05/03/2026
Modern Karate’s founder Gichin Funakoshi insisted on „hito-kata sanen“ (three years on one kata). General Choi uses that exact same phrase In the Taekwondo context on page 125 of the first Taekwondo textbook, published in Korea in 1959.
Meaning:
The hyeong’s ex*****on becomes beautiful and precise after you repeat it regularly for 2-3 years. Yet, the performance is just one aspect of learning and training the forms. Once you start exploring practical applications, how to use them in live training against a resisting opponent, and how to adapt and vary the underlying principles, even three years suddenly starts to look too short.
—-
1st Taekwon-Do Book 1959
The first ever book on Taekwon-Do was of course written by General Choi Hong-Hi, the principle founder of Taekwon-Do. The book was published in October 1959. This was one month after General Choi formed the Korea Taekwon-Do Association on September 3, 1959, serving as the first President. The book was written using Korean Hangul and Chinese HanJa, which was common at the time. It contains the first 5 Korean Taekwon-Do Patterns, then called Hyungs; Hwa-Rang, Chung-Mu, Ul-Ji, U-Nam and Sam-Il.
This book is further undeniable evidence that Taekwon-Do is not 2,000 years old and that without General Choi Hong-Hi, there would be no Taekwon-Do!
Enjoy this piece of history!
(Link in comments)
