WTF fighters are “sloppy”, “absence control”, “battle with their fingers down”, “emphasis much too much on the activity”, “under no circumstances punch”, “unrealistic”, and so on, and so forth, etcetera. Then what do you listen to about ITF? Nothing! Is that because ITF is a great system? No, it truly is due to the fact most Planet Taekwondo Federation practitioners haven’t found an Intercontinental Taekwondo Federation match. The ITF isn’t practiced as much as the WTF, therefore not offering it the exact publicity.
I can convey to you the downsides to ITF, not since I am pro WTF, but since I keep various Black Belts in the two designs. I at this time personal 2 dojangs and they are WTF. I will reveal later on why our university has picked to be affiliated with the World Taekwondo Federation in excess of the Intercontinental Taekwondo Federation.
1st and foremost, I am pro Taekwondo, not pro WTF. I read a blog comment somewhere and the gentleman said that it is really ALL Taekwondo anyhow. I think it normally takes a mature thoughts to genuinely fully grasp and consider that. The Planet Taekwondo Federation is in essence a mutated version of Worldwide Taekwondo Federation. If you remember, a single was created from the other.
We all know of Gen. Hong Hi Choi. If you are a WTF practitioner, possibilities are, you’ve got hardly ever read of him. The purpose you may well have never listened to of him was mainly because he was seen as a traitor by the South Korean federal government. Korea adopted a new process of Taekwondo after Gen. Hong Hello Choi was excommunicated from the place which is why we have two massive federations these days- WTF & ITF. Apparently more than enough, Gen. Choi is not talked about by the WTF.
WTF or not, Gen. Choi is the father of Taekwondo and is accountable for helping coin the name Taekwondo, and should really always be remembered for that. Why he was excommunicated is an entirely unique issue and will never be mentioned in this write-up.
Most of the tactics that were being developed by Gen. Choi are practiced in all Taekwondo, no matter whether it truly is WTF, ITF, or even ATA. Planet Taekwondo Federation practitioners evolved into a mutated model, as I stated before. It’s critical to fully grasp that the WTF did not create what you see nowadays. The opponents created it. Specific guidelines established it. The masters and grandmasters of the Planet Taekwondo Federation Authorised of it, but they did not create what we see today.
The conventional roundhouse kick was no extended great more than enough. The effective sidekick became ineffective in an Olympic type competitors. Punching… well, that’s just plain annoying to a great deal of people, WTF or ITF. I will get again to that. Please, do not say, “I could use an successful roundhouse kick or sidekick.” I imagined the same thing as a stage type fighter in the ITF. I determined that I wished to choose a shot at Olympic design and style opposition (WTF). I was profitable at a area amount, when I competed in my 1st WTF tournament, so I went to the US Nationwide Championships.
I’ll admit, I experienced my opponent bewildered, but that failed to very last lengthy. Listed here is what I uncovered out promptly. WTF practitioners can include many meters in a split second, in any path. My kicks ended up as well shorter, envision that… I am 6’3″, and I did not have the footwork or coaching to shift across the mat rapid sufficient to at any time hit my opponent. Confident, I had quick roundhouse kicks and sidekicks. I could sit on my back leg and snap a number of kicks to the entire body and head like no other.
If you feel about it, the ring in an official WTF match is 12 meters sq.. That is approximately 40 toes broad, and that ring does get made use of. Listed here I am, a very thriving position fashion fighter, winning to start with place in virtually just about every event I competed in. Then, at nationals, in San Jose, California, I am knocked out with a swift roundhouse kick to the ribs.
The WTF roundhouse kick has various variants to be far more powerful. Why elevate your knee straight up and flip all the way around when you can lower your length and time by heading diagonal. The kick has a lot less energy this way, but it hits your opponent substantially faster. The other as well as is that it sets your opponent up for yet another kick in which you might change your roundhouse kick all the way in excess of. Other stylists perspective this exercise as becoming sloppy. WTF practitioners deem it as getting productive.
Think of WTF competitiveness like boxing. It is specifically the exact same, just with your toes. In the WTF, we toss numerous “Fast Kicks” or “Speedy Kicks”. In the ITF, the closest edition would be a “Skipping Roundhouse Kick”. It really is a quite speedy movement forward, typically produced from a skip, then adopted quickly with a entrance leg roundhouse kick. These roundhouse kicks, and 45 degree kicks are equivalent to a boxers jab. They are not intended to knockout the opponent, just meant to set up for yet another attack.
In the Earth Taekwondo Federation, you are going to find other versions of the roundhouse kick, like the bada chagi (counter roundhouse kick) or the ahp bal chagi (entrance leg kick- ordinarily entrance leg roundhouse kick). Then there’s lateral bada chagi’s, and lateral ahp bal chagi’s. Then there’s double roundhouse kicks, and triples and “quads”. Most of these kicks make ITF practitioners want to vomit when they see them. I know, the initial time I saw a double kick, I imagined it was a joke.
The double kick is essentially a highly impressive kick that involves toughness, timing, and equilibrium. Note- the WTF double is with alternating legs in a continuous fashion. It truly is productive in competitors, and that’s it! If I were attacked currently, the double or triple kick is the last matter I’m going to do. Why observe it then? Are you all set for my response? Because it truly is Enjoyment! Individuals really don’t do fencing competitions since they want to understand how to defend themselves. They do it mainly because it truly is an art variety to learn and it is enjoyment. I don’t know of any WTF competitor that does competition so they can turn out to be much better at self defense.
I’ve been researching martial arts for above 30 several years now and I’m to the point in which I really don’t want to faux or influence myself or many others that WTF competitiveness is a terrific self protection apply. I’m also experienced adequate to know that any level of competition is not excellent self defense exercise, and that contains the UFC.
Heck, punching really should be in your arsenal if you have been at any time attacked on the street. In WTF competition, we you should not punch, and it’s not mainly because we do not know how. It’s for the reason that the dang judges is not going to At any time rating them. Why toss them, and squander strength? It’s regrettable, but that is component of the video game, and that’s what sparring is. Sparring is a sport.
In ITF & WTF, a sparring match is very little far more than a match of tag, with kicks and punches. I do disagree that ITF is additional real looking than WTF. For the file, they are both unrealistic, in level of competition, in their own strategies. The WTF practitioners learns to really feel what a devastating blow is like. The strikes are genuine and they hurt, and if you happen to be careless, you may be likely property with severe injuries.
On the other hand, we typically retain our fingers reduced, and at times down. By the way, when your arms are down, your entire body is more peaceful and you can accelerate your human body and kicks much better. Instead of blocking with our arms, and danger owning them break, we just use footwork to transfer absent or jam our opponent.
In an ITF match, the practitioners will battle with far more treatment and precision, ordinarily due to the fact they usually are not sporting gear or have restricted safety. A misplaced kick will jam your toe in a hurry. I liked how we alternated involving kicking and punching in ITF competitiveness. I also enjoyed the precision and command more than my kicks that I received.
On the other hand, the continual setting up and halting of the match to award the level would break the momentum of a match and would not allow for even more tactics to be designed. It also authorized you and your opponent to catch their breath- not most likely to come about in a genuine situation.
All level of competition stuff aside, the WTF and ITF are amazing systems. They have good practitioners, masters, and grandmasters. The WTF is the most practiced model in the entire world, hence, you are likely to uncover flaws in the character of athletes just from the sheer amount of men and women competing. You happen to be likely to discover dojangs that have totally misplaced the indicating of Taekwondo and martial arts as a entire. I have found dojangs that have missing 100% of their etiquette and regard to martial arts.
Bear in head, I’ve also seen Karate colleges and Kenpo universities that have lost the exact same features. You almost never see it, for the reason that those people models are not in the Olympics and get considerably less exposure.
So, why are we WTF and not ITF? Years back, I turned greatly associated in competitors. I had a aspiration to one particular day go to the Olympics and the only way I was going to have a possibility was to switch over to the WTF. I would like to think I came shut. I manufactured it to the quarter finals at the US Countrywide Championships. I dropped to an fantastic fighter and particular person, Michael Tang. Michael Tang was a US Group member at that time, and was essentially my only obstacle from creating it to the US Crew Trials that year. The match was close, really near! On the other hand, Michael experienced a desire much too!
I had started off my competition occupation late as a WTF competitor, since I had been a part of the ITF for so long. It was primarily my one shot, right before my priorities shifted to raising a relatives. I recognize that it is not the style of Taekwondo or type of martial arts you apply, but rather the knowledge you gain from it.
In our academy, we do not prepare like Olympic Taekwondo competition. We do teach students how to punch. We even train our college students how to box and grapple as nicely. We also instruct them simple self protection maneuvers, as opposed to rehearsed 3 action battling styles.
Those people learners that are wanting for level of competition, teach independently in course geared to prepare them for Olympic design and style competition. I keep on to continue to be affiliated with the WTF for the reason that of the opportunity it delivers for athletes to desire, primarily young athletes who have the prospect to prepare for the Junior Olympics, an interesting celebration for young ones.
WTF or ITF, it does not make any difference. How the curriculum is offered as perfectly as the more perception to martial arts you might be giving to students is what’s essential.
