Thank you for your continued support and the courage and perseverance shown in this difficult year for many.
We wish you all a warm and happy festive season, and prosperous New year to be shared and enjoyed with your loved ones.
After a very challenging 2021 for all of our schools and wider communities, it is important to embrace these times and focus on the positives.
Eat, drink and be merry, for there is always training to come back to (let’s hope)
Be sure to spread the cheer among your Taekwon-Do colleagues and friends, so that they know they are being thought of too, particularly those that have really struggled.
Take a moment to reflect and give appreciation for the things you were fortunate enough to be able to do and still have. Spare a thought for those who have lost, whether it be family, finances or psychological distress.
For those travelling near and far during this time, we hope you stay safe and have a great break.
Once again, wishing a very Merry Christmas to you all.
Violence against women is a serious and widespread issue in Australia, as well as throughout the world. And while the long term goal is education to stop violence against women, there are actionable strategies women can employ, right now. Here are 7 very simple reasons you should consider taking a women’s self defense class.
1 – Don’t Become a Statistic
Frankly, the statistics in Australia alone are frightening. At least one woman a week is killed by a partner or former partner. One in three women have experienced physical violence. 300,000 women a year experience physical or sexual violence from a stranger.
Violence against women contributes to more death, disability and illness to women between 15 and 44 than any other preventable risk factor. Learning self-defense gives you the power to avoid becoming one of these statistics, now.
2 – Prevention and Awareness
As teens and adults we become increasingly fixated on the front and our devices, often being unaware of what’s around us. You work with an experienced instructor to develop strategies that work best for you against a variety of opponents, attacks and situations. Above all, women’s self defense teaches us awareness and prevention.
3 – Take Control for Yourself and Other Women
Women’s self defense is about taking safety into our own hands. Taking a Self defense class is our chance to take action in our own lives, to take control of our own present and future. The fact is, crimes against women happen and will continue to happen.
Women’s self defense classes can help prevent us becoming victims. Knowing how to defend ourselves gives us a better chance of stopping attacks and even lessening attacks against women in the future.
4 – Great Exercise!
Self defense classes, at the end of the day, can also be a great source of exercise, working a range of vital parts of your body. It not only exercises your body physically, it also exercises your mind, reactions and reflexes. It is also an incredible way of exercising your own power and confidence.
You do not have to be physically strong to be successful at self-defense. If you can learn to successfully escape or prevent a dangerous situation, then you are exercising good self-defense.
5 – Be Accountable
As women, we are constantly encouraged to be accountable for ourselves. We are told to be accountable for our finances. We are told to account for our stress and encouraged to be accountable for our health, weight and diet, along with our workouts and fitness.
It stands to reason that we should be accountable for our self defense. Is it really so hard to add a self defense class to our routine as we would add the latest yoga, pilates or work out fad? However, unlike a fad, this is something that will actually make a monumental, positive change to our lives.
6 – Be Feminine
There is a terrible misconception – unfortunately perpetuated by mass media – that self defense is unfeminine and unattractive. These dangerous articles claim that women who pursue self defense are masculine, “jacked up” and have a distasteful love for violence. However, nothing could be further from the truth.
In fact, many models, actresses and even pageant winners are devotees of women’s self defense. Women’s self defense is incredibly feminine because it is empowering. Encouraging women to take self defense is a beautiful, inspiring thing. So, ignore the dangerous misconceptions of mainstream media and enjoy learning self defense.
7 – Do Something Now
Of course we need better education to end violence against women and men. Violence of all kinds is unacceptable. Unfortunately, though, education is long term and may not be able to help you today, tomorrow or even next year. That is why women’s self defense education is important. This is something that can happen now. Women’s self defense provides functional strategies, techniques and training methods to stop an attacker intent on hurting you.
It gives you the security and confidence, right now, that you can protect yourself should the need arise. Unfortunately, no matter how well intended, ideologies can’t do that. So until education catches up with reality, keep yourselves safe. Invest in women’s self defense today.
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.
After many weeks and months in lockdown or heavily restricted, it’s quite common to feeling a case of the lockdown blues.
Less than 2 years ago, the very notion of having our movements and behaviours restricted would have been scoffed at, as something that could and would never happen, especially in this country.
Fast forward a little over 18 months, and we boast the World’s most locked down city, and with much of the East Coast still in lockdown, or very heavily restricted.
Freedoms we once knew, and once took for granted, now seem a World away with QCode check-ins, mask wearing, social distancing, vaccinations, curfews, travel distance limitations, threats of fines or imprisonment.
Once easily accessible regular holiday spots are now impossible to visit, without quarantining on arrival or return, or the fear of getting stuck in transit, and that’s if you can even leave at all.
Being isolated from friends, family, your workplace, your hobbies, sports and travel has been a real strain on people’s mental health. This has been exacerbated by the loss of employment, collapse of a business, illness or even death of a loved ones.
The challenge of maintaining a positive outlook has been a real one, let alone caring for our physical health, diet, education, employment and general health.
We have come up with a few tips and suggestions to assist you and loved ones get through these tough times, and a case of the lockdown blues.
Keeping a Positive Mindset
There’s no doubt it has been a struggle, more for some than others, but a huge culture change to the way we’ve previous led our lives. Many have suffered from depression, some have inflicted self harm or worse, while others wallow in the impending doom of the situation.
The important thing to understand is it will pass. There are countries in other parts of the World, who statistically have lost more people and far greater infection levels, already starting to enjoy the freedoms we once knew. It stands to reason that we will follow in due course.
Naturally, the sooner the better for us all, but it will happen. You just have to hang in there.
Constant negative self talk, social media posting, and getting worked up doesn’t do anything to improve your situation, if anything, its only your mental health that suffers.
We know the strong link between mental health and physical health, so in time it will become a self fulfilling prophecy.
Also be aware that if you are constantly negative, it drags down the people around you, your partners, your kids, your friends. Or they may just take a wide berth to avoid the constant negativity.
Find yourself things to do that make you happy, a hobby, a craft, listening to music, making music, painting, drawing, gardening, enrol in an online course, watch funny movies etc., there’s endless things you can do …… you are possibly working from home anyway, so that in itself should keep you busy.
More importantly, don’t shut yourself off from the world. Stay in touch with friends, family, work colleagues. There’s an abundance of technology available to facilitate that, whether it be messaging online, video chatting, or depending on your locality’s restriction levels, catching up on a social walk to coffee on the go.
Exercise daily
The running joke for a lot of people, no pun intended, is the weight they have put on during lockdowns, or the loss of physical conditioning and fitness.
This doesn’t need to be the case, of course. whilst in some cases it relates to loss of motivation or some form of depression (see above section), in many other cases, people just throw their hands up in the air because gyms might be closed, or their community sports are in hiatus.
However, for maintenance or improvement of physical health and fitness, there are a plethora of things you can do with minimal equipment.
The obvious one is walk briskly or jog, get that heart rate up into the zone where it may have some fitness benefit, around 70-80% of your max HR, and do it for at least 30 minutes daily.
On your outdoor stroll you can incorporate steps, benches, playgrounds, hills, so many options for those who really want to make an effort.
If that’s not your cup of tea, kills two birds with the one stone, walk to the supermarket with your shopping jeep, or go for a walk to get your skinny latte, walk off those lockdown blues.
If you find it boring, don’t walk the same route every day, mix it up, Walk with someone else, grab your headphones and listen to your favourite playlist. Or jump on your bike and cycle at the same work rate and length of time.
If you’re a little more motivated, set up some mini HIIT circuits, even incorporate body weight exercises, push ups, sit ups, squats, burpees …etc there are so many. If you have a couple of dumbells, you can incorporate dozens more exercises. The higher intensity intervals will not only help maintain fitness levels, if done regularly, will even improve your fitness.
In many places, outdoor personal training is now permitted, even where gyms are closed. Grab a friend and share the cost of a PT.
Keep Practicing
With a lot of dojangs closed, or your Taekwon-Do training schedule and routine constantly interrupted, it can be very frustrating and even seem to hamper your progress.
There are many things you can do from home, or in the yard or park. In addition to the fitness tips above, you can practice your skill components as well.
Patterns can be performed anywhere, stretch regularly either during practice or upon waking, or before sleeping, even while watching tv.
Maybe someone else in your household can hold targets or practice routines with. Your instructor is probably running zoom sessions. If they aren’t, many other people are.
There are even regular online competitions now that you can take part in, this keeps you motivated and training. Jump on YouTube and follow some of the many online tutorials or workouts.
Eat sensibly
There is not a pandemic on good food and nutrition. Don’t fall into the trap of ordering home delivery every day of the week. That is not only financially taxing, but also not going to help with everything we just spoke about in the previous section.
Interestingly, the fast food industry has gone gangbusters during the pandemic, especially those who deliver. Sure it’s convenient, but you can’t really use Covid as an excuse for poor eating.
Leaving home for food has always been permitted, so shopping for your normal groceries was, and is, always possible.
Rediscover the joy of cooking, it will keep you focused on what you eat, and also acts as a great therapeutic tool, keeping you mentally active. Experiment with different meals, follow some of your favourite chefs online. Try to recreate some of their dishes or come up with your own. Maybe now you will have time to make some of the things your previously rushed lifestyle limited.
Whilst its OK to treat yourself from time to time, remember to eat all those things we know are good for us – lean meats, vegetables, fruits, grains and cereals. Be sure to get a good cross section on vitamins and minerals through your diet, along with your macros, lots of fluids and fibre.
Don’t forget, drinking litres of soft drink, or should I say wine, throughout the day is going to do nothing for your health or figure. Aim for sugarless or low sugar options, or even water.
Poor eating can also affect your mood and general energy levels, so you’ll exercise less, lose motivation, and it can become a vicious cycle, then your lockdown blues will be harder to shift. Often the best way to kick start a health regime begins with selection of food.
Monitor your health
With the media saturated with covid talk, you could be forgiven for thinking every other ailment which can impact your health has become obsolete.
There are many cases of cancer and heart disease going undetected, or mismanaged, as people become more reluctant to see their GP.
Compounding this problem, a lot of GP’s and specialists are wanting to do online consultations instead, which is not ideal to physically examine you.
Make sure you are still having your regular blood tests for cholesterol, prostate, blood sugars, checking for lumps and mole changes as well as monitoring blood pressure. If you at all concerned or in doubt, see your GP as soon as possible.
If you are reluctant to get to the doctors, be sure to brush up on your first aid skills and knowledge, for those household mishaps.
Don’t leave monitoring those health issues until Covid is over, remember, we thought that was going to be a year ago.
If you are on prescribed medications for a health condition, be sure to get your repeat prescriptions once you run out.
Of course, exercising regularly and eating well will help a lot, but some conditions need close medical monitoring, irrespective of fitness levels. Don’t wait until it’s too late.
Keep on top of your finances
For many people, this period has had a major impact on their financial situation. Perhaps you have had your work hours cut back, or lost work altogether, maybe your business is closed or suffering. There’s nothing like being broke to make you suffer the lockdown blues.
Maybe you are getting a few dollars from the government to support, but it may not be enough to meet your regular expenses.
It’s important that you keep an eye on your money, especially if your income has reduced. Take it easy with the online shopping, online betting and delivery meals.
For others this has been a great time to save money, with many regular expenses reduced quite heavily, such as travel, fuel costs, pokies, dining and entertainment.
Whilst we all want to go back to doing all those things as soon as we can, it has allowed us a bit of a spending and lifestyle reset.
Remember, much of the Government support is still deemed as taxable income, so you need to ensure you have enough set aside for tax time. Keep an eye on your credit card statements, watch that you aren’t paying interest through the nose on purchases.
Maybe even cut back further by considering cancelling or selling some of the things you are not using – like recurring direct debits for memberships, subscriptions, insurances for cars not being driven, look for cheaper energy suppliers given you are home more and using more gas and electricity.
Communicate
And finally, communicate, communicate, communicate. As mentioned earlier, stay in touch with family, friends, colleagues by whatever means is available to you.
Particularly if you are feeling a case of those lockdown blues, these feelings can escalate into a depressed state. Don’t be afraid to reach out.
Be mindful that your friends may be feeling the same way too, so touch base to see how they are coping.
Anyway, we hope some of these tips and suggestions help you get through this extended period of lockdown, restrictions, and beyond.
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.
- exerpts from 'Taekwondo - The Korean Art of Self Defence' - General Choi Hong Hi
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General Choi Hong Hi seminar 1995 video 3
General Choi seminar Sunshine Coast 1995 video 1
General Choi Hong Hi Seminar 1995 Sunshine Coast video 2
General Choi Taekwondo Seminar, Sydney 1993
General Choi Hong Hi seminar Sydney 1993 clip 3
General Choi Hong Hi Sydney Seminar 1993 video 2
Gen Choi Hong Hi Seminar Perth 1998 - degree testing
General Choi Hong Hi Seminar & Black Belt Testing, 1995 Sunshine Coast, Australia
General Choi Hong Hi teaching Taekwon-Do In Korea
General Choi Memorial Cyber Champs launch with Master Michael Muleta
For those travelling near and far during this time, we hope you stay safe and have a great break.
defense class is our chance to take action in our own lives, to take control of our own present and future. The fact is, crimes against women happen and will continue to happen.
There’s no doubt it has been a struggle, more for some than others, but a huge culture change to the way we’ve previous led our lives. Many have suffered from depression, some have inflicted self harm or worse, while others wallow in the impending doom of the situation.
The running joke for a lot of people, no pun intended, is the weight they have put on during lockdowns, or the loss of physical conditioning and fitness.
There is not a pandemic on good food and 
With the media saturated with covid talk, you could be forgiven for thinking every other ailment which can impact your health has become obsolete.
For many people, this period has had a major impact on their financial situation. Perhaps you have had your work hours cut back, or lost work altogether, maybe your 
And finally, communicate, communicate, communicate. As mentioned earlier, stay in touch with family, friends, colleagues by whatever means is available to you.
