Taekwon-Do: ITF vs Olympic By Matt Gibb (3 rd degree), Vision Taekwon-Do, England. September 2008 Introduction Every four years, many of us who practice ITF Taekwon-Do have to explain to friends, family and work colleagues that the Olympic form of Taekwon-Do they see on television is, in fact, different from the martial art we practice. This article will attempt to explain the differences between ITF Taekwon-Do and Olympic Taekwon-Do and the history between the two, to educate both the Taekwon- Do students and their friends/family/colleagues. I am a member of the ITF, but I do not intend this article to cast aspersions on the WTF. It is written as an unbiased comparison. Due, however, to my limited WTF knowledge, there may be some minor mistakes, but I have attempted to use reputable sources (such as the WTF website) when writing about WTF. If you notice any mistakes, then please contact me through the Vision website. History There is much disagreement about the history and founding of Tae Kwon Do; however, what is certain is that the name "Tae Kwon Do" was proposed for this martial art by a Korean Major-General called Choi Hong Hi. The name was formally approved on 11 th April 1955 in a meeting attended by martial artists and historians alike. General Choi was elected as Vice-President of the Taekwon-Do Association of Korea in 1957, and President in 1960. At the time, this was the only governing body of this new martial art. On 22 nd March 1966, General Choi founded the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) in Seoul. In 1972, General Choi left Korea, and the Taekwon-Do Association of Korea, after a disagreement with the South Korean government be it through exile or emigration by choice, this departure was the first real split in Taekwon-Do. The ITF relocated with General Choi and moved its headquarters to Toronto. In 1973, the South Korean government founded the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), based in South Korea. The first President of the WTF was a man called Un Yong Kim, a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Different methods, styles and competition rules gradually arose between the ITF and WTF, with the two versions of Taekwon-Do growing apart. These differences are visible to everyone today; so much so that the two could almost be considered different martial arts.
Thanks to its President, the WTF was officially recognised by the IOC in 1980, and it later became an Olympic sport. What are the differences? The first noticeable, although superficial, difference is in the way the two federations write the name of the martial art: The ITF as Taekwon-Do with a hyphen separating the physical Taekwon and the mental/spritual Do, to show the balance between the two; The WTF as Taekwondo as one word to symbolise the continuity of the physical and mental. Other, more substantial differences can be seen in competitions, in the uniforms, in the terminology and in the Art itself as taught by the two federations. These differences are explained in more detail in the following sections. The most substantial difference, however, is in how each federation classifies and presents TKD. The WTF focus is almost exclusively on TKD as a sport, concentrating mostly on the competitive sparring aspects. The ITF, on the other hand, treat TKD as a complete martial art, practising the patterns, self defence, numerous forms of sparring (such as three-step sparring, foot sparring, free sparring, etc), breaking of boards, etc. The Logos ITF WTF Differences in Competition Rules ITF and WTF differ considerably in their competition formats: The WTF competitions feature only one event: Sparring (although they do now hold a separate patterns, or Poomsae competition). The ITF competitions, on the other hand, have five events: Sparring, Patterns, Power Test, Special Technique, and the new event of Pre-Arranged Free Sparring. The following table lists, in a comparative format, the major differences between WTF and ITF competition sparring. ITF WTF Contact level Nominally semi-contact* Nominally full contact**
Ring size Mandatory protective equipment Optional protective equipment Point scoring When is a point valid? Warnings Fouls/Penalties ("Gam jum") resulting in a one-point deduction 9 x 9 metres (8 x 8 metres is permitted) Padded gloves Foot pads Groin guard (for men) Mouth guard Shin pads Chest protector (for women) Head guard (for juniors) One point for a punch to the head or body; Two points for a kick to the body; Three points for a kick to the head. In competition a technique is valid when: a. it is executed correctly; b. it is dynamic, that is to say it is delivered with strength, purpose, rapidity and precision; c. it is controlled on the target. a. Attack to an illegal target. b. Stepping completely out of the ring (both feet). c. Falling down, whether intentional or not (this means any part of the body, other than the feet, touching the ground). d. Holding/grabbing/pushing. e. Leg sweeping. f. Faking a blow, pretending to be injured to gain an advantage. g. Intentionally avoiding sparring. h. Pretending to have scored a point by raising the arm. Three warnings results in a onepoint deduction a. Loss of temper. b. Insulting an opponent in any way. c. Biting, scratching. d.. Attacking with the knee, elbow or forehead. e. Attacking a fallen opponent. f. Attack to an illegal target with contact. g. Contact. 10 x 10 metres Head guard Body protector Groin guard Forearm pads Shin pads Gloves Mouth guard N/A One point for an attack to the body; Two points for an attack (kick only) to the face; An additional point is awarded for knocking the opponent to the floor. Points shall be awarded when permitted techniques are delivered accurately and powerfully to the legal scoring areas of the body. a. Crossing the Boundary Line b. Evading by turning the back to the opponent c. Falling down d. Avoiding the match e. Grabbing, holding or pushing the opponent f. Attacking below the waist g. Pretending injury h. Butting or attacking with knee i. Hitting the opponent s face with the hand j. Uttering undesirable remarks or any misconduct on the part of a contestant or a coach Two warnings results in a onepoint deduction a. Attacking the opponent after `Kal-yeo (a fallen opponent) b. Attacking the fallen opponent c. Throwing down the opponent by grappling the opponent s attacking foot in the air with the arm or by pushing the opponent with the hand d. Intentionally attacking the opponent s face with the hand e. Interrupting the progress of the match on the part of a contestant or a coach f. Violent or extreme remarks or behaviour on the part of a
Disqualification In the event of a knock-out (KO) a. Misconduct against officials or ignoring instructions. b. Heavy contact. c. Committing three (3) fouls. d. Any competitor being under influence of alcoholic beverages or drugs. In the event of an injury, including KO, a doctor is given 3 mins to examine the competitor. If, in the doctor's opinion, the competitor cannot continue, then: 1. He/she is the winner if the referee deems the opponent to be responsible, i.e. to have used excessive contact; 2. He/she is the loser if the referee deems the opponent to not be responsible. contestant or a coach When a contestant intentionally refuses to comply with the Competition Rules or the referee's order, the referee may declare the contestant loser by penalty after one (1) minute. When a contestant receives minus four [-4] points, the referee shall declare him/her loser by penalties. If a competitor is knocked down, he/she has ten seconds to stand up and continue. If they don't, then they lose the fight. * ITF is nominally semi-contact but, in reality, a competitor receives a foul (minus one point) only if he/she intentionally punches the opponent's face with excessive contact. It is rare to see fouls given for a kick with excessive contact, or a punch to the body. ** WTF is nominally full-contact, but the body protector absorbs much of the energy of the attacking techniques, making discernment of the level of contact difficult, and affording the opponent a lot of protection. Also, punching to the face is not allowed. Another noticeable difference is the way the competitors hold their arms during sparring. Because punching to the face is not permitted in WTF, competitors usually hold their arms by their sides, to enable fast kicking. In ITF sparring, the arms are generally held in front of the body and face as a guard.
Images from ITF sparring:
Images from WTF sparring:
Differences in Dobok ITF Dobok WTF Dobok The ITF dobok is also white in colour, but has the Taekwon-Do Tree on the back. It has the ITF logo on the left breast, and the letters ITF on the outside of each trouser leg. Black belt holders have black piping around the bottom of the shirt, below the belt. Black belt holders who are 4th degree and above have black stripes down the outside of the trouser legs. Those 4th degrees and above who are qualified International Instructors have additional black stripes down the outside of the shirt arms. The WTF dobok is very simple. It is white in colour, with the word Taekwondo in both Roman letters and Han-gul on the back of the shirt. Black belt holders have black piping around the v-neck. Just below the v-neck is a WTF approved badge.