IIC 103 Gold Coast Australia 2015

E150730F-1184

After a very successful weekend with our ITF President and the ITF technical committee its back to normal and training for all with renewed energy in our Taekwon-do training and knowledge.

Official report found here on the ITF website : INTERNATIONAL TAEKWON-DO FEDERATION

A personal perspective of the experience of our newest member Mr Alfio Viscuso and his thoughts of what he saw at the IIC 103 on the Gold Coast.

 

After months of anticipation, the Gold Coast, Australia welcomed ITF President Grandmaster Trajtenberg and the ITF Technical committee composing of Grandmaster Marano, Grandmaster Lan and Master McPhail to conduct International Instructor Course number 103 over the weekend commencing Friday 31 July 2015 and concluding Sunday 2nd August 2015.
Day 1 kicked off with Grandmaster Trajtenberg officially opening the IIC.  
Grandmaster Trajtenberg Started proceedings  with a fantastic talk on General Choi and some Taekwon-do theory based on the Theory of Power and the 9 training secrets.
Master McPhail then stepped up and took a really enjoyable warm up involving tuls with a playful side, for example having to do a push up every time we performed a block in Won Hyo. Lots of fun and a great workout.
Grandmaster Marano then conducted his first session of the IIC as tuls Chon-ji through to Do-San were broken down and explained in great detail.
The session concluded with Grandmaster Lan going through step sparring and what the importance was for each three step, two step and one step sparring, at this point everyone paired up and went through a few drills.
Day 2 started bright and early with Grandmaster Lan taking the warm up and boy did he get us sweating and ready for tuls with Grandmaster Marano who took us through the previous day’s tuls right through to Choong Moo tul.
Master McPhail then conducted a really enjoyable session on self defense  and gave us a lot of insight into the new curriculum being applied in New Zealand which focussed on how to diffuse a situation to the extent of how to deal with it. A great session indeed.
After lunch there was another session on Tuls, reaching Juche tul, considered by most to be the most difficult of Tuls however with the explanation and detailed tips given to us by Master McPhail, Juche is easier, well at least we are able to perform it better, than we previously were able to.
The day concluded with another wonderful session conducted by grandmaster Lan which included sparring drills which of course were both demanding yet enjoyable and was a great way to finish up day 2.
There were many drills that I will be taking back with me to implement in my own class.
After two fantastic and informative days, day 3 commenced with a wonderful photo of all attendees to commemorate this wonderful event.
After the photo, Grandmaster Marano outlined what the final day had in store for us.
Grandmaster Lan took the morning warm up session, as he had done the previous day and boy does he get you warmed up and stretched really well.
All belts up to and including second degrees were taken aside and together with Master McPhail went through and revised their tuls whilst 3rd degree holders and above remained with Grandmaster Lan and went through tuls Sam-il, Yoo-sin and Choi Yong. For the next hour or so these tuls we’re broken down step by step and explained in great detail.
I just have to add that I was in awe of GM Lan’s skill and energy, he is so full of energy and positivity.
Once completed, ITF President, Grandmaster Pablo Trajtenberg took over and went through 4th Degree tuls, Yon-gae, Ul-Ji and Moon-Moo. What a wonderful session, very easy to follow and so enjoyable, The session was very interactive and again detailed. The patterns were made so easy and I personally picked up so much which has, even after the weekend, made my patterns more powerful and fluid, like water, the analogy used by GM Trajtenberg, and to quote him, it all seems so natural now.
The next session had GM Lan conducting a sparring session and then a self defence session for all levels up to 4th Degree, in which was very enjoyable and informative.
I remained with the great Grandmaster Marano, wow, what a man, his attention to detail and his immeasurable wealth of knowledge is incredible, he is so precise and it is no wonder he is the chairman of the technical committee. I have a massive admiration for him. He made even the most difficult techniques easy with his detailed explanations and guidance. I wish I got to spend more time with him. He just oozes confidence and knowledge.
He took us through 5th Degree tuls, So-San and Se-Jong, great session, with great detail and explanation, he never cuts anything short and always has time to explain, and what great explanations.
The final session was for all participants 6 Degree and above to go through Tong-Il with GM Marano whilst all the 5 Degrees joined GM Lan during his self defence session.
The day unfortunately came to a close after this and each of the masters and Grandmasters shared their thoughts and gave great speeches which only made me admire and respect them more as their words were both sincere and  uplifting.
ITF president GM Trajtenberg then closed the 103rd IIC.
The day however did not end here as once we arrived back to the hotel from the seminar location, a group of say 50 attendees went down to surfers paradise beach and mall for a quick video and photo op to promote World Cup 2018, another thrilling experience which the grandmasters enjoyed, as did the unsuspecting public. Great work by Mr El Sheikh who led the way.
On a personal note, What a truly wonderful experience, I have never experienced anything like it. I have never attended a seminar that I just wished would keep on going, I loved every second of it.
What more can be said about the ITF President and Technical committee, they are wonderful people and leaders in every sense. My only regret is that it was only 3 days.
I will definitely be attending future events.
I am new to ITF after moving from another group and I am so happy that I have come across. The professionalism and expertise and knowledge of the Grandmasters is unrivaled. But more importantly, they are wonderful people who want what is best for us, all ITF members and they are definitely doing all they can to ensure that Taekwon- do and the legacy left by General Choi is carried on and respected.
A big thank you to Master Daher and his team, especially Mr Abdallah, who put this wonderful event together.
It was a real pleasure, a wonderful experience.
Many thanks and Taekwon
Sabum Alfio Viscuso
5th Degree Taekwon-do ITF
Ki Martial Arts Academy