Technique identity
| Item | Technical reference |
|---|---|
| Technique name | Sitting Stance Middle Side Knife-Hand Strike |
| Korean terminology | Annun So Sonkal Kaunde Yop Taerigi |
| Short technique name | Sonkal Kaunde Yop Taerigi |
| Technique family | Striking technique, or Taerigi |
| Strike type | Side strike, or Yop Taerigi |
| Stance | Sitting Stance, or Annun Sogi |
| Attacking tool | Knife-hand, or Sonkal |
| Target level | Middle section, or Kaunde |
| Body facing | Side facing at the moment of impact |
Sitting stance base
| Stance point | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Width | 1.5 shoulder widths wide |
| Width measuring point | Measured from the inside edges of the big toes |
| Length | 0 shoulder widths, with both feet even |
| Weight distribution | 50% on the left leg and 50% on the right leg |
| Foot angles | Both feet point straight forward at 0 degrees and remain parallel |
| Knees | Bent outward over the balls of the feet |
| Body structure | Stable, symmetrical, and side facing for this technique |
Side strike rules
| Rule | Technical requirement |
|---|---|
| Body facing | If the body becomes half facing or side facing the target at the moment of impact, the technique is called a side strike. |
| Form of movement | Side strike is executed in the form of an outward strike. |
| Primary tools | The knife-hand and back fist are primary weapons for side strike. |
| Occasional tools | The side fist and back hand may also be used in some cases. |
| Tool alignment | The attacking tool forms a straight line with the center of the shoulders at the moment of impact. |
| Point of focus | The knife-hand must not pass the point of focus. |
Knife-hand side strike use
| Point | Technical reference |
|---|---|
| Mainly used stances | Knife-Hand Side Strike is mainly executed from Sitting Stance, Close Stance, L-Stance, and X-Stance. |
| Occasional stances | It may also be used from Parallel Stance, One-Leg Stance, Vertical Stance, Diagonal Stance, or Walking Stance. |
| This article | Uses Sitting Stance, middle-section target, knife-hand tool, and side-facing shoulders. |
| Impact structure | The knife-hand, shoulders, hips, and stance should finish together at the moment of impact. |
How to execute the technique
Begin from a correct Sitting Stance. The stance should be 1.5 shoulder widths wide, measured from the inside edges of the big toes. Both feet remain even and parallel, the knees bend outward over the balls of the feet, and the weight stays equally distributed between both legs.
The strike is delivered with the knife-hand to the middle section. The action is a side strike, so it is executed in the form of an outward strike. The attacking tool should travel with clear direction and should not swing beyond the intended point of focus.
At the moment of impact, the shoulders should be side facing. The shoulder line should not become full facing or half facing for this version. The hips, shoulders, stance, and knife-hand should coordinate together so the body presents the correct side-facing structure while the attacking tool reaches the middle-section line.
The attacking knife-hand should form a straight line with the center of the shoulders at the moment of impact. This is one of the main visual checks for the technique. If the hand finishes outside this line or passes too far beyond the focus point, the strike loses its correct structure.
Side-facing shoulders
The shoulders must be side facing at the moment of impact in this version of the technique. This means the shoulder line is turned sideways to the target, matching the side-strike structure. The body should not square up into full facing.
Side-facing shoulders should be created by organizing the whole body, not by twisting only the upper body. Sitting Stance must remain stable, the knees must stay bent outward, and the weight must stay balanced equally. The hips and shoulders should support the same side-facing direction.
The correction is simple: keep the Sitting Stance wide and stable, keep the shoulders side facing, keep the body upright, and let the knife-hand finish on a straight line with the center of the shoulders.
Middle-section target
The target level is the middle section. The knife-hand should not finish too high or too low. If the strike rises above the intended line, it no longer matches the middle-section reference. If it drops too low, the strike loses its intended target level.
The side strike must be outward, controlled, and direct. The hand should reach the target through correct body alignment rather than through excessive shoulder reach. The striking tool should stop at the point of focus, not pass beyond it.
The stance supports the target line. Sitting Stance provides a stable base from which the side-facing body can deliver the knife-hand strike without leaning, lifting, or collapsing.
Point of focus and line of impact
The attacking tool must not pass the point of focus. Passing the focus point is a specific error in side striking because the knife-hand overtravels and the body may fail to keep the correct facing toward the target.
The knife-hand should finish at the intended middle-section target, not beyond it. The strike should be outward and precise. If the hand continues past the focus point, the technique loses accuracy, power, and structural control.
At impact, the attacking tool forms a straight line with the center of the shoulders. This connects the strike to the body structure. The student should check the shoulder line, knife-hand line, elbow position, stance width, and knee position together rather than judging the hand in isolation.
Reference checklist
| Check | Correct standard |
|---|---|
| Technique | Sitting Stance Middle Side Knife-Hand Strike (Annun So Sonkal Kaunde Yop Taerigi) |
| Technique family | Striking technique, or Taerigi |
| Strike type | Side strike, or Yop Taerigi |
| Stance | Sitting Stance, or Annun Sogi |
| Attacking tool | Knife-hand, or Sonkal |
| Target level | Middle section, or Kaunde |
| Facing | Side facing at the moment of impact |
| Shoulders | Side facing, not full facing or half facing |
| Movement form | Outward strike |
| Tool line | Attacking tool forms a straight line with the center of the shoulders |
| Focus | Knife-hand must not pass the point of focus |
| Stance base | 1.5 shoulder widths wide, feet parallel, knees bent outward, weight 50% and 50% |
Common technical errors
A common error is finishing with the shoulders full facing or half facing. In this Sitting Stance version, the shoulders should be side facing at the moment of impact. If the body turns away from the required side-facing structure, the technique no longer shows the correct side-strike application.
Another error is allowing the knife-hand to pass the point of focus. The strike must stop at the intended target line. If the hand overtravels, the technique loses accuracy and the practitioner may fail to keep the correct facing toward the target.
Students also commonly lose the straight-line relationship between the attacking tool and the center of the shoulders. At the moment of impact, the knife-hand should align with the shoulder center. If the hand finishes outside that line, the strike becomes disconnected from the body.
Another frequent error is changing the Sitting Stance while striking. The stance should remain 1.5 shoulder widths wide, the feet should remain parallel, the knees should stay bent outward over the balls of the feet, and the weight should remain equally distributed. If the stance narrows, straightens, or shifts to one side, the strike loses its base.
The final error is treating the movement as a general arm swing. Yop Taerigi is an outward striking action with a defined target, tool, facing, and focus point. The knife-hand, side-facing shoulders, hips, and Sitting Stance must finish together at impact.
Key principle
The knife-hand must strike outward to the middle section while the shoulders remain side facing and the attacking tool forms a straight line with the center of the shoulders at impact.
Technical purpose
Sitting Stance Middle Side Knife-Hand Strike, called Annun So Sonkal Kaunde Yop Taerigi in Korean terminology, is an ITF Taekwon-Do striking technique performed from Sitting Stance to the middle section. It uses the knife-hand, or Sonkal, as the attacking tool.
Side Strike, or Yop Taerigi, is defined by the body becoming half facing or side facing the target at the moment of impact. It is executed in the form of an outward strike. In this article, the required shoulder position is side facing at the moment of impact.
This article is a technical reference. It focuses on the Sitting Stance base, knife-hand attacking tool, middle-section target, side-facing shoulders, side-strike line, point of focus, and common technical errors.
