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Oct 19, 2010 Rating WTF vs. ITF in Taekwondo by: Kalynn Brian, The differences aren't in the style so much as the school owner. Every school owner has a great deal of leeway in the intensity of their curriculum, testing opportunity and requirements. Both the ITF and the WTF have basic minimum requirements. Beyond that, a school owner can enhance the curriculum as they wish. Not all martial artists have studied weapons. Without experience, naturally they don't teach weapons. All schools teach self-defense in some form. But it may be called different things. Some schools call self-defense training il su shik which means one step sparring. One step(or more) sparring is not actual sparring like we see in the Olympics with chest, head, arm and leg gear. It is a set of self-defense maneuvers that is practiced over and over in the same way forms are practiced repeatedly. The point of both is to get the student to learn basic martial arts techniques and how they can potentially be used during a fight. Some schools use additional techniques like wrist locks, pressure points, grappling or weapons self-defense to enhance the defense portion of their curriculum. It all really depends on the master/owner and their expertise. The question of testing is sticky and often controversial. It is proper to test every 2-3 months between colored belts for students who attend class regularly (2-3 times per week). Some students are capable of testing monthly, but usually only because they attend classes almost daily. It makes sense that daily classes allow a student to advance twice as fast. That said, I have seen schools who push students too quickly through testing to stave off student boredom or to make the parents happy. These schools often fit the definition of a "McDojo". The fast food version of martial arts where everything happens fast and fees are collected quickly. Most traditional martial arts students frown on the McDojo type of franchises, but they do exist and are popular for the same reasons fast food is popular. The bottom line is, the ITF and the WTF have minimum requirements that are very similar in scope. Each individual school implements the curriculum that teaches these requirements as the owner sees fit, adjusting and supplementing as the he/she chooses. Hope this helped. Every taekwondo student must progress at their own pace reaching his or her personal best. You can't compare students because the journey is personal. And it's the journey that is most important. Pil Sung! Instructor Kalynn Amadio

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