The 12th ITF International Do Course (IDC) was held online on 11 and 25 May 2024. It consisted of four 3-hour sessions over a 2-day period for a total of 12 hours. It was conducted in English.
The IDC brought together 49 registered participants from 20 countries, namely (in alphabetical order): Argentina (3), Australia (3), Belgium (2), Brazil (1), Canada (1), England (5), Ethiopia (4), Finland (2), Germany (2), Hungary (1), Malaysia (1), New Zealand (2), Netherlands (1), Norway (1), Puerto Rico (1), Romania (5), Scotland (7), Sweden (1), Taipei (3), and U.S.A. (3). Among them, there were 13 Masters, including 3 with an 8th degree black belt (namely, Master Hernan J. Arnaldo from Argentina, Master Halgeir Betele from Norway, and Master Alexandru Muresan from Romania); and 15 Instructors with a 6th degree black belt. Participants also included the Chair of the ITF Merger Committee (Sbn. Gustavo Livon from Brazil) for whom this was the fourth IDC.
The course was conducted by the Chair of the Do & Ethics Committee, Master Janel Gauthier (Canada), and one of the Committee Members, namely Grand Master Abelardo Benzaquén (Argentina).
During the IDC, participants had the opportunity to learn about a broad 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. As of the 1st of April 2025, this requirement will be extended to those who wish to apply for promotion to 4th degree black belt and above.
The next 2024 IDC will be conducted in English only (i.e., without translation into Spanish) on 10 and 24 November 2024 from 3pm to 10pm (UTC time). For further information, please 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
Reminder: Umpire Application Deadline for World Cup 2024 approaching
