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International Taekwondo Federation

Encyclopedia : I : IN : INT : International Taekwondo Federation

 

International Taekwon-Do Federation Logo
Korean name
Hangul: 국제 태권도 연맹
Hanja: 國際跆拳道聯盟
Revised Romanization: Gukje Taegwondo Yeonmaeng
McCune-Reischauer: Kukje T'aekwǒndo Yǒnmaeng

The International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) was founded in 1966 by Major General Choi Hong Hi 6 years before his exile from South Korea in 1972. His first visit of good will to North Korea was in 1980, when he introduced Taekwon-Do there. It is one the two major international Taekwon-Do organisations, the other being the World Taekwondo Federation or WTF. General Choi was a prominent figure in the development of Taekwon-Do during the 20th century and helped to unify a large number of the Korean martial arts schools under the name Taekwon-Do. He is also responsible for providing Taekwon-Do with its name which was agreed upon on April 11th, 1955. He is acknowleged by many practioneers of ITF Taekwon-Do as the Father of modern Taekwon-Do.

On many ITF sources however the role of many of the other founding members of Taekwon-do is often omitted, making it appear as though Choi is entirely responsible for the development of Taekwon-Do. Also on many WTF sources the role of General Choi in the development of Taekwon-Do is omitted. This makes getting a reliable and accurate history of Taekwon-Do from Internet sources in particular quite difficult.

The ITF headquarters from its inception in 1966 until 1972 was in Seoul, Korea. It moved from Canada to Vienna, Austria in 1985, where it is located since General Choi's death in 2002. Since this time there have been a number of disputes over the control of the ITF and over who should be responsible for the heading of the ITF. Many of these disputes are still on going. It is estimated that there are currently an estimated 20 million people in 140 countries practicing ITF Taekwondo.

ITF Taekwon-Do is dedicated to promoting and preserving Taekwon-Do in the form General Choi gave it, as a martial art for self defence.

The WTF was set up in South Korea in 1973, this was politically motivated due to the exiled General Choi's continued promotion of Taekwon-Do.

Many aspects of the WTF curriculum vary from the ITF general curriculum, included, a different set of patterns (ITF) or poomse (WTF terminilogy) learnt by students of both camps, different techniques, stances and a completley different set of sparring/competition rules. Although some of the above is variable from individual school to school this often makes difficulties in compatibility between the two different groups. This has resulted in many considering them two separate martial arts entirely.

Contents

Recent history

When General Choi died on June 15 2002, there was a political split between the different masters within the International Taekwon-Do Federation.

Master Choi Jung Hwa was legitimately elected to serve the final four years of a six year term granted to his father - General Choi Hong Hi - (at the ITF Congress in Rimini, Italy 2001). However, Master Choi warned the members of the ITF that the organisation was likely to be usurped by North Korea following the death of General Choi, the founder causing a split. In anticipation of the split and in fighting, and to preserve General Choi's legacy, Master Choi created a new organisation of with his own administration to Canada. This occurred before his father's death.

Some thought Master Choi just wanted his own organisation and never believed a split would happen but it did. In an illegal "special" congress in North Korea, some weeks later, a Mr. Chang Ung, a North Korean government official, IOC Member and basketball coach was installed as president of the separatist group. Later senior masters were accused of misappropriating funds, and attempting to evade Austrian state taxes, this was actually a rumor spread by the North Korean Group after the split occurred which is now widely believed. A third group formed their own organisation now referred to as ITF Vienna, headed by Master Tran Trieu Quan. All three groups now adamantly claim to be the legitimate governing body. Thereafter, further splintering occurred and both Unified-ITF and the International Chang-Hon Federation were formed.

The Austrian Courts have not finished a final decision as to which is legal and democratically elected ITF in Vienna However, the North Korean Group has maintained exculsive control over the headquarters building owned by the ITF. The group following President Choi Jung Hwa, is not represented in Vienna, and is currently in litigation with the Vienna Group in Canada. The trademarks and licencing rights to the ITF in Canada belong exclusively to President Choi Jung Hwa. The ITF logo is registered in Europe with Master Tran's ITF through the EU Office for Harmonisation of the Internal Market (OHIM).

The rights to the ITF in other countries are believed to be owned by the former NGB's under the old unified regime. In the UK that is believed to be Grand Master Rhee Ki Ha, in the USA, Grand Master Charles Serref. GM Serref formally resigned from the ITF in 2003 and is no longer a member.

ITF Returns to South Korea

As a result of President Choi's efforts to remove Taekwondo from the control of North Korea, in November 2004 the ITF held its World Championships for Juniors and Seniors in Taejon City, South Korea. This was the first time that ITF Taekwondo had been displayed in South Korea for over 40 years. President Choi's ITF is now represented in nine South Korean Provinces and is recognised by the South Korean Government as a world governing body for Taekwon-do. The ITF is believed to be represented in over 140 countries worldwide and has millions of followers.

Furthermore, at the 2005 ITF World Taekwon-Do Championships in Caloundra, Australia, there was a full delegation of South Korean athletes, indicating the spread of this style in its home country.

All three groups have representation in South Korea. There was a group affiliated to the ITF-NK that visited North Korea in May of 2006, to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the ITF. That marked the first time that Taekwon-Do players ever traveled to North Korea.

Patterns

Patterns or forms ("tuls" in Korean, equivalent to the kata in karate) are considered by many to be one of the most important aspects of training in Taekwondo. The patterns practised by members of the ITF are very different from those performed by the WTF, forming one of the major differences between the two styles. The majority of the patterns (excepting Yul-Gok, Kwang Gae, Ul-Ji and Tong-Il) start with a defensive move, which emphasizes Taekwondo's defensive nature. The patterns all start and end at the same point. This ensures that the practitioners' stances are the correct length, width, and in the proper direction. There are 24 patterns (틀) in the official ITF syllabus, all of which were developed by General Choi. The names of these patterns typically refer to a patriotic instance or person of Korean history. They are as follows (with Hangul/Hanja names), and with related articles:

Originally there was another pattern called Kodang, but this has been replaced by Juche in the current official syllabus of the ITF. As Juche is an important element of North Korean ideology, this change is sometimes controversial.

Ranks

The ITF has a unique ranking system. It consists of five solid color belts (kups - also commonly called gups), five intermediate colour belts (indicated by a stripe around both hanging ends of the belt), and nine degrees of Black. The nine degrees (dans) of Black are organized into skill levels: The reason for nine black belt degrees, according to General Choi, is that the number nine is not only the highest of the single-digit numbers, but also is the number of three multiplied by three. In the Orient, three is the most esteemed of all numbers. The Chinese character for 3 is three horizontal lines, one above the other. The bottom line represents earth; the middle line represents mortals; the upper line represents heaven.

Each colour has a specific philosphical meaning. They are as follows:

Up to 6th dan, all ranks require the student to perform a test of all skills and knowledge up to their rank to be promoted. Ranks above 6th dan may be awarded with consent of the president without a test; however, if the recipient desires, a test may be administered. 9th degree (being the highest) can only be awarded when the governing body examines and reaches a consensus. There are minimum times that practitioners must remain at a black belt degree before being promoted to the next grade: 1st degree: minimum 18 months as 1st degree before promotion to 2nd degree; 2nd degree: minimum 2 years; 3rd degree: minimum 3 years; 4th degree: minimum 4 years; and so on.

See also

External links

 

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