A Chilean in Oslo: Report 10th ITF RadiX seminar
01-10-17
In my years as a Taekwon-Do practitioner, I’ve had the privilege of training extensively in dojangs from many different countries, from England to Paraguay, and beyond. One common theme I have noticed despite the variety of teaching styles and cultures, is the clear-cut division made within training: a session or segment dedicated to patterns, for example, will be very different from one focused on sparring, which in turn will have nothing to do with one centered on self-defense, and so on. While this focus can be beneficial in order to improve faster in the specific areas needed in each moment –perhaps patterns and fundamental movements when a grading exam is close, or sparring drills when a tournament looms near, and so on-, it presents the risk of people starting to see Taekwon-Do as a series of enclosed spaces completely isolated from each other. It can become a situation where, as the saying goes, the trees don’t let one see the forest.
As part of the Chilean team aiming to participate in the World Championships to be held in Dublin, I was in Europe when news of the Radix course reached me, with its organizers graciously allowing me to participate. Developed by the International Instructors Mr. Robert Boer from the Netherlands and Mr. Roy Rolstad from Norway, the course (meaning ‘root’ in Latin) aims to give a better understanding of how the patterns’ movements can, with minimal adjustments, be applied in a myriad of self-defense situations.
Should it be deemed desirable for different areas of Taekwon-Do to be brought together as an integrated whole rather than a sum of disparate parts, the Radix curriculum would certainly be worthy of consideration and study. The instructors take the different patterns and, applying sound self-defense principles, derive a host of possible applications. While respecting the mechanical principles established in the patterns, these applications go far beyond the most commonly taught usages. Thus, with very slight modifications, the first two movements of Sayu Makgi can be turned into a release from a joint lock, a counterattack ending in a choke, etc.
Given the fact that each combination of movements can span a range of possible applications –going from joint locks release to sweeps, throws, and all manners of strikes-, the amount of information handled can quickly become overwhelming. It is at this point that the instructors’ capabilities really shine: both Mr. Boer and Mr. Rolstad have working experience with the training of law enforcement agents, which ensures that the applications taught in their course can be used in actual self-defense situations, and also that they follow a logical order, making it easier to go from one combination to the next. In addition to this, they have built an excellent rapport between themselves, which goes a long way to improve the atmosphere in the dojang and, consequentially, the learning experience. Still, this is an extremely information-heavy seminar, and participants would do well to take notes and practice what they have learned once the course is over in order to get the best results.
I believe there are very good reasons for the Radix curriculum to be taken seriously in day-to-day practice. The main one is that it helps bridge the gap between the patterns -one of the most widely practiced areas of Taekwon-Do- and self-defense -which is all too often set aside only for gradings or exhibitions-, leading to better results in both. The fact that the movements taught in the Radix seminar are taken directly from the patterns means that it isn’t building anything from scratch, but instead making slight alterations to movements the students have already been drilling for years, which makes it easier for them to master and execute instinctively. On the other hand, knowing the possible self-defense applications for the pattern movements can help the student focus better on them, thus improving their execution.
All in all, I believe the course is a faithful reflection of its name, going to the roots of martial arts as a combat discipline and taking a treasure trove of knowledge out of it. I would definitely recommend attending the course to anyone who might have the opportunity to do so.
- Juan De Dios Dougnac, 3rd dan
