Hello Everyone,

Over the years I have accumulated a little knowledge of Tae Kwon Do and its history.  At least one person asked me to share some of this information so I thought some of you might be interested in some of it as well.

Organizations:
There are many organizations which teach/promote Tae Kwon Do.  The two major international organizations are World Tae Kwon Do Federation (WTF) and the International Tae Kwon Do Federation (ITF).  These organizations seem to be sport orientated.  At one time it was necessary to be affiliated with one of these organizations to be able to compete at state or international levels. This was one way to force schools to become members of the organizations.  My understanding is that this requirement is no longer necessary. 

Our school does not belong to either of these groups.  Our school like many others is an independent school, thought it is affiliated with the International Martial Arts Federation (IMF).  The IMF is made up of several schools in 2 or 3 states (IL, IN, possibly WI).  The masters from theses schools are the masters, which act as judges for the Black Belt testing.

Forms:
As all of you probably know, there are many forms.  What some of you may not know is that different schools may teach different forms or they may teach the same forms but a little differently.  An example of this is the Tae Geuk Forms.  The Tae Geuk Forms are WTF forms.  The Tae Geuk forms were created in the 1970's to establish uniformity among the WTF schools. Master Kim has altered some of them to make them better looking or more practical.  This alteration of forms is not a bad thing, it allows the masters to refine the forms and to add their personal touches.

Our school uses forms from many different sources.  In my opinion this allows the students a greater exposure to the differences between Tae Kwon Do practioners and increases their knowledge and abilities.  Some forms emphasize kicking, some hand techniques, some are defensive orientated, and some like the In Young Ryu emphasize offensive techniques.

An example of the differences between schools/organizations can be seen if you analyze the color belts forms used by the WTF versus the forms used by the ITF.  

When you compare the kick to movement rations of the forms used by the WTF and ITF you find that the WTF forms have a higher ratio. (26.79% vs 11.68% for all forms combined).  When you include the fact that the ITF forms have more movements (Total Movements Combined:  WTF 168, ITF 214) you can see a greater difference between the forms. WTF forms emphasize kicks, ITF hand techniques.

By studying and practicing forms of different origins we learn more and become intellectually more rounded.

Here is a break down of the forms we use and their origins.

Color Belt Forms:   

Name                    Originator
Basic Form 1-3       Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan
Basic Form 4-10      Master Kim
The Tae Geuks        WTF

In Young Ryu Forms:

Name                    Originator
All Forms               Master Kim

Black Belt Forms

Name                    Originator
The Pyung Ahns     Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan
Koriyo                    WTF
Keum Gang            WTF
Tae Baek                WTF
Pyung Won            WTF
Ship Jin                  WTF
Jitae                       WTF
Bat Sai                   Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan
Nai Hanjis               Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan
Jin Do                     Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan
Kong Sang Goon     Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan
No Hai                    Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan

For the black belts and anyone interested:

My research turned up some interesting information on the Pyung Ahn Forms.  Now this information is base on other people’s research, as I suspect most of the original information is in Korean.

The Pyung Ahns were created/adapted by Grand Master Hwang Kee, founder of the Moo Duk Kwon. The translation of Pyung Ahn Cho Dan is the "Peaceful and Self-confident, lesser level to the Nai Hanji Cho Dan.

The Pyung Ahn Hyung appears to have been originally called Je Nam Hyung and was devised approximately 130 years ago by separating the Je Nam Hyung into five (5) components (Pyung Ahn Cho Dan - Oh Dan). 

The Pyung Ahn apparently symbolizes the Turtle.  Why a turtle?  I do not know, hopefully I will one day find the answer.

While I have not yet confirmed this, It is possible that the Pyung Ahns, or a version of them are also used in Japanese and Okinawan Karate.  This is quite possible because other forms are also utilized by other systems. 

I hope this information was interesting and useful in expanding your knowledge of Tae Kwon Do and the school (Teacher, my head's full can I go home now?)

Let me know what you think of the above information.  I would appreciate any feedback you might have.  If people are interested I will be glad to send out more information on the History of Tae Kwon Do and Information on the forms.  While I am not an expert on Tae Kwon Do (far from it), if anyone has questions about Tae Kwon Do please ask.  If I don't know the answer I will try to find it or perhaps someone else will know the answer.
  
See you all in class!!

Respectfully,

Saigo Fujii
4th Dan