Tong-il Pattern – Instructor Preview & Insights
TKDCoaching’s TKD Patterns Hub provides instructors with clear teaching insights, coaching cues, and step-by-step guidance for every ITF pattern. This page offers an instructor-focused preview of Tong-Il, highlighting key technical details, common errors to watch for, and practical coaching ideas you can apply immediately in class.
Tong-Il Pattern
Tong-Il is the 6th dan pattern and the final of the 24 ITF tuls, with 56 movements symbolising the hope for the reunification of Korea. It demands high-level control of rhythm, directional changes, and precise use of body weight and hip to deliver power through complex combinations.
Sample Video
Side blocks in Taekwon-Do are any blocks performed with the body half- or side-facing the opponent, with the blocking tool focusing toward the centre line of the shoulder. Any wider and the body becomes exposed; any shallower and the block will not cover the incoming attack. This free clip from a Tong-Il coaching session with Grand Master Paul McPhail coaching Master Joliette Trân, highlights the correct alignment of stance, hip, and shoulder for powerful and protective side blocks.
Key Technical Insights from GM Paul McPhail
Drawing from my ongoing study and technical work within ITF Taekwon-Do, each pattern in this Hub includes a short set of key technical points — practical reminders practitioners often overlook. These notes are personal insights based on decades of experience and are not official ITF Technical Committee statements.
Key Technical Points
- Ready stance: Overlapped back hand (more than Close ready stance C)
- Back hand strike: Has fingers at eye level.
- Inward vertical kicks: Toes to eye level.
- Outward vertical kick: Kick to solar plexus height.
- Horizontal block: Chest height, palms on chest line.
- Underfist punch: To the solar plexus line
About Tong-Il
Tong-Il brings together themes from earlier patterns and requires maturity in balance, rhythm, and expression of power. It includes varied stances, long and short transitions, and multiple changes of facing. It also has some spinning kicks – a highlight for most as they don’t appear in any other patterns.
As the final pattern, Tong-Il is often viewed as a culmination of the technical and philosophical journey of Taekwon-Do. Examiners look for correct technique but also for confident intent, disciplined body control, and a sense of purpose that reflects the meaning of the tul.
Training Suggestions
- Drill the kicking sequences separately.
- Practise large directional changes in slow motion before adding power.
- Use video review to identify breaks in rhythm, tension in the shoulders, or inconsistent stance length.
Full Tong-Il Premium Breakdown
This full coaching session features Grand Master Paul McPhail coaching Master Joliette Trân through the complete 6th dan pattern. It includes technical corrections, explanations of key decisions, and clear teaching progressions.
👉 Watch the full Tong-Il coaching session (Premium)
Background & Interesting Details
Tong-il underwent major changes AFTER it had been already been published in the 1965 book “TAEKWON-DO”? We have a Premium video that shows the differences between the 1965 and 1999 published versions of the pattern.
A lesser-known theory about the number of movements in Tong-il is that the number 56 was also chosen because, in Korean numerology, 5 + 6 = 11, symbolising harmony and balance, and tying to the meaning of unification. Apparently General Choi referenced this privately but did not include it in the Encyclopaedia.
FAQ
- What grade is Tong-Il for?
6th dan black belt. - What are common mistakes?
Losing balance on the various spinning kicks. Forgetting it… it’s a long pattern. - How should I introduce Tong-Il?
As with the other patterns, break it into short segments, revisiting key principles from earlier dan tuls before placing them into the full sequence.
More TKD Patterns and Resources
ITF Encyclopaedia – available for Premium Members in our Resources Section.
Other other Tong-il videos for Premium Members.
TKD Patterns Hub – patterns and instructor-focused insights
Explore previews and coaching notes for all 24 ITF tuls.
Related pages:
Insights on All 24 Patterns by GM McPhail
Favourite Pattern Survey
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