Sword worn at the waist

Chan-kal (찬칼, "sword worn at the waist") is one of the postures in which the jukdo (죽도, bamboo sword) is carried in kumdo. The Korea Kumdo Association (대한검도회) states that, while holding the jukdo, one should be in the deun-kal (든칼, "held sword") or the chan-kal posture, and should not lean on it like a cane. The same page writes the term with the characters 帶刀 (Japanese 帯刀, taitō).

Other kumdo texts call this posture heori-kal (허리칼 or 허리에칼, "sword at the waist").

• The thumb rests on the kodeungi (코등이, guard). With howan (호완, hand protector) on, the thumb need not be placed there. The jukdo is then drawn in to the waist.
• The end of the handle (칼자루 끝) lines up with the navel.
• At the start of a bout or practice, both practitioners bow standing with the jukdo in the right hand (deun-kal). They then change the jukdo to the left hand and bring it to the waist (chan-kal). They advance three large steps and draw.
• In ppopa-kal (뽑아칼, "drawing sword"), the start is the sword at the waist. The right hand grips below the kodeungi and the right foot advances. The jukdo is raised diagonally into jungdan-se (중단세, middle guard), and the left hand takes the end of the handle.
• In kkoja-kal (꽂아칼, "sheathing sword"), the start is jungdan-se. The left hand goes to the waist as the left foot joins the right, reversing the ppopa-kal movement, and the practitioner returns to the sword at the waist.
• At the end, the sword is sheathed and the practitioner returns to the starting position. The jukdo is then changed to the right hand and a bow is made.