About ITF System
What This Site Is
ITF System is an analytical look at ITF Taekwon-Do as a structured training system.
Rather than treating techniques, patterns, and principles as isolated pieces, this site examines how they function together: how movement is taught, how power is generated, how complexity is introduced, and how skills evolve over time.
The goal is not to replace tradition, but to make its structure visible.
Why This Exists
The ITF Encyclopedia contains an enormous amount of information, but much of it is presented descriptively rather than analytically. Over time, this can lead to concepts being memorized rather than understood, patterns being performed without clarity of purpose, and mechanical explanations being oversimplified or misinterpreted.
This site exists to bridge that gap by applying systems thinking, basic biomechanics, and training theory to material that already exists within ITF Taekwon-Do.
What You’ll Find Here
- Pattern (tul) case studies explaining what each pattern trains and why it exists
- Mechanical breakdowns of power, balance, timing, and sequencing
- ITF concepts translated into clear, modern language
- Discussion of limits: what certain methods do not train (and why)
- Practical drills derived from patterns and principles
This is a model-based approach. Models are useful because they clarify structure — but they are never perfect or complete.
What This Site Is Not
- An official ITF publication
- A replacement for instructors or dojang training
- A collection of self-defense “applications” divorced from context
- An attempt to declare a single “correct” interpretation
Different instructors, schools, and lineages emphasize different aspects of the art. This site presents one analytical lens, not a final authority.
Who This Is For
- Practitioners who want to understand why they train the way they do
- Instructors looking for clearer ways to explain concepts
- Students who enjoy technical and mechanical detail
- Readers interested in martial arts as structured learning systems
No prior technical background is required — explanations are kept as simple as possible without becoming vague.
A Note on Interpretation
All analysis here is interpretive. Where possible, claims are grounded in observable mechanics, consistent patterns across the curriculum, and training outcomes rather than tradition alone.
Disagreement is expected — and healthy. If something here makes you reconsider how you move, teach, or train, then the site is doing its job.
About the Author
This site is written by Domenic Sutter, a long-time ITF Taekwon-Do practitioner with a background in software engineering and systems analysis dating back to the early 1990s.
That experience shapes how the material here is approached: breaking complex systems into understandable components, identifying constraints, and examining how simple rules produce consistent outcomes over time.
The intent is not to “re-engineer” Taekwon-Do, but to use analytical tools from outside the martial arts world to offer a different perspective on material practitioners already train.
Contact
Questions, corrections, and thoughtful critiques are welcome. Please use the contact page.