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In Moo Sa Do we have 18 tactical combination’s to teach how to effectively attack and defend in a combat situation. These are called ‘Kwon Bup’ Kwon means empty hand and Bup means method. Together they mean the method of weaponsless fighting. Each combination once learned should be practiced against the three basic fighting styles which are;

The Bull (B)
The Counter fighter (C)
The Dancer (D)

These are categorized as B,C,D for ease of memory. We must learn the various styles and transcend them to become an ‘A‘ fighter, ‘A‘ for Adaptable.
Moo Sa Do being a synergistic martial art has these fighting styles encoded in its forms as well.

A- Adapable symbolized by the Dragon Form Sal Chu (The Dragon being the synthesis of all the animals)

B- The Bull symbolized by the Tiger and Bear (The Tiger and Bear attack aggressively)

C- The counterfighter symbolized by the Snake and Crane (The Snake and Crane tend to wait for the attack and counter moving in a limited space)

D- The Dancer symbolized by the Monkey and Eagle (The Monkey jumps around circles and dances out of range, the Eagle fly’s out of range and swoops in)

Note we have not classified a grappling (keum na) attack as an individual style because any of the above styles can grapple so you must be prepared in the event of a takedown attempt, grab, clinch etc in all styles.

The Bull is an aggressive charging attack like the way a Bull attacks a bullfighter. The counter fighter usually stays in a small area and either waits for you to attack then counters or attacks with kick combination’s. Last but not least the Dancer constantly dances away as you attack and then zips in with their own attack then out again. Similar to the child’s game rock, paper, scissors we use the Kwon Bup’s to counter these three basic styles.

When someone comes at us like a bull we counter fight, when like a counter fighter we dance away then back in with our own strikes.








Kwon Bup #1 teaches us how to effectively attack with a combination that is VERY difficult to defend against. Honestly in 31 years I’ve never had anyone defend it successfully.

In the first picture you can see I threw a low round kick to the abdomen, this is difficult to block because it goes under the opponents blocking hand. Now the opponent has two reactions 1- try to defend it and leave themselves open on the highline or 2- get hit and their hands will automatically drop to cover the area after it is hit. Either way we get one or two strikes in as seen in the photo sequence. In photo two you can see once my opponent moved his hands I struck to the opposite side with a back fist to the temple, what’s not pictured is the reverse punch that followed. This is Kwon Bup #4 and #3 and in this match I struck my opponent four times before my foot hit the floor. The Kwon Bups are designed to make the opponent react then capitalize on the opening created.

  

So combo one although very simple is VERY effective.
1- Round kick with the lead leg to the groin (street) or abdomen
2- Follow up with the lead hand strike to the head
If the attacker changes to a Southpaw stance then instead of striking the groin we have the knee and outside thigh nerve as targets. This also goes for combo #2, and #4.

  

Kwon Bup #2
Kwon Bup number one taught us to hit low then high, kwon bup number two reverses that and we hit high then low. The idea being the opponent will cover up and defend their head pulling their resources away and leaving their lower area exposed to attack.
Now at this point I want you to understand there are three basic hand positions you’ll find most fighters in. Of course there are variations of this but for the most part it boils down to three basic and two intermediate totaling five.
Both hands high
Both hands low
Both hands middle
Left hand high right hand low
Right hand high left hand low

  
  

Kwon bup #1 is very good if the opponent has both hands high leaving their lower targets exposed. Kwon bup #2 good for when they have both hands low leaving the head exposed, which brings us to Kwon Bup #3




When the opponent has both hands in the middle. Because this is a well guarded position we want to attack quickly. So we use the lead backfist to attack and as the opponent raises their hand ever so slightly to defend it we immediately go under that hand with a reverse punch then recover ourselves in our own fighting stance.


  

Kwon Bup #4 we use to fake the attacker. We throw a low round kick which has a very high success rate and as they go to defend it we rechamber the leg and fire a high round kick to the head.

    

Kwon Bup #5 can be used both offensively and defensively. Kwon Bup #5 starts with a side kick then followed by a back kick. We can go after the attacker by sliding up or slide away and attack if they rush in.

  

Once you’ve learned the basic five Kwon Bups you want to then learn how to use them against the three fighting styles (Bull, Counter and Dancer). Against the Bull we want to either intercept their attack preemptively striking (combo #5) or side step using combo #1 or #2. So as the opponent charges we step off that line and counter attack with either a low round kick or a high backfist. If the opponent is a counter fighter we then want to fake; Kwon bup 1,2,3 or 4 are all good for this. We pretend to throw a low kick for example and as the opponent tries to block it we quickly attack with the high backfist. Against the Dancer we need to immobilize them (usually with sweeps or foot trapping) or force them to change direction and catch them. The Dancer will always shadow your motion; you move forward they move back, you move clockwise they follow. So to catch the Dancer we for example could circle around clockwise fake a step in the opposite direction (counterclockwise) which usually results in the Dancer moving counterclockwise also. As the Dancer adjusts we actually forced them in the direction we wanted them to go (counterclockwise) and throw our technique that way.

We also break down the basic defense strategies alphabetically as well:
A- Avoid
B-Block
C-Cover
D-Direct attack (seeing the opponent getting ready to attack)
E-Early Attack (If your opponent says he's going to get you at 10 am you wake up and get him at 9 am)

The Kwon Bups are an excellent introduction to fighting. Many practioners get caught up with the How to do the technique and Where to strike with it (both important), but not enough in the Why and When, in other words the strategies and tactics. The Kwon Bups teach logical attacks and defenses based on human physiological reactions. They teach basic strategies and footwork, and most importantly they work.