|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
A Brief History of the International Taekwondo Federation
Even at an early age, however, the future general showed a strong and independent spirit. At the age of twelve, he was expelled from school for agitating the Japanese authorities, who controlled Korea from 1910 to 1945. This was a precursor to what would be a long association with the Kwang Ju Student's Independence Movement.
After his expulsion, young He's father sent him to study calligraphy under one of the most famous teachers in Korea, Mr. Han Il Dong. Mr. Han, in addition to his skills as a calligrapher, was also a master of taekyeon, the ancient Korean art of foot fighting. The teacher, concerned over the frail condition of his new student, began teaching him the rigorous exercises of taekyon to help build his body.
In 1937, Mr. Choi was sent to Kyoto, Japan to further his education. In Kyoto, he met a fellow Korean, Mr. Kim, who was engaged in teaching the Japanese martial art, karate. With two years of concentrated training, Mr. Choi attained the rank of first degree black belt. These techniques together with taekyeon, foot techniques, were the forerunners of modern taekwondo.
With the outbreak of World War II, Mr. Choi was forced to enlist in the Japanese army through no wish of his own. While at his post in Pyongyang, North Korea, he was implicated as the planner of the Korean Independence Movement, known as the Pyongyang Student Soldiers' Movement and was interned at a Japanese prison during his eight month pretrial examination. While in prison, Mr. Choi began to practice his art in the solitude of his cell. In a short time, his cell mate and jailer became his students. Eventually, the whole prison courtyard became one gigantic gymnasium.
The liberation in August 1945 spared Mr. Choi from an imposed seven year prison sentence. Following his release, the ex-prisoner traveled to Seoul where he organized a student soldier's party. In January of the following year, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the new South Korean army, the "Launching Pad" for putting taekwondo in a new orbit.
Choi was soon company commander in Kwang-Ju, where he lit the torch of this art by teaching it to his entire company. Promoted to first lieutenant, he was transferred to Tae Jon and put in command of the Second Infantry Regiment. While at his new post, he began to spread the art, not only to Korean soldiers, but also to the Americans who were stationed there. This was the first introduction to Americans of what would eventually become known as taekwondo.
In 1947, Choi was promoted, first to captain, and then major. In late 1948, he became a lieutenant colonel. In 1949, Choi was promoted to full colonel and visited the United States for the first time, where he attended the Fort Riley Ground General School. In 1951, Col. Choi was promoted to brigadier general.
1953 brought the organization of the crack 29th Infantry Division at Cheju Island, which eventually became the spearhead of taekwondo in the military and established the Oh Do Kwan (Gym of My Way), where he succeeded not only in training the cadre instructors for the entire military, but also developing the taekyon and karate techniques into a modern system of taekwondo, with the help of Mr. Nam Tae Hi, his right hand man in 1954.
Technically, 1955 signaled the beginning of taekwondo as a formally recognized art in Korea. During that year, a special board was formed which included leading master instructors, historians, and prominent leaders of the society. A number of names for the new martial art were submitted. On the 11th of April, the board summoned by General Choi, decided on the unified name of taekwondo which had been submitted by him. This single unified name of taekwondo replaced the different and confusing terms, such as dang soo, gong soo, taekyeon, and kwon bup.
In 1959, taekwondo spread beyond its national boundaries. The father of taekwondo and nineteen of his top black belt holders toured the Far East. The tour was a major success, astounding all spectators with the excellence of the taekwondo techniques. Also in 1959, Gen. Choi was elevated to two illustrious posts; president of the newly-formed, Korea Taekwondo Association, and the deputy commander of the 2nd Army in Tae Gu.
In 1960 the General visited Jhoon Rhee's Karate Club in San Antonio, where he convinced the students to use the name taekwondo instead of karate. Thus Jhoon Rhee is known as the first taekwondo instructor in America. This marked the beginning of taekwondo in the United States of America.
The 1960's brought the rapid spread of taekwondo not only to the Korean populous and military, but also to the United States, and many other countries throughout the world, with General Choi as the ambassador. This was the basis not only for establishing taekwondo associations in a great number of countries, but also the formation of the International Taekwondo Federation as it is known today. In 1966, the dream of the sickly young student of calligraphy, who rose to ambassador and the association president of the most respected martial art in the world, came true. On the 22nd of March, the International Taekwondo Federation was formed with associations in Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, West Germany, the United States, Turkey, Italy, Arab Republic of Egypt, and Korea.
The next several years saw the exponential growth of ITF taekwondo, with General Choi tirelessly traveling the world to teach and expand his art. During these travels, the General had been especially interested in promoting taekwondo among the youth of the world. As the president of the International Taekwondo Federation, he has been instrumental in introducing the art to numerous universities in Europe, America, the Middle East, and the Far East.
In 1972, General Choi moved the headquarters of the International Taekwondo Federation, with the unanimous consent of member countries, to Toronto, Canada. He envisaged the spread the art, eventually, to all countries throughout the world. In 1985, the founder of taekwondo strengthened his desire to spread his art to the entire world, especially third world and politically disadvantaged countries by moving the International Taekwondo Federation to Vienna, the capital city of Austria, where it is still located.
by Victor Garzon
Over two thousand years ago, in the city of Kyoungju, Korea, two giants were carved on the tower wall of a Buddhist temple. Kyoungju was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla at the time this giants were sculpted. The giants, facing each other, are assuming a fighting stance as if they were practicing a martial art. This giants undoubtedly represent the early developments of the modern art of fighting known today as Tae Kwon Do.
Records show that Tae Kwon Do was practiced as early as about 50 BC. During this time, Korea was divided into three Kingdoms: Silla, Koguryo and Baekche. Paintings on the ceiling of the Muyong-chong, a royal tomb from the Koguryo dynasty, have given evidence of the practice of Taek Kyon, the earliest known form of Tae Kwon Do. These, as well as other paintings show unarmed combat using techniques that very much resemble those of modern Tae Kwon Do, specially the use of the knife hand, fist and classical fighting stances.
Although Tae Kwon Do first appeared in the Koguryo kingdom, it is Silla's warrior nobility, the Hwarang, who are credited with the growth and spread of the art throughout Korea. Out of the three kingdoms, Silla was the first to be formed, but it remained the smallest and less civilized. Because Silla's coastline was always under attack by Japanese pirates, the 19th monarch in the Koguryo dynasty line, King Gwahggaeto, sent forces to help the neighboring kingdom with this problem. It was at this time that Taek Kyon was first introduced to Silla's warriors class, taught directly and in secret to a few sillan warriors by early masters of the art.
These warriors trained in Taek Kyon became known as the Hwarang. They initially established a military academy for the young nobility of Silla. This later became a society called Hwarang-do or translated into English, "the way of the flowering manhood". This society adopted Taek Kyon as part of its basic training regimen. The students of Hwarang-do were all members of the young nobility. They were trained in several different disciplines: History, Confucian philosophy, ethics, Buddhist morality, riding, archery, sword play, military tactics and Taek Kyon. The guiding principles of this educational system, were based on the Five codes of Human Conduct, as established by the Buddhist scholar Wonkang. These codes are:
Be loyal to your
country
Be obedient to
your parents
Be trustworthy
to your friends
Never retreat in
battle
Never make an in
just kill
These five codes of moral behavior and conduct are reflected in the so-called eleven commandments of modern Tae Kwon Do:
Loyalty to your
country
Respect your parents
Faithfulness to
your spouse
Respect your brothers
and sisters
Loyalty your friends
Respect your elders
Respect your teachers
Never take life
unjustly
Indomitable spirit
Loyalty to your
school
Finish what you
begin
The Hwarang traveled throughout the peninsula in order to learn more about the regions and people. These traveling warriors were responsible for the spread of Taek Kyon in Korea during the Silla dynasty which lasted from ad. 668 to AD. 935. During this period of time, Taek Kyon remained principally as a sport and recreational activity designed to improve physical fitness, although it was an excellent self-defense system. It was not until the Koryo dynasty (935 to 1392) that the focus of the art was changed. During this time, Taek Kyon became known as Subak and it changed from a fitness system to a fighting art.
The first widely available book on the art was written during the Yi dynasty (1397 to 1907) in order to promote the art among the general population. The popularization of the Subak during this era were responsible for its survival. Unfortunately, during the second part of the Yi dynasty, the art began losing popularity due to changes in the political views of military activities. For this reason, Subak survived in few families throughout Korea which handed down the art from generation to generation. Subak during this period was maintained by the general population instead of the nobility.
In the tragic year of 1909, Korea was invaded by Japan and was occupied for 36 years. Japanese authorities banned complete the practice of any native Korean martial art, but this only increased the interest and renewed the growth of Subak. Eventually, the underground nature of martial arts in Korea changed, when in 1943 other martial arts were introduced to the country, what caused an increase in the interest in martial arts.
After Korea was finally liberated in 1945, the first Kwan to teach a native Korean martial art was open in Yong Chun, Seoul. This dojang was named The Chung Do Kwan. The same year, the Moo Duk Kwan and the Yun Moo Kwan also opened in Seoul. The following year, the Chang Moo Kwan and the Chi Do Kwan. Seven other schools opened between 1953 and the early 1960's. Although all these schools claimed to teach the traditional Korean martial art, each one emphasized a different aspect of Taek Kyon/Subak and several names emerged:
Soo Bahk Do, Kwon Bop, Kong Soo Do, Tae Soo Do and Dang Soo Do, besides those who claimed to teach traditional Taek Kyon.
Difference between the many Kwans prevented the formation of a regulation board for 10 years. However, this fighting methods found strong acceptance in the military, and in 1952, President Syngman Rhee watched a half-hour demonstration by Korean martial arts masters. Rhee was so impressed that he ordered training in the martial arts to be adopted as part of regular military training.
On April 11, 1955, a meeting was convened to unify the various kwans under a common name. At first, the name of Tae Soo Do was accepted by most kwan masters, however, two years later the name was changed to the familiar Tae Kwon Do. This name was chosen for two main reasons, the first, because it accurately describes the nature of the art (both hand ant foot techniques), and second, because in closely resembles the art's early name Taek Kyon. On September 14, 1964, the Korean Tae Kwon Do Association was created. During the 1060s, thousands of Tae kwon Do demonstrators performed around the world before fascinated governments which followed up to invite Korean instructors to teach in their countries. By the 1070s Tae Kwon do had a well established reputation worldwide.
On May 28, 1973 a new worldwide organization, the World Tae Kwon Do Federation (WTF), was formed. Since then, WTF has regulated Tae Kwon Do internationally. In May 1973, the first biennial WTF Championships were held in Seoul as a prelude to the inauguration of the WTF. World championships since then, have been in countries all over the world.
Under the auspices of the General Association of International Sports Federation (GAISF), Tae Kwon Do was introduced to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in July, 1980. Then, the crowning achievement of Tae Kwon Do as a sport came in 1982 when the IOC designated it an official Demonstration Sport for the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea.
Tae kwon do, is nowadays practiced officially in 120 countries and its membership is over 20 million people, making it the most practiced martial art in the world.
Although the literal translation on Tae Kwon Do is "the art of kicking and punching", (Tae means "to kick", Kwon means "to punch" and Do means "art") this is no more than a superficial translation. Do in Korean implies the philosophical approach to a way of life, a pathway to achieve enlightenment. The students of Tae Kwon Do, through rigorous physical training, intend to improve themselves physically, mentally and spiritually.
The true Tae Kwon practitioner extends this art to all aspects of life, in order to achieve harmony with nature and thus a stable and peaceful existence. Tae Kwon Do is not only an excellent method of self defense, but a way of life. These qualities can be traced back to the influence on Buddhism, and its aim of the "Mastery of Self". Through the philosophy of Tae Kwon Do, a student can rid him or herself of the ego, and live in harmony with the universe.
At the center of this philosophy, is the concept of interaction between opposing forces in nature (Yin vs. Yang). Equilibrium is only achieved when contrary forces are distributed in equal amounts, resulting in balance and harmony. When only one force dominates, however, the result is unbalance, which could mean discord or failure.
In today's society there are relatively fewer chances to encounter a life threatening situation than when Tae Kwon Do was first developed. To spend several years of ones life would seem a high price to pay for the chance to defend yourself in the not-so-likely event of a fatal attack. Therefore, it is the more spiritual part of Tae Kwon Do what should motivate somebody to become one of its practitioners. For some people, the causes could be simply fitness or the desire to train and excel in a sport. Tae Kwon Do will very well fit the necessities of these people, however, a true practitioner of the art should never forget the importance of the philosophical and spiritual parts of Tae Kwon Do as well the physical ones. Whoever makes this mistake will not experience all the benefits that the art can provide to its true practitioners.
Tae Kwon Do also teaches the importance of responsibility and honesty as the means to achieve harmony with society. The true Tae Kwon Do student is the one that knows how to behave in any place and at any time. It is very important to stress the need that our world has of trustworthy and sincere people. This are the kind of people that Tae Kwon Do is most probably associated to. This should be the insignia for which anybody could recognize the Tae Kwon Do practitioner.
Respect, humility and high sense of morality are also important teachings that all of those who practice Tae Kwon Do should learn. Respect could never be over stressed, because it is respect what maintains healthy the master-student relationship. If the student does not respect his master, he will never become worthy of the masters trust, and therefore his presence in the Dojang will not be welcomed. Respect is an important subject in Tae Kwon Do. Respect is expected from all students toward their parents, their nation, their master and fellow students, and in general toward all human beings.
Humility is a quality that all serious Tae Kwon Do students should posses. Although it is true that practicing the art of Tae kwon Do boosts your self confidence, this should not convey the false sense of superiority. On the contrary, the good student should be humble and considerate. In the same way, the highest regard for morality and ethics should be observed by all Tae Kwon Do practitioners.
 Back to Attleboro TaeKwonDo Home Page |