What is the difference between WTF and ITF

Discussion in 'Tae Kwon Do' started by HSmith63, Nov 2, 2015.

  1. HSmith63

    HSmith63 New Member

    Hi everyone i am a 2nd Dan Black Belt in a mixed martial art that is mainly WTF Taekwondo (we learn WTF patterns) however for my GCSE PE i am required to do ITF taekwondo and if anyone could help me identify the differences between the two that would be great.

    Also i need to do an ITF pattern so if anyone could recommend one that would be great.

    Thanks.
     
  2. Mitch

    Mitch Lord Mitch of MAP Admin

    There are a lot of differences between the two. Key amongst them;

    ITF tends to use deeper stances in line work and patterns.

    Some techniques are delivered differently, eg dollyo chagi.

    Patterns are completely different.

    Sparring is completely different.

    As for a pattern to perform, Hwarang might suit as it isn't too long and has some nice kicks in it.

    Whereabouts in the UK are you?

    Mitch
     
  3. HSmith63

    HSmith63 New Member

    i'm from Manchester, why?
     
  4. Mitch

    Mitch Lord Mitch of MAP Admin

    Just wondering if I might know an Instructor near you that you could go train with for a bit to help you find out :)

    Unfortunately, I don't know anyone in Manchester, sorry.

    Mitch
     
  5. Hannibal

    Hannibal Cry HAVOC and let slip the Dogs of War!!! Supporter

    Isn't ol'Bendy legs Van Zandt still knocking around the Manc area?
     
  6. Hannibal

    Hannibal Cry HAVOC and let slip the Dogs of War!!! Supporter

    2nd Dan at GCSE level age??? Fair enough I suppose....

    What is the actual style you do, and why is the requirement for PE that you show ITF? Surely competency within a stated/given discipline would be the qualifier rather than the JMB arbitrarily deciding you need to do ITF patterns?
     
  7. Mitch

    Mitch Lord Mitch of MAP Admin

    https://youtu.be/AqRWLbQyez4

    Good call on Van Zandt.

    I believe ITF and similar are the ones accepted for GCSE PE, not WTF. There have been some problems over ITF being acceptable either as it was felt more accessible sports might be more appropriate. I think Lacrosse was sited as such a sport. That's Govts for you.

    Here's Hwarang :)
     
    Last edited: Nov 2, 2015
  8. HSmith63

    HSmith63 New Member

    This is what it says on the PE specification:

    "There is only one acceptable style of Tae kwon do, which is ITF (International Tae kwon do Federation). No
    other styles will be acceptable. Centres must ensure that students are only taught by qualified ITF coaches."

    And the martial art i do is a mixture of Karate, Kickboxing, Tae Kwon Do, Ju Jitsu, martial arts weapons and Kung Fu
     
  9. Hannibal

    Hannibal Cry HAVOC and let slip the Dogs of War!!! Supporter

    It's name?
     
  10. HSmith63

    HSmith63 New Member

  11. Mitch

    Mitch Lord Mitch of MAP Admin

    Like the song says Hannibal, let it go! :D

    Mitch
     
  12. Travess

    Travess The Welsh MAPper Supporter

    I would question how you could get to 2nd Dan, without knowing the style that you are studying, but then I realised why...

    Regards

    Travess
     
  13. Hannibal

    Hannibal Cry HAVOC and let slip the Dogs of War!!! Supporter

    I wished I had.....
     
  14. SWC Sifu Ben

    SWC Sifu Ben I am the law

    Those jumpsuits are enough to make onions cry
     
  15. Van Zandt

    Van Zandt Mr. High Kick

    Winston Rose and Felix Lopes are your best shot for ITF in Manchester:

    http://manchestertkd.co.uk/instructor.html

    Bear in mind you will enter their syllabus (UKTA) as a white belt; genuine Kukkiwon (WTF) black belts aren't transferable, Matt Fiddes' system even less so. A word of advice: you are not a WTF black belt. Matt Fiddes is not recognised by the Kukkiwon.
     
  16. RobBnTX

    RobBnTX New Member

    Don't forget also the ITF uses the Sine-Wave while performing their techniques.

    If you do not know what that is, it is a small up and down movement that is supposed to generate power while performing techniques. It also features breathing out thru the mouth much like blowing out a match, well sort of.

    Watch this video for a better explanation: [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k9zqz-KHSA"]ITF Sine-Wave[/ame]
     
  17. RobBnTX

    RobBnTX New Member

    Also Kukki-TKD (commonly called WTF style) calls their forms Poomsae, while the ITF has Tuls.

    Kukki-TKD writes Taekwondo while Taekwon-Do is more commonly used in the ITF.

    Kukki-TKD practices TaeGeuks for their gup forms. The ITF uses the Chang Hon pattern set.

    Unfortunately the ITF split into three different organizations after the death of its founder, General Choi Hong Hi, each claiming to be the legitimate ITF.

    One of those organizations is now based out of North Korea and there has been some cooperation between the WTF and that ITF as of late.

    The USTF under Master Chuck Sereff was at one time the official representative of the ITF in the United States before Gen. Choi's death. While they still teach ITF style TKD I am not sure they are affiliated with any of the ITF organization. Back in the 1990s I was a student at a school that was under the USTF but I am now student in a Kukki-TKD dojang these days.
     
  18. Botta Dritta

    Botta Dritta Valued Member

    Hi

    I had to help out one of my students doing fencing for her PE GCSE. This may vary and I'm not sure which examining board you are using but there should be a template sheet that will give you the skillsets that your instructor must work through with you. It might be worth scanning it and sending it off to whichever instructors you choose to work with just so they get an overview with what you are meant to be working with. They should be able to devise a routine lesson from this and then discern from the lesson which areas you need to work on which may be different to what you currently do. It also will give you/them a fair idea of the timescale and weeks you need to put in.
     
    Last edited: Nov 4, 2015
  19. Earl Weiss

    Earl Weiss Valued Member

    First I would suggest proper understanding of names and terminology. ITF and WTF are not styles. They are organizations. That being said, the ITF uses the Chang Hon system / style exclusively. Uses the "Taekwon-Do" name. It sets technical standards for the system syllabus as well as setting test and competition standards.

    WTF only regulates the sport aspect of systems it acknowledges as TKD. Notwithstanding the fact that in the early days there was some BB cert by WTF. (I will let a WTFr elaborate) for decades the KKW set the technical standards for the system and rank using the "Taekwondo" label which to an extent was confusing in early days since KKW would issue BB certs to people practising a number of systems using the name TKD
     
  20. 47MartialMan

    47MartialMan Valued Member



    Hi, welcome.

    Looking on the site, this is what disturbs me about a large percentage of schools:

    MF Street Education is the ultimate self-defence training system brought to the world by the MF group.

    MF Street Education is the result of more than 2 decades of study into self defence and fitness. The system draws techniques from kickboxing, boxing, Muay Thai, jiu Jitsu, Kali, progressive fighting systems, Keysi's Fighting Method and many real life confrontations through security and door work experience gained by our Senior Instructor Team.

    In other words, the key basis of self defense is not fighting methods. Fighting methods are not ultimate self-defense.

    That said, as with a few people stated the differences, both orgs have been changing their syllabus for some time, as well as people breaking away from the orgs. The common thread other than the name use-is its politics. If you studied one, it is easy to transition into the other.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 5, 2015

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