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