Questioning the diversity of entities that claim to represent, promote, and teach Taekwon-Do, created, disseminated, and evolved by its creator, General Choi Hong Hi, is pointless. This has been discussed ad nauseam, to the point that the existence of an indefinite number of entities claiming such authority is now universally accepted.

Of course, none of them are. None of them is an extension of the original because the real one, with its context, organizational structure, administrative order, unity of criteria, pedagogical system, and technical development, died along with its founder in June 2002. If this weren’t true, the years that have passed since then have been enough to clarify the issue. But reality continues with the expansion of the obscurantism.

In the overwhelming diversity surrounding Choi Hong Hi’s creation, the lack of a charismatic leader, the unequivocal guidance of a single protocol, pedagogical clarity, and the necessary unity of purpose are evident. Today, everyone is playing their own game in the name of who put the ball in motion, the ball they all play with. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. How many presidents of organizations with the same acronym are there? Too many. How many were there then? Just one. Which one of them can replace him? None. So why don’t they stop occupying the position he held?

My dear friend, I was told that tigers were herbivores until they tasted blood, and since then, none have eaten plants again.

Each administration uses promotion timelines according to its internal needs. Each entity uses protocol criteria according to its own understanding. !!!But some are led by people of Eastern origin!!!… Race doesn’t guarantee the correct use and destination of what has been created, except for the correct use and destination of what has been created by each of them. They use philosophical phrases and methods attributed to the Founder, even though this has nothing to do with him.

Eastern leadership is very useful for those who need to feed their personal fantasies about that race, without this having anything to do with reality, effectiveness, knowledge, or pedagogical ability.

General Choi clearly established that his art should not belong to any country, nor should it be associated with any religion; however, there are those who claim this kind of heritage.  Art opens its doors only to those who honor the vision of its founder. Associations, Federations, and Confederations are merely administrative systems that are only valuable if they comply with the laws that govern their constitution. For this to happen, as with any system of government, the constant renewal of its authorities is necessary. When this doesn’t occur, it ceases to honor the administrative name it bears and becomes a mere reign. In other words, Associations, Federations or Confederations can’t inherit.

When such actions occur, they are even more serious than institutional diversity.

Mentioning the diversity in clothing, regulations, pedagogy, philosophy, and biomechanics would be repetitive, and it’s clear that nobody cares.

However, despite what has been described, within the diverse institutional framework, a biomechanical distortion has recently increased, neglecting details that make the increase in power and effectiveness or practical utility of movements, a minor point. The sinusoidal wave has been replaced by the jagged wave. But…how can that be, if doing so culminates in opposite results? Very simply, they only preach “down, up, and down” for creating the famous wave, but they don’t explain how to execute it correctly.

They have institutionalized the opposite: replacing relaxation by contraction when performing movements. In other words, they’ve replaced practical movement with an unrealistically robotic and artificial one, but and being honest, beautifully performed.

Seminars have proliferated and increased exponentially. However, only the certificate and the mandatory attendance set by the organizations have something to do with what is actually taught. The distribution of promotional items (pins, badges, ties, certificates, photographs, etc.) is overwhelming. Currently, it’s common to give commands for executions involving combinations of kicks and punches exclusively for sporting use, devised by who is commanding the seminar, without such combinations being of any use to the participants. These highlights, the disconnection between the techniques, their practical utility in self-defense, and what is now taught with a single purpose: purely for sporting confrontations.

I would like to remind you that General Choi has never discussed or treated the sporting aspect in a seminar. He considered this a topic for a coach or trainer, not for a seminar that was meant to be exclusively focused on martial art aspect. Anyone, regardless of rank, can demonstrate combinations of kicks and punches; for the other items,…one needs to know how.

This clearly demonstrates the difference between the current diversity and the previous unity.

SGM Ricardo Desimone

To be aware read again the previous notes

Time inexorably passes, and with it the repetition of events that confirm the accepted use of what has been avoided at all costs.

In each of the countless interviews done to General Choi Hong Hi, to whom I assisted with translating, he boasted of the conditions under which his art had developed and spread throughout the world.

“In contrast to other martial arts, Taekwon-Do is administratively structured within a single entity. Its technical development is unique, and its execution is the same in the entire world, unlike other arts that only retain unified the name but whose patterns and pedagogical systems are different,” he used to repeat.

This brought the founder a particular joy because he had been a great architect of this criteria through his constant travels around the world to achieve this result.

His death unleashed countless controversies that, from the very beginning, plunged the art into a state of constant turmoil. Numerous organizations emerged with the same name, each adding an adjective to distinguish itself from the rest. This differentiation through added adjectives also extended to the pedagogical system, the biomechanics of its movements, its sporting aspects, its uniforms, and, most recently, the absurd and politically motivated renaming of the most emblematic of the 24 patterns that comprise the art (Tong Il Tul).

They all claim to be, but none of them are. I’m referring to the entity that was supposed to be inherited. Some of us have made huge efforts to prevent this from happening, but it’s clear it hasn’t been enough. These efforts, as it is in my case, that I’ve assisted the founder in more than ten international seminars for Danes, having received direct instructions from him on the biomechanics to be used and his wishes and command to «preserve the patterns without modifications», it’s hard to accept this present that so unashamedly contradicts his legacy and wishes regarding his work.

In conclusion, I think it’s appropriate to mention that, over the time that has passed since the physical disappearance of the only one with unifying power, our current development demands the acceptance of facts that have become undeniable over time.

Which of all the existing entities can claim to be the one founded and presided over by Choi Hong Hi? None of the present entities are the chosen one.

However, it is necessary to accept that all of them, in their own way, defend the «style». None of them have accepted what is proposed by that phonetically called with the same name, because their biomechanics and intention have nothing in common with what the Founder proposed, no matter how much it is considered an Olympic sport.

Unification with that sporting activity, from which a staggering 53 years have passed, has been and it’s a convenient utopia used exclusively for political and economic purposes.

To paraphrase a legal maxim which says that time’s passes is the rushing truth, I would like to adapt the phrase to our activity by saying that time’s passes is the reunifications’ flees.

If those of us who claim to respond to the biomechanical, systemic, and pedagogical mandates of General Choi Hong Hi are gathered in institutions that are difficult to unify among them, joining forces with those who only share the phonetics of a name is unthinkable.

Definitely, Taekwon-Do is not the same as Taekwondo.

In the case of the countless organizations that claim to follow the dictates of General Choi, we have to reach the following conclusion, stated many times before but undeniably necessary to reiterate:

The uniform (dobok) is unique to each organization. The biomechanics are unique to each organization. The sporting rules are unique to each organization. The pedagogical system is unique to each organization, as are the promotion systems that have worshipped undeniable economic greed.

To stop swimming against the fluent, it is necessary to accept this reality that surrounds us and fight for all and each organizations that represent our “style”.

Just like with soccer teams, they all play with the same ball in the same type of game, but they defend the particular colors of their emblems and organizations.

In this universal institutional diversity, ITO (International Taekwon-Do Organization) is an international entity that promotes the Gral. Choi’s Taekwon-Do. ITO doesn’t use arbitrary technical modifications; however use to have an open door to integrate with other entities that follow the same principles. Thank you for your time.

SGM Ricardo Desimone

to be aware read again the previous notes

Time never stands still. A thought, intention, or claim should not necessarily be accepted as true simply because it is repeated endlessly in the media.

An individual named Joseph Goebbels, Nazi’s propaganda minister (1933–1945), popularized the famous phrase «lie, lie, and something will always stick» to achieve his goals.

Fortunately, societies around the world have prioritized training and knowledge in all fields over mere physical ability or racial or religious affiliation. While these latter factors still exist, they impose boundaries that limit global interaction among the beings that inhabit the planet. In fact, the founder of the discipline in which we are developing, imperatively proclaimed the need to avoid these detrimental factors because they negatively influence the growth, development, and evolution of the art we are concerned with.
Commenting on the lack of a single entity to unite practitioners is irrelevant, as the subject has been extensively covered. Furthermore, the mere mention of the numerous organizations that claim to govern the activity confirms the absence of that necessary single entity, which ceased to bring us together with the passing of its founder, General Choi Hong Hi.
His legacy is not an administration but a system of knowledge transfer that he developed and systematized for the use of the world’s inhabitants. He always spoke of those factors he considered neither obligatory nor necessary, as they were an impediment to development and global reach. He insisted on this verbally and in his writings (Encyclopedia and his memoirs). The racial, religious, or governmental affiliation of his art would lead to its use for political purposes. It is one thing for a country to include and recognize it within its activities (educational, sporting, or social benefit), and quite another for a country to centralize the management of that activity, which generally ends up being used politically and distorting the activity itself.

There are adjectives being used indiscriminately to attract followers, but without any authenticity.

Among them, we can mention that the art they claim to teach, manage, and protect is “original” or “official.”

I consider it illustrative and beneficial to unravel the meaning of each of these adjectives, to bring their scope and veracity to the forefront.

The dictionary states:

“Original”: 1) Belonging to or relating to the origin. 2) Said of a scientific, artistic, literary, or any other type of work: That which results from the inventiveness of its author.

“Official”: 1) That which emanates from the authority of the state. 2) Said of an institution, a building, a school, etc., that is funded with public funds and is under the control of the State.

Regarding the use of the adjective “original,” it can be said that as long as what is taught by its author is used systematically and without modifications, it is possible, albeit with reservations, to use it in advertising. However, it is important to clarify that this does not coincide with what is used in educational settings.

Viewed from another angle, the use of the adjective «original» is also inappropriate, since the Taekwon-Do promoted by General Choi in the 1980s and 90s until 2002 bears no resemblance to what was disseminated in the 1960s and 70s. Of course, to appreciate the marked differences between the two periods, one must have been present during those years, as I am.

It is also curious that those who proclaim such originality have been the last to adhere to the existing federation proposal, which originated in a different geographical location than the one they now claim to belong to. Regarding the adjective «official,» its use is inappropriate if, as the dictionary states, it lacks the recognition and financial support of the public funds of the state it claims to represent, and is not dependent on that state. This is very important because, when faced with sporting or training commitments, representatives should have the costs of such attendance covered by the state they claim to represent (hotel accommodations, travel, and meals). Since this is not the case, the use of the adjective «official» is misleading.

The use of adjectives in the media is abundant and not harmless, nor should it be accepted as natural. They are simulations of nonexistent support, aimed solely at recruiting members.

There has been an issue impossible to ignore, and its repercussions have led to consideration of the disrespectful and imprudent nature of the attempt because it affects the integrity of the founder’s work. There has been an attempt to modify the name of the most emblematic of the 24 existing patterns (tul – Tong Il).

To carry out this scheme, the nonexistent desire and request of General Choi Hong Hi’s family to make such a change was publicized.

The Founder’s family has stated in writing and on social media that this is not true and considers the attempt to carry out this act audacious and disrespectful. It is imperative to take into consideration the details in this note because the political intention of the entity carrying out these actions (misuse of adjectives and unauthorized modifications) is solely for fundraising and political purposes. Thank you for your time.

SGM Ricardo Desimone

To be aware read again the previous notes

In a boring discussion about the different sources that usually support an information, I was able to corroborate what I knew yesterday, paraphrasing a poem, which turned out to be completely true.

Although the topic in question had nothing in common with our job, I couldn’t help but connect it to what brought us together.
Information, the fundamental base of theory and its implementation, identifies the practice and execution of a movement. In our case, it is the execution of the techniques of Art of Taekwon-Do developed by General Choi Hong Hi. This information is supported by research and subsequent addition of scientific laws that allowed the Founder to position his creation as a unique biomechanical system within the martial arts’ spectrum.
Although it has been corrupted countless times by countless individuals who fueled the confusion, it is possible to rescue the original as long as a few scientific parameters related to the human body’s structure are followed. Even today, despite artificial intelligence, the control of balance, the transfer of body weight, and the use of biomechanical details allow us to establish a strict relationship with the nature of our bodies. Knowing its structure, the location of its organs and the critical points map, will allow us to understand with precision the mechanisms used in attacks and defenses. For those who consider the sport area as a whole, this knowledge will allow them to understand the reasons for protections and limitations on contact. For those who are not obsessed with this item, it will allow them to solidify their self defense procedures.

Now, in both areas, we can understand the inevitable need for information and knowledge, to avoid depending on the rudimentary field of imagination and invention.

In our art, information is usually taken from various pre-established sources, some of which have been modernized by the use and advancement of technology. Books, videos, lessons, and of course the necessary desire to acquire valuable content, will be the basic elements needed to build our store of knowledge. This is inherent at all latitudes of our planet. This last detail will allow us to fully understand the universality of the information accepted as reliable.
A racial disparity is usually found in the classroom attendance of all universities. None of the ethnic components that make up this diversity shows signs of inevitable superiority over others. This means that reliable and scientifically approved information is universal. It is given unconditionally and in this sense have to be incorporated. Today can be said that in our art, and after many years of traveling the world, the largest percentage of instructors are nationals from each of the countries whose membership contributes to make up the various entities whose diversity surrounds us.
However and despite the strict truth of the above, there are those who continue believing that Oriental instructors are better. For these people, racial difference constitutes a mystical necessity that validates their genuflection despite receiving no information from them that justifies such submission.

Football was invented and developed by the English, yet the best exponents of that sport are not of that nationality, nor are England the governing body neither.

Judo, despite having been developed in Japan, is governed by the IJF (International Judo Federation), based in Budapest, Hungary.
The most interesting aspect of about our art is that its founder, General Choi Hong Hi, consistently insisted on the universality of his creation and the independence of his art from any country or regime that would exploit it for political uses. However, today, we are urged to depend on one country and one race for reasons that may be politically understandable for the people of that country, but unacceptable from a scientific point of view. Reflection on this issue is always the means to avoid being trapped by dark outside interests.

SGM Ricardo Desimone

To be aware read again the previous notes

The atomization of the system devised by General Choi Hong Hi has led to a remarkable diversity of criteria and information. Many of these expressions are based on uncertain, arbitrary foundations and are difficult to identify with the theory and practice proposed by the founder of the discipline.

At times, one hears complex explanations about the theory behind increasing power in techniques that verge on the delusional from a physics standpoint—explanations of biomechanics and the sine wave that would astonish any scientist.

As a direct student of General Choi and his Spanish translator for over 10 instructor seminars and for his Encyclopedia, I have never seen or heard such complex explanations from the founder himself, nor has he included them in his encyclopedia. This brings to mind the old saying: “some are more papist than the Pope.” Based on this, the current technical and biomechanical diversity becomes understandable. However, the outcomes of these interpretations must be seriously considered. The rigidity resulting from following them is a constant that renders movements impractical, as the muscle contractions these techniques demand occur in inappropriate areas of the body.

The excessive sport-oriented approach has stripped movements of their intention, turning forms (tul) into mere geometric executions, devoid of purpose. Those who have arbitrarily and absurdly imposed the lack of definition in hook heel-turning kicks (bandae dollyo gorochagi) in the Juche and Moon Moo patterns have yet to reconcile this erroneous and crude modification with the correct execution, which has been clearly shown in various videos by General Choi himself—explaining and demonstrating how they should be properly performed.

From a didactic standpoint, there’s now a trend of teaching courses, master classes, and seminars where the instructor lacks a pedagogical approach rooted in what Choi Hong Hi developed. Instead, they focus on showcasing their personal skills in warm-up drills or combinations used in sports techniques.

If we were to judge past classes, courses, and seminars through the lens of these modern pedagogical practices—ones often marked by an undeniable desire to demonstrate superiority over the average participant—then all of them, including those of the founder himself, would be deemed outdated and passé.

I would like to offer a reflection: if the goal is to hold a technical seminar, its true value lies in the effectiveness of the execution and in confirming the students’ understanding and application. One must clearly distinguish between a seminar conductor and someone simply showing off their performance acquired in occasional competitions or demonstrations.

Conclusion: The former must master both the art and its pedagogy (to teach), while the latter merely displays their abilities (to show off)—which, nowadays, are no longer surprising, since social media regularly features highly skilled performers, even at lower ranks.

SGM Ricardo Desimone   

To be aware read again the previous notes    

When questions are asked about Taekwon-Do, the answer is invariably that it is a martial art that can be practiced by everyone regardless of age.

This is only a half-truth, as certain conditions must be considered for this statement to be more than just a form of advertising. In the case of children, when asked, the Founder of the discipline responded that 8 years old was a good age to begin. Of course, that response implicitly assumed an understanding of the basic theory that supports the practice of Taekwon-Do — and before that age, it is practically impossible to transfer that understanding. Nowadays, that age has been done away with by the system that also calls itself Taekwon-Do, but which allows children as young as 3 or 4 to practice. Sure, the name is Taekwon-Do, but what is practiced there has nothing to do with what was founded by Choi Hong Hi — except for the greeting, the uniform, and the name of the activity.

However, it must be acknowledged that, without a doubt, it is a very useful way to instill a form of discipline in children within a society that, generally speaking, shows signs of the opposite.

In the case of adults, something similar happens, as what is often taught is a variety of movements with a sporting application, suited exclusively for people of both sexes but only within the age range of 14 to 40. All those beyond that age — with honorable exceptions — make great efforts to repeat the dictated movements without the possibility of truly incorporating them into their combat repertoire. The reasons are simply due to age, although no one mentions it outright. That is why I always speak with caution about those who deliver massive seminars on sports techniques without taking into account the age or physical structure of the participants.

Does this mean that there are multiple Taekwon-Dos within Taekwon-Do? The Founder developed a single art, not two. Nevertheless, as instructors, we must take the aforementioned details into account. It is well known that only 20 to 30% of students may become interested in the sporting facet; the rest simply follow the given instructions.

Martial art and self-defense are intimately linked — both conceptually and in terms of the techniques to be executed — which is why it is said that Taekwon-Do is a martial art with a sporting aspect, not the other way around.

Those who have practiced one or another technique for escaping holds or defending against armed attacks have likely realized that if these are not practiced regularly, they have no practical application. The lack of repetition with opponents of different sizes prevents them from working as they should. In tests for advanced ranks, when asked to deal with such attacks, it often becomes clear how ineffective the practitioners are due to a lack of training in that area.

In the sporting realm, there have always been trendy techniques — movements effectively executed by a few skilled competitors. Immediately afterward, the other competitors and instructors present try to incorporate those techniques into their classes without considering the underlying details that make such executions effective. The age of the performer is a fundamental factor to consider when trying to imitate them. The problem arises when one tries to execute them with an unsuitable body or at an inappropriate age.

I believe the best way to get the most out of the art of Taekwon-Do is to recognize within oneself what goals we want to achieve — always bearing in mind our personal limitations.

SGM Ricardo Desimone

to be aware read the previous notes

We can talk until tiredness about the biomechanics of Taekwon-Do movements. These are just a variety of tools that we can use for self-defense.  The practical usefulness of each of them is closely linked to the circumstances we have to face. For this reason, the vast majority will be of practical use in situations that cannot be reproduced in sports because they have been designed to solve situations with several opponents.

Normally, the confrontation with a single opponent is trained, as the only one possible to be included in the sport field. The pedagogical aspect and its methodology have a central influence for success in this area.

Usually in the teaching of art, students are compelled to execute this type of fight from the very beginning of the practice; I mean that due to an erroneous pedagogy a beginner is required to perform this type of confrontation without an adequate handling of his body for such a commitment.

The beginner is compelled to acquire his experience on the trial and effect of his own blunders. They had not time enough to acquire a better control of the necessary tools.

He is encouraged to execute foot works that include reverse turning kicks and jumps when he is still clumsy for direct linear movements.  The reason for this error has a name: tournament.

The «need» of the instructor to take as many students as possible to a sporting event has determined this pedagogical mistake.  To illustrate the enormous difference between the bodily employment of an advanced belt and what is done by beginner ranks can be clearly seen in competitions. Not only do they badly hit each other, but they also show the lack of effectiveness in what they do.

Free combat against a single opponent, which is what is taught and executed in daily training, would be used to develop, among other things, tactics and strategy in this type of circumstance. However, the beginner student is forced to not be able to develop them because he doesn’t manage his tools appropriately.

In sport combat, just 6 or 7 techniques out of the almost 3200 existing are used in the best of cases and in hands of a highly skilled person. The regulations, the prohibitions and the type of opponents make it so. The application of these will also depend on time and distance to be successfully executed.

If the student does not yet have mastery of his tools to be able to use them when the occasion demands it, the evolution of his tactics and strategy will be significantly affected.

The solution would be very simple to implement, but unfortunately it will depend on the «need» of the instructor to take his beginner students to a tournament. He must understand, among other things, that if his novice students win, the students of other instructors will not run to enroll in his class.

It should also be clear that if a low-ranking competitor has been a winner in a sporting event, they do not have the development or experience to compete with the more advanced ones, just won in that competition with the occasional opponents of his rank.

The student has always been told that he should not practice a more advanced pattern (tul) until he has mastered the one at his level. This truth is a dictum of the founder of the art himself written in his literature; however this criterion is not applied to the training of sport combat. If the student had not the necessary time to develop the tools, he or she is built on poor foundations, with great ambition but at the wrong time.

SGM Ricardo Desimone

To speak about the damage that the institutional atomization of Taekwon-Do has produced would be a reiterative truth. In a note published on Facebook with an authorship that I can’t remember, the number of entities using the same acronym and claiming to teach General Choi’s Taekwon-Do was described in detail.

The figure illustrates 48 and included the name and rank of those who preside over them. In the list were included ITO, an international organization that I founded in 2013 and I’m currently chair. Although ITO doesn’t exploit the acronym that is used by the remaining 47, it does strictly teach what the Founder of the discipline bequeathed to me because I’ve received it directly from his hands without any intermediary. Details on this can be obtained at www.itotkd.org

I knew that there were many entities that claim to teach what the General dictated, but I didn’t imagine that would be so many and in this same context those that are to come. They all claim to do it but none of them follow his teachings.

I mean being the federation that Choi Hong Hi presided over. The reasons are obvious and have been explained repeatedly. Beyond the biomechanical divergence in relation to the original, the problem begins to worsen due to the number of entities that dispute the management of the students in his name, the promotion system, times applied between ranks and costs of them. Some reminders are necessary to reason about the seriousness that besets us and understand what we call the legacy of General Choi Hong Hi:

1. a) It is necessary TO USE THE SYSTEM developed by the Founder. This must be done in all its aspects and not only in any of them and because it is convenient so. The pedagogical methodology must not be altered (warm-up system, body biomechanics, philosophy, uniform to be used, the time and training required in the scale of degrees to be granted, protocols to be followed and the sports system to be used).
2. b) Nobody can compulsorily occupy the place of the Founder without the consent and support of the rest; therefore, they are only regents of private companies.
3. c) Art should not depend on any country or regime because that is how it was designated by General Choi himself, repeatedly said in countless seminars and reports that have been made on him. This was also written down in his bibliography and in his memoirs.
4. d) Fortunately, there are still high-ranking people who, as it is in my case, we have been his direct students and can attest to this truth.
5. e) Many reports that were made on him have been recorded and filmed and serve to endorse what has been said.
6. f) The General boasted of the existence of a single entity that contained his unique art, with a unique biomechanics and a unique pedagogical system to transfer knowledge to the next generations of practitioners. Business ambitions and lack of awareness have done the opposite.

The number of world, continental, national, regional, and even neighborhood tournaments is overwhelming, however, and due to institutional diversity, the successes achieved in them only count for the entity that sponsors each event.

In front of an ephemeral possibility of a merger with Olympic Taekwondo, it is necessary to keep in mind that none of the aforementioned 48 has preeminence over the rest, in the event of an alleged and more than unlikely negotiation.

Institutional unity is the only possible way to preserve the legacy and give coherence to the current sale of ranks.

A single entity is the only possible means of regulating activity. The old popular saying of unity is forced to go around shouting, but apparently, no one hears it or, what is worse, it seems that no one wants to hear it, because of that «there is no worse deaf than the one who doesn’t want to hear».

SGM Ricardo Desimone

To be aware read again the previous notes

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