On the 24th-25th February, 2024 Taekwondo ITF Nepal organized an ITF sanctioned Masterclass and hosted the 4th Everest Open International Taekwondo Championship, held at Dhanwontari futsal stadium, Kathmandu, Nepal .
The ITF Masterclass conducted by Master Michael Muleta ( 8th Degree) president of United Taekwondo ITF Australia (INO23), and Under Secretary of the ITF body. He was assisted by Master Laxman Basnet, (7th Degree) President of Taekwondo ITF Nepal .
The Masterclass focused on sparring combinations and strategies, ITF patterns , kicking drill and self defense techniques.
192 participants took part in the Masterclass from India , China , Netherlands, Australia and from many schools across Nepal
The 4th Everest open international open Taekwondo championship was then held on 25th with 211 players and officials from same countries.
There were 44 categories across sparring and tuls.
In the medal ceremony Chief Guests were Former Nepal Government Minister Biraj Bahadur Bista special visiting guest Master Michael Muleta from Australia.
Additional special guests included Arie Hogandooran member of ITF Royal Dutch from Netherlands, and a regular visitor to Nepal, Mr. Radhakrishnan Puthanpura, President of ITF Council of India , Mr. Chen Liu from China ITF.
Along with Master Laxman Basnet, all guests distributed medals and certificates to all winners and place getters.
Master Muleta said in the closing ceremony speech, that on this, his third seminar and championships visit to Nepal, that he was pleased that on each occasion the quality and quantity of students, instructors and officials skills have continued to grow and improve.
This, he said, was a testament to the hard work and dedication of Master Laxman Basnet In closing, Master Basnet gave special thanks to all supporters who help make this event so successful.
Flexibility – Why it’s important and how to develop it.
Flexibility offers numerous benefits, including:
Improved range of motion: Flexibility training can increase the motion of your joints, allowing you to move more freely and perform daily activities with greater ease.
Reduced risk of injury: Flexible muscles and joints are less prone to injury as they can better withstand sudden movements and unexpected stress.
Improved posture: Poor posture can lead to pain and other musculoskeletal injuries. Flexibility training can improve posture by stretching and lengthening the muscles surrounding the spine and other joints.
Decreased muscle tension: Flexibility training can help to reduce muscle tension and ease muscle soreness, allowing you to recover faster after exercise.
Enhanced athletic performance: Greater flexibility can improve athletic performance by allowing you to move faster, lunge further, and jump higher.
Improved balance and coordination: Better flexibility can increase bodily awareness and control, improving your balance and coordination.
Reduced stress: Stretching and flexibility exercises can help to relax your body and mind, reducing stress levels and promoting overall well-being.
Overall, flexibility training is an essential component of any fitness routine and offers numerous physical and mental health benefits.
There are various ways to improve flexibility, including:
Stretching: Stretching exercises, such as dynamic stretching and static stretching, can elongate your muscles and help to increase your range of motion.
Yoga: Practicing yoga is an effective way to improve flexibility as it incorporates stretching and can help to increase stability and balance.
Foam Rolling: Foam rolling is a method of self-myofascial release that can help to release muscle tension and increase flexibility.
Pilates: Pilates exercises focus on building core strength and stabilization, which can help to improve flexibility in the spine and other areas of the body.
Warm-up exercises: Doing a warm-up exercise before starting any physical activity can prepare your muscles and joints for the upcoming workout and can prevent injury.
Regular exercise: Engage in regular physical activity, such as light jogging, cycling, or swimming. These exercises encourage blood flow, loosening up the joints and muscles.
It’s worth noting that it’s important to listen to your body and not push too hard as overstretching can cause injury. Gradual and consistent progress is crucial to achieve long-term gains in flexibility.
For those people looking to save over $1000, you might consider signing up for our Personal Training Course Combo , which includes both the SIS30321 Certificate III in Fitness & SIS40221 Certificate IV in Fitness.
Our largely online fitness courses offer a flexible approach to learning, including reading material, instructional and informational videos, interactive practical tasks which are all accessible online, allowing you to study from home, at your own pace.
Sports Courses
Global Fitness Institute offers a number of Sports courses from Certificate to Diploma levels.
Certificate III in Sport Coaching is a great course for community coaches and those looking to embark on a coaching hobby or career.
Certificate III in Sport (Athlete) would suit those who take their sports seriously, and wish to incorporate their training and competition into a formal, nationally recognized qualification.
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The International Taekwon-Do Federation, ITF, is the first international taekwondo organization, founded on March 22, 1966, by General Choi Hong Hi, the Founder of Taekwon-D0, in Seoul, South Korea.
The ITF was founded to promote and encourage the growth of the Korean martial art of Taekwon-Do.
General Choi Hong Hi served as the Inaugural President of the ITF from 1966, until his death in 2002.
The main functions of the ITF include coordinating tournaments, conducting technical seminars, setting the technical standards for the teaching of General Choi’s art, working with affiliated member organizations, to oversee promotions in Degree rank and ITF certifications.
In 1965 General Choi, a retired two-star general, was appointed by the Government of the Republic of Korea to lead a goodwill mission to West Germany, Italy, Turkey, United-Arab Republic, Malaysia, and Singapore.
This trip is significant in that for the first time in Korean history, Taekwon‑Do was declared as the national martial art of Korea.
The international promotion of Taekwon-Do was the basis not only for establishing National Taekwon‑Do Associations in these countries, but also the formation of the International Taekwon‑Do Federation (ITF).
On the 22nd of March, 1966, the International Taekwon‑Do Federation was formed with associations in Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, West Germany, the United States, Turkey, Italy, Arab Republic of Egypt and Korea.
In the proceeding years, affiliated National Organizations were set up in many more countries around the World.
In 1971, the South Korean president Park Chung Hee began to use Taekwon-Do as anti-communist political propaganda. General Choi, feeling fiercely against this, went into exile in Canada, and the ITF Headquarters was relocated.
General Choi continued to teach Taekwon-Do throughout the world, and in 1974 he organised the first Taekwon-Do World Championship in Montreal.
The administrative headquarters later relocated again, to Vienna, Austria, where it was for the remainder of General Choi’s lifetime.
A successful weekend of New Zealand ITF Black Belt gradings and training was conducted by Master Michael Muleta, 8th Degree Under Secretary of the International Taekwon-Do Federation and President/Technical Director of United ITF Taekwon-Do.
The training and testing events were held in Queenstown, New Zealand and hosted by Kman’s Martial Arts, which is operated by multiple ITF World Champion, Kerry (K’man) McEvoy.
Students were put through a vigorous series of exercises and drills, over the course of 2 days, leading up to the final showcase on Saturday 4th March, at Kman’s Martial Arts centre.
The day consisted of lots of sparring, breaking, patterns, step sparring and demonstrations of skill sets. All performed with much spirit and skill to successful complete the testing process.
The testing panel consisted of Master Michael Muleta, Sabum Kerry McEvoy and special guest Sensei Barry Potter.
Congratulations to our newest New Zealand ITF Black Belts :
Eureka, its Gold and Bronze for the Green and Gold. Congratulations to all who were part of the small but successful Australian team who competed in the recent ITF World Championships in the Netherlands.
After a year delay due to the infamous lockdowns, the ITF finally got a chance to stage the ITF World Championships in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Without domestic tournaments for more than 2 years, preparation for this year’s National Team was not as organized as normal.
Due to restrictions, financial hardship and travel reluctance, the team was a lot smaller than past Aussie Teams, and also one of the least experienced, with 5 of the 7 participants attending their first ITF World Championships.
But, oh boy, what an outcome we got, with Charlise Grossel of Canberra, stunning us all on Day 1, winning the Female Power Breaking late in the afternoon. It was a truly amazing result for the World Champs debutant.
We had high hopes that we may be able to snag a medal or two in the Men’s sparring, with the very experienced Zdybel’s getting on the mat. It wasn’t to be, and although both acquitted themselves well, unfortunately they did not make it through to the medal rounds.
So Day 2 ended, with everyone still on a high from that awesome Gold medal on the opening day. The general feeling in the camp was that we probably wouldn’t get any more medals.
Day 3 proved us wrong, the Men’s Power Breaking Team stepped up and became Bronzed Aussies with literally a smashing performance, coming in Third Place. To be honest, as great a result as it was, they were really only a whisker away from cleaning up the Gold again.
So all in all, a fantastic result at a very enjoyable and well organized and run event.
Congratulations to the squad who represented Australia. Phil Zdybel combined his competing in Sparring, Patterns, Power and Teams, with coaching other team members. Joshua Zdybel also competed in the same events. Jordan Steele and Kirby Ellis took part in both Power events, while Grace Ellis competed in Patterns. Then of course there was Australia’s new Golden Girl, Charlise Grossel competing in Patterns and winning gold in the Power ……. Eureka !!!
Katrina Cubit worked very hard Umpiring for 3 days, whilst INO President Master Michael Muleta was part of the 4-person Tournament Committee coordinating the overall event.
So Australia, and more specifically United ITF Taekwon-Do Australia (INO#23) as the National Organization, was well represented and people knew Australia was there….. oi oi oi.
Congratulations to all the new black belts who were tested and successfully promoted over the past 2 weeks in both Newcastle and Rockhampton.
Master Michael Muleta, 8th Degree, travelled to Newcastle, NSW early June to conduct some Black Belt Examinations and an ITF Masterclass at the Titan Martial Arts school. Some black belts had also been promoted the week before, by Sabum Michael Omay.
Those promoted included:
Michael Omay 6th Degree
Scott Gannon, 5th Degree
Sam Wilson, 5th Degree
Alex Sorensen, 4th Degree
Simon Aliendi, 3rd Degree
James Magill, 3rd Degree
Chris Streets, 3rd Degree
Archer Woller, 2nd degree
Tim Kerkhoff, 2nd Degree
Maclean Davis, 1st Degree
Travis Charlton, 1st Degree
Sapphire Tabas, 1st Degree
Tiarne Sattler, 1st Degree
Kalleah Sattler, 1st Degree
Amy Burke, 1st Degree
Jerrome Teasdale, 1st Degree
The following week, Master Muleta travelled to Rockhampton for more Masterclasses and a Black Belt grading. The successful new Black belt promotion was:
Nikki Olzard, 3rd Degree
The next round of Black Belt exams and Masterclasses with Master Muleta will be held in Canberra, ACT over the weekend on 8-10th, July 2022.
We’ve released the first couple of videos here, and will be releasing more over the next couple of weeks.
If you want to get your first, directly to your inbox, please support by subscribing to our video channel, and leave us a like if you found the video useful.
With much of the country still in lockdown, and interstate borders closed, our executive committee have taken the decision to make our annual Australian Championships the2021 ITF Online Nationals.
The event is open to all ITF practitioners, regardless off age, rank or affiliation.
We ask all instructors to do their best to support this event with as many enthusiastic students as possible.
As it is now an online nationals, and after the wonderful support of our previous online events, we also welcome international participants to take part.
General Choi Hong Hi – Founder of Taekwon-DoToday marks another General Choi Death Anniversary marking a further year since the passing of the legendary Founder of Taekwon-Do, General Choi Hong Hi.
Grandmasters, Masters and students around the globe will reflect on the General’s influence and continue to keep his legacy alive through the continued promotion and growth of ITF Taekwon-Do
In 2000, General Choi, the Founder of Taekwon-Do, was announced by Taekwon-Do Times magazine, as the most influential martial artist on the century.
General Choi is regarded as the Founder of Taekwon-do and served as President of the International Taekwon-do Federation (I.T.F.) for many years. He sadly passed away in June 2002, after a long battle with cancer.
The Taekwon-Do Founder, General Choi Hong Hi (dec) was born on November 9th, 1918 in the rugged and harsh area of Hwa Dae, Myong Chung District, in what is now D.P.R of Korea . A sickly but willful child, he was expelled from school at the age of 12 for leading a protest against the occupying Japanese.
Later, Choi Hong Hi travelled to Japan, where he studied English, mathematics, and karate. In Kyoto, he met a fellow Korean with the surname Kim, who was a karate instructor and taught Choi this martial art. Choi also learned Shotokan under Gichin Funakoshi,the founder of Shotokan karate-do, perhaps the most widely known style of karate, and is known as a “father of modern karate”
Just before he had left Korea, Choi had a disagreement with a wrestler named Hu, and the possibility of a future confrontation inspired him to train. In his own words, he said “I would imagine that these were the techniques I would use to defend myself against the wrestler, Mr. Hu, if he did attempt to carry out his promise to tear me limb from limb when I eventually returned to Korea”.
With two years of concentrated training, Choi attained the rank of first degree black belt, and then 2nd Degree soon after. These techniques, together with Taek Kyon (foot techniques), were the forerunners of modern Taekwon-Do.
General Choi’s military career began in 1937, when he was forced, as were all Korean soldiers, to join the Japanese army as a student volunteer, during Japan’s occupancy of Korea.
On his return to Korea in 1942, he hid to avoid conscription into the Japanese Army, but was eventually caught, and in October 1943 began his basic training. He was soon arrested during an attempt to escape and join the underground Korean Liberation Army. Sent to Pyung Yang prison for treason, he was due to have been executed on August 18 1945, three days after Korea was liberated.
While in prison, to alleviate the boredom and keep physically fit, Choi began practicing this art in the solitude of his cell. In a short time, even his cellmate and jailer became students of his.
In 1945, Choi enrolled in the Koreans Military Academy, later to be commissioned to the rank of second lieutenant in 1946. By 1948, he had been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was a Taekyon instructor for the military troops of the R.O.K. and the American Military Police School based in Korea.
On the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, Choi hurried back to Korea, where he was ordered to set up an officer training academy. In 1952 he was appointed chief of staff of the First Corps, and soon found himself briefing General Douglas MacArthur, the Supreme Commander of the United Nations troops, on the situation at the front line.
From 1946 to 1951, Choi received promotions to first lieutenant, captain, major, lieutenant colonel, colonel, and then brigadier general, becoming Chief of staff to the Korean Army.
The year 1953 was an eventful one for the General, in both his military career and in the progress of the new martial art. He became the author of the first authoritative book on military intelligence in Korea.
He organized and activated the crack 29th Infantry Division at Cheju Island, which eventually became the spearhead of Taekwon-Do in the military and established the Oh Do Kwan (Gym of My Way) where Korean soldiers were trained in General Choi’s new martial art to become the pioneer Taekwon-do instructors. It was also a opportunity to develop the Taekyon and Karate techniques into a modern system of Taekwon-Do.
He went on to command Chung Do Kwan (Gym of the Blue Wave), the largest civilian gym in Korea;
In 1954 Choi was promoted to the rank of Major General.
During his military career, General Choi constantly researched various martial arts, mainly Taekyon, Kung Fu and Karate – drawing from each to create the original version of Taekwon-do.
In 1955 General Choi led the Korean Army’s Taekwon-do demonstration team on a tour of China and Vietnam to promote his form of unarmed combat. After breathtaking displays, both these countries adopted General Choi’s Taekwon-do as an integral part of their soldier’s military training.
In 1961, the Korean Taekwon-do Association was formed with General Choi as its President. During the next few years, he led Taekwon-do demonstration teams throughout the world. In 1965, the South Korean government gave approval to General Choi’s martial art and declared it as Korea’s National martial art.
On March 22nd, 1966, General Choi Hong Hi (dec) formed the International Taekwon-do Federation(I.T.F) in Seoul, Korea. At the time it had associations in Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, West Germany, America, Turkey, Italy, Egypt and Korea. Taekwon-Do was taken up by several foreign armies, and was taught at West Point in America. During the Vietnam War, the Taekwon-Do training of Korean and other foreign soldiers was said to have had a demoralizing effect on the Viet Cong.
In 1971, the South Korean president Park Chung Hee began to use Taekwon-Do as anti-communist political propaganda. Choi, fiercely against this, went into exile in Canada. He continued to teach Taekwon-Do throughout the world, including in North Korea, and in 1974 he organised the first Taekwon-Do world championship in Montreal.
All the while he had to endure death threats from Korean Central Intelligence, attempts to kidnap him and attempts on his life by armed assassins. On one occasion his son and daughter, who had stayed behind in South Korea, were kidnapped and their lives threatened if Choi did not return to Korea. His response was “I choose Taekwon-Do over my son”. They were freed.
General Choi died of cancer on 15 June 2002 in Pyongyang, North Korea. Choi is listed in the Taekwondo Hall of Fame with various titles: “Father of Taekwon-Do,” “Founder and First President of the International Taekwon-Do Federation,” and “Founder of Oh Do Kwan.”Choi is survived by his wife, Choi Joon Hee; his son, Choi Jung Hwa; two daughters, Sunny and Meeyun; and several grandchildren.
We ask that you take a moment on the occasion of General Choi Death Anniversary to reflect on how Taekwon-Do has impacted your own life.
– excerpts from ‘Taekwondo – The Korean Art of Self Defence’ – General Choi Hong Hi
Kihaps appear in various steps in ITF Patterns. This guide is to assist you in remembering which steps or techniques have a Kihap associated with them.
The Kihap literally means to shout or yell. Kihaps are performed to assist the performer focus their concentration and energy into the impact point of the techniques.
Kihaps are also great for Taekwon-Do demonstrations, to create a level of atmosphere and excitement for participants and spectators alike.
(Step 9) Execute a flying side piercing kick to D with the right foot soon after moving it to D and then land to D forming a left L-stance toward D while executing a middle guarding block to D with a knife-hand.
(Step 23) Move the right foot to D in a stamping motion to form a sitting stance toward F while executing a high side strike to D with the right back fist.
(Step 27) Move the left foot on lone CD in a stamping motion to form a sitting stance toward F while executing a high side strike to C with the left back fist.
(Step 19) Move the left foot to D turning counter clockwise to form a right L-stance toward D while executing a middle guarding block to D with a knife-hand
(Step 28) Jump to D, forming a right x-stance toward BD while executing a high block to D with the right double forearm.
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Eureka, its Gold and Bronze for the Green and Gold. Congratulations to all who were part of the small but successful Australian team who competed in the recent 
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