The Fundamentals of Movement: Defensive Use of Hip

The defensive use of hip is the movement in which the hip turns away from the direction of a technique to load, then returns to deliver. In Soo Bahk Do it is learned through the low block, Ha Dan Mahkee, in three phases. Preparation loads the body as it begins to move. Maximization winds up and braces the trunk while the body travels. Release drops the weight, drives the rear leg, snaps the hip back and stops it, and sends the arm last, with a sharp Ki Hap at the moment of contact.

Written by Brian Corrales, Sa Bom — 6th Dan (Yuk Dan #36364), certified Sa Bom, and member of the USA Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan Technical Advisory Committee. Teaching in Salt Lake City since 2007.

What Is the Defensive Use of Hip?

The most recognizable characteristic of Soo Bahk Do technique is its use of the hip, or Huri (허리). Every technique breaks down into one of two distinct movements of the hip: the defensive use of hip and the offensive use of hip. In the defensive use of hip, the hip turns away from the direction of the technique to load, then returns to deliver. This is similar to wringing out a towel. The offensive use of hip is its inverse, and is the subject of a companion article.

The hips sit near the body’s center of gravity, which is why they govern so much of how a technique works. Power begins at the ground, but it is the Huri that commands and directs it. Training the hip correctly teaches you to move from your center, bringing the whole body into harmony and producing coordinated balance, speed, and power. Many practitioners describe the resulting sensation as a form of moving meditation, a state connected to the concept of Moo Do Jaseh, the martial posture of the mind.

Why the Low Block Is the Model

Nearly every fundamental of the defensive use of hip is present in the low block, Ha Dan Mahkee (下段막기, 하단막기). Ki Cho training is where each movement is taken apart and analyzed so that every block and strike is as powerful, efficient, and effective as it can be. The clearest place to begin that analysis is the low block. Ha Dan (下段) means low section, and Mahkee (막기) means block. It is among the first techniques a student learns, which is why it serves as the model here.

Every technique moves through three phases: preparation, which loads the body as it begins to move; maximization, which deepens the load while the body travels; and release, which delivers it. They are not three separate movements. They are one continuous motion, and the technique fails when any phase is skipped, rushed, or held too long.

Before You Move: Structure

Three rules of structure hold from the first movement to the last.

Keep the spine straight. The spine is the axis the hips turn around. If it leans or rounds, the twist is absorbed before it reaches the shoulders.

Keep the eyes forward. The waist turns; the head does not go with it.

Let the elbows hang. Elbows that flare away from the body disconnect the arms from the trunk.

Phase 1: Preparation

Preparation loads the body as it begins to move.

1. Drive your body forward, bringing your feet together. The front leg drives the movement, not the rear leg. This is the same leg that will drive you into the stance in Phase 3. It draws you forward now and pushes you forward then.
2. Turn the hip sideways, away from the direction the block will travel. This begins the load.
3. Inhale. Inhale through the nose, driven by the diaphragm.
4. Roll the shoulders forward. This stretches the muscles that will open the shoulders on the release.
5. Cross the arms at the elbow. The rear arm lines up on the chamber path. The top arm sits at the shoulder.

Phase 2: Maximization

Maximization winds up and braces the trunk while the body travels, without ever pausing.

6. Glide as you step. The foot skims and the body travels level, with no bobbing up and no settling early.
7. Wind up and brace as you travel. Turn the waist further sideways and extend the rear arm forward. This winds the trunk like wringing out a towel: it twists and tightens together. At the same time, brace the entire trunk: abdominal wall, low back, pelvic floor, diaphragm.¹ The brace connects the legs and hips to the shoulders and arms, so the power made below can travel up.² Set a working brace, firm enough to connect but not so hard that the waist can’t turn fast.
8. Don’t stop. The step is a passage, not a pause.

Phase 3: Release

The release drops the weight, drives the rear leg, snaps the hip, and sends the arm, all finishing together. These steps start in this order, but they happen in a fraction of a second.

9. Drop into the stance. The body descends all at once, and the floor pushes back with more than your body weight. That reaction is Ji Ki (지기), where the chain begins.
10. Drive with the rear leg. The rear leg pushes you forward.⁵ Its job is to move you, not turn you.
11. Snap the front hip back, then stop it. The front side settling into the stance while the rear side keeps traveling is what turns the drive into rotation. When the hip stops at its finish, that stop helps throw the arm.⁶ If the hip keeps turning, the power stays in the waist.
12. Send the arm as the weight drops, not before. The arm is faster than the body. If it leaves early, it finishes alone and the block is weak. Don’t slow it down. Start it later, then send it as fast as you can.
13. Slide the top hand down the bottom arm. The bottom arm is a rail. While the hand is on it, the block stays on line.
14. Open the shoulders and pull the other hand to your floating rib. The shoulders expand from the forward roll. The retraction hand pulls with the same commitment the blocking arm pushes. The two arms balance each other, so the block doesn’t pull you off your base, and both sides of the body drive the technique.
15. Exhale sharply: Ki Hap. The muscles that push air out are the same muscles that brace the trunk. A sharp exhale at contact brings the brace to its peak at the exact moment the chain needs to be most connected. This is the purpose of the Ki Hap (氣合, 기합), which joins 氣, energy or breath, with 合, to unite. Research on athletes in striking movements has found that a forceful exhale at the moment of effort increases both force and speed, and that the forced exhale matters more than the sound.⁷
16. Stay loose until contact, then lock everything. Speed needs relaxation; impact needs structure.⁸ Because the block travels downward, contact while your weight is still dropping puts the body’s descent into the block. What strikes the target is not just the forearm. It is as much of the body as you can commit at the moment it arrives.⁹

How to Check Your Low Block

A low block is finished when everything arrives together.

• The stance, the hip, the Ki Hap, and the block land on the same beat. This is the most important check.
• The fist is over the front knee, far enough to clear the leg and no farther. Past that, you have reached.
• The fist is tight and the wrist is straight, so the forearm, which is the striking surface, is solid.
• The elbow is slightly bent, not locked. The impact comes across the forearm, so a slight bend protects the joint.
• There is a solid line from the forearm to the floor: forearm, elbow, shoulder, trunk, hip, leg, foot. Any loose link along that line is where the power leaks out.

Common Low Block Mistakes

Most low block mistakes are timing problems, not strength problems.

• The arm finishes before the feet. Wait for the drop.
• Pausing during the step. Keep the wind-up moving into the release.
• Leaning or hunching. Stay tall.
• The hip keeps turning. Snap it, then stop it.
• Going loose at the end. Relax while moving, then lock at contact.

The Same Movement in Different Clothes

Every technique built on the defensive use of the hip follows this sequence. The hip turns away to load, winds up while the body travels, then drops, drives, snaps back, and stops. The arm waits, then arrives last and fastest. The breath drives the brace, and one side pulls with the same commitment the other pushes. Once you can feel this in Ha Dan Mahkee, look for it everywhere else.

The first technique a beginner is handed is not a simplified technique. It is the whole art, complete, waiting for the student to become capable of seeing it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a low block in martial arts?

A low block is a downward forearm technique that meets an attack aimed at the lower body. In Soo Bahk Do it is called Ha Dan Mahkee (하단막기), and it is one of the first techniques a student learns. It is powered by the legs and hips through the defensive use of hip, not by the arm alone.

How do you do a low block?

Drive forward and turn the hip sideways, inhale, roll the shoulders forward, and cross the arms at the elbow. Glide forward without pausing as you wind up the trunk and brace. Then drop into the stance, drive with the rear leg, snap the front hip back and stop it, and send the arm as the weight lands, sliding the top hand down the bottom arm while the other hand pulls to the floating rib, with a sharp Ki Hap at contact.

What is the defensive use of hip?

It is the movement in which the hip turns away from the direction of a technique to load, then returns to deliver, similar to wringing out a towel. It is one of the two uses of the hip, or Huri, in Soo Bahk Do. The other is the offensive use of hip, its inverse.

Why does my low block feel weak?

The most common cause is timing. The arm is faster than the body, so it finishes before the stance lands and delivers only the arm. Start the arm later rather than slowing it down. Other causes are pausing during the step, leaning or hunching, letting the hip keep turning, and staying loose at contact.

What is the purpose of a Ki Hap?

The Ki Hap is a sharp exhale at the moment of contact. The muscles that push air out are the same muscles that brace the trunk, so the exhale brings the brace to its peak when the body most needs to be connected. Research on athletes in striking movements has found that a forceful exhale at the moment of effort increases force and speed, and that the exhale matters more than the sound.

Where does the other hand go during a low block?

The retraction hand pulls to the floating rib with the same commitment the blocking arm pushes. The two arms balance each other, so the block does not pull you off your base, and both sides of the body drive the technique.

The low block and the rest of the gup curriculum are taught step by step in the Black Belt Prep Bundle.

For further reading, Wrist Grab Defense: The Three Principles of Joint Control follows the same kinetic chain, from Ji Ki through the Huri to the hands, into joint work.

Train in Salt Lake City

Wasatch Martial Arts Academy teaches Ha Dan Mahkee and the full Soo Bahk Do curriculum, with classes for kids, teens, adults, and families. Start training today →

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About the Author

Brian Corrales, Sa Bom is a 6th Dan (Yuk Dan #36364) and certified Sa Bom in Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan — the art’s highest teaching certification — with direct lineage to founder Hwang Kee. He serves on the USA Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan Technical Advisory Committee as a member of the Ki Sul Bu. He has trained in the art for over 35 years and has taught in Salt Lake City since 2007.

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