The gray dobok, the unfulfilled dream of the founder of Traditional Taekwon-Do, General Choi Hong Hi!

In the following photos you can see the first gray dobok implanted by General Choi Hong Hi to practice his martial art.

Mario Pons and Masiá Loles appear on this photo with a North Korea team member of Traditional Taekwon-Do, whose demonstration was held in Vienna (Austria) on March 24th 1986, at the World Headquarters of the International Federation.

In the second picture we see General Choi teaching a course in which nearly all attendees wear the gray dobok.

The dream of General Choi Hong Hi to implement the gray dobok was that his Taekwon-Do was differentiated from the Olympic Taekwon-Do and Karate.

As happens in Master Ed Parker Kenpo Karate. In the beginning all wore white suit. With the maturity of the style and to differentiate from Karate, Master Parker introduced the black suit.

Nowadays Master Parker Kenpo Karate is different from Karate because of the black suit. In the same way, in the 80's, General Choi wanted to differ from other styles by implanting the gray dobok, whose theory, if anyone wants to know it, will be explained in our courses, because there was nothing that General Choi did not give a consistent and clear meaning.

His idea of using a grey dobok was not followed by his direct students, who wanted him to forget about it. From ITTAF, we want to preserve the idea of General Choi and we will implement and realize his dream of using a gray dobok; with the clear idea he had to differentiate ourselves from other styles.

In ITTAF nothing is being done free will. ITTAF works and will work to make the dreams of our founder, General Choi Hong Hi, come true.

His story and work are our main source of inspiration.

All together in memory of General Choi.

Taekwon!

Mario Pons SM 8 ° Dan
ITTAF Interim Secretary
E-mail: mariopons@mariopons.com