Chang Hon Kwan Taekwon-Do is taught as a
“traditional” martial arts class. By
definition, traditional martial arts classes are
very formal and function in a military manner.
The
opening
and
closing
ceremonies are also very military and follow the
tradition the art is based upon. There are
small variations in the commands given, and these
are almost always associated with variations in the
rank of individuals instructing or leading the class
at the time.
When the class lines up, they form up in rows
facing the front of the “do-jang” (gymnasium). The number of rows and
the number of students in each row are determined by
the size and shape of the room as well as by the
number of students. When facing the front of
the “do-jang” the students line up by
rank from their right to their left, forming rows
from front to back. Therefore, a student will
always line up to the rear and/or left of their
seniors. The instructor will be in the front
of the class facing the students, and will be in the
center of the front row. The American flag
will be located somewhere in the room, preferably at
the front.
When the instructor or one of the senior
students commands the class to line up (chung-neol), the class will form lines in the manner
described above. The opening ceremony for the
class may begin when the class configuration is
formed with all of the students in their proper
place by rank. The job of the most senior
student is to lead the class and issue commands to
the class on behalf of the instructor. It is
also the job of the most senior colored belt
students to ensure that these commands are followed
in a rapid and military manner. In a well-run
class, students will attempt to emulate examples of
etiquette and respect set by their seniors. In
a disciplined traditional martial arts class, this
behavior is always present, and the job of the
senior colored belt students takes care of
itself.
Following the centuries old principles of
oriental custom, it is disrespectful to sit down
before one’s elder/senior sits down, or stand
up before one’s elder/senior stands up.
For opening and closing class, you will note
in several of the examples below, this type of
etiquette and respect that exist in a traditional
Taekwon-Do class. These include: juniors
always bowing prior to the senior bowing, juniors
bowing lower than their senior does, rising up after
the senior rises up, as well as kneeling down and
standing up after the senior. It is also
disrespectful to issue commands to one’s
senior. Therefore, the senior student only
issues commands for the class to perform a
particular motion after the instructor has already
completed that motion.
There are four classes of Black Belts
that may be involved in the instruction or
leadership of the class. There is also the
possibility that a senior colored belt student may
be involved in the operation of the class.
Examples of the differences in addressing each of
these seniors are listed at the end of this web
page. In a traditional class, the correct method for
addressing each of these instructors or seniors is
as follows:
Grandmaster Instructor
(sa-seong) 9th
Degree Black Belt
Master Instructor
(sa-hyeon)
7th thru
8th Degree Black Belts
Instructor (sa-beom) 4th thru 6th
Degree Black Belts
Assistant Instructor (bu-sa-beom) 1st thru
3rd Degree Black Belts
Senior Student (seon-bae)
Senior Student
The following are examples of the opening and
closing of a traditional Taekwon-Do class which is
being instructed by a 5th Degree Black Belt, with
the senior student being a 1st Degree Black
Belt:
Opening Ceremony for a Chang Hon Kwan
Taekwon-Do Class
The senior student orders the class to line up
(chung-neol).
The class forms up in lines with equal spacing
between the students.
After each line is formed, the students will
assume a parallel
stance in an “at ease”
position.
At an indication from the instructor (usually
coming to attention),
the
senior student orders the class to come to attention
(cha-ryeot).
The entire class comes to attention at the same
time.
After the instructor turns to face the
American flag, the senior student orders
the
class to face the American flag (guk-gi-e dae-ha-yeo).
The entire class turns to face the American
flag at the same time.
After the instructor salutes the American
flag by putting the right underfist
over
his/her heart, the senior student orders the class
to salute
the
American flag (gyeong-nye).
The entire class salutes the American flag at
the same time,
by putting their right underfists over their
hearts.
After the instructor drops his/her
right arm and assumes his/her original
position
facing
the class in an attention stance, the senior student
orders the class to
return to
their previous position of (ba-ro).
The entire class drops their right arm at the
same time, turns toward
the front of the class, and comes to
attention.
After the instructor kneels down in a sitting
position, the senior student orders
the
class to kneel (an-jeo).
The class kneels down one row at a time –
the first row kneeling down first,
the second row kneeling down second, and so
on. When kneeling down,
the student first place the left knee on the
ground beside the right foot,
then places the right knee
on the ground next to the left kneel
before
sitting back. The hands should not touch the
floor.
At an indication from the instructor (usually by
bowing his/her head), the senior student
instructs the class to meditate (mung-nyeom).
The entire class bows their head and meditates.
During this time,
the student should turn their focus to the
class ahead. All thoughts
or concerns about other things in their daily
lives should be pushed
off until the class is finished. This
meditation time should be used
to ensure that the class training is not
interfered with. It also ensures
that the student has time in their life to
escape from their daily pressures.
After an appropriate amount of time, the senior
student will end the meditation by
rapidly
clapping his/her hands together twice.
After the instructor rises and assumes a parallel
stance in an “at ease” position,
the
senior student orders the class to return to their
previous position of (ba-ro).
The class rises up one row at a time, and
assumes a parallel stance in
an
“at ease” position – the first
row rising up first, the second row
rising up
second, and so on. When rising up,
the student first brings up
up the right foot, placing it next to the left
knee,
then stands up bringing
the left foot next to the right foot.
The hands should not touch the floor.
At an indication from the instructor (usually
coming to attention), the senior
student
orders the class to come to attention
(cha-ryeot).
The entire class comes to attention at the same
time.
The senior student orders the class to face the
instructor (sa-beom-nim kke).
The entire class turns to face the instructor
at the same time.
The senior student orders the class to bow to the
instructor (gyeong-nye).
The entire class bows to the instructor at the
same time, and
the instructor returns the bow. All
members of the class should
ensure that their bow is slightly lower than,
and just before that
of the instructor. The students return to
the upright position slightly
after the instructor has returned to his/her
upright position.
The entire class then turns toward the front of
the do-jang, and
remains at attention.
The instructor takes command of the class by asking
the class to assume
a
parallel stance in an “at ease” position
(swi-eot).
The class is now in session.
An example of the pronunciation of the
Korean commands in
a
complete Taekwon-Do class opening class
ceremony
has been linked
Closing Ceremony for a Chang Hon Kwan
Taekwon-Do Class
The instructor orders the class to line up (chung-neol).
The class forms up in lines with equal spacing
between the students.
After each line is formed, the students will
assume a parallel stance
in an “at ease” position.
At an indication from the instructor (usually
coming to attention),
the
senior student orders the class to come to attention
(cha-ryeot).
The entire class comes to attention at the same
time.
The Senior Student will then instruct the class to
recite the
Tenets of Taekwon-Do,
which the entire class will recite in
unison.
Courtesy
Integrity
Perseverance
Self-Control
Indomitable Spirit
The Instructor will then assume a parallel stance
with the right side fist
over his/her heart.
The Senior Student will then instruct the class to
resite the
Student Oath of Taekwon-Do.
The Senior
Student will then assume a parallel stance with the right side fist over
his/her
heart as the
entire class does the same.
The next five most senior students will
then
take turns
reciting one component of the Student Oath of Taekwon-Do, in order and
one at a time.
The entire class will repeat each component
of the Student Oath of
Taekwon-Do in unison as it is recited by
each of the senior students.
I shall observe the Tenets of Taekwon-Do.
I shall respect the instructors and
seniors.
I shall never misuse Taekwon-Do.
I shall be a champion of freedom and
justice.
I shall build a more peaceful world.
After the instructor drops his/her right arm and
assumes his/her original position
at an attention stance, the senior student orders
the class to return to
their previous position of (ba-ro).
The
entire class drops their right arms at the same
time, and comes
to attention.
After the instructor turns to face the American flag, the
senior student orders
the
class to face the American flag (guk-gi-e dae-ha-yeo).
The entire class turns to face the American
flag at the same time.
After the instructor salutes the American flag by
putting the right underfist
over
his/her heart, the senior student orders the class
to salute the
American flag (gyeong-nye).
The entire class salutes the American flag at
the same time, by
putting their right underfists over their
hearts.
After the instructor drops his/her right arm and
assumes his/her original
position facing the class in an attention stance,
the senior student orders
the
class to return to their previous position of
(ba-ro).
The entire class drops their right arms at the
same time, turns
toward the front of the class, and comes to
attention.
After the instructor kneels down in a sitting
position, the senior student
orders
the class to kneel (an-jeo).
The class kneels down one row at a time –
the first row kneeling
down first, the second row kneeling down
second, and so on.
When kneeling down,
the student first places the left knee
on the ground beside the right foot, then
places the right knee
on the ground next to the left kneel
before sitting back.
The hands should not touch the floor.
At an indication from the instructor (usually
bowing his/her head),
the
senior student instructs the class to meditate
(mung-nyeom).
The entire class bows their head and meditates.
During this time,
the student should reflect on their training
during the class.
This meditation time should be used to ensure
that the lessons
learned during the class training are not
forgotten. It also allows
the student the time to refocus on their return
to daily life outside
of the “do-jang.”
After an appropriate amount of time, the senior
student will end the
meditation by rapidly clapping his/her hands
together twice.
After the instructor rises and assumes a parallel
stance in an “at ease”
position, the senior student orders the class to
return to their previous
position of (ba-ro).
The class rises up one row at a time, and
assumes a parallel stance
in an
“at ease” position – the first
row rising up first, the second
row
rising up second, and so on. When rising
up, the student brings
up the right foot, placing it next to the
left knee,
then stands up bringing
the left foot next to the right foot.
The hands should not touch the floor.
At an indication from the instructor (usually
coming to attention),
the
senior student orders the class to come to attention
(cha-ryeot).
The entire class comes to attention at the same
time.
The senior student orders the class to face the
instructor (sa-beom-nim kke).
The entire class turns to face the instructor
at the same time.
The senior student orders the class to bow to the
instructor (gyeong-nye).
The entire class bows to the instructor at the
same time,
and the instructor returns the bow.
All members of the class
should ensure that their bow is slightly lower
than, and just
before that of the instructor. The
students return to the
upright position slightly after the instructor
has returned to
his/her upright position.
The entire class then turns toward the front of
the class,
and remains at attention.
The second most senior student orders the class to
face the
senior
student (bu-sa-beom-nim kke).
The entire class turns to face the senior
student at the same time.
The second most senior student orders the class to
bow to
the
senior student (gyeong-nye).
The entire class bows to the senior student at
the same time,
and the senior student returns the bow.
All members of the
class should ensure that their bow is slightly
lower than, and
just before that of the senior student.
The students return
to the upright position slightly after the
senior student has
returned to his/her upright position.
The second most senior student then turns to face
the class and
informs
them that the class is now finished (hae-san).
The entire class says thank you to the second
most senior
student at the same time (go-map seum-ni-da) and bows
to the second most senior student at the same
time, and
the second most senior student returns the bow.
All members
of the class should ensure that their bow is
slightly lower than,
and just before that of the second most senior
student.
The
students return to the upright position
slightly after the second
most senior student has returned to his/her
upright position.
Class has now ended.
An
example of the pronunciation of the Korean commands
in
a
complete Taekwon-Do class closing
ceremony
has been linked here.
Variations in Addressing Senior Students
In the examples above for opening and closing a
traditional Taekwon-Do class, the instructor was a
5th Degree Black Belt, and the senior student was a
1st Degree Black Belt. When
instructing the class to face the instructor, the
command the senior student used was “sa-beom-nim kke” (face the instructor).
In the event that the instructor
was of any other specific rank listed below, this
command to face the instructor would be
replaced with:
9th Degree Black
Belt (sa-seong-nim kke)
7th thru 8th
Degree Black Belts (sa-hyeon-nim kke)
4th thru 6th
Degree Black Belts (sa-beom-nim kke)
1st thru 3rd
Degree Black Belts (bu-sa-beom-nim kke)
Senior
Colored Belt (seon-bae-nim kke)
When instructing the class to face the senior
student, the command the second most senior student
used was “bu-sa-beom-nim kke” (face the assistant instructor).
In the event that the assistant
instructor was of any other specific rank listed
below, this command to face the assistant
instructor would be replaced with:
7th thru 8th
Degree Black Belts
(sa-hyeon-nim kke)
4th thru 6th
Degree Black Belts (sa-beom-nim kke)
1st thru 3rd
Degree Black Belts
(bu-sa-beom-nim kke)
Senior
Colored Belt (seon-bae-nim kke)
It is however, highly unlikely that a
7th Degree Black Belt or above would ever be in the
position of a senior student in a normal Taekwon-Do
class. In the case where a highly
ranked instructor or dignitary is involved in the
class, they would most likely be lined up
separately. Their position would be to the right
side-front of the senior student, facing the
individual instructing the class.
In this case, an additional step
would be added to the sequence of both the
opening and closing ceremonies. This would
include the class also facing and bowing to this
highly ranked instructor or dignitary.
The process of bowing to the
instructor and the additional highly ranked
instructor or dignitary would be carried out in the
order of their relative rank, with the most senior
first.
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