The word ‘poomsae’ is used in Kukki-won Taekwondo (the style of Taekwondo practised by World Taekwondo schools) to refer to forms – predetermined sequences of movements used for training.
In Korean, the word is written 품새 pumsae or 품세 pumse, and this is often Anglicised to poomsae. ‘Poomsae’ is used for both the singular and plural.
A poomsae is a sequence of movements consisting of blocks, punches, strikes, kicks, and other techniques. Beginner students will learn simpler poomsae, consisting of only the most basic techniques, and as they advance they will learn harder and harder poomsae.
Colour belt students will learn either the Palgwae poomsae or the Taegeuk poomsae. The Palgwae poomsae are the older ones, and the Taegeuk poomsae are the newer ones. Both are sets of eight poomsae.
There are nine black belt poomsae, which are listed below.
- Koryeo
- Keumgang
- Taebaek
- Pyeong-won
- Shipjin
- Jitae
- Cheon-gwon
- Hansu
- Iryeo
There are also some competition poomsae, which have been developed very recently.
What about the ITF forms?
Conventionally, the forms practised in International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) schools – which are Cheonji, Dangun, Dosan, et cetera – are not called poomsae. Choi Hong-hi, the creator of Changheon-yu Taekwondo – the style practised by the ITF – preferred the word 틀 teul (often romanised as tul) to refer to them. He also called them ‘patterns’ in English, rather than ‘forms’.
Are poomsae the same as kata?
‘Kata’ is the Japanese word for ‘form’, and is used in Karate, which is a Japanese martial art. Taekwondo is a Korean martial art, so uses the Korean term ‘poomsae’, but the concept is the same.
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If you'd like to learn more about the Korean terminology used in Taekwondo, consider buying this book: Taekwondo Terminology. It contains an extensive dictionary of terms used in Taekwondo, as well as explanations on how to pronounce Korean words, and aspects of Korean grammar.
