White Dragon
Taekwondo & Martial Arts Index
Taekwondo & Martial Arts Index
This is an index of Taekwondo & Martial Arts terms, words, organizations, groups, concepts etc., that are important to know about when reading this blog. It will be updated as time goes on and more terms are introduced.
Organizations, groups, and schools
AIMAA (Action International Martial Arts Association, Grandmaster Hee Il Cho’s Taekwondo organization that emphases a more self defense and combative way of Taekwondo)
ATA (American Taekwondo Association, the largest mcdojang chain in the world)
AAU (Amateur Athletic Union, this organization promotes many sports and also has a very large Taekwondo tournament circuit in the United States)
ITA (International Taekwondo Alliance, AKA Tiger Rock Martial Arts. This chain is mainly in the southern united states)
ITF (International Taekwon-do Federation, General Choi’s organization he created when the KTA would not accept his forms as official or go in the direction he wanted for Taekwondo. They gave their blessing for him to leave the KTA and start his own group on his own apart from the KTA. ITF is known as “the other Taekwondo” to people affiliated with Kukkiwon/WTF Taekwondo. Many ITF practitioners vehemently proclaim to have the true “Taekwon-do” style and you must spell it with a hyphen. They boldly declare the greatness of General Choi and really want everyone to acknowledge that he created Taekwondo by himself )
IOC (International Olympic Committee, the governing body for Olympic sports)
Jidokwan (One of the 10 original kwans [schools] of Taekwondo that banded together to form the style. They are known for emphasizing sparring and creating the chest protector. Their name means Wisdom Way School. Like all kwans it is now defunct and exists simply as a fraternal organization for certain people in Korea and fully supports the WTF and the Kukkiwon)
KTA (Korean Taekwondo Association, the governing body in South Korea for Taekwondo and historically the true linage of Taekwondo apart from the ITF who then developed the Kukkiwon headquarters to promote Taekwondo internationally)
Kukkiwon (Abbreviated as KKW, the World Taekwondo Headquarters: the main dojang in the world located in Gangnam District in Seoul, Korea that officially certifies black belt dan ranks worldwide [the most prestigious certification in all of TKD as it is recognized by the Korean government], instructor licences, and promotes Taekwondo enrichment programs. It is the true linage of Taekwondo historically, and the style is known also as Kukki-Taekwondo when differentiating it from other organizations)
STF (Songahm Taekwondo Federation, the ATA’s mcdojang world organization for their style of Taekwondo mostly known in Africa)
Tiger Rock (The ITA’s name for their franchise chain of dojangs mostly in the Southern United States)
UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship, the largest and most popular mixed martial arts promotion in the world with the most recognized fighters)
USAT (United States of America Taekwondo, USA Taekwondo, this is the officially recognized governing body for WTF qualifying national tournaments and was formerly known as the USTU)
USTU (United States Taekwondo Union)
WDD (White Dragon Dojang, the school and Martial Arts training program affiliated with this blog. This dojang emphasizes Taekwondo as a Martial Art and serious fighting system for self defense. They emphasize Kickboxing sparring over Olympic Taekwondo sparring, but still teach both for rank requirements)
WTF (World Taekwondo Federation, the world organization that holds qualifying tournaments around the world for the Olympics and recognized by the IOC)
WTTU (World Traditional Taekwondo Union, the ATA’s mcdojang world organization. Using the term “traditional” pretentiously tries to claim it is the traditional style of Taekwondo, but it’s not)
White Dragon Dojang 
All these abreviations and titles are very big market nowdays, allerding, what people look for is actually a good sport like Takewondo. this sport art is one of the most strongest sport in the whole world. Actually the strength of the Takewondo like exactly on the Technique, on how to kick or to hit exactly there were you want to do it, so what ever you are, a little man or a big one, a child or even awoman, you can win again any person if you know the Technique very well and you do practice it very well, then you know exactly “from where to eat the shoulder” instead of distroying it or removing it if you were a butcher. The accuracy of the kicks and the hits can be so developed and progressed if we are practicing regularly and efficiently, so later when you kick exactly where you want, accuracy means concentration and this means more targeting and more power. Taekwondo is build on science, mathmatics, arithmatics and geomatry, it is very similar to any learned Techniqu such as Bowlings, Pool etc. That is why also there are universities to teach Taekwondo, later you can graduate as a Taekwondo professor or a doktor. The international organisations, such as WTF, ITF are actually two differrent styles, the WTF has more to do with full contact, the ITF has more obstacles and forbidden rules and regulations, but both of them are great, because both of them have places who are forbidden to be hit and places to be allowed to be hit, some places in both of them are extrem forbidden like the face, and an example of the not forbidden is the head, for each of these places they are different points to be granted.
Actually in WTF sport you can hit the face.
You’re statements about Kukkiwon are incorrect. The Korean Taekwondo Association was actually the first sanctioning body of TKD, following the consolidation of the 9 original TKD schools (kwans) in Korea. H.H. Choi was the first president of the KTA, and worked with what are known as the 12 pioneers of Taekwondo to develop the patterns and techniques of what would now be considered “ITF-style” TKD, and also to tour around the world doing TKD demonstrations. This all happened in the late 1950’s and throughout the early 1960’s, which all occurred before H.H. Choi was kicked out of the KTA and subsequently formed the ITF in 1965. The Kukkiwon did not open until the early 1970’s and the World Taekwondo Federation was not officially established until 1973. After this, almost all of the original Taekwondo masters continued to practice “ITF-style” TKD, regardless if they were still with the ITF or not. The WTF patterns and sparring style were not in development until the late 1960’s / early 1970’s, which came well after the patterns and techniques developed under H.H. Choi. So, to say that the Kukkwon is the true lineage of TKD is not accurate. I am in no way trying to say that one organization (ITF vs. WTF) is superior to another, but to say that the Kukkiwon/WTF is the true lineage of Taekwondo is incorrect.
Wow it seems you are drinking the ITF kool aid in a major way. LOL.
I am 100% right about the Kukkiwon and everything I said.
Choi was the first KTA president. But that is irrelevant since he was kicked out and did his own thing. It is also irrelevant that he worked with 12 ITF loyalists to develop his ITF patterns. They are not KTA patterns. Only the first few he developed were allowed for dan testing at one point and no longer are. But so were Karate forms. We don’t do Karate forms anymore.
I dont think Choiu traveled around the world representing the martial arts techniques of all the 9/10 original kwans before his ITF missionary trips. He did represent his O Do Kwan and his desires before he was kicked out.
The Kukkiwon opening in the 70s and the WTF forming as well is still irrelevant to the point. The KTA always excisted and the KTA fully 100% supported the Kukkiwon and WTF and still does and always will. Kukkiwon is basically KTA.
And youa re wrong about “almost all the original TKD masters doing ITF.” That would be subjective, but it is wrong. While more ITF guys went around the world to promote the iTF and CHoi at this time, the majority of kwan members of the KTA stayed with the KTA and the Korean government also supports that. To be a Korean martial artist of Taekwondo is to be KTA/Kukkiwon/WTF. That is a fact. ITF is Choi’s personal group and only represents him, not Korea or Taekwondo as a whole. It is his own style.
Anyone wh was really doing “ITF style” as you say were most likely in the O Do Kwan and military. There was crossover before people knew what to do with it. They eventually either embraced ITF or stuck with KTA. Most stayed with the KTA. All kwans, even Choi’s beloved O Do Kwan rejected the ITF and embraced the KTA.
Choi did not develop any techniques except his forms. To say “he WTF patterns and sparring style were not in development until the late 1960’s / early 1970’s, which came well after the patterns and techniques developed under H.H. Choi.” is complete bullshit. Choi did not create the techniques. He had his own ideas, but the kwans originally had their own techniques that existed before he jumped on the Taekwondo bandwagon. Actually Choi’s techniques are all Japanese Karate. It is absolutely irrelevant if Olympic sparring came after.
Kukkiwon is actually the true linage of TKD. It is historically linked to the continuation of the KTA and original Taekwondo. ITF is an offshoot. There is a difference.
What you want to say is all of the Taekwondo in Korea is not historically in the line of Taekwondo, or that somehow Kukkiwon is not actual Taekwondo. That is propaganda and nonsense.
Choi was a communist anyway.
Thanks for sharing all those organizations, groups, and schools. This is a very interesting martial arts blog.
You are welcome!
Hello,
Is there a website that I can visit to find a genuine Taekwondo school in my state? Thanks.
Your website offers an amazing amount of insights about the history of TKD. I like the fact that you are critical about the achievements of Choi Hong Hi. The part about Vietnam with the videos is highly interesting for me. Never knew that before. Keep up the great work.
You are welcome and thanks for commenting!!