What are the names of the main Taekwondo poses?

If you’re new to training Taekwondo then you may not be that aware of the names of the main Taekwondo poses and stances. This is because there are a few – and it may take some time getting used to. Here, we shall discuss the names of the main poses and stances and give a brief description of how they operate. Remember, a lot of these terms are said in Korean so we shall be translating their original terms into English.

Hopefully, this will allow you to learn and progress faster as it will provide your brain with the correct words that will help put things together easier and make it more understandable.

• Moa Seogi – this translates to a gathered or closed stance. Here, your feet are standing together with your legs closed.
• Narani Seogi – this translates to side by side, or parallel stance. Here, your legs should be open, but not too far apart.
• Juchum Seogi – this translates to horse riding stance. This pose is exactly what it means, and acts as if you’re sat riding a horse with wide legs.
• Ap Seogi – this translates to front stance, and is like you’re walking forwards, so your legs are slightly away from each other.
• Kkoa Seogi – this translates to twist or cross stance. Imagine doing a ballet pirouette with one leg crossed behind the other.
• Beom Seogi – this translates to tiger stance. Here, your rest leg is planted on the ground. The leading leg connects to the floor with its toes.
• Yeop Seogi – this translates to side stance and is similar to Narani Seogi but your body is angled towards the side.
• Hakdari Seogi – this translates to crane stance. Here, your rest leg is on the ground, with your lead one slightly of the floor and ready to strike.
• Yeop Jireugi – this translates to side punch. Here, your one arm pulls back behind your hips, whilst the forward one punches around the mid-section.
• Nae-Ryeo Jireugi – this translates to downward punch. Imagine performing a Yeop Jireugi but aiming towards the ground.
• Nae-Ryeo Makgi – this translates to downward block. Once again, you’ll have a lead leg and one behind. Here, you’ll place your arm downwards to block and thigh strikes.
• Olyeo Makgi – this translates to upward block. Imagine doing a Nae-Ryeo Makgi but instead of aiming down, you place your arm bent around your head.
• Bakkat Makgi – this translates to outside block. Here, you will do a similar pose but put your arm towards the side to block and sideways strikes.
• Momtong Kodureo Bakkat Makgi – this translates to mid-section outwards block. It’s like the Bakkat Makgi but your one arm is slightly higher to defend your stomach.
• Nae-Ryeo Chagi – this translates to downward kick or axe kick. This is where you kick your leg up ideally to above height, and your heel hits the target coming back down.
• Ap Chagi – this translates to front kick and is self explanatory.
• Ap Dollyeo Chagi – this translates to front turning kick and is widely known as a roundhouse kick. This is when you turn your upper body to an angle to create leverage with this kick.
• Dwi Chagi – this translates to back kick and is when you kick behind you, so you’re effectively facing away from your target.

Even if you’re training Taekwondo in the USA or outside of Korea, you will often hear this terminology said in Korean, especially if the gym is traditional. Therefore, you may want to read up on the above list to make sure you get the lingo. From starting stances, to striking poses and blocks – all of the key features of TKD are listed and should make life a little easier.

The good news is that a lot of the phrases share the same words. With this in mind, it’s not too difficult to learn once you get started. By memorizing this list, you’ll be a black belt at understanding Taekwondo poses in no time…all that’s next is the actual physical belt!

If you want to learn more about the phrases and poses in Taekwondo, check out this handy dictionary on Amazon.