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

As you know, comparisons are sometimes inevitable. I’ve been watching TV series and noticed how the same names are used over the years for different things. One of them is a very popular English nursery rhyme whose name is similar to that of a large cannon used in the English Civil War (1642-1649), the name is Humpty Dumpty. The antagonism is so notable that it instinctively demands attention.

A cannon is a cannon and has no other purpose than to destroy each time it comes into action. In the nursery rhyme, interestingly, that name is also associated with destruction, but with a child-like figure in the shape of an egg.

However, and when it breaks, it’s also complete destruction like the outcome produced by the cannon. The destruction is so great that I found the comparison with the element that brings us together in our daily work inevitable. We belong to a martial art called Taekwon-Do founded by General Choi Hong Hi in South Korea on April 11, 1955. This man also created an international federation to contain his creation within this administrative system and to develop it worldwide.

That federation grew internationally very quickly, just like the art also created by him, even with internal attacks by people who couldn’t accept such success. When this entity increased its development, political ambitions used this name to obtain an Olympic status, setting aside its martial origin and disguising it as a sport. The determination of its founder kept it in the martial field with a sportive facet, and openly his speech talked about the political maneuvering. Over the years, that fight shows the tenacity of the Founder, which was accompanied by the success of his art worldwide.

His death allowed the appearance of opportunism. Another story began to be written with the art and with the entity where it was administratively contained. His art was no longer his art. The entity was no longer his entity; it wasn’t even called by the same name. Why? Because the name is similar but with some words added or signals that differentiates them. When an entity is unique, it allows controlling the handling of the art in all its aspects: times between categories, abilities, uniforms, sport rules, ranks, and recognitions. Diversity is the complete opposite.

For all of us who have been in this activity since its beginnings in the West, we have an inevitable comparison between the fate of the character from the nursery rhyme and that of the federated Entity created by the Founder of Taekwon-Do.

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty together again

SGM Ricardo Desimone

To be aware read the previous notes again

Many things have been said about different training’s procedures. Vast majority put a great emphasis on their sport application, letting see a fantasy in it successful application and putting again the cart before the horses. The excessive way of seeking sport’s success has led to a modification of the training system and the way of instructing discipline.  In the current way of teaching, important factors for the student’s evolution are ignored.

The unequivocal statistic that only 20% of students are interested in participating in sports competition has been set aside. This fact shows us that the remaining 80% are forced to train unintended goals.  Among the factors that have ceased to be considered in training and even in courses and seminars, are the age and physical structure of the students.

On many occasions they are required to achieve things that they are unable to obtain: acrobatics with consecutive turns and repetitive kicks that are used in the Olympic system that use the same name but without practical application in self-defense. To apply with it some training systems that are foreign to this art have been incorporated without necessity with the illusion of improving the performance of the students: jumping on car tires or small obstacles consecutively, etc.

Gen. Choi refers to the obligatory need to consider the personal conditions of each individual in the learning process and developing Taekwon-Do techniques, to such an extent that he advises adapting the patterns (tul) to the possibilities of the student and not vice versa (Vol. 1 page 76 of the Encyclopedia of his authorship).  Curiously, and having been his translator in more than 10 International Instructor Seminars among many other events, he never did any reference to the benefits of sports free combat, in fact, he considered it absurd and lacking of experience to teach technical combinations for that type of combat.

This is understandable due the physical difference and receptiveness of the participants that could be very notorious. An exercise of exclusive sporting application for free combat confrontations should not be unified in an order. Unifying combinations of legs and hands without considering the physical differences of the participants should be avoided. If you have among your students in your class or in a course several persons who are over fifty years of age and other of different ages but younger than these, it is improper and ineffective to demand an imitation of a technical combination that could be performed by younger people but not by the older. The same criterion is applicable for different physical structures and weights beyond their age.

Taekwon-Do is a martial art and as such, demands rigorous and specific training for the effectiveness of its achievements. This training is indicated and pre-established for a gradual growth of the psychophysical possibilities of people of both sexes who have decided to be part of this discipline.

Nowadays, the sporting aspect has been developed excessively. The true essence of the martial art and the training that it demands for its objectives, have been left aside.

Why follow the system?

Because you’ll find that the training proposed by its founder entails a different use of the personal possibilities of each student.

Training and strengthening the different parts of the body is undoubtedly a basic requirement. Nowadays it has become fashionable to train only what is related to sports combat, avoiding everything inherent to the martial art in its different aspects and psychophysical rigors, necessary for a successful self-defense. The system has been proposing this since its inception but has been ignored.

Sports’ training only aims to improve performance in this exclusive field.

SGM Ricardo Desimone

To be aware read again the previous notes

Normally, ignorance and lack of adequate training lead to mistakes. Most human beings errors and mistakes are due to the lack of information on a particular subject, a job to be executed or in the pursuit of an achievement.

The media have evolved exponentially, in such a way that the negative factors mentioned above are incomprehensible. However, as an act of stubbornness, information and the means to obtain it continue to be ignored on countless occasions.  We must recognize the enormous effort that some people do to force disinformation, highlighting the inevitability way to errors.

There is no better candidate than an unaware person to buy what is sold to him, he has no tools to be sure if what they told him is true or not, right or wrong.

In Taekwon-Do such circumstances are an everyday issue. Countless «seminars» or «master classes» are given by those who occupy places by degrees or hierarchies acquired between cocks and midnight. The rank would have to be matched with the knowledge that the holder of that ranks has, however in extraordinary occasions that is the case.

Excessive sportsmanship is a determining factor for such a thing to happen. Every day there are «seminars» where they teach how to fight…????  and where the techniques or combinations to apply  are general orders regardless of the physical or different ages of the students.  I think it is appropriate occasion to remember that General Choi never did such a thing, not because he couldn’t, but because he considered it inappropriate.

How they indiscriminately teach technical combinations that may be are good for some people and terribly inadequate for others!

There is an obvious critical path to avoid regression. Any information not based on a theoretical approach or basis is a shot in the dark. Any theoretical excess, without practical application, only leads to a mere intellectual exercise. This critical path: theory, system and its application allowed the founder of art to fix the disorders that different «connoisseurs of the thing» had scattered all over the world. Of course, this lasted until he lasted. Since then, a path has been set up that permanently feeds division. Therefore, just as the information is divided, so are the results.

How are you going to explain the philosophy of art to those who don’t understand art, to those who only consider Taekwon-Do as the perfect place for exchanging kicks and punches? How you’re going to explain the theory to increase the power in the use of tools for defense and attack to those who have not even read the factors that feed it?

How can you explain the application of Newtonian laws to someone who doesn’t know their existence? However, this is done; it is sown in arid soil, many times intentionally. Therefore, the result is often discouraging. On one occasion, faced with this observation, a today GM present there was able to say, I need that kind of people, I live from them.  Ignorance is often the mother of mistakes, false beliefs, and the purchase of inadequate prophets. Taekwon-Do is the opposite.

SGM Ricardo Desimone

To be aware read the previous notes

A fallacy is an invalid or erroneous form of reasoning that appears to be correct. It is a deceptive or inaccurate (fallacious) form of reasoning that aims to be convincing or persuasive. All fallacies are forms of reasoning that violate some logical rule.

The preceding description is crucial and important because it provides an explanation for the current state of our art. Many entities offer fallacious explanations to justify their existence.

In a previous note, I expressed my astonishment when someone counted 42 entities using the same acronym to promote the discipline created by General Choi Hong Hi. Each of them claims to be different from the others, and to highlight this difference, they add another acronym or word. Phrases are not lacking to attract followers to their lines: this is the official Taekwon-Do, a united Taekwon-Do, for a better Taekwon-Do, we are a family, etc.

They all have things in common: the use of the acronym that identifies an administrative system they have turned into a style and the photo of General Choi. Apart from this, everything else consists of discrepancies with the system originally founded and exponentially evolved by its founder.

The first question that arises on this matter is: Why, if General Choi created a single Taekwon-Do, are there now different versions of it? They have divergent biomechanical versions, different training systems and uniforms, etc. But all claim to be, without being so, what the General founded.

For those of us who belonged to the pioneer generation in countries where Taekwon-Do began to spread outside Korea, all this mishmash tastes like opportunism. In fact, many practitioners have realized this and try to take advantage by changing «schools» to be promoted to ranks that, if there were a serious and unique regulatory entity, they could never attain.

Black belts with very high ranks that, due to age and background, they would not have been able to achieve. There are Federations and Associations that falsely use those names because legally they are not.

In conclusion, we must acknowledge that, as has happened with other disciplines, the fragmentation of the original administration of Taekwon-Do has turned the fragmented parts into schools, so far without the possibility of reunification and using legally unregistered names for their purposes.

A positive step is to become aware of this reality. This will allow us to understand that a world, continental, national, or neighborhood champion is only such in the school (called «federation,» «association») that organizes that sports event, and other schools will hardly recognize them as such.

Fifty years have passed since the first division that took practitioners from all latitudes as unwitting hostages to the political ends that produced it. These are until now, without a solution.

Twenty-one years have passed since the fragmentation of the administration that General Choi founded and presided over. These are until now, also without a solution. In jurisprudence, it is said that time is the truth that escapes. Here, paraphrasing that saying, it can be said that time is not only the truth that escapes but also the possibility of unification that dissipates. Thank you for your time.

SGM Ricardo Desimone

to be aware read again the previous notes

It is very challenging to assimilate the current trend in the development of Taekwon-Do, especially if one has been involved in the art from its very beginnings in the West. The problem is that this discipline was conceived as a martial art with a sports aspect, but now we are moving in the opposite direction.

It has become so important to win a medal or a trophy that hardly anyone pays attention to the fact that the martial feature of the art is diminishing. Beyond the technical differences between organizations, many world champions in patterns (Tul) have a high level of expertise in that particular area of competition, but their performance in combat or power breaking is often unknown.

The same thing happens with many world champions in sparring. Their skills are excellent in that specific area of competition, but it’s usually very difficult to find any of them excelling in other aspects of the sport.

For those who think that Taekwon-Do is about fighting, it is essential to remind them that Taekwon-Do is not about fighting; it is a martial art for self-defense. You may have to fight to defend yourself, but there is a vast difference between fighting for a medal and fighting for survival.

The combat system in the sports arena involves defeating a single opponent without causing serious harm within a limited area, with limited tools, in a set time, following rules, with various protective gears, and under the supervision of a referee. It’s obvious that such circumstances do not exist in self-defense. In the sport arena, you will never have to deal with a hold, fight on the ground, or be attacked by two or more opponents. Then why train more than six or seven techniques that are the average you’ll need to fight in the sport area. But what happen with the other 3.200 techniques of the art?

And for those who only train in patterns to become a champion in that small segment of the art without testing their skills in a real confrontation, have you ever trained how to release a hold? Have you ever trained your hands for material breaking, or do you only attempt it when it’s time to be examined?

Did you know that to be successful in a confrontation against multiple opponents, you need to train that aspect with the same dedication and repetition as when preparing for a tournament against a single adversary?

In summary, you need to understand that Taekwon-Do is a martial art composed of various areas that require training with the same dedication you put into your preferred aspect. Taekwon-Do is not fighting, it is not patterns, it is not only breaking materials, it is not just theory and it is not reciting its philosophy, Taekwon-Do is all of these together.

Many times, black belts are tested by a board that asks them to escape holds or break materials they have never trained for; in other words, they are expected to demonstrate what they should know to honor their rank. The question is: are they trained to meet this demand, or do they do the best they can with evident lack of adequate preparation?

I believe that the current instruction is focused solely on competition, then, the other items will be out of training, pushing the candidates to be promoted doing what they can.

To be honest, the required response for a black belt to honor their rank is to be proficient in all aspects, not just one. A black belt should be an average. After to master such knowledge, if the person wants to be a competitor is his or her choice but not in the contrary. To achieve this, it is necessary to change the current training and mindset regimen.

SGM Ricardo Desimone

To be aware read again the previous notes

In an alarming article published in a newspaper in Puerto Rico (San Juan Star), there was a description of what happened to a police officer from California when he was going to train at a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu place. While applying a technique of this art or sport, I’m not really sure what it is, he suffered a knee flexion pressure that forced him to stop practicing. He also had a great difficulty in working at his full capacity for more than six months. This article triggered a serious reflection on one of the proposals of Taekwon-Do in its connection to health. General Choi Hong Hi, as the founder of Taekwon-Do, always cared about the health benefits that Taekwon-Do training brings. Moreover, this is well explained in his Encyclopedia (Volume I, pages 69 to 72).Personally, I have given lectures on this topic, mentioning the benefits and advantages of practicing this martial art in various important places (Rotary Club in San Juan and the School of Medicine and Sciences in Ponce, both in Puerto Rico), among others. The original sports rules of Taekwon-Do spoke of stopping strikes 2 cm from the target when using bare hands, producing a light touch when using pads or protectors. It’s important not to forget that Taekwon-Do as a martial art is about directing kicks and hand strikes to critical points for use only in self-defense. Time has passed, and the current wave of tournaments has led to indiscriminate use of attack tools, forgetting the original intention of prioritizing the participants’ health. Boxing and MMA have professional participants who typically risk their physical integrity for money, not for a medal. That’s their job. Professional boxing and MMA are not considered martial arts; they are sports with a high risk to the human body’s integrity. To understand this point clearly, it is necessary to define what a martial art is. Martial arts are military arts or arts used in times of war. So, the intent of a tool applied in self-defense is very different from the same technique used in a sports competition. The rules, referees, judges, and organizers will never admit a martial intent in competition. Nobody wants a death in a confrontation. Killing or severe injury would be the result of a martial dispute. Being recognized or not with a medal is the outcome in a competition. A strike due to a controlled attack on some part of the body is accepted in martial arts training, but not an injury that prevents normal social development. Any contact to the head is considered dangerous because of the potential consequences that can appear over time. All individuals who participate in professional confrontations are aware of this; however, they accept the physical risk because of the money involved. Eastern martial arts were originally developed for wartime use. Over time, they became social practices in that part of the world. In the twentieth century, due to immigration from people of Asian origin, these arts became known in the West. Under proper regulation, some of them became Olympic sports. In Taekwon-Do, the health benefits are very well explained. Those entities and instructors who do not adhere to this basic consideration should be socially rejected due to the risk involved in such practice and should be considered misleading by the general audience. It is necessary to remember that children are involved in martial arts practices. Parents take them to martial arts training seeking discipline, proper use of social relationships for their personal lives, and basic knowledge of self-defense to prevent bullying in their schools. Occasionally, these aspects are forgotten in the hands of instructors who have lost that goal in their pursuit of a winner. Instruction in martial arts is one that encompasses all aspects of life: health, discipline, philosophy, and proper relationships. In other words, it can be a wonderful way to help the human being. In the wrong hands, it can become the opposite. Thank you for your time.

 SGM Ricardo Desimone

To be aware read again the previous notes

Social media has allowed us to observe the medley of existing methodologies in knowledge transfer. When Taekwon-Do is described, it is always mentioned as the martial art created and systematized by General Choi Hong Hi.

This fact contrasts with the publications; however, insistence on personalization in pedagogical methodology persists. These aim for the same outcome, but the proposed systems are intrinsically related to the sports aspect. Was the General mistaken? I don’t think so, so draw your own conclusion.

International Instructor Courses, Master Classes, literature, and countless other things are done just to end up doing what is seen in a tournament and turning a deaf ear to experience and the volumes written on the subject.

The only way to properly use the information taught in different courses is by practicing it. If you don’t do that, you’re wasting your time in the courses unless you were there just for the certificate. It’s difficult to do this during regular training days because they are focused on improving the athletic performance of competitors. So is it not possible to incorporate the information from special classes?

It is possible, but not in group classes. In those, you must follow the orders of the person leading the class, which, as mentioned, aims to improve the student’s performance in the sports aspect.

To incorporate the knowledge offered in different courses, you must work alone. Your own body will begin to notice improvement after many sessions of this type of training. When practicing patterns (tul), there is no choice but to do it alone. It is done in a group when training for a competition team, but even then, you must have worked alone to possess the required capability to be accepted into the group, following the instructions provided by the instructor.

The same approach must be followed in other aspects. Group classes are necessary for sparring, which ultimately serves as the practical application of what has been learned alone. If this process is not fulfilled, our knowledge will be empty because it will lack the test of confrontation with an opponent. In other words, we will be theoretical experts in a reality that demands practice.

In group classes, we usually learn to recognize our deficiencies in timing, distance, and our ability (or inability) to solve what the opponent presents. The demands of confrontation prevent us from seeing our biomechanical deficiencies, and we often attribute skills and power to the opponent that they may not actually possess. The only way to correct errors in our movements is by incorporating the information received in courses and special classes, but for that, we must work alone.

There are details that must be taken into account for the success of this strategy:

a-The information sought to be incorporated must be correct and consistent with what the discipline’s founder proposed. Other opinions about the biomechanics of patterns (tul) have only contributed to confusion.

b- Be honest with oneself in order to recognize our shortcomings.

c- Use a method of visualizing the work being carried out (mirror, video, etc.).

d- Since the work requires a considerable number of repetitions, unchecked information should not be used.

e- In case of any doubt, consult with the instructor and refer to literature that addresses the topic.

The proposal is not easy, but it is the only path.

SGM Ricardo Desimone

In Taekwon-Do, there has always been confusion in the description of attitudes and with the language used, which conditions the relationship with students. Who is teaching every daily training class is considered the instructor of the students regardless of the hierarchy he has.

When Taekwon-Do was introduced outside the borders of South Korea, where it was born, the Master, S. Master, and G. Master hierarchies were practically non-existent. The first bearers of knowledge about this art held the category of Instructor (4th to 6th Dan).

However, this was enough for the discipline to be taught in all countries where these Instructors were spreading their knowledge. Over time and with the evolution of Taekwon-Do, the hierarchical scale of those who occupied the place of instruction grew. The hierarchy of Master and S. Master (7th and 8th Dan, respectively) coincided with the experience in the pedagogical field and with the degree of knowledge they had. The rank of G. Master (9th Dan) was held only by General Choi. The places that the founder’s first envoys once dominated began to be occupied by pioneers from the different countries where the art was developed.

While this process was developing, the category of Instructor’s assistant (1st to 3rd Dan) existed in the hierarchical diagram that described the ranking. In practice, everyone who was in front of the students and responsible for their evolution was considered an Instructor. The number of black belts who dedicated their time to this function was very limited.

However, the authority to examine the students was established, as it is today, for anyone who holds the rank of 4th Dan or higher with the International Instructor certificate granted by the only entity in the world at that time.

As stated, the rank coincided with knowledge; however, it was not related to sporting success. There have been many cases where success in sport was not coincident with pedagogical success. Let’s say that both areas require specific skills, and it is rare for these to coincide.

Today, where Taekwon-Do has apparently changed the proportions between the martial and the sporting, it has become necessary to redefine hierarchies. Is a coach more necessary than an instructor? At present, sporting success seems to occupy an overly significant place. Knowledge, pedagogical ability, and cultural level of whoever is instructing do not seem to have much importance.

Despite this, there are places that are unalterable: an Instructor is the one who teaches and has direct contact with the student every class. Master and G. Master are hierarchical places that, when acquired and used well, will allow for the ordering of the pedagogical field with instructors so that they can pass on this knowledge to their students, who can be Gups and Danes.

Masters and G. Masters become instructors when they teach their direct students in the daily training class. As a relevant truth, coaches are only necessary to help a competitor in the sporting area.

The Instructor, in any of their hierarchies or degrees, is the one who truly teaches the students (whether they are competitors or not).

It is imperative to address the absence of theoretical knowledge. The lack of necessary maturation time between each promotion has produced an over-dimension of high ranks, most of them «obtained» before their time. These are part of the army of promotions that have broken all the parameters originally established by the Founder. Certifications or diplomas should be awarded when the knowledge and the pre-established maturation time in the rank are corroborated and fulfilled.

The intention was always to have a single regulatory entity for the discipline in order to guarantee a respectful and respected hierarchical scale and a body of instructors who would dignify the art with their ability and knowledge. Certifications or diplomas should be awarded when the established knowledge and maturation time in the grade are corroborated and fulfilled; otherwise, it is just a sale of certificates that denigrates both the recipient and the issuer.

General Choi’s Taekwon-Do is no longer a single regulatory entity for the art, we do not have a promoted hierarchical scale in a timely manner, nor is there a unique language. Therefore, the body of instructors who face the worthy task of teaching every day must do so in doubtful terms: there is no single technical parameter because there are many, there is no single sports rule because there are also several, and minimum times between grades are respected as convenient. In short, it is a world turned upside down.

SGM Ricardo Desimone

To be awarded read again the previous notes

The biomechanical disparity that exists among institutions claiming to teach General Choi’s Taekwon-Do leads to the omission of elements in the execution of patterns or Tul. The different courses taught on the subject have contributed to emphasizing this difference. The mind of the performer is fundamentally focused on implementing small details established by the entity sponsoring the event, which only feeds the pretension of differentiation.

Remember that movements should be executed realistically, beyond always maintaining the correct posture and proper stance, but fundamentally rigidity should be absent. Realism in execution and the absence of stiffness seem to have disappeared as objectives to achieve, turning the performer into a robot obsessed with the use of physical tension, which is impractical in the case of a confrontation.

Tensing or relaxing the muscles at the appropriate time, as well as accelerating or decelerating movement, should be present in each execution. In most patterns competitions, this condition is absent. The obsession with fulfilling the details pointed out in the courses has led them to execute impractical movements.

Judges have apparently been trained to reward rigidity, lack of naturalness, and the height of kicks executed in an exhibitionist manner, to the point that on more than one occasion, the competitor makes it clear that they do not understand the practical use of one or another technique.

Maintaining the verticality of the spinal column (except in the exceptions marked by its creator) is one thing, but excessive tension in the muscles of the neck and shoulders in a completely fictitious and impractical posture is another. The number of national and international sports events produced by each and every entity is enormous, thus losing the relevance of the territorial scope included in the contest (international, continental, national, or neighborhood).

The seminars taught by the founder of the discipline were many and offered in most of the countries that were members at the time. These were filmed and leave no doubt about the correct way in which patterns should be executed. But of course, the governing entity was only one in contrast to the potpourri that overwhelms us today and produces the different deficiencies pointed out.

Many do not take into account, either for convenience or ignorance that each of the patterns or Tul begins and ends in the same exact place, a detail that marks the accuracy of the performer and the demanding work required to achieve this objective.

The aforementioned need a review by the entities that saturate the market and it must necessarily be taken into account to solve the issues pointed out. It is essential to consider training and modifying the information given to those who serve as judges and then providing those parameters to the competitors. It would be useless to train the performers properly, with the enormous personal effort that this demands, without the proper preparation of those who must judge the performance of that effort in a competition. Needless to say, on more than one occasion, people with correct performance are seen competing but not awarded by judges whose information is conditioned according to the directives of the entity in which they belong. Inadequate information often promotes injustice.

As a detail that seems not to be taken into account, starting and finishing in the same exact place is included in the score given to the diagram, among other concepts to be taken into account by the judging panel. If the competitor does not comply with this part, points will be deducted in that item that is included; of course, this will apply if the judges have been adequately trained.

SGM Ricardo Desimone

To be aware read again the previous notes