WTF or ITF

We have them as well in our WTF school and they can be found in the WTF handbooks as well (Yeon Hee Park, et.al., Tae Kwon Do (Facts on File:1989) )

 

So maybe ITF and WTF are have more in common than most people might publicly admit? Neat!

 

Price and Ego have a place in the MA, as long as there is an equal amount of humour. We arent all warriors anymore. We dont fight for our schools against other schools.
besides as we all know...I'd batter the lot of you <G>

see that was humour like

 

i train ITF tae kwon do so of course i am going to say tht it is better than WTF.

 

I would say if you have a long future with TaeKwonDo, then you want to go with WTF. You will go to Korea to test for the High Dan level tests. You also will have a little breathing room as far as travel is concerned. WTF recognizes and certifies black belts (Don't worry, they just give you a card and certificate after you 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Dan tests)

 

Don't quite get this, could you explain how this applies.

WTF has nothing to do with the certification of dan levels. That is up to the Kukkiwon.

I also tend to think that you can have a long career with any of the organizing bodies of TKD. There's plenty of long time and high Dan's within the ITF as well as the WTF.

 

Its not possible to compare them, but ITF is better, Its the founding organization of TKD

Paul K.
4th Dan

 

I think you did just compare them by saying one was better.

My question would be, how are you a 4th dan at 14?

 

now don't get upset Artikon

 

Not upset at all Neryo just curious, I don't know how the ITF grading system is for Jrs.

 

i'm glad to hear that

in WTF kids shouldn't get the Dan title. at that age it is called 'Poom' and accordingly they shouldn't be wearing a black belt either but a red-black one.

 

Again - these are in Hwang Kee's book. I do not recall specifically where he notes their origin, adn I am at work right now. I will chakc and get back to you. They predate ITF or WTF - that I can assure you.

 

ITF and WTF grandmasters are from the same schools and organizations of origin. Essentially they came from teh same kwans and then decided they had a better way or answer. They then split for different approaches and different financial reasons. Again it comes down to ego and money.

 

Ego makes the world go round, and money pays the bills.

 

A 14 year old 4th dan that makes a sweeping statement like that - expected.

When did you start training in TKD, what age? In Tang Soo Do you cannot test for 4th dan until you are 21 years of age - I tend to agree with this. There is a kind of wisdom and knowledge most people would expect from a 4th dan "master". If the ITF says a 14 year old master is valid then I would dare say the ITF is not the best. I am not sure of the WTF policy either. Moo Duk Kwan required a person be 18 to test for their 3rd dan and they had to wait a minimum of 4 years before they could test for their 4th dan.

Bottom line is they both have their strengths and weaknesses. Do you like where you are? If so, then it is the right place and possibly the best for you. Don't judge other organizations unless you have been there. Yes some things scream of "YUCK", such as a 14 year old 4th dan, but that is just my own personal thing - considering I am 35 and have trained for 27 years and I am a 4th dan. I would not consider a 14 year old my peer. Nothing personal.

 

Here is what the Kukkiwon says about Dan/Poom grading:
http://www.kukkiwon.or.kr/eng/promotion/simsa_eng4.asp?div=5

As you can see, according to the Kukkiwon, he can't be a 4th Dan, but if his instructor says he can, then....

 

Excellent Neryo. The same as what I am used to except the dan gradings happen 1 year faster per rank. Ages are the same.

 

1 year faster? you mean in your system or the one I posted (Kukkiwon)?

 

In the Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan system we had to wait the number of years equal to the rank we were testing for in Dan. ex. 2nd - 3rd Dan is 3 years minimum. In Kukkiwan it is 2 years.

 

Common guys, do you really think he's a fourth dan?
I doubt it. He's probably just talking himself up. To be a 3rd dan at 14 he would have had to be training for 9 years if he was some kind of increadible prodigey. I doubt it. (Plus, in ITF 7th dan is Master level, 4th is only international instructor and you have to have been a 2nd dan for at least 4 years except under very rare circumstances before u can get 3rd dan)
My school is ITF but we have ATA and WTF 3rd Dans (1 from each) train with us regularly.

My experience is that the WTF Style fighters protect the face less and concentrate less on power. On the other hand, the ITF fighters tend to get kicked before we see it coming (as a generality our kicks have more power but are less deceptive due to sine wave technique). I've sparred with some very inpressive people from ITF, ATA, MHK, and WTF. Emphasis differs, but they were all great fighters.

Also, I have often heard WTF people refer to their art as sport tkd or progressive tkd, whereas ITF often refers to theirs at traditional TKD, thats probably where alot of that debate comes from.

Amazingly, the Master Roena that I occasionally refer to is only a master in WTF. He's the master of a small collection of ITF schools but he's 5th Dan ITF and 6th WTF, making him a master in WTF but not ITF.