TKD No Longer an Olympic Sport?

Do you think of boxing as a martial art? I don’t know that I do. Now don’t miss-understand me here, I have studied boxing, I love boxing. My question here though is just, do you think of boxing as a martial art?

I see it more as a vessel. And no matter where you learned your punching skills, if you were to follow the rules, you can try your skills in the ring. Kickboxing is the same way and MMA too. I really ask this question because of the idea that TKD is potentially going about it the wrong way. 

Here in the USA , in order to get into the Olympics you have to play along with the AAU. The AAU only plays along with WTF stylists so karate and ITF, ATA and any other fighters have no chance. Well unless they conform. I don’t like conforming. With the question of TKD in the Olympics, or if it even should be, I would almost like to see it go.

ATHLETE ELIGIBILITY
All athletes must comply with the provisions of the Olympic Charter currently in force and only those athletes who have complied with the Olympic Charter may participate in the Olympic Games.
1. An athlete must be a Kukkiwon Dan certificate holder, and must be at least 15 years of age during the year of the 2012 Olympic Games.
2. All athletes who have not qualified through any of qualification tournaments must meet at least any of following requirements in order to compete at the London 2012 Olympic Games:
a. Medal winners (1st or 2nd or 3rd places) at any of the competitions enlisted on the WTF event calendar on between May 2010 and April 2012.
b. The athletes ranked within 20th place at least once in the WTF World Ranking on between May 2010 and April 2012
c. The athletes who advanced to round of 16 or higher at either WTF World Taekwondo Championships ( 2011) or World Taekwondo Qualification Tournament
d. The athletes who advanced to quarter-finals or higher at either Continental Taekwondo Championships held on between May 2010 and April 2012 or Continental Taekwondo Qualification Tournament
e. Winner of national taekwondo championships held on between May 2010 and April 2012

Sure it’s trying to make a dramatic last stance but think about it like this; I turn on the on demand channel on my Comcast. They have a sports section and in that sports section they have an Olympics trial section, but guess what sport is not on that list? All I want to do, as an American, is watch the TKD Olympic trials, except…oh yeah the AAU is still controlling it. So it’s not on there and I really think this is stupid. 

The truth is Olympic Boxing and TKD should go, and Olympic Kickboxing, with K-1 style rules, should surface. Just as boxing is just a vessel for punching skills kickboxing is just a vessel for the way of the hands and the feet. I would embrace knees and elbows too, as the hands and feet are merely extensions of the elbow and the knees. 

This is only, of course, if the Olympics want these kinds of contests to remain relevant. This may just be my opinion but the vision I have is so much bigger. I imagine a world competition where the kicking art leagues and boxing leagues come together and fight for the true world champion, and this is not a new idea.

ISAK, when it was the PKA thought this same thing, I wish they would have vied for the Olympics spot. 

TKD has pleanty of room in Olympic Kickboxing, Machida was TKD and Semmy Schilt is totally Karate. I think TKD camps and seeing TKD fighters grow would help the popularity of TKD as a whole.

These guys get it; www.kickboxingwales.com/#

Read the history of ISKA, there are other options.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Sport_Karate_Association

And quite frankly this was TKD’s hay-day.

Explore the videos on the side bar of YouTube here. They are great displays of what TKD really is, whereas the WTF style and the AAU are not. They are merely a vessel for one; I feel that is fear based.

Time to grow past the fear and embrace the indomitable sprit.

Peace.

What is ATA and SongAhm Taekwondo?

SongAhm was started by the Eternal Grand Master H.U. Lee. SongAhm TaeKwon-Do is what the ATA formed out of, originally based out of the Chahng-hun style, but was modified to envelop other artistic opinions he held. The SongAhm style seemingly maintains respect for the ITF and General Choi, but has added some teaching ideas to his curriculum. I never know what ATA was, and thinking back, the ATA School in the town I grew up in was pretty weak, but now that I learn more about it the more I respect it.

Any school can be weak, and for multiple reasons, that does not have to be a reflection of the system they represent. They keep a lot of the forms found in ITF and they, arguably, put more emphasis on the traditional aspects of the art but I do have one rub.

They do the same thing ITF is known for doing. They try to establish themselves as the best way, in TKD, and they seclude their art from the rest of TKD. I know you can argue that point but if the ITF is broken into three organizations, then the ICTF spins off and forms their own thing, ATA has existed for decades and many other forms of Korean arts influence similar aspects of the arts, then why are they not unifying. Of course I might just not know of some organization that exists out there, but from what I can tell they have enough groups to hold open tournaments a scale of grandeur.

If these organizations could unify for a beach side national “open” every two or five years, then they could all compete in local tournaments that would get really competitive. If it all fed into the national open, then they would all be able to unify the whole other side of the art. I think that would be really effective and simple, you just take the head of each institution and put them as the board members. Then they all assume one task and appoint someone from their organization to delegate the function accordingly and then they split the pot evenly and appropriate the funds generated where they feel they are best suited. I could be an amazing joint venture that could replace American Kick Boxing and could help fighters and trainers feed into the MMA system as well.

I am not an expert on this but I do feel ATA could do more, their system seems good and they promote themselves well, I want to make it clear that I respect them. However with the strands of General Choi’s ropes all divided, it’s no wonder the AAU is all up in the TKD scene. We, of like minds, should look past the small discrepancies and move toward a format that is flexible and versatile, as that the traditional style might last..

I think I’m ranting now so I will stop but if we got the AAU out of it and got the state’s boxing commissions into it I believe TKD would grow by leaps and bounds. WTF and the AAU are getting along great, and WTF is spreading TKD in a rapid and tremendous fashion, time is coming where we should to, but in a more Chahng-hun style.

Just my peace.

If you know more,  minding the fact that I summarized what it is, please let me know. I would be interested in know anything about it really.

Links; These were the links that I found that explained what ATA is to me. Very good links to read, intresting history and Master J. Phillip Wargo kinda scares the crap out of me.

http://www.wargosmartialartsusa.com/page/29-4226.htm

http://www.ataonline.com/about/leadership/eternal.asp

http://www.ataonline.com/taekwondo/songahm.asp

TKD Forms Discusion

Me at a tournament long ago, flying side kick, took 2nd.

 

Boy oh boy, this is my topic. Today I came across some people who have had a really polite, yet disagreeable, topic on the net and I find that refreshing. They were opinionated but not in a rude way. I love talking about the forms. I know some WTF forms but I have never been coached on the applications of the moves, however I had great coaching on the ITF forms.

My instructors broke down every move, as they felt it applied, and did a pretty through job. I have a largely analytical mind, so I broke the ITF forms down even further than I have ever been taught. If you look at the belt meanings and back ground the forms become important because they  teach you history of Korea, from a Korean perspective. I feel it’s really important to get out of your way of thinking, from time to time, and listen to other perspectives. Very refreshing.

http://www.fightingarts.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=328347&page=10

I implore you to read through the above link and hear them out. Again, they only speak from their perspectives, being what they know, and although I may disagree I respected what they said. You have to take criticism like theirs constructively and ask yourself a question; are the forms to teach you TKD as a martial art, or as a martial sport? From my perspective it looks like that has been the discussion all along in TKD, is it real or is it “sport real”. I enjoy the sport, but if you know me then you know I side with the martial art philosophies.

Sport strategies I believe can be taught in drills and by sparing, but the forms are what are going to preserve the martial art; therefore I am for keep the integrity of the ITF forms and maintaining their martial teachings. The sport has grown over the last three decades into something bigger than what most could have seen coming, but sports change. This one already has, so if you continuously change the forms then you lose the true teachers of the founders.

Although I am athletic, I don’t fancy myself an athlete, but instead a martial artist. I hope that rings true with you as you read my writings, and even if you are heavy into the sport I would hope you could come to see the difference in perspectives. (If you don’t already)

So I know a lot about ITF forms, some about WTF forms, but ATA forms I don’t really know. They seemed to have started their own thing; I have never really looked into it. But here are their forms.

http://www.segalsata.com/additional.php?id=33

They seem to have evolved from ITF, obviously because of some of the patterns, but when I have seen ATA guys perform them at tournaments they seem like they are done for show. I would like to learn more about the approach in teaching ATA perspective. I will leave off with that.

Peace.

Leave the ITF for the ICTF

If you are in the ITF lineage of any of the Masters listed below then you and your school should look into leaving the ITF and Joining the ICTF.
-mr.mustache

Stuart Anslow: What do you think of the ITF organizations now?

Grand Master Kong, Yong Il: Since General Choi's health began to deteriorate, many of the senior instructors of Taekwon-Do appeared to be maneuvering for positions of power and favors. Now that the General has passed away, the ITF has split into three different organizations all claiming to be the "true" or "rightful" one.


Stuart Anslow: What do you think of the current ITF situation? What is going on there with 3 organizations claiming to be the ITF?

Grand Master Kong, Yong Il: I think it is obvious that with three organizations all fighting for power, they certainly cannot be focusing on the members needs. The focus of an organization should be in supporting, educating and servicing its membership.


Stuart Anslow: Is that why did you left the ITF organization you were in and formed the ICTF?

Grand Master Kong, Yong Il: I did not leave the ITF to from any organization. I left the ITF along with many other faithful members due to the disappointment in how it was being lead.


Stuart Anslow: Whose idea was it to form the ICTF?

Grand Master Kong, Yong Il: Grand Master CK Choy and Grand Master JC Kim (both from Vancouver, Canada) and Grand Master Nam Tae Hi (presently living in LA, USA) and I all felt that the existing organizations were not "true" to its members. As pioneers of Taekwon-do and all members of the original Taekwon-do Demonstration Team with General Choi, we felt it was time to form an organization for the members to carrying on the General's legacy.

Another good friend of mine from Spain, Master Kim Mu Won, who was my student in the 60s, also came on board along with Grand Master Park Bu Kwan from Texas and Master Kong, Young Bo (from Pennsylvania - who was the first ITF World Champion in 1974). Together we had to tools and experience to ensure a very strong organization which focused on its members and further Taekwon-Do techniques.

We all got together and had a meeting in February 2003 and formed the WITF and then went on to change the name to the International Ch'ang-Hon Taekwon-Do Federation. It was officially established on October 23, 2003.

Flying Knee Strike from Class Setting to Street Fight.

Flying knee strike:

Have you ever actually seen a flying knee strike in person? Not many have. I have twice, once in a street fight and once at a local MMA event. They are spectacular in fact I would venture to say majestic when performed correctly.

The one I saw in the street fight was from a running start, 15 yards or so but the MMA one was only a few steps. Both were equally as effective but very different in technique.

Knee strikes are all over TKD patterns, rather you are ITF or WTF style so how often do you work on them? I like to work on them a lot because they kill three birds with one stone.

One, you get an amazingly dynamic cardiovascular work out and great for kids that tournament spar. Two, they are not easy to perfect so if you ever wanted to use one you need to get the muscle memory going. Three, they are extremely fun and the students look forward to them.

They can either wrap up class or start class it's up to you but after 20 on each side you will probably be pretty worn out. Keep that in mind.

Break down:

Assuming you want to strike with your left leg, you have a couple of options. Say you are going from a running start then you can either jump with you opposite leg (right leg) and fly straight into your target with your left knee. That option sometimes includes a short skip step where the body weight pauses to center on both legs the a bounce ensues. This should be avoided in practice, but for some it's difficult to avoid. If they can't avoid it then that's fine they just need to practice making it good. But essentially that's the same as a standing still jump knee strike it just has some collected momentum.

Secondly you can jump off of the leg you wish to strike with. This motion looks more like a jump front snap kick. The jumping leg propels the opposite leg up and in mid air you switch the knee strike over to the leg that left the ground last. This one is more powerful and can be taught in a number of ways.

On a move like this you need to hone in on mussel memory training. For class purposes you can simply have them skip back and forth in lines, having them craft the skips into flying knees. This again is fun and the students get a great work out while they play. Another way is to use Muay Thai arm pads and hold them about shoulder level, the students can form a line and practice the jumping knee from standing front facing. Lastly, another good one is walking in lunges. This will, if consistently done, build their jumping and kneeing muscles, ie the Gluteus Minimus and the quadriceps. There are many more ideas floating around, these are just a few, but feel free to make up your own.



Work on this with your class more and see how they like it, don't make it a treat type of thing, make it a part of the monthly training plan. If it's a treat they wont get all the benefits and neither will you, because it will make them stronger, faster and increase their vertical but moreover it will keep the classes energy level up.

Mr.Mustache