"What Forms Do We Do, ITF or WTF?"

This question has come up quite a bit since I have been practicing TKD.   It comes up a lot in competition, as we are often told that the tournament does not recognize the ITF forms.   The answer to this particular question is ITF.  But understanding what WTF and ITF are, and why there are two federations that have different sets of forms is more complicated.  Master Holloway answered the question in class the other day again and said that we do ITF forms and WTF sparring.  I didn't know there was a difference in the sparring, but I guess it doesn't surprise me.  More on that later.

So I googled ITF and WTF, and honestly I am still confused.  So this post might have to have a part one and a part two.  There were a few dates and facts that started to help me understand the history:

4/11/1955 - Beginning of taekwondo as a formally recognized art in Korea

3/22/1966 - The International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) was formed

5/28/1973 - The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) was formed

And the following is a description of WTF:  An international federation member of the IOC (international olympic committee) for the competition events of taekwondo.

When I went on to read the messages of the president and vice president of the ITF on their website, the general theme was about getting everyone to make nice and be one entity again.   Separation always seems to be about power and egos.  To a middle aged mom and her son competing in a local taekwondo tournament to practice their skills, it seems it should be about celebrating the sport together, learning and growing, and elevating the awareness of the sport so that others know what it is really all about. 

Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Indomitable Spirit and Self Control.  Simple, right?

The George Mason President's Cup TKD Challenge

It was another great tournament on Saturday.  The Gentle East team included myself, Dana, Jonathan and Riley, along with Ms. McDermott who was working as a referee all day.  The medal count went as follows:

Dana - Second place in forms
Riley - First place in forms! And second place in sparring
Jonathan - Third place in forms, and second place in sparring
Laura - First place in forms

It was a pretty good day for our ITF forms with two firsts and a second.  And Riley and Jonathan fought two of the best sparring matches I have ever seen them fight!  They had tough opponents and they each fought back fiercely, with more back kicks than either of their opponents!  It was really great to watch them put into action what they have been learning in class.  They both had their matches in the ring that did not have an electronic scoring system (all the rest did) so what that means is that the corner judges, instead of pushing the red or blue button as a point was scored, had to write down a mark on a piece of paper.  It was a bit frustrating, as I counted more points for both their matches then were actually scored.

It was great to watch Ms. McDermott in action as a referee at the tournament.  She is always so calm and organized, and seems to be always helping everyone else figure out what it is they should be doing.  And along with being at the tournament from 8:00a.m. to 8:00p.m., she manages to get around to all of our rings to make sure we are doing okay.  Thanks Ms. M!

If any of you haven't had the experience of a tournament yet, please talk to any of us who have.  It is a great time!
See you all in class!
Laura

Jonathan won second place in sparring

Riley won 1st place in forms