– Greeting Postures –

Taekwon-do has a set procedure by which people greet each other in a lesson, match or exam.

This greeting is done in a traditional Korean way, with a slight bend from the hips with both arms relaxed beside the body. One looks at each other, but avoids eye contact. Both partners greet each other simultaneously and with an equally deep bow. The greeting procedure is the same for men and women, for young and old and for every rank and position. With this greeting, one expresses mutual respect without losing sight of the other.

Here, the following Korean words are used (phonetically):

Start with ‘Chumby‘
The feet are shoulder-width apart, with the weight on both feet. Both legs are almost extended. The upper body is upright. Both arms are slightly bent in front of the body with the hands clenched low and relaxed into fists.

‘Chariot’
The left foot is caught up and both feet rotate to 30 degrees apart. The weight returns to both feet. Again, both legs are almost extended with the upper body upright. Both arms are extended and the hands remain relaxed, clenched into fists and held vertically along the body.humby
The feet are shoulder-width apart, with the weight on both feet. Both legs are almost extended. The upper body is upright. Both arms are slightly bent in front of the body with the hands clenched low and relaxed into fists.

‘Kyung-ge’
Both legs remain almost extended and 30 degrees apart. The arms also remain extended with the hands relaxed into fists clenched along the body with the fists on the outside of the thighs. The body makes a 15-degree ‘bend’ from the lower back. This causes the upper body, including the head and arms, to bend forward, with the fists remaining in the same place. The eyes remain focused on the person(s) being greeted. The bow lasts for about one second.

Back to ‘Chumby’
The feet remain standing. The upper body is upright again. Both arms are extended and the hands remain relaxed, clenched into fists and held vertically along the body.

After this, the left foot moves to the side, to a parrelel stance, and the relevant Chumby stance is adopted.