Taekwon-Do was developed in the 1940’s as a method of hand to hand combat training for soldiers, all of whom were male, so it is somewhat understandable that it has an overall male focus. However, since most schools have female students as well as male, it is important for us, as instructors, and for the ITF as an organization, to acknowledge where bias exists in our martial art and take steps to address it.

Adapting the ITF tournaments for athlete development Thesis for VII Dan by Adrian Byrne, Ireland ITF events, whether national or international in nature, typically have to manage the logistics of bringing together hundreds or even…

Women@ITF Taekwon-Do Thesis for VII Dan by Annick Van Driessche, Belgium When I started practising Taekwon-Do, doing grading for Master VII°degree was not something I had in mind. At first I just wanted to practise…

To the uninitiated, martial arts invariably presents itself as an area of involvement for either young children seeking some form of self-protection from such things as bullying (on their part) or a means of instilling a form of discipline and physical fitness (on the part of their parents). For the older person, of whatever gender, the aspect of protection for themselves and others they may be responsible for, plus the added benefits of overall fitness and resulting personal self-confidence, this can act as a lure to investigate the world of martial arts as opposed to just attending a gym to improve their health (weight-wise) and fitness

Learning through play Thesis for VII Dan Fabián Izquierdo, Argentina What I explained to the father of Taekwon-Do at that time was that I had not invented a single new technique, but that what was…