Ge-Baek - The Great Form

Ge-Baek was named after a great (or not so great) general of the Baek-Je dynasty.  Legend has it then when facing what would be the battle of his lifetime he killed his wife and son, to not be distracted by thoughts of them in the coming battle.  He faced overwhelming odds, fought courageously in spite of that and caused heavy casualties to the Silla and Tang force he faced. In the end however Ge-Baek lost when he executed a prisoner which raised the morale of the Silla army, strengthening their resolve.  

Ge-Baek is a super dynamic form.  In our system, it is the first second degree black belt form, but for many systems and schools it is the last first degree black belt forms.  I think this is important because there is a bit of inconsistency between where some schools place certain forms.  As I move the blog forward, some of the context that I use to look at these forms is going to depend where the form falls in the overall student’s progression.  This time at least, I get to write about a form that isn’t very complicated in that point of view because Ge-Baek generally falls into the end of the first, start of the second degree black belt level.  

Ge-Baek is an awesome form for a lot of reasons.  On a technical level, it is pretty diverse.  There are a few sequences that repeat, but for the most part, the form consists of unique movements.  Ge-Baek is a gateway form to what I consider “the technique that is not a technique” or namely the turn in place.  If you know the form, you know that I am talking about turning your entire body as a sequence in the form, without advancing or retreating and in the process throwing a new technique.  Although you do this “technique” twice in the end of Kwang-Gae, turning in place features prominently and as the centermost theme in Ge-Baek.  The diagram of Ge-Baek is a straight line and a form that simply moved backwards and forward facing the same direction would not be very challenging.  Turning in place is, to use a tired cliché, challenging on steroids.  Many a fast forms learner has stumbled when learning this form.  

Ge-Baek, is a proving ground.  Learning the turns and remembering them is hard, mastering them and hitting great stances with good timing is even harder.  Further, it prepares you for some of the more challenging forms that also feature turning in place.  In addition to turning in place, Ge-Baek features a slew of notable new techniques.  Twisting kick – a kick designed to kick someone standing directly behind you, without the kicker turning to face is introduced.  A block we call the nine shaped block is also introduced.  This block is meant to break away a grab and possibly break the arms of a person grabbing you.  The form also features several sequences of techniques that build on the strengths acquired in earlier forms.  That being said, when I think of Ge-Baek I think of how much I struggled to grasp the turn in place.  Choong-Jang, Sam-Il, Choi-Yong, Eui-Am, Yon-Gae, So-san, and Tong-Il all feature various amounts of turning in place.  It is my belief that success in these later forms will rely a bit on having a very strong Ge-Baek.  

The flow of the form is dynamic, which really makes the form so appealing.  Unlike a lot of forms which look more like marching exercises, Ge-Baek looks like a fight against imaginary opponents.  Because of this it is an excellent tournament piece for competitors. Our school and the local Tang Soo Do schools have had legendary competitions between Ge-Baek and Jin-Do practitioners.  Personally I think Ge-Baek is the better form, however I think Jin-Do has a slightly higher degree of difficulty.  Regardless, for low dans there is nothing like judging a good Ge-Baek vs a good Jin-Do.  

I think of Ge-Baek as the first real black belt form.  It is a form with a difficulty far above the black belt forms that come before it.  When performed by a proficient black belt, I believe it to be one of the most beautiful forms of the 24 because it so simply captures what is unique and beautiful about the art of Taekwon-do.