All entities use the name of Gral Choi Hong Hi and his photo to promote their activities (Seminars, tournaments, etc).
Are they also using the Gral Choi prerogatives: his particular biomechanics or the training method he proposed? I don’t think so… Then, the mentioned references are merely speculative.
Today there are many high categories around the world using their particular point of view about how to teach Taekwon-Do and utilizing their personal training methods.
This individual thinking modifies the biomechanics proposed by the Founder, who between other things asked to us, the highest categories of that moment to “please keep the patterns (Tul) as they are at present because these are the vertebral column of our Art”. I think that he had the intuition that some people were waiting for his absence to impose their very personal criteria. When I’m mentioning some people I’m including all ethnics: Orientals and occidentals.
What really is the Gral Choi Hong Hi creation: a name?, initials to describe an entity?, Sport combat rules? a fashion?
He developed a particular way to improve the human being’s power in a real and effective self defense structure. This is systematized in an easy pedagogical method and a philosophical basis, which is called Taekwon-Do.
Taking into consideration our present, his prerogatives to keep his Art in this strict scheme, is uncertain.
He was traveling around the world to unify criteria and to teach the method that finally nobody is using. In use are his name and photo, but his Art is not, it was fancifully modified.
I can’t precise if this happened because he was not understood or purposely done to impose, using his name, personal trademarks. Probably both things are placed into play.
Some entities mention the theory and its geometrical references, but the bodies of the teachers (doesn’t matter their category: GM, Masters, Instructors) don’t move according to their words.
Others do not care about any theory or reference; just use the Gral’s name, his photo and the initials of the entity he founded, that’s all.
Giving a seminar and talking with students of different organizations, one of them told me that while attending a seminar offered by a Grand Master, he noted to that GM the fact that Gral Choi indicated a different and particular manner to perform the movement discussed in that moment. To this student’s surprise the answer of that GM was: “Gral. Choi passed away and now, in this Entity, the people are going to do as I say”. ???
If all entities are using their own and personal criteria, why do they use the Gral Choi’s name, his photo and the theory introduced by him?
Gral. Choi never taught a boxing method as is used today to train the students. If you practice Taekwon-Do, you have to train Taekwon-Do. The boxing methods are very good for boxing. He always said that Taekwon-Do is a Martial Art with a sport item and not vice versa. A martial art is soundly different to a sport combat system.
Sometimes some sport methods used today by most instructors, can be adequate for a particular fighting competition but not for a regular Taekwon-Do’s tournament.
Since 1973 we were arguing against the methodology employed in the taekwondo that for political reasons is used in Olympics since 1990’s. They always tried to demonstrate that taekwondo is only a sport due to a particular convenience. Our Founder obsessively repeated:” that thing was only a bad mimic using a stolen name but never a martial art”.
Those that only see Taekwon-Do as a sport, make the Founder’s fight a wasted effort.
If you consider Taekwon-Do only as a sport, you’ll never understand Taekwon-Do properly. Taekwon-Do must be taught by an Instructor and not by a coach.
Taekwon-Do is a science, then, it will be found where the knowledge is, independently of any ethnicity, any political convenience or for some entity’s profits.
Taekwon-Do doesn’t belong to any particular race or country. If it would be so and you don’t belong to this special ethnic, why are you doing such an effort to obtain something that you’ll never get?
SGM Ricardo Desimone
To be aware search the previous notes