I visited an ITF School yesterday

[DWx]

Chang Ung is supposed to be actively talking to the WTF to agree on some sort of merger or combined group.

Most practitioners are unconcerned by the politics of the various different groups. It is only when you get to the higher levels that it really becomes an issue.

[ravenzoom]

There really seems to be bad blood in the TKD world between federations. As an outsider I find this kind of silly. People should be free to to join as many dojos as they like. Too much politics is involved here.

[bushido_man96]

I agree, but such is life.

[Zorbasan]

i have done both WTF and ITF (at different times) and the ITF school was far more interested in the technique than the fighting ability.

infact the school i went to did not allow us to enter competitions. said it was an art, not a sport.

[bushido_man96]

infact the school i went to did not allow us to enter competitions. said it was an art, not a sport.

I am guessing this was more of an instructor's philosophy as opposed to an organizational one. After all, Gen. Choi was trying like mad to get ITF TKD into the Olympics for quite some time.

[frightmaster]

How can anyone say that TKD, regardless of affiliation, it is only an art? There are 2 styles to TKD....ART of TKD and the SPORT of it. People choose not to go through the sport of it, me including, and are attracted to the history, culture and beauty of the art. I have trained to fight and I am good at it but that is not what I get out of learning TKD. Others may see the sport of it more and not as much the art. In my humble opinion, there has to be both for one to exist.

[bushido_man96]

Well, I think that TKD is an Art, that is also a sport. I think it can be both, but doesn't have to be. Neither do I think if it is one, that it is never the other.