Dichotomy is defined as a sharp division of things or ideas into two contradictory parts.

Taekwon-Do is as everybody knows a martial art. It development has a particular biomechanics that let the human being use the 100% of his potential in all and each techniques used.

The power breaking application with different materials (woods, roof tiles, bricks, etc.) corroborates such assertion.

But its handling is not so easy to obtain. It will require a firm determination and perseverance to acquire the necessary skill to be effective in self defense situations.

Different parts of the human body structure are used as weapons to block an opponent’s attack or to produce a considerable damage in the occasional adversary.

The biomechanics alone of the mentioned weapons doesn’t produce any damage in the enemy whose structure cannot be predictable. The opponent can be smaller or bigger than us, but never as weak as we would like to find if the circumstances arrive. It is necessary to apply a well trained tool to be effective against their weapons or to seriously injure the adversary’s structure.  These strong weapons cannot be bought in the market or granted by the superiors, they can only be acquired through hard work over the years, using the only unavoidable elements to obtain such a tool: perseverance, repetition and sweat.

We use patterns (Tul) as the method to train different movements and postures; to prepare our legs for jump, kick, block or to build solid stances for an appropriate use of our hands.

This pandemic time and the virtual method used to communicate or train allow us to see that many are teaching how to use the body in different Taekwon-Do techniques without the right employment of the muscle contraction in their hands when blocking or striking. In other words the emphasis is placed in the biomechanics alone without taking into account that the muscle contraction is part of the mentioned working out.

That training is a dichotomy. People are trying to use 100 % of their potential but not adequately preparing the weapons to support the impact of such a power.

Many pretend to teach how to punch or how to use the hands, but theirs are not properly trained to be the true example of what is intended to teach. This is not only a dichotomy but also an imposture.

It is evident that those speeches lack effectiveness in their use for self defense and are only a description of choreography.

Taekwon-Do has many surprises in their development for the oblivious. The actual self defense solution admits no mistakes. At the beginning of Taekwon-Do, a category was acknowledged as it is today with a certificate that recognizes the capacity level. Certificates or diplomas arrived at that time with considerable delay, but no one was suspicious of the person’s competence because their ability corresponded to the category displayed even though they did not yet have the certificate.

The nowadays dichotomy about this matter can be caused by the factors already established to grant a promotion, which in several cases are not coincident the approved grade with the skill and knowledge of the applicant. The issue wrongly used to produce such dichotomy is using the time as sufficient parameter to promote.

Time between categories is necessary and unavoidable. Those promoted without such consideration do not only cheat the system and companions but also deceive themselves when they look for this place without the necessary ripeness in their former degree.

Another curious dichotomy is that linked to the knowledge.

It is said that the only Taekwon-Do’s knowledge that a person has is the one that he or she can apply with his/her body. Other knowledge is allegoric. This means that if the knowledge cannot be put into action with your body, such information is only an intellectual exercise or a personal compilation. Theory without practice is something empty; practice without theory is a shot in darkness. Both parts are necessary, they are faces of the same coin called proficiency.

The greatest Dichotomy occurs when a person knows that he or she is not learning, is not increasing his or her knowledge due to being in the wrong place, but keeps on there. Another analogue situation takes place when an Instructor insists with staying on an entity lead by the wrong people, with the logical consequence of an instructor leading the students in the perpetuation of a mistake.

To avoid the mentioned dichotomies and other too long to feature here, it is necessary to take into account the following details: the grade you pretend is not suitable if it does not match with your capacity, then don’t look it before the time required. If you want to be effective in self defense techniques, inevitably you have to strengthen your weapons; on the contrary you’re only training a fantasy. Finally, if you are an Instructor, dedicate yourself only to training the skill required for such a profession or you will be selling what you don’t have.

Senior Grand Master Ricardo Desimone

To be aware read again the previous notes

One of the many false beliefs in martial arts is that all people with the same categories are the same thing, have the same value, and deserve the same recognition.

To understand this error it is necessary to know what a category is, what it means and why it is given.

Training demands a great personal investment in dedication, perseverance, and how to overcome personal deficiencies.

It is evident that such dedication will take a long time to achieve such a goal.

The mentioned process will take the person through several steps that will allow him to know the progress made.

It is said that the color belts are only the inevitable way to prepare the mind and body to learn the Art. So this stage in the learning process is a very sensitive stage where the student is building the foundations of his future deep knowledge.

We are talking about martial art, then, to think about the physical aspect only, would be to talk about a partial and incomplete evolution. At this stage students have to evolve physically and mentally to properly hold a category in the future. If the aforementioned process does not occur, the category is just a dangerous display of ego.

There are not a few black belts of different ranks who feel the philosophy of Taekwon-Do as a curiosity.

Only a few black belts of different ranks have the basic knowledge about the structure of the human body to understand the appropriate biomechanics of Art that is already established and does not admit any personal interpretation that channels or distorts the purpose of that biomechanics. It is evident that there is a difference between people who have the required general information about the human structure, the Taekwon-Do philosophy and a normal handling of the technical area and those others who only show ephemeral success by kicking and hitting with their fists.

The proper use of the protocol, respect for their elders and the general knowledge mentioned above, establish a difference between people who have these conditions and those who do not, but are in the same hierarchy. They were both recognized with the same rank, yet they are not the same thing.

Unfortunately, many people believe that sports successes are enough to take a place. The same thing happens to those who believe that time is sufficient merit in itself to be promoted. All these details are important in their particular concept, time and place; however none of them alone is such an important value to justify a promotion.

As high as the category to be awarded, so high should the candidate’s knowledge and personal conditions be.

Very often, the evaluation criteria of those who grant such recognition are not coincident. This remarkable difference, based on unwarranted complacency, leads to equalizing down and degrades merit.

As you know, today and due to the demographic evolution of Art, there are many people holding high hierarchical levels; however, being in the same category does not mean that they are all the same or that they have the same knowledge.

It is in our consideration to evaluate who is who.

Senior Grand Master Ricardo Desimone

to be aware read again the previous notes

Different reasons compelled the martial arts to create patterns to train fundamental movements. One of them was the punishment established by the ancient law in Orient, similar to the law of Hamurabi: “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”, and was rigorously enforced even if death was caused accidentally.

Choreography is used to implement the techniques linked to the self defense actions. Kicks, punches, strikes, blocks, defenses, jumps, spinning and releasing motions are included to train different parts of the human body utilized as tools for self defense.

In Taekwon-Do in particular there are almost 3.200 techniques defining the Art; many of these are included in its patterns (Tul).

The martial arts’ Founders established the parameters to follow to obtain the results looked for; always taking into consideration that dissimilar biomechanics produce a different result in the application of a technique that was created for a unique purpose.

Gral. Choi Hon Hi applied, between other details, the Newtonian laws to obtain the formidable might attributed to Taekwon-Do. To apply with this goal it is necessary to follow the specific biomechanics that will lead us to increase our power in each technique to produce the wanted effect.

It is necessary to include each detail in all movements in order to reach the mentioned goal. This means that every movement should include the reaction force, breath control, the appropriate use of the mass, equilibrium, concentration, the rotation of different parts of the body when so it’s required and speed, all in a synchronized and unique coordinated execution. Always remember that arms, feet, eyes and breath have to reach the target together in a single and coordinated action. Every time that one of the mentioned factors is not included, the movement is wrongly executed and the maximum power cannot be reached.

Of course, to obtain such result (the inclusion of all details) in the already established biomechanics, it is necessary a large repetition of each movement. If you’re accurate and serious enough, you’ll notice that the job to do will require from you a high degree of perseverance. If you don’t do that and your dedication is more or less, so will be the result of your actions.

The general procedure in a good number of practitioners of all hierarchies responds to a superficial investment in the aforementioned job.

Apparently the work to do to obtain those results was not understood as necessary. As a consequence, a pattern or Tul is performed only applying the choreography (….the following movement is so…. and the movement after is that and so on). Then, instead of the power looked for, the result is a loss of strength due to the great effort and stiffness employed with an unnecessary waste of energy, quite different in the result as it should be.

If you don’t understand the job to do and do not train the details in fundamental movements included in Gups’ patterns to incorporate the correct base, you will never perform the black belt patterns in the right way because the details always were absent in your training criteria.

It is necessary to know the diagram of each pattern and its execution; however, the real importance is to apply the right biomechanics in each movement involved in every pattern. Taekwon-Do was created as a martial art and its techniques were designed for self defense purposes. The actual self defense does not have a starting order, it has no limit of the areas where it can be developed, it has no umpires and no rules. To be efficient in that moment, any of the almost 3.200 techniques of Taekwon-Do can be useful. In an actual self defense situation, the only possible champion is the one who solves the problem and the unique trophy is to stay alive. Thank you for your attention

SGM Ricardo Desimone

To be aware read the previous notes

Dissimilar rules are applied due the several entities organizing the tournaments, doesn’t matter if these are domestics, continental or world championships. I’ve already written about the particular interests that move these entities to use different rules or distinct uniforms to distinguish one from another; doesn’t matter if they use the same name to call their administrations and proclaim to be descendant form the same teacher, in this case the Founder of the Art (See “Taekwon-Do and it offers” in this same web site). They are using the General Choi’s name and his patterns (Tul) as a common factor to reach their particular targets; however they are not the same thing, just something similar.

The present concern is that their different sportive rules and other identifications have modified the biomechanics of the legacy. The modifications established nowadays in all and each entities of the “style” have reached all ranks, categories and all ethnics, which mean that Oriental and Occidentals teachers are involved in this alteration.

Is at present Gral Choi Hong Hi the guide and reference to follow in the use of the biomechanics of the movements?

Today’s technology and the social Medias let us see several videos about the Founder in action and explaining the proper techniques and its applications. These are clear enough to understand the disparity with the different biomechanics used by all and each one of the entities that utilize his name. Stiffness and unreal movements were always mentioned as wrong (I can assure it as the Gral Choi’s translator into Spanish in many seminars during many years and also of his condensed encyclopedia), however today these wrong performances apparently are the path to follow.

Are patterns (Tul) only a demanding execution for tests? Is it just another item in competition? They never had such a destiny in their creation. All the movements involved in the 24 patterns were designed to solve different self defense circumstances, then its performance must be done free from stiffness and accompanied by the right biomechanical to keep the utility of their movements. A good kick has to be done following the pre-established steps or details and at the required height; a 180 degrees in the height of the “supposed” side kick is not a remarkable right performance but an error.

Today the sine wave has a capricious or fanciful use, including an extra bending of the knees where it is not required; sometimes this additional flexion seems a funny reverence or a courtesy salutation. Their application is forced due to the bad use of the knee spring. This is basic biomechanics. Do you remember Gral. Choi when he advised never to extend your leg when the movement is in motion? When a person is extending their leg while the movement is in motion, there is no other option than to bend the knees additionally and fancifully to create an unnecessary and “forced sine wave” to apply the current requirement. This detail makes the movement unreal because it is supposed that you’re in front of an opponent and there is no time or opportunity to do that.

Curiously the people that are teaching such things are the same that, until a couple of years ago, were calling the sine wave as “undulating movement”. It is evident that they never understood that the undulating movement only exists in Hawaiian dances but never in Taekwon-Do.

Furthermore, I’d commented to Gral. Choi about that curious manner to name the sine wave and in that time he told me that those who use this erroneous manner to describe the movement didn’t know the scientific use of the sine wave and it particularities. The human body produces it naturally without any necessity to compel its implementation. To apply this benefit it is only necessary the appropriated use of the knee spring.

A Sine wave wrongly applied, with stiffness and kicks that don’t follow the required details, modifies the right biomechanics already established as a legacy. In other words this wrong utilization of the motions is modifying Taekwon-Do.

Every time that a championship or a tournament is programmed or organized, a meeting with Judges and umpires is required to standardize, between other things, the evaluation of the techniques used in the pattern’s competition.

The approval of the errors mentioned above is a very good way to induce the judge’s criteria to reward a wrong biomechanical.

It’s normal that the participants try to imitate the champions of different categories, then and after several events organized under this commands, becomes right what is wrong and vice versa, which is worst. Thank you for your attention.

Senior Grand Master Ricardo Desimone

To be aware read again the previous notes.

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

There’s frequently a misunderstanding concerning the student-Instructor’s relationship.

This relation demands to clarify some details in order to establish the right interaction amid both parts.

There is a big difference between a person who is training and a student. To be a direct student of an Instructor or Master, the apprentice must feel particularly identified with the Teacher, who knows what the student doesn’t, what the student needs and who is expected to have a personality and moral values the student wants to imitate and not only for a particular or remarkable sport fighting condition.

The one only attracted by the struggle abilities of an instructor, is just a person only interested in the fighting aspect of the art. These people only need a coach, not an Instructor or a Master.

Regrettably the current trend is tarnished by this behavior. Nowadays the sport target seems to be the main path to follow and leads to switch instructors as fast as the fighting tendency vary; leaving aside all acknowledgements for the person who has completely taught the base of the art.

Loyalty seems to be a lost value that belongs to a very old époque.

This behavior not only applies to competitors. There is a twisted consideration about the student and Instructor’s relationship, fed by many Masters and Grand Masters who consider all the members of a particular institution as their students. They are just institutional leaders but not their instructors.

If a Master or Grand Master is giving a course or a seminar, he is only exposing the theory, rules and biomechanics with the intention to establish the unique criteria to follow. The people attending the event will be those to apply the institutional mandate. With few exceptions, they are not the Master’s or Grand Master’s students. If a Master or a Grand Master is leading an entity with 1.000 members, they are not their students but they only are members of a particular institution whose administrative authority has the Master or Grand Master category.

Today many Masters or Grand Masters are not active as Instructors. Those who really are, have just a bunch of direct students as any other person who is teaching regularly.

The students-Instructor’s relationship is bigger than the occasional course or seminar. This has to be fed everyday in a human correlation that includes social behavior and philosophical characteristics of the art beyond the sportive area and the demanding training aspects.

The personal relation with the direct Instructor normally is more important and necessary for the student’s evolution than any other higher category who occasionally dictates a course or seminar.

Because of that, choosing an adequate Instructor is not an easy job; once you find him, never betray his trust on you.

Senior Grand Master Ricardo Desimone

IX Dan

To be aware read the previous notes

How is your training? What are you looking for? Is your evolution in the art in accordance with your expectations?

It’s necessary to answer the above questions to properly adjust your effort.

In present time the general tendency focuses in the sport area, leaving aside the other components of the Art.

Why do I have to train patterns if my wish is to excel in free sparring? Why do I have to train obsessively the sport combat system when my core interest is a better use of different techniques related with self defense?

It’s supposed that I have to fortify my hands and feet as to deliver a deadly attack to a vital spot on the opponent’s body. However, in the sport area such a blow is prohibited. Then, when I’m training the sport free sparring, am I toughening my self defense system or weakening it?

Why do I have to train patterns in details if I am not going to use such techniques in free sparring?

All these questions and probably more others come up to the mind of many practitioners who pretend to evolve in their training.  Of course there is  also the one who only thinks in his next tournament and all these questions are meaningless for him.

If you pay attention to the theoretical mandate, you’ll see that the cycle of Taekwon-Do is composed with several items that demand  permanent training to be effective.

Nowadays the main purpose of the Art seems not to be taken into consideration. In our time the self defense is, for some institutions, an item of competition only, containing a lot of fancy coordinated choreographies as to show different abilities in flying kicks and spinning in the air. For other entities it turned into synchronized movements executed in slow motion. In both cases these abilities are only trained for those that will participate in the competition, but their study is not part of the regular instruction in class. In both cases the mentioned capacities are lacking the required spirit in a real self defense technique as to face a sudden attack. In other words this point is an exhibition for competition teams only.

Patterns are not anymore the vertebral column of the Art. They have also turned into in a sport item only.

It was already said that the biomechanical of the movements is executed with different characteristics that identify the institution that organized the competition. Power and the application of the movements are no more the targets to pursuit because the main goal is to apply obsessively the strict geometrics of the stances, which in most cases have a doubtful practical application due to its stiffness.

It is necessary to remember that the main critics done to the Taekwondo written altogether normally called world taekwondo, always was their great emphasis in calling the activity just a sport, denying the self defense purpose of the Art. Well, taking into consideration the training places where nowadays the Gral. Choi’s Taekwon-Do is taught, the only difference with the sport version utilized in the borrowed name, is the uniform’s design and the name and diagram of the patterns applied. In both places the training system used are related with the sport area only.

Is this actual fashion good? To answer this question it’s necessary that you reply the questions established in the beginning. Now, if your intention is to become in an integral Taekwon-Do’s practitioner, you’ll need to understand that the Art has a philosophy and a particular purpose that goes beyond the competition item and will demand to you a tougher training than those actually used to be successful in the sport area.

Toughening hands, forearms and feet and the resistance in receiving a blow was the normal routine.

Nowadays strengthening the hands is a target to pursuit only for those competitors in power breaking. It is more, some instructors says that such item it is not necessary letting aside the Taekwon-Do’s Founder command who always highlighted it requirement as unavoidable for a black belt.

It’s possible training both systems? Of course, it was always possible and so was done until the actual fashion was established.

Can the students change the training and go back to the integral training system?

It is very hard because the student depends of the Instructor’s training agenda.

What can they do? The answer is to follow the Instructor’s training system adding the personal toughening exercises, preferably with the Instructor supervision.

Are you a champion in free sparring or are you a champion in patterns competition?

What about your skill in self defense techniques? Do you trust your capacity in such item?

Taekwon-Do is an Art of self defense with a sport area and not vice versa. To be consistent on it, the whole training will be necessary.  If you’re not practicing in such a way you’re not performing the Gral. Choi’s style in spite of the uniform you’re using and the names of the patterns you’re executing, You are only participating on a sport called Taekwon-Do…Or have you already begun to write its name altogether (taekwondo)? 

Click here to see video

Senior Grand Master Ricardo Desimone

                         President

International Taekwon-Do Organization

Teacher’s day, celebrated on September 11^th in Argentina, is used by all black belts from this Country as ephemerides in salutation to all people teaching Taekwon-Do. This fact and the massive communication received, pushed me to do the following explanation and proposal.

The mentioned date marks the death of Domingo Faustino Sarmiento who amid other functions in the Argentine Government was one of its Presidents (1868-1874). His endeavor in the educational system merited that Argentine authorities establish the already mentioned September 11^th as the Teacher’s Day.

Taekwon-Do Instructors use this date to cover a gap linked to this activity that shouldn’t have local connotations of a particular Country. My proposal, if it’s accepted such boldness, is to internationally establish November 9^th as the Taekwon-Do Instructor’s Day, honoring in this way the birth of Taekwon-Do’s Founder, Gral. Choi Hong Hi, who devoted his life to teach this Art to the world,.

The suggestion has no relation with any particular Institution (Federations, Organizations or Associations). I think that the style developed and systematized by Choi Hong Hi involves all kind of administrative names and the pedagogical effort of thousands of people, must be recognized beyond the grade the Instructor has.

Thank you for your time and attention. If you want to adhere to this proposal, please send your acceptance or not to my e-mail [email protected] to include your name, rank and institutional belonging in the list of supporters. With best regards I remain 

Yours in Taekwon-Do

Into Spanish

El día del maestro celebrado en Septiembre 11 en Argentina, es usado por todos los cintos negros de ese país como efeméride y enviar una salutación a todas las personas que enseñan Taekwon-Do.

Este hecho y la masiva comunicación recibida me llevaron a la siguiente explicación y propuesta.

La mencionada fecha pertenece al fallecimiento de Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, quien entre otras funciones en el Gobierno Argentino, Presidió ese País entre 1868 y 1874. Su labor en el sistema educativo, llevó a las autoridades Argentinas a establecer el ya mencionado Septiembre 11 como el día del Maestro.

Los Instructores de Taekwon-Do están usando esta fecha para cubrir un faltante relacionado con esta actividad que no debería tener connotaciones locales de ningún País en particular. Mi propuesta, si es aceptado tal atrevimiento, es establecer internacionalmente a Noviembre 9 como el Día del Instructor de Taekwon-Do, honrando de esta manera el nacimiento del Fundador del Taekwon-Do, Gral. Choi Hong Hi, quien dedicara su vida a la enseñanza de este Arte al mundo.

La sugerencia no tiene relación con ninguna institución en particular (Federaciones, Organizaciones o Asociaciones). Pienso que el estilo desarrollado y sistematizado  por Choi Hong Hi incluye todo tipo de nombres administrativos y que la labor pedagógica de miles de personas debe ser reconocida más allá del grado que el Instructor tiene.

Gracias por su tiempo y atención. Si Usted desea adherir a esta propuesta, por favor envíe su aceptación o no a mi correo electrónico [email protected] para incluir su nombre, grado y pertenencia institucional en la lista de quienes apoyan lo planteado. Los saludo con atenta consideración

Suyo en Taekwon-Do

Senior Grand Master Ricardo Desimone

                        President

International Taekwon-Do Organization

Taekwon-Do is well known due to its effectiveness in self defense and also as a sport fighting system.

In Taekwon-Do are included a wide variety of kicks very difficult to find in other martial arts (flying kicks, flying double kicks, flying triple kicks, consecutive kicks, combination kicks, etc.)

All of them have a specific application in actual combat to solve a self defense problem against one, two or more opponents. Such use of the legs compelled the organizations that regulate this Art, to pay attention to their inclusion in the sport area. Some entities are granting more points to the effective application of these techniques in accordance with their difficulty, especially when these are applied to the high section or in a flying motion.

However, its use in self defense and in the sport area as well will depend on a specific moment and on the opportunity. The chance to apply a complex technique which requires a double or triple spinning in the air to attack the high section is really small and it needs a very especial opponent. This complex execution requires a constant dedication in order to be effective and the acceptance that such a technique cannot be of use for everybody.

After so many sportive events – nationals, continentals and world championships – a lot of competitors that were previously included as juniors or adults due to their ages, eventually became in seniors or veterans. That change in stage in their lives imposes to the veterans a new development of their training if they want to remain actives. This new training will compel a consideration or adjustment in the techniques needed for an adequate and effective use of their experience.

The teaching of the Art imposes the same criteria if the Instructor wants to include everybody in the training session.

The social media frequently shows videos of people using double or triple spinning kicks which require a special individual ability that not everybody has. Curiously, the people who are executing it are not Instructors, just students training with an immovable target.

In one of such videos a young instructor induced a veteran (or adult senior) student to perform a flying double spinning kick. This is an improper use of pedagogy.

Probably many people misunderstand the Taekwon-Do’s proposal and could think that to be part of the Art its necessary such body handling.

This is not true. The only requirement to become in a Taekwon-Do’s student is the deep wish to learn the Art. Of course a competent instructor will also be necessary to apply such a wish.

With time you’ll have the opportunity to choose if you want to take part in a competition or not, to participate in a demonstration or not. Taekwon-Do is a Martial Art with a sport area and not vice versa.

With the evolution of the Art and the experiences acquired over the years, the sport area can be extended to include people of all ages in the competition scheme.

Taekwon-Do taught in the right way also contributes to improve the human health.

The especial ability that some students has developed in their flying and spinning kicks, are very plausible and would be good if they find the opportunity for its application beyond the exhibitionist utility, but it is necessary to take into consideration that this is not a requisite to be part of the Art called Taekwon-Do.

Senior Grand Master Ricardo Desimone

To be aware read again the previous notes

On January 20^{th ,} 2018 there was a seminar in Ocala Florida to unify the technical criteria with several ITO’s representatives from different places. The organizer was the International Instructor Jose Luis Zapata Ramirez (VI Dan) who invited Instructors of other Schools from that zone of USA. He had the great assistance of Master Luis McDougall (VII Degree) from Boston Massachusetts who has dedicated much of his valuable time in the program’s details.  

Instructors and students were very interested in the explanations given by the ITO’s technical reference, Senior Grand Master Ricardo Desimone (IX Degree) and his demonstration in the practical use of different techniques. It is imperative for the Organization to have a unique statement about the movements and it biomechanics, following in detail the Gral Choi’s  legacy to whom he assisted and translated during many years. Patterns (Tul ), different types of sparring (Matsogui) and how to release a grab (hosin sul), were the topics treated. All details mentioned were coincident with those illustrated in the Encyclopedia written by the ITO’s President which is the theoretical reference of the Organization and the style created by the Taekwon-Do’s Founder.   

To be aware read again the previous notes