is not sufficient to be able to perform the kata and know the

application "in theory". You need to practice with an opponent – carefully – and get a

realistic feel of the movement and timing.

What else can go wrong? Let's move on…

<270 E [ KH … ^ ] SB

One reason for not being able to make an effective groin strike in the earlier

scenarios is because the attacker held the student back by holding their right arm

stiff. To counter this, the student needs to strike the arm before continuing with

other techniques. This is done (following the turn in the kata) with a knife hand to

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the inside of the attacker's elbow ([ KH). In the kata this is followed by a side block in

back stance (] SB). This is the same application as in the previous combination. Again,

the aim is for the student to get their right arm under the attacker's right arm and

either pivot the attacker around as in the first combination or use "resistance into

assistance" to push the attacker away as in the second combination. The student will

have to decide which as the situation unfolds.

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The last combination is:

<90 S \ DB … ^ / IC … ^ \ IC … ^ Pb *

IC = Inside chop

What's going on here? Well, let's ask our now recurring question: what problems

could we encounter when applying the instructions of the previous combinations?

One problem is that after the groin strike (<90 S \ DB) the attacker holds their arms

so tight to their body that the student is unable to get their arm under the attacker's

arm. To address this, the student grabs the sleeve of the attacker's right arm (the

nearest arm to the student) with their right hand and twists the hand around to get a

tight grip on the fabric (^ / IC). They initially pull the attacker to their right, rotating

the attacker anti-clockwise, so that they can grab the attacker's other shoulder with

their left hand (^ \ IC) and switch to pulling the attacker to the left to exploit

resistance into assistance. They finish by giving the attacker a strong shove with the

right hand (^ Pb). Hopefully the student will be able to make enough space to escape.

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The kata ends with a repeat of the opening combination (<270 W \ DB … ^ / SB …

>180 E / DB … ^ \ SB).

So, that's the moves in the kata. What else can be learn from it?

A key observation is that as the kata progresses it addresses different problems that

could arise while executing the initial combination. The ideal combination is

presented first, and then subsequent combinations present variations that could be

used if the earlier ones are unsuccessful. This makes the kata much more practical.

Very few fighting techniques work flawlessly every time. Recognising that and

showing the relevant contingencies is much more useful than showing an unrelated

bunch of isolated techniques.

Further, the kata anticipates how the attacker is likely to respond to the techniques

executed by the student. For example, when struck in the groin, the attacker is likely

to move in a particular way or when pulled the attacker is likely to resist. This

demonstrates the real-world, practical knowledge encoded into the katas.

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31

Palgue Yi Jang

Part 1

Palgue Yi Jang is an important kata, but I fear if I tell you what it is about at this stage

there's a good chance you'll feel it’s a fudge and you'll lose interest in following the

rest of the journey. I want to try to convince you that the whole Palgue series forms a

syllabus before returning to Palgue Yi Jang. So I'll return to it later when I hope I'll

easily be able to convince you that, not only is it an important kata, but it fits

perfectly within the syllabus.

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Palgue Sam Jang

Can we start yet?

I used to think that Palgue Sam Jang was a boring kata whose sole purpose was to do

moving backwards with side blocks in back stance. The rest seemed like

unimaginative filler just to get to that point. Moving backwards seemed like a useful

new technique but it alone, in my humble opinion, didn't justify an entire kata. I

would consequently perform it with the lack of enthusiasm that I felt it deserved.

However, once you ascribe some bunkai to the moves it becomes a lot more fun.

The opening combination of Palgue Sam Jang is:

= N … <90 W \ DB … ^ / Pb

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A turn to the left with a downward block (DB) followed by a punch to the body (Pb) -

maybe.

The opening move (<90 W \ DB) is the same as in Palgue Il Jang. Therefore, let's

assume the attack on the student starts in the same way too. Attacker and student

are face-to-face. The student attempts to run by turning to the right but is caught by

the attacker. The student's response is also initially the same as for Palgue Il Jang:

They turn to the left and strike the groin. The attacker responds to this in the same

way as before also. They bend double and rotate away from the student.

The difference now though is that the student is a trained martial artist. At least in

part. Hopefully by now they will have learnt to punch. Because, for once, what the

kata describes as a punch is actually a punch! But not a punch to the body. The

attacker has conveniently turned and twisted so that their head is in just the right

position for what would be a punch to the body to now be a knockout punch to the

chin.

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And the rest of the kata? We have:

<90 N \ DB … ^ / UB … ^ \ UB … ^ / Ph

We know now that this is likely to cover when the first combination doesn't go to

plan. In this case, when the attacker doesn't oblige by moving their head to a suitable

position for the knockout blow after the groin strike. (Or the student is not in a

position to execute a groin strike, in which case the downward block is a grab and

pull down of the attacker's right wrist.) We also know that that upper block is

unlikely to really be an upper block because the kata rules say so. And it's too boring.

So…

It starts with the usual downward strike to the groin. This time the strike is

ineffective, and the attacker remains mostly upright. The student then is advised to

strike high – in other words, to the head – with an upper block type motion.

Why this upper block type motion instead of regular punches?

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For starters, we saw that karate has a rule that you should strike hard targets with

something soft and soft targets with something hard. If you strike a hard skull with a

hard fist, especially an unconditioned fist, you are likely to hurt your fist more than

you hurt the other person's face.

It must also be remembered that a fight is a chaotic situation. Adrenaline is likely to

be running high and even a practiced fighter is unlikely to operate at their best. As

the target for a knockout blow to an attacker's head is quite small and a fist is also

quite small, the chances of a successful punch to the chin or similar target in such a

fast moving, chaotic situation ends up being very small. Using the whole fist AND

forearm increases the chances of a successful hit. The target is also broadened to the

neck area and under the chin. Why this area? Other than it being a large target, the

neck is a relatively delicate area. There are nerves running down the side that are

sensitive and many have consequences beyond just causing pain. Striking the neck

veins and arteries can convince the brain that the attacker's blood pressure is too

high leading to the heart rate being reduced and from that to fainting. And it's still

possible to strike the jaw which can lead to a knockout.

Another consideration is that the range of distance over which the technique can be

applied is much larger than for a regular punch. At the longest range, fingertips to

the eyes can be used. At the shortest, striking up under the chin with the forearm

can be used. Adapting between these two extremes is easy compared to, say,

switching from a straight punch to a hook.

The striking upwards nature of the upper blocks also works well for a shorter person

defending against a taller attacker.

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The upper blocks as strikes therefore make a lot of sense.

The combination has two upper blocks followed by a punch to the head and the

combination ends. So is that what we should do in a real situation – two upper block

strikes followed by a punch to the head and then stop? If a punch to the head wasn't

a good idea two moves ago, why is it a good idea now? Maybe we have to entertain

the idea that, like in Palgue Il Jang, this punch is not a real punch? If so, what could it

mean? Well, at this point the student can't just stand there. Nor have they got to a

situation where they can run away. So they have to continue doing something. And

the most obvious something is the something that they were already doing. In other

words, carry on using upper block style strikes to the neck and head for as long as

they can. The odd palm heel strike or punch to the body could also be added in just

to mix it up (adding dirt) but the general message, the message conveyed by the

punch to the head, is to keep striking the neck and head using upper block motions.

Before leaving this combination, we can gain some insight into why in Korean karate

the blocking arm goes inside the returning arm on an upper block. This is different to

a Japanese rising block where the blocking arm goes outside. In the scenario used in

this combination, the non-blocking arm, the arm that is going back to the hip, can be

used to pull the attacker's arm out the way, clearing the way for the strike with the

striking arm. This is an excellent example of the general principle of hikite or "pulling

hand" mentioned in the kata rules presented earlier.

Which leads to the point that, even though the kata first strikes with the right arm

and then the left arm, the kata isn't mandating that the student has to keep

alternating the striking arm. If the student has hold of one of the attacker's arms they

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can keep repeatedly striking the attacker with the arm that is not holding the

attacker.

What of the subsequent combinations in the kata? The student has no reason to

unilaterally change strategy from striking the attackers head. So the remaining

combinations must depend on what the attacker does. What options does the

attacker have aside from running away or falling unconscious? If you were being

repeatedly struck on the head what might you try to do?

The first option the attacker has, and the preferred option from the student's point

of view, is to try to stop the student hitting their head. This can be done simply by

raising their arms. How can the student respond to this? How about:

<270 E [ KH … ^ ] KH

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The student can use knife hands. To do what? To strike the attacker's body. Why not

regular punches? Again, there's the versatility of working at both long and short

range. With practice, considerable power can be loaded into such strikes. Aiming the

strikes at the floating ribs on the sides of the torso will add to the effectiveness. The

waist is relatively weakly protected with muscle compared to the abdomen. And you

can sneak in a few regular punches just to spice things up if you like.

The student doesn't have to execute perfect back stances when doing these strikes.

Adopting a strong horse stance-like stance and rotating the shoulders so they move

in much the same way as if regular knife hands were being done is equally effective

for striking but more efficient and faster. This is best practiced with a punch bag than

a live partner.

As before, the student should keep executing such strikes until they no longer can.

For example, when the attacker lowers their arms to protect their body. In that case

the student would revert to the upper block style strikes to the head as before.

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What other options does the attacker have to counter the student's strikes? What

does the next combination suggest?

<90 S [ SB … >180 ] SB … v [ SB … v ] SB … v [ SB … >180 ] SB

There are two clues to what is going on here. The 180° twist and moving backwards.

…

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