The 10th International Do Course (IDC) was held online on 5 and 19 November 2023. It consisted of four 3-hour sessions over a 2-day period for a total of 12 hours.
The IDC brought together 59 registered participants from 13 countries, namely (in alphabetical order): Argentina (3), Australia (2), Austria (1), Bulgaria (2), Canada (28), China (1), Czech Republic (1), England (4), Finland (3), Ireland (1), Paraguay (1), Sweden (4), and United States (8). Among them, there were 6 Masters, including one with an 8th degree black belt (namely, Master Gerard Martin from Ireland); and 45 Instructors, including 25 with a 6th degree black belt.
The course was conducted by Master Janel Gauthier (Chair) and, in alphabetical order, Master Andreu Martínez and Master Joliette Trân. Grand Master Abelardo Rafael Benzaquén from Argentina, also Chairman of the ITF Umpire Committee, was invited as a special guest on Day 1 of the IDC to share some of his experience as umpire at international Taekwon-Do championships and speak about the importance of teaching and promoting the tenets of Taekwon-Do, particularly Courtesy, Integrity, and Self-Control.
During the course, participants had the opportunity to learn about a wide range of topics and reflect on many of them. Those included, but were not limited to, the following: (1) the moral culture of Taekwon-Do; (2) the origin and meaning of the word “Do”; (3) the tenets of Taekwon-Do (courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and indomitable spirit); (4) the Student’s Oath; (5) the development of moral reasoning from childhood to adult; (6) the relations between the psychosocial determinants of human behaviour and the relevance of psychological knowledge in the teaching of Do and the building of moral character; (7) ethical decision-making and how to resolve moral dilemmas; (8) motivation and perseverance; (9) the integration of the teaching of Do into the teaching of Taekwon-Do (general guideline and tips).
A wide range of activities were used to grab and hold participants’ attention throughout each day. For example, participants were polled and challenged with quiz questions during presentations. At other times, participants met in small groups in virtual breakout rooms to discuss a particular issue or find ways to address it before returning to the main meeting room to share some of their ideas with the whole group. Still at other times, they were challenged with thinking exercises designed to spark their interest and curiosity. In addition, PowerPoint presentations and demonstrations were used to help participants better understand the information presented during the course. Prior to each day of the IDC, participants were given a link to a web page where they could go to download a PDF copy of the document showing the slides that would be presented during the sessions of that day.
Since the 1st of January 2023, ITF members who wish to apply for promotion to 7th degree black belt and above are required to attend one IDC to be eligible for testing.
The next online IDC will be held on 11 & 18 February 2024 (from 2pm to 9pm – UTC time), and will be conducted in Spanish. Two more online IDCs are planned for 2024: one on 11 & 25 May (from 10pm to 5am – UTC time), and one on 10 & 24 November (from 3pm to 10pm – UTC time). Both of them will be conducted in English. For further information, go to https://itftkd.sport/events/category/international-do-course/
Yours in Taekwon-Do,
Master Janel Gauthier, Prof. Dr.
Chair, I.T.F. Do and Ethics Committee
170th IIC Wien 2023 – Report
