FTF

JowGaWolf

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The concept of the FTF is a good approach and is a lot better than trash talking martial arts systems. I don't know how good it will be but if he goes about it the right way then he may be able to do change the way that people think about training their TKD training. To be honest what he's doing is the same thing that some of us are already doing at our schools except that we don't put it under a different banner and call it Functional Karate or Functional Kung Fu. Now that I've said that, the name FTF may end up causing problems because it creates the assumption that other TKD organizations aren't functional.
 

TrueJim

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Just...wow.

Functional Taekwondo Federation:

mysite


If this person looks familiar to you, it's the same person who made the notorious "taekwondo is USELESS for self-defense" video:


There are so many flaws with this idea, it's difficult to know where to even begin to unpack this:
  • You don't need to create a whole new federation just to offer online instruction. If what the guy wants to do is improve taekwondo instruction via better online content, he doesn't need a federation to do that.
  • Likewise you don't need to create a while new "federation" just to focus on self-defense and practical applications. Plenty of schools within existing federations focus on self-defense and practical applications. If he wants to create great online instruction for self-defense, all he needs is a YouTube channel, not a federation.
  • Also, it's not a "federation" just because you have a logo and a website. Until you get some schools in the organization, it's not a federation. General Choi didn't spend his years in Malaysia coming up with logos, and he didn't have a federation just because he'd designed some teul. You need followers to have a federation.
  • Along those same lines, rather than focusing first on the logo and the website, why not come up with a curriculum as the first step? Wouldn't that be more logical?
  • As with his original "taekwondo is useless" video, this guy seems to believe that "taekwondo is broken and needs to be fixed" -- but he's basing that opinion on just his limited experience at the few schools he knows. What makes him think that all taekwondo everywhere is as broken as the taekwondo that he's seen?
  • And even if we too were to believe that "taekwondo is broken and needs to be fixed", why would we turn to this person to fix it for us?
  • And even if we were to have this person "fix" taekwondo for us, why would we think the result should even still be called taekwondo? He talks about getting rid of forms and focusing on just his conception of "practical" techniques. He might as well just make up a new name for his martial art.
  • According to his video, this person doesn't even have his own school? Why would he want to start a whole new federation when he hasn't even succeeded at starting a single school? Does he even know what a federation is, and what it takes to operate one? And why should WE believe that a person who isn't even running his own school is qualified to run a federation, to the extent that we'd want to join his federation?
  • And I guess this guy wants lots of schools to put up his FTF banner...but to what end? I guess the idea is that if you see an FTF banner in a school, you'll know the focus is self-defense? If that's your interest, why not just ask about self-defense when you're signing up at a school in the first place? What does the banner prove?
I admire this person's passion, and I wish him well. In any case, it's not a "federation" until you have some schools following you (as opposed to just having a logo and a website), so this guy's got a lo-o-o-ong road ahead of him I'm afraid.
 

Gnarlie

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This guy and his little buddy can't even *talk* functionally. I think I'm just fine without their help.

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Earl Weiss

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Claims both ITF and WTF 4th Dan. Would be interesting to see his certs.
 

Jedmus

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I don't buy into it myself. He claims that the FTF is creating a functional Tae Kwondo when all it's doing is removing everything that makes it Tae Kwondo and focusing on self defense. If that's his goal he should not be calling it Tae Kwondo, he should call them what they are, self defense classes.
 
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justkool141

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True TKD is a lot more than just self defense! Also he wants to mix his TKD with boxing


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Gnarlie

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Claims both ITF and WTF 4th Dan. Would be interesting to see his certs.
Judging by the standard of forms he demonstrated in earlier videos, I find both of those claims highly questionable...this is not the way 4th Dans should be moving IMO.

 

JowGaWolf

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Judging by the standard of forms he demonstrated in earlier videos, I find both of those claims highly questionable...this is not the way 4th Dans should be moving IMO.

I don't take TKD. What's the difference between how he is moving vs how a 4th dan will move. Minus the display of the ability to connect power etc.
 

Gnarlie

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I don't take TKD. What's the difference between how he is moving vs how a 4th dan will move. Minus the display of the ability to connect power etc.
Stances, basic positions, connecting motions and above all control of weight are all far from what I would expect at that level. That's even taking into account that this is supposed to be a tutorial and regardless of whether ITF, KKW or WTF standards are applied. Just bad.

I'm not just being critical for the sake of it - these guys are very critical of Taekwondo and martial arts in general, and in my book if you don't have your own house in order, you don't get to criticise with any credibility.
 

Jedmus

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Judging by the standard of forms he demonstrated in earlier videos, I find both of those claims highly questionable...this is not the way 4th Dans should be moving IMO.

can't agree more that is truly shocking to try and say that video was a display of ITF Tae Kwondo. Even as an instructional video for beginners the stances, foot positions, connecting motions between each move and the blocks / punches themselves are juvenile to say the least!
 

JowGaWolf

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Stances, basic positions, connecting motions and above all control of weight are all far from what I would expect at that level. That's even taking into account that this is supposed to be a tutorial and regardless of whether ITF, KKW or WTF standards are applied. Just bad.

I'm not just being critical for the sake of it - these guys are very critical of Taekwondo and martial arts in general, and in my book if you don't have your own house in order, you don't get to criticise with any credibility.
Sounds like he has a very high mountain to climb. It will be interesting if he gets other people to teach and show the techniques or if he's going to try it on his own. I'm just glad that he finally decided to stop trash talking martial arts. Between the 2 ideas the FTF would be the least insulting. The worst case scenario for FTF is that it's will put a spotlight on his understanding of techniques if he decides to demonstrate them. He's either going to amaze us with his knowledge or he's going to show just how much he really doesn't know.
 

Buka

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Wolowitz is back! Where's his girlfriend?
 

Buka

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I don't take TKD. What's the difference between how he is moving vs how a 4th dan will move. Minus the display of the ability to connect power etc.

The difference is like this. This is how Wolowitz moves...

This is how the guys I know move.
 

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