I'm working on my 2nd Dan patterns, which in ITF TKD are named for famous people, places, or groups in Korean history. The pattern's total number of moves usually has a connection to the person it is named for, but I have been told that sometimes the number is selected only because it returns the student to the starting spot. I have been unable to find a reason for the Choong-Jang pattern... it is not his age at his death or the latitude coordinates for his birthplace, and I haven't been able to find any military connection (he was a general). My instructor likes to quiz me on the history, so I've been scrambling trying to find an answer. If anyone could point me to a resource I would be very appreciative.
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1I can't find anything. And it seems most people are using a description of the form that says he was 27 years old in the 14th century when he was killed. Actually, it was the 16th century, and he was either 28 or 29 years old if you use the actual dates of his birth and death. So something isn't right about the history. Either way, there appears to be no connection between 52 and this form that I can see at the moment. Puzzling. I wonder if General Choi happened to be 52 years old when he created this form?– Steve WeigandFeb 15, 2017 at 22:44
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After thinking about it some more, I suspect 52 could also be how many weeks he was in prison before being killed. Don't know for sure.– Steve WeigandFeb 16, 2017 at 3:00
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Yes, sir- thank you. That's a good thought about the weeks in prison- that would be possible. Thank-you for looking. Whatever I settle on, I'll just say it with confidence. :) Thanks!– ksp08Feb 16, 2017 at 3:55
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Rather than guessing or lying, you should try first to ask your instructor if he knows. Tell him you've looked, and so far nothing pops up. You can say your best guess is that it might be the number of weeks in prison, but you don't really know for sure. That's being honest, and sometimes that's more important than being correct.– Steve WeigandFeb 16, 2017 at 17:11
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1Yes, sir, I wasn't implying that I mean to lie. It is a good-natured pressure that he pushes me with and I will present him with all the options I have so far discovered as he will tel me the correct one. He just wants me to make an effort.– ksp08Feb 16, 2017 at 21:30
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2 Answers
I also could not find anything resembling the number 52, no matter how contrived. Deck of cards? Twice two more hours in a day to get things done? Weeks in a year, representing incarceration? Latitude coordinates? I think that's all very far-reaching.
I think maybe the esteemed Gen Choi left us a mystery whose sole purpose was to get us to research a concept he never intended to formally define, thus ensuring a student actually does some sort of research, and that any answer, however contrived, would be a correct one. If your research concludes that the Admiral spent 2 years in prison while at age 26, you have thus shown your research into his age and his imprisonment. Who's to say your supposition is incorrect, if your data relies on facts you discovered?
Methinks this is a puzzle. Perhaps, an alt-fact designed to get you to pound the books? Choi is perhaps laughing in his grave.
IMHO
In ITF patterns, there are some that specifically relate the number of moves to something (for example, age at death or birth place on a certain parallel/latitude). Hwa Rang, for instance, has 29 moves because General Choi commanded the 29th Infantry division; Kwang Gae, a first degree pattern, has 39 moves because 3 and 9 are the first two digits in 391, the year Kwang Gae succeeded to the throne.
I'm trying to make two points here:
- The patterns where the number of moves is significant specifically give you the reason for the significance.
- In some cases, the significance of the number is rather tenuous (Kwang Gae was 39 when he died, for instance).
As other answers have said, there is no immediately obvious reason why Choong Jang has 52 movements. If you get asked why, you can always answer with:
I've tried to find out why, but haven't found anything.
Don't forget, you could always ask your instructor!
