Taegeuk 4 (Taegeuk Sa Jang): the fourth color belt form, every move step by step

Taegeuk Sa Jang (태극 4장) is a big step up. It is the first form that moves straight from line 1 to line 3, it introduces the double knife-hand block, the spear-hand thrust, the swallow-form strike and two side kicks in a row, and it asks for more balance and coordination than anything before it. It is the form for 5th geup, commonly learned at green or blue belt.

Meaning: Jin, thunder

Sa Jang represents Jin (☳), one solid line beneath two broken lines, the trigram for thunder. Thunder brings fear and respect, and the form is meant to be performed with power and dignity, calm in the face of danger. The strong, two-handed techniques and the back-to-back side kicks give it that thunderous feel.

Floor pattern

Notice the route: after line 1, you travel all the way up the center to line 3, then come back down to line 2, and finally return to line 1.

Step by step

Line 1

1. Turn 90 degrees to the left into a back stance (dwitkubi) with the left foot forward, and perform a double knife-hand block (sonnal makgi), the left knife-hand blocking outward with the right knife-hand guarding palm-up in front of the chest.
2. Step forward into a right front stance (apkubi) and thrust the right spear-hand (pyeonsonkkeut sewo jjireugi) forward at middle height, fingertips first, with the left hand pressed flat beneath the right elbow.
3. Turn 180 degrees to the right into a back stance, right foot forward, with a double knife-hand block to the right.
4. Step forward into a left front stance with a left spear-hand thrust.

Up the center to line 3

5. Turn 90 degrees to the left to face forward in a left front stance and perform the swallow-form strike (jebipum mok chigi): the left knife-hand rises in a high block while the right knife-hand strikes in at neck height.
6. Right front kick, land in a right front stance, and punch to the middle with the left hand.
7. Left side kick (yeop chagi) forward, and set the foot down in front.
8. Right side kick, landing in a back stance with the right foot forward and a double knife-hand block.

Line 3

9. Swing the left foot behind and turn 270 degrees to the left so you face right, in a back stance with the left foot forward and a left outside block (momtong bakkat makgi).
10. Right front kick without moving forward: kick, then return the foot to where it started in the back stance, and perform a right middle block (momtong an makgi).
11. Turn 180 degrees to face left in a back stance with the right foot forward and a right outside block.
12. Left front kick, return to the back stance, and perform a left middle block.

Down to line 2

13. Turn 90 degrees to the left to face the starting line in a left front stance with a swallow-form strike.
14. Right front kick, land in a right front stance, and strike with a right backfist (deungjumeok ap chigi) to face height.

Line 2

15. Turn 90 degrees to the left into a left walking stance and perform a left middle block.
16. Without stepping, punch to the middle with the right hand.
17. Pivot 180 degrees on the spot into a right walking stance with a right middle block.
18. Without stepping, punch to the middle with the left hand.

Back to line 1

19. Turn 90 degrees to the left to face the start in a left front stance, with a left middle block and a double punch, right then left.
20. Step forward into a right front stance with a right middle block and a double punch, left then right, with a gihap.

On baro, turn to face forward and return to the ready stance.

The hard parts

The two side kicks in steps 7 and 8 are where most students lose balance. Pivot fully on the supporting foot so the heel points toward the target, chamber the knee high, and kick with the edge of the foot. Set the first kick down under control before chambering the second, and land the second straight into a solid back stance.

The front kicks on line 3 are also unusual: you kick from back stance and return the foot to the same place, so you don’t travel forward. Think of it as kicking, then “rewinding” the leg.

The spear-hand thrust in steps 2 and 4 has a specific shape. The supporting hand lies flat under the elbow of the thrusting arm, as if you had just pressed an opponent’s punch down, and the fingertips of the thrusting hand finish at solar plexus height.

Common mistakes

Students often perform the double knife-hand block with the arms too close together or too far apart. The blocking hand finishes at shoulder height, out to the side of the body, while the guarding hand sits palm-up across the chest, a little below the opposite armpit. On the swallow-form strike, the high block and the neck strike must finish at exactly the same moment. And in the middle-block and punch combinations on line 2, students often step instead of pivoting in place on step 17.

Practice tips

Break the form into four chunks: line 1, the run up the center, line 3 and the return. Spend extra time on the double side kick, perhaps holding a chair for balance at first. Then practice the line 3 combinations until the front kick from back stance feels natural. Once Sa Jang is solid, you are ready for Taegeuk Oh Jang.