FABIAN ITF

Organized by the Children’s Development Committee attended by 240 participants from 39 countries, was held during last January 16^th, 23^rd and 30^th.

According to the records, students, instructors, teachers and grandmasters from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Finland, Germany, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Moldova, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Ukraine, USA, Wales and West Indies, participated in the course.

Members of the Board of Directors, all the chairmen of the standing committees and the Grand Masters were invited as guests.

In general terms, this first experience was divided into three modules of two hours each and was offered entirely in English.

The presentations

At the beginning of each segment, the chairman of the Children’s Development Committee, GM Donato Nardizzi, was responsible for welcoming, formally greeting the authorities, introducing the speaker and giving the floor to ITF President GM Paul Weiler.

For his part, the President highlighted the importance of training instructors through the different ITF programs, and underlined the work that the Kids Committee has been doing in developing teaching tools for children, who constitute the largest number of students around the world.

Module #1 was conducted by Master Ernesto Santaniello (Italy) who made a general description of the kids program and explained the curricular content and the particular grading system.

Later, using graphs, he analyzed topics related to health and physical fitness.

Finally, and with the assistance of infant students, he explained the “Principle of transformation” used in teaching, as well as sharing some warm-up games and for the development of coordination skills.

The next module was conducted by Master Fabián Izquierdo (Brazil), who dealt with the topic Management of classes.

To do this, he shared content provided by Neurosciences related to the knowledge of how the human brain learns, the use of humor and attention to emotions during the teaching-learning process.

On the other hand, he proposed activities to stimulate creativity and raised the subject of discipline, which would be developed more in depth in the next module.

The last day was led by GM Donato Nardizzi, who addressed issues related to attitudes in Taekwon-Do, communication, discipline and awareness of danger.

The subject matter focused on the correct use of language, humor and the processes involved in learning.

Professor, Dr. Janel Gauthier, president of the Do and Ethics Committee, made a special contribution during the presentation on the subject of Critical Thinking.

At the end, a few minutes were reserved to answer some of the questions from the participants and to thank everyone present, in particular GM Paul Weiler, the members of the Board of Directors, GM Marano, Sabum Leonardo Oros Duek and other distinguished Grandmasters and Masters and the committee chairs, for their constant support of the Committee’s work.

For his part, the collaboration of the Sabum Gustavo Livon, chairman of the Development and Communication Committee, who helped the speakers before and during each of the modules regarding the use of digital tools, was also appreciated.

Adding experience

Undoubtedly, the COVID-19 Pandemic and its impact on regular classes with physical presence in the dojang, has forced a general rethinking in the forms of communication, teaching and learning.

The new formats of courses and seminars offered by the ITF through its Committees through the use of digital platforms is a clear sign that it is in the process of providing answers in a new world scenario, and that process implies making mistakes, making corrections and a lot of work and learning.

The members of the Children’s Development Committee are aware that a webinar does not fulfill everyone’s expectations, but they also understand that it is a way to continue training and maintain fluid contact with children’s instructors around the world.

For this reason, each in turn, the speakers offered their apologies for any error or inconvenience that occurred during the exhibitions and, as a way of ensuring that the contents reach the participants, all the presentations offered were prepared in PDF format to be sent at the end of the seminar, along with study material and a list of games and activities.

By participating in this course in digital format, all attendees will receive an official certificate of participation via email.

First Online International Kid’s CourseRead More

With more than 1,000 attendees an a large number of Masters and Grand Masters from more than 60 countries, the first online Taekwon-Do Technical Seminar in history took place.

During December 11, 12, and 13, the members of the Technical and Instructional Committee led by GM Héctor Marano, GM Ung Kim Lan, GM Pierre Laquerre, M Paul McPhail, and M Jerzy Jedut, shared their knowledge about the most various aspects of Taekwon-Do technique, for the first time entirely online.

The preparation

It should be noted that this Seminar required dozens of hours of preparation during the months leading up to it. During that time, members of the Technical and Instructional Committee, the Development and Communications Committee, video editing specialists, ITF Headquarters assistants, and even members of the Board worked hard to be able to transmit the content in both texts, images, and videos, in the best possible way.

Numerous problems were overcome, first, due to the tools that each analyzed platform offered, then due to the necessary coordination required by the time difference.

Finally, due to the magnitude of the number of registrants, all of which generated reception work, registration, and response emails like never before, in a short time.

In all possible formats and qualities, renowned instructors and teachers around the world were made dozens of videos around the world, who with a remarkable predisposition executed the fundamental forms or movements to be used as models when addressing specific topics.

However, all this material had to be discarded when it was verified in the various test sessions that many Internet access connections do not allow the correct visualization of them.

This fact made it necessary to carry out plan B, which used live models for the technical demonstration, as they were carried out during the three days.

Both internal communication and between the organization and the 1,000 participants were also a highlight.

For each registered, a welcome graphic piece was made on social networks. Each one of those registered received an email individually with the Seminar’s protocol rules and the entry instructions for each session.

The opening

This unprecedented event was welcomed by the Chairman of the Technical and Instructional Committee, GM Marano, who began by thanking everyone present, especially GM President Paul Weiler, the Board members, and the committee members who directs.

He dedicated special recognition to those directly involved in the organization, Sabum Nim Leonardo Oros Duek, ITF Treasurer, Sabum Nim Gustavo Livon, and Silvina Carasi.

Immediately, he asked everyone to take the Student Oath and invited them to hold a minute of silence in tribute to all the victims of COVID-19 within the ITF Taekwon-Do family, after which he gave the floor to GM Weiler.

The president, in his message, after thanking and recognizing the organizational work, made it clear that this Seminar does not replace the IICs, and that it is perhaps not the best way to carry out a course, but that on the one hand, The desire to provide service to the members prevailed and, on the other hand, to help those candidates who need to take an exam soon.

In closing, he officially dropped out of the ITF First International Taekwon-Do Online Technical Seminar.

The Seminary

The contents were divided into 3 modules of 4 hours each.

Throughout the Seminar, the instructors and teachers volunteered to demonstrate the forms, and they were carried out with and without order, which allowed clearing up doubts and emphasizing some specific technical issues.

In addition to this, rest periods and question sessions were planned.

On Friday the 11th, M. Jerzy Jedut began the day with the explanation and demonstration of exercises for a correct warm-up to increase metabolism and heart rate, increase muscle range, and prevent the risk of injury.

Once this segment was finished, M. McPhail began with the pre-forms of attacks and defenses in the four directions, basic positions and fundamental movements, as a prelude to working on the forms from Chon Ji to Won Hyo, and in turn, the GM Pierre Laquerre did the same with the shapes from Yul Gok to Choong Moo.

On Saturday the 12th, it was the turn to work on the forms of I, II, and III dan, while on Sunday the 13th, GM Ung Lan and GM Marano were the exhibitors to analyze one by one the movements corresponding to IV, V, and VI degree.

At the end of each segment, the questions received via email or during the Seminar were read and answered through the chat of the Zoom platform used.

It was also made clear that all those doubts and concerns that could not be answered for the time will be answered promptly.

High points of the organization

Each participant’s registration was carried out, taking into account the ID and file within the ITF.

In addition to the instructions with the information and data necessary to register, each attendee received a personal number that indicated the order and time in which they should enter each of the meetings.

In the following days, the participation certificates will be sent through the email addresses that were registered in the database.

Thank you mentions

The members of the Technical and Instruction Committee, as well as the collaborators, thanked the Instructors and Masters Leslie Gadea, Fernanda Sanchis, Martín Gadea, Sean Oneil, Isabelle Bond, Patrick Vones, Mathias Vones, Mira Sjöval, Marcin Wronowsky, Marcelo Bordiez, Joilette Tran, Lylian Doulay, Jaroslaw Suska, Alejandro Banega and Héctor Mengoni , who so gently offered themselves for the execution of each of the forms.

First Online Technical SeminarRead More