ITF (international TAEKWONDO federation)
WTF (world Taekwondo federation)
I can't see much of a difference apart from the fact people who do wtf think their sparring is more hardcore. But they don't realise that itf also do wtf sparring. Can anyone help?
2006-08-17 04:39:40 · 14 answers · asked by Samg 2 in Sports ➔ Martial Arts
i train under tha tagb doind the itf style
2006-08-19 00:53:24 · update #1
They're's an unbelievable difference!!! While WTF focuses on full contact free sparring (and not much else), ITF is a far more balanced style, with more of an emphasis on the practical application of the art. I do ITF Taekwondo and it's great! You learn great self defense techniques and blocks. The ITF was founded by General Choi Hong Hi six years before his exile from South Korea. After this, the WTF was founded to promote the art. However, in WTF accounts of the beginning of Taekwondo, General Choi Hong Hi is left out entirely. It is my opinion that ITF and WTF Taekwondo are two completely different arts. They have different forms and sparring. ITF uses a technique called Sinewave to generate power in hand strikes and blocks which is not used by the WTF. WTF focuses more on kicking techniques, while ITF is more balanced, using lots of hand strikes. Because of this, ITF Taekwondo is more of a realistic defence system.
2006-08-19 04:20:14 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I got my black belt from an ITF sanctioned Dojang. From what I've seen, WTF schools tend to promote tournament competition more and the style of TKD they teach lends itself to successful point sparring. My ITF training seemed to focus more on practical self-defense and my teacher actually included a lot of Jujitsu in his instruction, so maybe my experience was unique. Since TKD is a counter-offensive martial art, it's not uncommon to let your opponent attack first, which doesn't really seem to be the case in point sparring. I agree that there are much better systems out there for self-defense. Yeah, that's pretty funny about WTF. All those years, I never noticed that.
2006-08-17 22:55:41 · answer #2 · answered by straight_shooter526 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've studied both but I was lucky. My ITF instructor was a kickboxer also so he crosstrained us to keep those hands up tight and to get in and punch hard. We did the point sparring but we went heavy too and used a lot of hands. My WTF instructor was a Korean grandmaster. He was of the generation that actually had to use their skills for their life. He would crosstrain us in Hap Ki Do and JuDo. Having spent 7 years in TKD, I have to say that there is noooo waaayyyy I'd fight anything like you would find in WTF Olympic sparring. They only score kicks to areas that you would never kick to in real life, and they just about never score punches which discourages their use by practitioners. When I moved away from school, I couldn't find any good TKD schools (all those bb mills) and quit TKD. Really, it comes down to what else the instructor knows. If all they know is strict WTF or ITF TKD, that is all you're going to get and you need to keep that in mind.
Oh, and I like the first WTF comment, I always wondered how many other people got that.:)
2006-08-17 17:26:59 · answer #3 · answered by chimphappyhour 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I've studied both and this is what I've got to say. i enjoy the forms of WTF much more than the Teaguk forms. the sparring is defiantly harder in ITF but then again your wearing a big chest guard, so it evens out. many WTF schools train in sparring just for tournaments and I'm so against that (not a fan of Olympic style sparring) my WTF school would be feet heavy, but it wasn't uncommon for a cross or ridge hand to the face. And in tournament it is just game of tag, but on the mat it was always a different story. Both have good qualities, but it really the way you train them that builds the style. you don't like to play tag on the mat you don't have to (that is if the other guy is the same way). so from a guy who experienced both there you go.
2006-08-17 06:40:00 · answer #4 · answered by Jimmy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Train in ITF. ignore those that bad mouth all other MAs.
2016-03-27 06:06:21 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Both are the same, all though their styles are probably different. I'm with the ITA (international taekwondo alliance)
2006-08-18 15:20:26 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
ITS sucks and everyone should know that unless they are into the BS of pint sparring, point sparring is lame.
WTF is full contact and you have to know what you are doing or you get your *** kicked anyone can do point sparring.
2006-08-17 11:12:21 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
If your into to sparring try Combat Tang Soo Do, its avaliable in SA
2006-08-17 07:57:43 · answer #8 · answered by Benks 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The first answer is great!
I almost got in trouble because I laughed out loud at work!
2006-08-17 06:13:41 · answer #9 · answered by Sensei Rob 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the 'second answer' here says it all; take their advice. Neither for self defence try Krav Maga for that, remember its sport and competition is part of that
2006-08-17 11:10:48 · answer #10 · answered by northcarrlight 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋