Taekwondo politics

[DWx]

I was unsure whether this fit best in Politics or Korean Martial Arts but ultimately decided it might be better placed here as it is solely about Taekwondo.

For anyone interested in Taekwondo politics, this might be an interesting read:

https://www.nst.com.my/world/2017/09/282723/blown-apart-divided-world-taekwondo

Whilst I think most people realise that we have WT (formerly WTF) Taekwondo and ITF Taekwondo, along with many off shoots, I don't think people realise that there are in fact 3 ITF groups all claiming to be the real-ITF.

Though they all come from the same place, they are starting to diverge in technique. This is mostly seen at Continental and World Championships where subtle rule changes has meant that each ITF now has its own particular flavour to the techniques and are subtly moving apart. Do you think we'll ever see a united Taekwondo?

[singularity6]

No, I don't. The crux of the matter here is:

\I can go on... People tend to find elitism in whatever it is they do. People, in general are proud of their heritage. Martial arts are just another "thing" people will identify with.

"My martial art is the best martial art"

"My religion is the right religion"

"My country is the best country"

"My heavy metal is the best heavy metal"

Ultimately, I feel we should all get along, regardless of race, creed, faith or whatever it is we practice (martial art, or not.) Unfortunately, that'll never happen.

[LLLEARNER]

I believe that power is best diffused. Rather than having 1 big powerful entity over every aspect of a single thing, people are better off going about their business of their own free will.

If the organization I am a member of and I have a disagreement, then I should be free to leave and do things how I want. Whether that is in a religion, hobby, or business, it is how the world grows. Market competition makes everyone better off.

[sensei8]

Do you think we'll ever see a united Taekwondo?

NO!!

Not as long as human beings are involved!!

This both saddens and angers me all at the same time. Why? The poor TKD student is really not left any plausible recourse.

As a TKD practitioner, this must be quite disheartening because the poor TKD student is caught in the cross-hairs of the governing body, no matter which governing body it might be, in that the long TKD student must pick sides, or be cast away.

Their rules. Their regulations. Their organization. Their toys. Play along or go away!!

Politics taint everything.

[bushido_man96]

I agree with Bob. I think things have gotten so far afield that unification is just a pipe dream that gets talked about now and then with no real plans at doing anything.

It would involve too much compromise on one side or the other, and I don't think either side would give that much.

[JR 137]

I agree with Bob. I think things have gotten so far afield that unification is just a pipe dream that gets talked about now and then with no real plans at doing anything.

It would involve too much compromise on one side or the other, and I don't think either side would give that much.

Yes. They all probably truly do want unification, so long as the others are going to do things their way

[singularity6]

I agree with Bob. I think things have gotten so far afield that unification is just a pipe dream that gets talked about now and then with no real plans at doing anything.

It would involve too much compromise on one side or the other, and I don't think either side would give that much.

Yes. They all probably truly do want unification, so long as the others are going to do things their way

Yeah, if you look into the history of TKD, specifically, it pretty much started out fragmented.

I'm happy with the style I'm learning, and if/when I visit other schools, I'll be happy to learn what they're willing to teach me. Maybe hoping that others have that mindset is all we can do with that art.

[sensei8]

Everyone wants to be The Boss, and not everyone wants to be the Grunt. Too many Chefs, not enough cooks. Same thing with MA governing bodies!! Everyone wants to be in charge, but it everyone wants to be in charge, then who's going to do the following of the one in charge??

MA governing bodies seem to be along the lines of "One on every corner", but WHY?? It doesn't have to be so!!

MAist, to me in this regard, seem to act like a bunch of spoiled kindergartener's [sp] because they can't have their way.

[Prototype]

I was unsure whether this fit best in Politics or Korean Martial Arts but ultimately decided it might be better placed here as it is solely about Taekwondo.

For anyone interested in Taekwondo politics, this might be an interesting read:

https://www.nst.com.my/world/2017/09/282723/blown-apart-divided-world-taekwondo

Whilst I think most people realise that we have WT (formerly WTF) Taekwondo and ITF Taekwondo, along with many off shoots, I don't think people realise that there are in fact 3 ITF groups all claiming to be the real-ITF.

Though they all come from the same place, they are starting to diverge in technique. This is mostly seen at Continental and World Championships where subtle rule changes has meant that each ITF now has its own particular flavour to the techniques and are subtly moving apart. Do you think we'll ever see a united Taekwondo?

Why would we see a unified TaekwonDo when Karate, Kung Fu, Hapkido etc are all split?

The rules are slightly different between the ITFs but they are by and large the same organisations.