Tomaž Barada

Tomaž Barada is probably the most famous ITF Taekwon-Do sparring competitor. Apart from numerous European and World Champion titles, he is also a 5 x W.A.K.O Word Champion.

Seoul Dojang

A friend took this photo of me in the main dojang in Seoul, South Korea. The main dojang has two senior classes in the evening, one at 19:00-20:30 and the next from 21:00-22:30. When I go, I often attend both classes and as an assistant instructor I also occasionally teach.

Sabeomnim Kim Hoon, the Secretary General for ITF Korea, has co-opted me into an ad hoc position on the Korean executive as "International Liaison Officer". Basically this means that I help with international correspondences in English.

Model Sparring

These YouTube-videos show examples of "Model Sparring", which involves the demonstration of basic techniques in a fluid sequence. Model Sparring is often used for demonstration exhibitions. In other words, it is used to "show off" Taekwon-Do techniques. For Model Sparring the sequence of techniques is often shown slowly at first, and then repeated in real (i.e. fast) time. This helps the audience to get a better idea, since Taekwon-Do techniques are frequently very fast, and an untrained eye might not appreciate the dexterity and skill of the practitioners. Accuracy and balance are probably the two elements that can make or break good Model Sparring. Also, creativity in counter attacking greatly enhances the performance for the audience, while Taekwon-Do instructors are usually more impressed with the correct use of attacking and blocking tools, targeted at the appropriate vital spots.