The International Do Course (IDC) held on 4/5 March and 18/19 March 2023 was the first IDC held online this year. It consisted of four 3-hour sessions over a 2-day period for a total of 12 hours. Unlike earlier online IDCs, this one was scheduled at a time of day that was more appropriate for ITF members of Oceania (e. g., Australia, New Zealand) and Asia (e. g., China, Thailand, Vietnam) than those in other regions of the world.
The IDC brought together 43 registered participants from 13 countries, namely (in alphabetical order): Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, England, Ethiopia, Finland, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, Norway, United States, and Wales. Among them, there were 9 Masters, including one with an 8th degree black belt (namely, Master Vincent Affatigato from the United States), and 21 Instructors with a 6th degree black belt.
The course was conducted by the Chair and two members of the ITF Do and Ethics Committee. The instructors were Master Janel Gauthier (Chair) and, in alphabetical order, Master Mark Banicevich and Master Joliette Trân.
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 how psychological knowledge can help to achieve the goals of Taekwon-Do;
(7) ethical decision-making and how to resolve dilemmas or conflicts between tenets;
(8) motivation and goal-setting (how to set effective goals in Taekwon-Do and every day life);
(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 IDC will be conducted in Spanish on May 21 and May 28, 2023, from 2:00 pm to 9:00 pm (UTC).
Yours in Taekwon-Do,
Master (Prof. Dr.) Janel Gauthier
Chair ITF Do and Ethics Committee
2nd Nishikhola President Cup 2023 successfully concluded
Hello Masters,
This IDC brought together members from 13 countries, not 12.
I was the sole representative from Australia.
Please update the online report.
Thank you.
Tim Telcik
AU-6-32
Thank you, Sir. We just realized the mistake and corrected it.
Thank you for the update, sir.
When will be the next on line IDC date ? I’m in Montreal Quebec Canada. Interested in taking the course. I’m originally from the Dominican Republic. Thank you much.
The ITF is offering in total three online IDC in 2023. The next one is already in May in Spanish language (deadline for registration: May 14).
Another IDC will be held online in November. All information can be found on Events/International Do Courses.