ITF HQ Newsletter February 2021

From the Office of the President

Dear Taekwon-Do Practitioners and Friends,
We have just welcomed the Lunar New Year, the year of the Ox in which Asian countries, including South Korea, is the second biggest celebration after Thanks Giving. The Lunar New Year celebrations revolve around feasting with special occasion foods for the holiday, fireworks; and gathering together with family and friends. Unfortunately, this year is different due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the celebrations have been reduced to a gathering of a maximum of 4 people, no big parties and many events have been moved online. In such times my thoughts are with all ITF family members who, as here in Korea, have been struggling due to the Pandemic. Some have had to close down their schools and some have adapted reasonably quickly to the current reality and have been doing well. We are working with those who have developed good ideas and strategies and we will be sharing them soon with our members so others can learn, survive and secure their livelihoods, to continue the legacy of our Founder General Choi Hong Hi.

Now is the most difficult time for all of us, but at the same time it is the most important time for survival. With more COVID vaccination plans and new and more innovative vaccines being available there is a good chance that hopefully, this year things will improve. We still have to follow social distancing rules (as vaccines will not prevent the spread of the virus) and teach zoom classes, but there is a chance that life will become easier sometime soon. Therefore, like with an athlete who runs out of breath but due to their desire to complete the run they get a second “wind” and stay motivated, we should conserve our energy, stay put and kick off stronger so we ready for action when the right time comes.

Therefore, I say to all members of our Taekwon-Do Family, stay strong, positive, and get ready for the “second wind” that hopefully will lead to our full recovery. We are here to help you the best we can. I believe that ideas on how to deal with the current obstacles, how to operate in the time of pandemic etc. are the best help we can provide. Therefore, more announcements and projects will be coming soon.

Happy New Lunar Year, the year of the Ox.
태권 Oh Chang Jin – ITF HQ President

Sam-ll Celebration

The 1st March is an important day for Korea. On that day in 1919, 33 Korean Movement core activists read the Korean Declaration of Independence against Japanese occupants. Following that, over 2 million Koreans participated in over 1500 demonstrations nationwide. Many were arrested, wounded, or killed. In Taekwon-Do, this patriotic act was recognised by General Choi Hoing Hi in the ITF pattern Sam-Il that “denotes the historical date of the independence movement of Korea, which began throughout the country on 1st March 1919. The 33 movements in the pattern stand for the 33 patriots who planned the movement“. Participants of ITFHQ Tul Tour programs in Korea have the opportunity to visit the historic sites related to this event, learn more about the historic events from guides and lectures and practice Sam-Il Tul in these locations.

Using Zoom to Teach Taekwon-Do

Update : The Zoom Seminar can be viewed on the ITF HQ YouTube Channel

North America Regional/ITF HQ-USA News

North American Open – Master Chuck Gorino is proud to host his annual North American Open. This event is a fair and fun event to compete in. More information to come.

COVID-19, an opportunity to renovate the dojang – During tough times some people withdraw and some people grow. Master Thomas Gordon is taking this time to renovate his martial arts school. With a six-figure budget to add additional space, new floor mats, and more, Master Gordon’s dojang is the biggest in Crestview, Florida. We look forward to visiting Gordon Martial Arts in the near future. Congrats to Master Gordon for growing his school and helping his community.

Korean Martial Arts Festival – Master Thomas Gordon will be hosting his 14th annual Korean Martial Arts Festival April 23-25 in Crestview, Florida. This event has been a huge hit for the Korean martial arts community. Many Grandmasters and Masters from all across the U.S.A. and Canada attend to present or train with color and black belts from across the region. Contact Master Gordon for more information.

Skills Development seminar – Benton Martial Arts and Bellaire ITF Taekwon-Do hosts Master Michael Munyon for an ITF HQ Skills Development seminar. This event is open to all ranks and will cover various topics ranging from Tuls, SelfDefense, and more.

2022 Omaha National Martial Arts Championships – Grandmaster Jeffrey Helaney, President of the United States KiDo Federation has offered to open ITF competition events at his 2022 Omaha National Martial Arts Championships. This would allow black belts to participate in the ITF HQ Referee course prior to judging during this event. More to come.

ITF HQ Europe – NEWS

Black Belt Interviews – Master David Hodson from England has a podcast called Black Belt Interviews, where he interviews Taekwon Do Grand Masters and Masters from around the World.

They share their history, their training, their experiences and their philosophy for Taekwon Do and Life. Additionally, many are able to talk about their experiences with the Founder General Choi Hong Hi, and their interpretation of the “Do”.

The series begins with our own Vice President Grand Master Peter Sanders IX which has already attracted over 100 downloads in the first 10 days. You can access the podcasts via Spotify, Apple podcasts or via the Black Belt Interviews Facebook Page.

Zoom training with GM Peter Sanders – Weekly meeting with Grand Master Peter Sanders (NL) and Sabum Peter Kent-Marrast (UK).

In Germany for months, it has only been permitted to meet one person who does not belong to the family. Practicing sports together have not been possible for almost a year due to Covid-19. Nevertheless, I have been meeting up with GM Peter Sanders and Sabum Peter Kent Marrast for joint training for about 5 weeks now. Same place, same time, every week. GM Sanders in the Netherlands, Sabum Peter Kent in UK, and me in Germany. We meet using zoom.

Sabum Peter and I practice our tuls, and show the techniques that GM Peter Sanders specifies, and he watches us closely, gives us feedback and tips on how to improve, and shows us how to do it with even more power. Sometimes there is a problem not only with our technology, also with the digital one. With one of our sessions taking place completely without sound that wasn’t easy, even for the GM.

It is lucky madness, that I have not been allowed to train directly with my students for months due to the COVID19 virus, but for the same reason I have the privilege of receiving preparation from the GM now. I also get to know new people like Sabum Peter from UK. Ultimately a great thing! Every week I look forward to our meeting and training together.

Thanks to GM Peter Sanders for his help, feedback and his time! Looking forward for the next training!

ITFHQ Welcomes New Groups and Individual Members

ITFHQ Korea is pleased to welcome two new groups and many individual members in February this year. One group is the Asociación Chilena de Taekwon-Do HQ. An association from Chile under the leadership of Mr Darío Ramírez 4th Degree BlackBelt. This is the first group that has joined ITF HQ from this country. It is a very professionally organized group with a number of energetic people striving to improve their Taekwon-Do, promote the art of General Choi Hong Hi and be linked with the Homeland of Taekwon-Do.

Another group is a dojang from the The Netherlands. The name of the dojang is Taekwon-Do school Sin-im and consists of 18 members under the leadership of young and energetic leaders represented by Mr Jasper Knaak. Mr Knaack himself has visited Korea on 3 occasions for tul tour programs and spent some time teaching in the ITF HQ center of excellence in Sejong city. We are looking forward to a very fruitful collaboration and hope that the energy of these young groups will help not only to expand Taekwon-Do in their respective countries, but also help others during these difficult times of the COVID pandemic.

ITFHQ Ring

Rings have been used throughout history and seem to be a universally understood symbol that carries respect, high esteem, whether that be wealth or power in spite of what the particular symbol or meaning might be. Rings have more symbolism in some cultures than others. Some cultures may have certain classes of people who wear rings while others do not. Another use of rings is to signify the fact that one belongs to a certain group or fraternity. In order to honor the founder of Taekwon-Do, General Choi Hong Hi, ITF HQ Korea has introduced rings analogous to the one worn by the founder, as an optional part of the ITF Dan certification system. Four individually designed ring types will be available for ITF practitioners, Instructors, Masters and Grandmasters (I – IX Dan) who are ITF HQ Korea members or mentors.

Rings are also available for non-ITFHQ members. The recent “Ring” promotion has resulted in a number of applications and since the rings are hand made by a small merchant, the waiting time may even be a month. Therefore, we ask that you please be patient and we will update every single applicant with a time frame for production and delivery. For those who would like to order an ITFHQ ring please do it online following the link: https://www.itfofficial.org/ring-form/.

The price is $250USD for ITFHQ members + postage and $350USD + postage for non-members.

ITF HQ Competition Rules Online Course

The ITF HQ Umpire committee has developed a series of online quizzes to allow potential and existing Umpires to prepare for “in person” or “electronic” Umpire courses. In order to participate in the Quizzes (that can be found on the ITF HQ
website at https://www.itfofficial.org/umpire-and-competition/ it is necessary for the participant to become members of the site by going to the members tab and registering their details on the site. Site Members will then be approved by the
webmaster and once logged in will be able to access the quizzes online. The quizzes will test the knowledge of the ITF HQ Competition rules for World Championships/Cup and Continental/National championships.

The latest rule set can be downloaded and studied from the website at the same web address as above. ITF HQ Umpire accreditation is designed as a competency-based system, whereby umpires may gain qualifications for individual disciplines or complete accreditation as an Expert (4th degrees or above only) or Associate (1st to 3rd degree only). The system of accreditation is outlined in detail in the Rules of Competition documents.

The Online Quiz system allows potential Umpires to gain access to any “in person or electronic” ITF HQ Umpire accreditation course and is designed to provide a deep understanding of the rules before participating in this course. This will allow more time to be spent in the course on the implementation of the rules rather than learning the rules. Consequently, the participant must first pass the General Umpire Rules Quiz and then may choose whichever other discipline they wish to complete. As a deep understanding of the rules is required to participate in the “in person” courses, the pass mark for all Quizzes is set at 80%. It is however possible to do the quiz several times to attain the necessary mark to pass the quiz, and the quiz should be seen as a learning resource. On successful completion of each quiz an electronic certificate will be issued by the Chair of the ITF HQ Umpire Committee and the participants details will be recorded to facilitate their access to any “in person or electronic” course. The cost of each Quiz is US$5 and can be paid by PAYPAL and covers only the administration costs of the course.

The Umpire Committee welcomes feedback on the online Quizzes and can be contacted on Steve@southernitf.com.

ITF HQ Training Center Address Change

COVID pandemic has caused many problems for business but at the same time has created a better opportunity for others. We took this opportunity to provide better facilities and location for our local and International Taekwon-Do community. The new address of the ITF HQ Center of Excellence Training Center is:

International Taekwon-Do Federation
Centre of Excellence (training Center),
Sejong City Serom Jung
Ang Ro 34
CRE’SMAS B/D 622 ho
Republic of Korea 30127
Tel: +82-70-4024-9555 Fax: +82-70-4024-9555

Please direct all correspondence and postage to the training center in Sejong city.

Job Opportunity in Korea after COVID-19 Recovery – Expression of Interest

Teaching Taekwon-Do in English in South Korea. The International Taekwon-Do Federation Headquarters in Korea is looking for young, energetic and experienced Taekwon-Do instructors (males or females), who are native English speakers and would like to come to Korea and test their teaching skills utilizing a Taekwon-Do curriculum and a specially designed English language program. The essential criteria are

1. Being a native English speaker,
2. A minimum 1 Dan in Taekwon-Do ITF
3. Experience in conducting classes for children and teenagers.

For more information, please contact via email: korea@itfmail.org. The position(s) will be available as soon as the government regulation allow group activities to be conducted and COVID-19 restrictions eased.

Get Yourself and Your Members in Print

If you’re an ITF HQ member and have news, updates or events you’d like to have published in our newsletter please send us a brief (1 paragraph) submission with photos to korea@itfmail.org. Please note your club news should stay within your club but anything else, we’d love to share with the Taekwon-Do community. You’ve worked hard to build your club and your students. Let ITF HQ help recognize your outstanding accomplishments along with your members