ITF
TAEKWON-DO
The
International
Taekwon-Do Federation was founded in 1966 by General Choi Hong Hi, 9th Degree Black
Belt.
The History of Taekwon-Do...
Although the origins of
the martial arts are shrouded in mystery, we consider it an undeniable factthat from time
in memorial there have been physical actions involving the use of the hands and feet for
purpose of self-protection.
If we were to define these physical actions as "Taekwon- Do", any country might
claim credit forinventing Taekwon-Do. There is, however, scant resemblance between
Taekwon-Do, as it is practiced today, and the crude forms of unarmed combat developed in
the past.
Modern Taekwon-Do differs greatly from other martial arts. In fact, no other martial art
is so advancedwith regard to the sophistication and effectiveness of its technique or the
over-all physical fitness it imparts to its practitioners.
Since the theories, terminology, techniques, systems, methods, rules, practice suit, and
spiritual foundation were scientifically developed, systematized, and named by the author,
it is an error tothink of any physical actions employing the hand and feet for
self-defense as Taekwon- Do. Onlythose who practice the techniques based on the author's
theories, principles and philosophy are considered to be students of genuine Taekwon-Do.
When and where did Taekwon-Do begin?
A combination of circumstances made it possible for me to originate and develop
Taekwon-Do. In addition to my prior knowledge of Taek Kyon, I had an opportunity to learn
Karate in Japan during theunhappy thirty-six years when my native land was occupied by the
Japanese. Soon after Korea wasliberated in 1945, I was placed in a privileged position as
a founding member of the newly formed South Korean Armed Forces.
The former provided me with a definite sense of creation, and the latter gave me the power
to disseminate Taekwon-Do throughout the entire armed forces, despite furious opposition.
The emergence of Taekwon-Do as an international martial art in a relatively short period
of time wasdue to a variety of factors. The evils of contemporary society (moral
corruption, materialism, selfishness, etc.) had created a spiritual vacuum. Taekwon-Do was
able to compensate for the prevailing sense of emptiness, distrust, decadence and lack of
confidence.
In addition, these were violent times, when people felt the need for a means of protecting
themselves, and the superiority of Taekwon-Do technique came to be widely recognized. My
social stature, theadvantage of being Taekwon-Do's founder and my God-given health also
contributed to the rapid growth of Taekwon-Do all over the world.
My involvement with the martial arts did much to supplement the health that God gave me. I
had been born frail and weak and was encouraged to learn Taek Kyon at the age of fifteen
by my teacher of calligraphy. In 1938, a few days before I was due to leave Korea to study
in Japan I was involved in an unexpected incident that would have made it difficult to
return home without risk of reprisals.
I resolved to become a black belt holder in Karate while I was in Japan.
The skills I required were, I felt, sufficient protection against those who might seek to
do me harm. Not only was I able to return to Korea, but I subsequently initiated the
national liberation movement known as the Pyongyang Student Soldier's Incident. Like so
many patriots in the long course of humanhistory, my actions aroused the wrath of those in
positions of power. I was imprisoned for a time in a Japanese army jail. In January of
1946, I was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the fledgling Republic of Korea army
and posted to the 4th infantry regiment in Kwangju, Cholla Namdo Province as a company
commander.
I began to teach Karate to my soldiers as a means of physical and mental training. It was
then that I realized that we needed to develop our own national martial art, superior in
both spirit and technique to Japanese Karate. I strongly believed that teaching it
throughout the country would enable me tofulfill the pledge I had made to three of my
comrades, who had shared my imprisonment by the Japanese.
"The reason that our people suffer in this way at the hands of the Japanese," I
had said, "is that our ancestors failed to rule wisely".
"They exploited the people and, in the end, lost the country to foreign domination.
If we ever regain our freedom and independence, let us not become the rulers of the
people. Instead, let us dedicate ourselves to advising those who rule."
It was with this ambition in mind that I began to develop new techniques, systematically,
from March of that same year. By the end of 1954 I had nearly completed the foundation of
a new martial art for Korea, and on April 11, 1955, it was given the name
"Taekwon-Do".
On the spiritual level, Taekwon-Do is derived from the traditional, ethical and moral
principles of the orient and, of course, from my personal philosophy.
Even though I am only five feet tall, I pride myself on having lived-in strict accordance
with my moral convictions. I have tried to fight on the side of justice without fear of
any kind. I believe that this was possible for me only because of the formidable power and
indomitable spirit instilled by Taekwon-Do.
The physical techniques of Taekwon-Do are based on the principles of modern science, in
particular, Newtonian physics which teaches us how to generate maximum power. Military
tactics of attack and defense have also been incorporated.
I wish to make it clear that although Karate and Taek Kyon were used as references in the
course of my study, the fundamental theories and principles of Taekwon-Do are totally
different from those ofany other martial art in the world.
In March of 1959, I led the military Taekwon-Do demonstration team on a tour abroad. We
visited South Vietnam and Taiwan. It was the first such visit in the history of Korea. On
this occasion, I renewed my resolution to leave my personal legacy to the world, in the
form of Taekwon-Do, and I formulated the following basic ideals for the Taekwon-Do
practitioners:
1. by developing an upright mind and a strong body, we will acquire the self-confidence to
stand on the side of justice at all times;
2. we shall unite with all men in a common brotherhood, without regard to religion, race,
national or ideological boundaries;
3. we shall dedicate ourselves to building a peaceful human society in which justice,
morality, trust and humanism prevail;
I also resolved to dedicate myself to the world-wide propagation of Taekwon-Do, in the
sincere hope that it would provide the means by which the unification of the divided
halves of my fatherland would become possible.
My study of Taekwon-Do proceeded in two parts, spiritual discipline and technical
perfection. Because the human spirit belongs to the realm of metaphysics, what I mean by
spiritual discipline is not easy to describe. One cannot touch, see or hear the spirit of
man, It is wider and deeper than anything we can perceive.
In this respect, I, myself, am only another student participating in a continuing and
never-ending learning process.
I have come to define the spiritual dimensions of Taekwon-Do as fusing oneself with the
ideals of Taekwon-Do and attaining and understanding the full meaning of each of the
Taekwon-Do patterns. If we consider ourselves as one with Taekwon-Do, we will respect it
as we respect our own bodies and Taekwon-Do will never be used in a dishonorable way.
The names of the patterns are derived from the most illustrious people to have been
produced by nearly five thousand years of Korean history. A proper understanding of the
patterns leads, inevitably to the realization that Taekwon-Do is a martial art to be used
only for self-defense and only in the cause of justice.
The history of Korea contains not a single sample of its military forces being employed
for the invasion of its neighbors or for any other purpose except national defense.
In the technical area, I created a wide variety of techniques that can be used in almost
any situation. They are based on the following principles:
1. all movement should be designed to produce maximum power in accordance with scientific
formulas and the principle of kinetic energy;
2. the principles behind the techniques should be so clear that even those ignorant to
Taekwon-Do will be able to distinguish correct from incorrect movement;
3. the distance and angle of each movement should be exactly defined in order to achieve
more efficient attack and defense;
4. the purpose and method of each movement should be clear and simple, in order to
facilitate the teaching and learning process;
5. rational teaching methods should be developed so that the benefits of Taekwon-Do can be
enjoyed by everyone, young and old, men and women;
6. correct breathing methods should be devised, enhancing the speed of each movement and
reducing fatigue;
7. attack should be possible against any vital spot on the body and it should be possible
to defend against all varieties of attack;
8. each attacking tool should be clearly defined and soundly based on the structure of the
human body;
9. each movement should be easy to execute, enabling the student to enjoy Taekwon-Do as a
sport and recreation;
10. special consideration should be paid to promoting good health and preventing injuries;
11. each movement should be harmonious and rhythmical so that Taekwon-Do is aesthetically
pleasing;
12. each movement in a pattern must express the personality and spiritual character of the
person itis named after.
Adherence to these basic principles is what makes Taekwon-Do a martial art, an aesthetic
art, a science and sport.
