There has always been the empty pattern, the one executed by a large number of practitioners searching a stylistic perfection very difficult to use in actual self defense.  A number of factors are involved in a pattern’s developing that in rare occasions are taken into account.

In Taekwon-Do, General Choi, its undisputed founder and developer, included countless details in designing the 24 patterns that support his art. Symbolism and chronology illustrates significant dates of ancestral Korea and the persons who fed its history. The amount of movements and the diagram are significant details related with these actors. . Beyond this admirable historical summary, however, lies the method of executing each of the 970 movements involved, many repeated, some symmetrically and others not.

Their structures have evolved? Without any doubt that so it is, but only in its Founder’s hands.

What was done after his passed away was only the delirium of those who consider themselves more papist than the Pope, most of them being basically non-believers to summarize the elliptical of the sentence.

Students ’use of the body has also changed. Today, performances are far more artistic and controlled. The need to stand out in the numerous tournaments where patterns must be showcased has spurred these eloquent displays.

There has been endless discussion about the sports focus of the art and its limited martial orientation. This trend has significantly impacted the execution of movements, which, beyond a biomechanical variety encouraged by the lack of a single governing entity, are often performed with a marked lack of intention and power.

The obsession with fulfill the details imposed in the «seminars» dictated in this regard, has turned the execution totally dissociated from the true meaning of the movements. The performer only think in carry out the demanded details but not in the intention of it. In other words, the practitioner’s mind is focused on fulfilling details, not on the practical utility of the movement.

Among the many things that feed the structure of patterns (symbolism, history, diagram and its biomechanics) is the reason for each movement. The study of this detail allows us to relate with the intention that its creator gave to each and every one of the movements. Without this we are only executing a choreographic show, looking good but empty of content. The question to ask yourself is as follow: when I am executing a pattern am I doing it to satisfy the guru who gave the last seminar or I’m doing it to improve my effectiveness in self-defense?; because that is what it is about, self-defense or is this a thing of the past?

It is also curious that the leaders setting the new rules have overlooked the detail of starting from one point and returning to that same exact spot, as the rule and diagram specify. This important detail will lead them to corroborate whether the biomechanics is correct or not, because if it is not, be sure that you will not return to the starting point.  The patterns are one way among others to train movements for self-defense against several opponents, difficult to achieve in the sport free sparring that is designed only against one opponent and with a number of regulatory restrictions.

Studying patterns significantly improves body control and angles in executing attacks and blocks, both from the ground and in the air. It is understood that each and every one of the movements is designed to protect the practitioner’s physical integrity, so they must be performed with naturalness, free from rigidity, and with maximum power. Choreographed performances that lack this perspective merely feed the empty form, crafted solely to satisfy the standards of the judges at the next tournament.

SGM Ricardo Desimone   

to be aware read again the previous notes

A comment: The name Taekwondo and the techniques used in the 2024 Olympics have absolutely nothing in common with our art, which sounds the same but is written differently and serves other purposes and practical uses.

I want to emphasize what is happening today in the teaching of Taekwon-Do, how we are carrying out the transfer of knowledge, and what the result of today’s education will be. A seminar or an IIC is supposed to be very serious, special occasions for transferring details, unifying the criteria used, and acquiring the knowledge that the new generation of black belts does not yet have.

It does not take a high-degree Black Belt to train in combinations of kicks and punches that any instructor can teach. Do you think a high-degree Black Belt is necessary to ask people at a seminar for kicks and punches that are typically imaginary combinations, useful only for the one giving the order? Beyond this point, it is also important to note that it is not appropriate to give a general command for sports combinations when they cannot be used by all the people present. It would be like thinking that all students or practitioners are going to fight the same way—impossible.

Moreover, when a high-degree instructor teaches in this way, they are only showing what works for them or what they think works for them. General Choi Hong Hi never taught anything about the sports aspect. He always believed that it was not good to talk about this part in a seminar; he used to say it wasn’t the right place for it.

When general commands are given, or a combination is shown, no consideration is given to the people present: some are taller, others more robust, some are younger, others older, etc. Some techniques may work for

certain body types and be useless for others. Not all ages have the same possibilities. In summary, doing this shows a lack of teaching experience.

Perhaps, and only perhaps, it is a good method to improve the abilities of those seeking Taekwon-Do purely as a sport. To apply this method, it is necessary to understand that the use of sports combinations is only useful in that realm, against a single opponent, and under the restrictions imposed by competition rules. But a martial art is something else that requires a different way of thinking and training. General Choi’s Taekwon-Do is undoubtedly a martial art, one that delegates to direct instructors the various ways to train their students for the sports arena.

On one occasion, while accompanying the Founder of the art as a translator during a seminar in an Argentine city, one of the attendees (who was a good free-fight competitor) repeatedly asked about the sports aspect and how to stop an attacker in that type of fight if they were taller than him.

General Choi, tired of the same question, said that this wasn’t the right place to consider sports questions. However, due to the persistent inquiry, he made an exception: “OK, you’re taller than me, come attack me,” and with his hands behind his back, he moved slightly without excessive motion as the student attacked him. The General suddenly counterattacked by kicking the occasional opponent right at the belt knot.

Everyone began to applaud, surprising the student, who could not have imagined such a resolution. After this remarkable response, the Founder said: “No one can teach how to resolve such a moment. It’s personal. I saw the opportunity to counterattack, and I did so, but as a reflex, without thinking.”

In conclusion, no one can systematically teach how to defend others physically with pre-established combinations, because every person is different in structure and reflexes, as different as the circumstances. The key lesson from this anecdote is to avoid changing the purpose of meetings

or gatherings. The training ground is where students go daily to perfect their knowledge under the guidance of the Instructor.

A seminar or IIC is a special opportunity to learn and teach about the structure of the Art, its protocol, its pedagogical system, the biomechanics of its movements, and the understanding of its philosophical aspect (Do). But it is essential to clearly distinguish between martial art and the combat system typically used in the sports arena. Thank you for your time.

SGM Ricardo Desimone

To be aware read again the previous notes

Countless notes have been written and much has been theorized about the unique biomechanics designed by General Choi Hong Hi. There is usually great emphasis placed on hand positioning and postures to be assumed in the execution of the patterns he designed. In most cases, such emphasis on detail often results in performers executing movements in a stiffness way and lacking naturalness, thus without practical application of the movements they so meticulously developed.

Among the many factors typically conveyed in a seminar, there is always an omission considered minor detail: precisely returning to the starting point in the execution of the patterns. I have previously written about this omission, even in competitions. Judges are trained to observe and deduct from the overall score awarded to each competitor the deficiencies they detect in the execution of the pattern they choose and the one assigned to them. However, they are not trained to apply deductions for competitors who do not return precisely to their starting point.

Is this a minor detail and thus disregarded? Clearly, it is treated as such, but no, it is not a minor detail. A significant percentage of technical corrections made in foot and hand positions, correct facing, use of angles, and rotations are intimately linked to this seemingly minor detail. Have you tried to adhere to this detail? If you did it, you have likely discouragingly noticed how often you have to recognize your shortcomings. To my surprise some high-ranking black belts often ask me if all patterns begin and end in the same place or only some applies to this rule. When I confirm that all patterns indeed start and finish in the exact same place, it prompts them to review their practices, often without achieving satisfactory results.

I can still hear General Choi’s voice insisting on this matter and his emphatic «almost» when this was not fulfilled. If you stand on positions that do not meet the established parameters, your balance will be precarious, and the power in your hands will inevitably be diminished. This means that the strength and effectiveness of your hands largely depend on your feet. Do you feel unstable when rotating? Unless you have consumed alcohol before performing the pattern, some aspect of your feet positioning is likely not correctly executed for this to happen, especially after having performed that rotation many times.

When everybody tears their clothes proclaiming left and right that they teach General Choi Hong Hi’s Taekwon-Do and then walk in a different way than the one established by him, I wonder how they are going to develop and teach his Taekwon-Do if they walk differently than proposed.

When you teach a beginner to move sideways, do you teach them on which part of the foot should rotate, or do you let them do it as they see fit? In Saju Jirugui and Saju Maki, you must teach this detail, which includes learning and incorporating vertical and horizontal sinusoidal motion. If they learn it there, they will have learned it for all other patterns. If you overlook this important step in your teaching, you leave the development of the student’s movements, rotations, and stability to chance. If you want to be effective with your hands, review the use of your feet.

SGM Ricardo Desimone 

To be aware read again the previous notes

Diverse professions have allowed humans to evolve technologically, emotionally, and intellectually. Time has been the factor that enabled this evolution. In every learning system, the maturation of information is imperative; otherwise, it cannot be incorporated or applied—in other words, growth does not occur.

In the art we are discussing, this factor has been essential in establishing the grading scale, whether it is for beginners or colored belt ranks (Gups) or advanced students (Dan) or black belts. The issue is neither arbitrary nor whimsical; this means that a certain waiting period (of practice, not just calendars) is required for the advancement or evolution of Gups and years for the promotion of Dan ranks. Experience in the field corroborates the accuracy of the system because the difference is noticeable even within the same level; a new grade is different from that same grade but older. It might seem that both are the same; however, seeing them in action and facing the same obstacles, the way they resolve them confirms the value of seniority. This is true for both beginner grades (Gups) and advanced belt grades (Dan). The same applies to instructors; the parameters do not change. Understanding this process is imperative to avoid being devoured by impatience and knocking on the door of promotions prematurely. Nowadays, one doesn’t need to knock too hard because the economic needs of some quickly satisfy impatience. In this dark process, resulting from fragmentation, many values are inevitably lost, integrity among them.

It is known that Taekwon-Do is a psychophysical activity that must adhere to rules and protocols. When this is not considered, the imbalance is both psychic and physical. When we repeat a movement tirelessly, we seek to incorporate it into instinct, into reflexes, in other words, to be able to use it when defensive necessity arises. Those who do not follow the pre-established protocol rules and do not respect the timelines are doing the same thing, incorporating that way of proceeding as a reflex action.

The passage of time allows us to see that no matter how much we advance in the mad race to the top, we will always be in the place that the time invested grants us. The rest are administrative tricks to deceive and economically advantage others. No matter how many grades one achieves, they are useless if they did not follow the required process, as we will have the grade but not the capacity and experience it demands.

Are we prepared to accept the inexorable passage of time, the existential human evolution? Are we prepared to understand that evolutionarily we are born, grow, decline, and die?

What has been said relates to the intellect and the body, whose relationship is inversely proportional. When the body allows us to do things, our intellect accompanies it vehemently but without much knowledge. With time, when our intellect reasons what needs to be done, our body accompanies it as it can or sometimes not. The psychophysical process described has always been present in the activity of Taekwon-Do. Many great competitors know what I am talking about.

Maintaining physical decorum is an obligation. It is necessary to evaluate our athletic relevance in time so that time does not play tricks on us. Always remember that the great champion in all categories has always been Chronos. It is not advisable to think in an acrobatic way of self-defense because that means not having implicit what has been said.

Senior Grand Master Ricardo Desimone

To be aware read again the previous notes

In countless publications, many truths and lies have been said about the activity of Taekwon-Do, it history and development, especially after its Founder passed away.

What is said or described in notes published in different social Media details realities that readers approve, giving certainty to what is mentioned there, fundamentally because many of them have been contemporaries of those events. Attempts to distort published truths are our daily bread, however, and despite this, the truth is impossible to hide and the distortion has a short-lived.

It is evident that the writings are not a mere narrative but are addressed to the student, the Instructor and the Authorities. The former usually tends to doubt because the version they have, is sometimes consistent with what has been published and sometimes not.

The others (instructors and Authorities) are difficult to confuse with distortions because their relationship with the handling of art is more direct, ancient and daily, however, sometimes it happens.

There is a common factor in all cases that draws attention and imposes reflection on the matter, I mean not acting on what we have heard, read and found out. It is something like finding out that on the road you are traveling there is a well or abyss but you continue to advance along the same path while turning a deaf ear to the information received. The worst thing is that as they fall down the ravine they scream inconsolably and blaming others for the fate that has befallen them, without acknowledging the responsibility they have in what happened.

Information is valuable as long as you proceed accordingly, otherwise you don’t complain later.

Institutional diversity inevitably leads to produce different biomechanics, sports rules and administration, by the way, the unavoidable path to stylistic atomization. There are great gurus out there who have made amazing modifications, ignoring the literary information and videos of the founder himself. The curious thing is that people obey the absurd mandates without complaining.

About 10 years ago, it became fashionable to manufacture “caciques” (Indian chiefs) at an early age and without the council of Indians having appointed them. Some went out as Indians one night and the next day they returned as a cacique. The proceeds of certificates (feathers’ distribution) are normally done in obscure procedures that look for economical reasons only.

In a previous note I think I have mentioned something about it looking to put clear over dark that mean that all “caciques” (Indian chiefs) should publish their certificates from 4th Dan onwards to expel doubts. The times and ages between degrees have been pre-established since the beginning of activity in the world, however some Indians use a tuft of feathers when they should still use a single feather. Let’s play in the forest now that the wolf is gone, says a children’s story.

The General called the right procedure Integrity, are you in agree?

Does this have to do with atomization? Well, yes, it is the heart of the matter, otherwise how to unify if there is no rule to regulate the activity. In addition, there is a risk of working with the inverted pyramid where the base is smaller than the top, in other words we are under the risk to have more “caciques” than Indians.  They say that there is no worse deaf person than the one who doesn’t want to hear.  Thank you for your attention.

Senior Grand Master Ricardo Desimone

To be aware read again the previous notes

Circumstances and my handling of English language let me to be a mediator between the desire of those of us who were the majority of the Argentine Instructors and the Founder of the discipline.

The separation of the Korean Instructors (from the original Federation created by General Choi in South Korea in 1966 to distribute their art in the world) leaded to this fact.

The telephone call late at night in Buenos Aires, Argentina (early in the morning in Canada) in a non precise date of 1978, to inform him that the national Black Belts pioneers of that country had decided to continue supporting him unconditionally, allowed me to establish a very special relationship that would last until his death (June 2002).

By those times, the convulsed state of the art produced the inevitable arrival of other Korean Instructors (some sent by the General himself to assist him in his expansionist task) and others who considered it a propitious moment to make their August. The speeches were diverse and without precision and not coincident in the biomechanics of the movements. This fact was repeated in other countries, to such an extent that it forced General Choi himself to take the bull by the horns and personally dictate seminars around the world. A single speech and a single biomechanics for all with pedagogical clarity, allowed a global progress not seen until then.

I was his translator into Spanish of his condensed Encyclopedia (1995 version) and in all interview he gave (notes in martial arts’ magazines, television interviews, meetings with national authorities, etc.) and in more than 10 International Instructors’ seminars.  In none of these seminars was discussed any topic related to the sports facet, since he considered that these aspects should be dealt with by the body of masters and instructors of each country. He merely laid down the rules by which competition was to be governed. He emphasized the touch’s control due to the lethal result in all full contact of the art he had created and highlighted the necessity of granting points to defenses and blocks that would be considered effective if these produced imbalance in the attacker. On every occasion he could, he made it clear that what is used in the Olympic area has nothing in common with his creation and it’s only a usurped name, considering it a comic form of karate (a funny karate as he used to say).

He explained each movement in detail and repeated them tirelessly so the attendees of these seminars would fully understand the meaning and the biomechanics to be executed.  He insisted on the need to perform the movements relaxed and without stiffness so as not to detract from their naturalness.

This contrast with the dictates of some of the entities that claims to follow their legacy but making contracture as the paradigm to be sought, removing all naturalness and effectiveness from the movements.

The curious thing about this discursive dichotomy is the staunch insistence on achieving the opposite of what was dictated by the founder of the discipline. It is also curious because there are plenty of examples in his literature and in the videos that have been filmed in his seminars, demolishing what is erroneously proposed today. Of course, there are reasons for this.

I have met people who denied the Founder even when the General was alive. On one occasion a person who is a GM now, was able to tell me in response to my observation about the erroneous execution of a punch with the front fist made by a competitor in patterns (Tul):…»Well, the General hits rotating his fist at the end????? ..as saying that the General doesn’t always do the right thing and taking as good the competitor’s mistake”. What the competitor was doing, and which prompted my comment, was just the opposite of the General’s indications. On another occasion, the same person was able to answer a question from an attendee of one of his “classes”: «That execution is not the right one he said, adjusting the attendee movement (and when the questioner replied that was General Choi in self who had told him to do so»), he replied: «The General is no longer here and now you must to do what I say.»

Beyond being strictly true what has been described, this give us a little understanding of what is happening in the current atomization of the art we belong.

Excessive pride or arrogance is considered one of the seven capital sins and in our case it reminds me the stanza of a verse from a famous book that contains gaucho’s sayings: «the snake wiggles and shows off its dowry» (Sic)

The biomechanics in the movements of the art created by General Choi Hong HI is unique in the martial arts’ spectrum. The execution of this allows the human being to obtain the maximum power in all and every one of the techniques. In this regard, it can be said that there is only one possible interpretation that makes a single execution possible. The only person who knew how to convey that reality was General Choi, its creator, who in person and with his body in motion gave an example of what he intended to pass on.

He never made any reference to kicks and punches in sequences of sports uses because he considered it a lack of experience to talk about this subject in a seminar with characteristics and fundamentals for self-defense.

I can safely say that General Choi Hong Hi was his Encyclopedia in action in all its aspects. His seminars, like his literature, began with the basics and then progressively continued with the most advanced.

Every time I re-watch the videos of his seminars, I corroborate the enormous didactic difference with what is disseminated today. 

SGM Ricardo Desimone

To be aware read again the previous notes

Human inventiveness is constantly surprising. The martial art known as Taekwon-Do, founded and developed by Gen. Choi Hong Hi, has undergone all kinds of modifications since his death: biomechanical, procedural, systemic, and administrative. However, a new way of referring to it has emerged from one of the many organizations claiming to develop it.

Until recently, this group claimed to be the official Taekwon-Do, but once it became clear that only an entity funded by public money and representing the state can be called official, they stopped using this adjective. One implication of claiming to be official was that selected competitors could demand coverage for travel and accommodation costs to represent the country (as part of an «official» delegation). Consequently, they stopped being official.

In response to this speculative mislabeling of a federation whose registration status is uncertain, a new ruse has emerged to differentiate itself while retaining a similar connotation. The new term used by this organization is «legal.» They self-proclaim as the legal Taekwon-Do, implicitly labeling others as illegal.

If we analyze the meaning of the word legal, the dictionary indicates it is an adjective meaning prescribed by law and in accordance with it. The question arises: what law has been enacted that designates this company as the heir to the founder’s legacy, disregarding all others (48)? Where and when was this law promulgated?

These questions have no answers. Therefore, there is no legal Taekwon-Do related to the creation made by its founder.

The only sporting activity under the name Taekwondo included in the Olympics is developed by the World Taekwondo Federation (WT). This federation can be called official and legal because its representatives are official representatives of their respective countries, and the entity itself is legal because it has been legislated to be recognized as the representative of the Olympic sport called Taekwondo.

This truth is painful for those of us who have supported and developed since its early days in the West the martial art called Taekwon-Do, founded by Gen. Choi Hong Hi. However, it is the truth; the rest is speculative. The rapprochements between South and North Korea are only goodwill missions (these countries have been in unresolved conflict since 1953) but have yielded no concrete results for the martial art or the sport.

The Founder of the art wrote an encyclopedia and his memoirs. Among the many interviews he gave and the many videos of his seminars, he is shown without double-talk. For me, what he narrated about the art’s history is sufficient. To doubt what is written in his books is to doubt his person. Why should I believe him when he talks about technical or philosophical development but not when he writes the history of what he did? If a 15-volume encyclopedia is not sufficient credit, it would be good for those who deny it to show their own.

In fact, speculative notes have recently appeared that cast doubt on what the Founder narrated in his literature. A political tinge emerges from them, contributing nothing to the practitioners or the body of instructors and Masters who develop the activity. While the General was alive, he had many critics, but none of them were significant. Moreover, none dared to confront him, despite his willingness to answer any questions posed to him.

As his translator into Spanish for interviews, seminars, and meetings with authorities, I can assert that he never had double-talk. However, there are always people willing to disparage his work and question his assertions now that he has passed away.

SGM Ricardo Desimone

It is publicly known that the biomechanical diversity is one of several factors that feed the unnecessary creation of entities that claim to teach the art founded by General Choi Hong Hi.

In a note written some time ago, I’ve described how evolutionary has been the art over the years. However, this necessary evolution has contributed to several mischievous to do their pranks.

It is evident that Taekwon-Do offered by General Choi to the world in the late 60s and early 70s, has nothing in common with the biomechanical, aesthetic, protocol and pedagogical development instituted in the 80s and 90s in his hands “exclusively”. In the term exclusively is the key to what happened after his death.

The 15-volume encyclopedia of his authorship and with an exceptional photographic and narrative profusion leaves no room for doubts about how to move, the parameters to follow and the reasons that feed them. Quantities of videos of his seminars in different countries confirm what he said there. As a translator into Spanish of his condensed encyclopedia (1995 version), and assisted him in more than 10 of his seminars or IICs, and having received direct instruction from him, I can attest what I say.

The objectives to be achieved were the trigger for these evolutionary factors. The objectives haven’t changed in their unique martial destiny. In other words, if you don’t follow the pre-established parameters of that evolution, if you change something, the objectives inexorably will change. Yes, the goals have been changed. Who did it? The naughty ones mentioned above. And why have they changed them? Because they are more papist than the Pope, and they consider that the Pope didn’t know as much as they do, considering that necessary arrangements had to be made to improve the matter. The other reason is to put their heads out of the bag and say, here I am, in their need to advertise something that differentiates them from the rest and produce a better capture of members.

It’s very difficult to see what happened if you haven’t been, as it is my case, practically since the beginning of art in the West. To order the narrative, let’s say that the biomechanics, the aesthetic, the protocol and its pedagogical system have been altered, modified after General passed away.

The emphasis placed on the creation of a misunderstood sine wave has been exacerbated, to the point of take away the practical usefulness of certain movements and kicks. It is very easy to see the exaltation of exhibitionism and not the effectiveness. The semantics of the words corroborate this, the exhibitionist dedicates himself to exhibiting and show their “abilities” without caring too much if what he does is useful or not, if he can apply it or not in actual self defense. On the other hand the practitioner is who uses what he has learned to reach the targets, who sets in motion the mechanisms based on effectiveness.

The necessary, inevitable and natural sine wave that feeds the creation of greater power in performances is produced in a static and dynamic way. When it is well understood and well taught, movement retains its naturalness. When pedagogically the opposite happens naturalness disappears and the power is reduced due to the use of an erroneous methodology.

The human body is provided with several joints in its lower extremities, therefore we are a walking sine wave without realizing it. The General insisted in his seminars on the need to be relaxed in the execution of the movements.

There are biomechanical teachings that erroneously incite to forcibly muscle tension to maintain the vertical of the spine. With an unnecessary cervical and shoulder muscle stiffness and with the execution of a robotic, unnatural movement you’ll obtain the opposite result than those looked for. Until the present, I still hear the voice of Gen. Choi insisting in his seminars: «both arms and both legs must be properly bent while the movement is in motion.»

Today, however, the opposite is taught. In order to transfer the body weight in a dynamic and descending way (from a walking stance to another walking stance), the performer is asked to raise his structure by extending the knee of the supporting leg when he moves, creating with this erroneous execution the saw tooth wave, considered from theory and practice as a factor to reducing power, in other words contrary to the desired result.

With a single action is enough to show what happen. Look at a performer’s posture when making a power break with their hands and you’ll notice the absence of cervical and shoulder muscles tension when he moves toward the target. If this were not the case, its execution would be a failure due to the lack of speed.

Patterns (Tul) are there to help us to improve our biomechanics and not to hinder it. Patterns should help us to know and execute movements that we can’t find in combat with a single oponent.

For some years now, unnatural biomechanical parameters have been created and competition judges have been trained in this regard. Therefore, when the judge does not find the absurdity that has been sold to them as good in the performers, they deduct his score. In other words, stiffness, never taught by the founder of the discipline, is rewarded.

Would you use for your actual self-defense against one or more opponents the robotic movements you have been told to do when training patterns? If the answer is no, I think something is wrong with the biomechanics of your training.

SGM Ricardo Desimone

Generally speaking, to take a decision is the act of choosing or selecting something.

It’s established that countless private enterprises under the same name but with little curious details added, advertise that they teach Gral. Choi’s Taekwon-Do. They also say they are the original one and the best to follow the Founder’s legacy, but none it is. As his direct student, translator into Spanish of his Encyclopedia (1995 version), several IIC, seminars and interviews (written and by radio and TV), I can assure that Gral Choi, never gave to nobody such entrustment. The Instructors and Masters of those times, today became in GMs, knows that the Founder of the Art, always carried on with his wishes which were let in written in his memories, Encyclopedia and interviews, that his creation is totally independent.

As he used to say, Taekwon-Do has no boundaries of countries, race and none religious or ideological dependence. It is also true that Taekwon-Do born in South Korea while he was an army commander in its arm forces. It’s true that he was born where nowadays is known as North Korea and it is also true that he has gone there to die only because it was his last wish; another interpretation is a mere political speculation with dark intentions behind it.

Taekwon-Do was founded as a martial art by Choi Hong Hi. It was systematized by him with an effective pedagogical development. None of the entities who use the same name and publish to teach the general Choi’s discipline follows his pedagogical system.  These teach with sporting methods but using the general Choi’s name and his picture to capture students. It’s evident that they are only sport training places as previous step to take these students to participate in championships.

The question is:  what are the students looking for? Are they looking for becoming in a fighter by free? Or they are looking for a discipline who promotes a deep knowing about its philosophy with a revolutionary biomechanical development that increases their physical power in techniques of self defense?

At present to become in a fighter by free is not a good deal. In boxing, MMA or in other fighting sport systems there are fighters, but nobody by free. One thing is going to compete in some Taekwon-Do’s sporting event to know or check its own capacities in a controlled confrontation and another thing is to be part of a circuit whose earnings are darkly established.

Which is the final goal in Taekwon-Do? a medal?, a trophy? or a good handle about self defense?

It is necessary to take into consideration that there is a huge difference between both targets.

When you’re training only the sport area, your mind will be trained in that sense, however the martial arts’ mind have to be built with other parameters.

In the sporting area the final target is to gain one or more points over the average of your opponent using protections authorized by the tournament’s organizer and following the rules and commands of the umpires.

In self defense there are no rules, no protections and no umpires. The unique trophy is to remain alive.

As it is possible to see, a big difference exist between both offers as different will be the training to get the goal. The decision is yours.

SGM Ricardo Desimone

To be aware ready again the previous notes

Most likely, the majority are unaware that, in the early days of the discipline in the West, everything revolved around attending the practice venue. The Instructor/student relationship was the gateway to guidance and knowledge of the sought-after skills.

The emergence of literature related to the martial art being practiced (in our case Taekwon-Do, even before its divisions), made it possible to access information that was difficult to acquire due to language barriers and limited class time, which conspired against accessing such explanations.

The rise of supposed «gurus» with exotic appearances and half-hearted explanations sold non-existent Oriental mysteries.

Did you know that very few Orientals seriously delve into martial arts? Did you know that only a handful of them have theoretical/practical knowledge about these arts? Did you know that many of them take advantage of their Oriental background to sell non-existent mysteries from that part of the world to the West because they realize that Westerners are inclined to buy and idolize them?

Well, if you believe that learning the art from an Oriental guarantees something different, that’s your choice, but remember, despite that preference, there is an undeniable truth that KNOWLEDGE HAS NO RACE.

Today, this market is not only for Orientals but has also been invaded by others who exploit it, many of them audaciously since their pedagogical skills leave much to be desired. However, the real needs of practitioners are no different from the original ones.

Why would you want to become an International Instructor if what you teach needs to be endorsed by supposed Masters or Grandmasters who, to justify their position, will say things that are not what you claim? Isn’t this a veiled way to undermine you, the International Instructor, in front of the students you bring to these «international seminars or courses»? Perhaps this is one of the reasons that promote the frequent switching of schools.

If we put things in perspective, we must agree that an International Instructor seminar is for International Instructors (4th Dan and above with certification for that specialty) and not for lower ranks. Of course, gathering thirty or forty black belts of 4th Dan and above is not the same, economically speaking, as assembling two hundred or three hundred lower-grade black belts, who, despite attending these courses, will not change their level because they lack the time for it and the maturation on their grades .

Is an International Instructor seminar a place to generically dictate whimsical technical combinations of strict sports application? Is that the purpose for which the attendees were called? For many, it’s also a good opportunity to acquire another certificate to add to their personal collection.

I believe an International Instructor Seminar should be directed exclusively at this hierarchical level. Only International Instructors recognized by the institution offering the course and those who have accumulated the credits for promotion should attend, not lower grades. Lower grades (1st to 3rd Dan) should be taught by these International Instructors; otherwise, the order of ranks in the Black Belt ladder would be absurd and unjustifiable. It would be like giving authority only to take it away.

To hold an International Instructor seminar, a unique place must be occupied, granted by the institution that congregates, and be impartial in its linguistic and technical use. However, being promoted to the highest rank of the art does not authorize one to occupy such a place. We know many instructors holding the highest rank (9th Dan) have knowledge often not commensurate with that degree.

This place must be granted unanimously and not contain expressions and actions that create discrepancies or doubts.

To be called a seminar, the source of information must be of the highest level, which doesn’t only mean the highest rank. Both should coincide, yet we know that often they do not.

Longevity in the discipline is sometimes confused with knowledge and pedagogical ability. The field of pedagogy is a separate skill that requires scientific training to transfer knowledge unequivocally, in an impartial language, and with unique biomechanics.

The only person to hold such a position so far has been Gen. Choi Hong Hi. The rest only fed the nowadays divisions.

According to the dictionary, a seminar is: a specialized meeting with a technical and academic nature whose goal is to conduct an in-depth study of a certain subject and where theoretical/practical harmony is sought.

As can be seen, this has nothing to do with showing or trying to «teach» punches and kicks of strict sports application with fleeting uses for effective self-defense.

All calls that deal with sports aspects are merely special classes; seminars, when they are occasionally necessary, are something else and should be treated with the seriousness detailed in this note.

Senior Grand Master Ricardo Desimone

To be aware read again the previous notes