What's the difference between ITF Taekwondo and World Taekwondo Federation?

ITF: No other protective equipment, only gloves.

WTF: Wear protective gear, not gloves.

ITF is more traditional and closer to martial arts in meaning. In actual combat, the emphasis is on strength and attack results.

WTF is more fashionable, giving up many simple and effective attack methods for the competition, and it is closer to sports.

Action comparison:

ITF's action is more practical. In actual combat, you can often win with one blow, and the combination of fists and legs can achieve good attack effect in both long and short distances.

WTF's movements are beautiful. In actual combat, continuous skills get high scores, but the role of boxing is very small and almost useless, and the strength of legs is relatively small in pursuing speed. Of course, some WTF masters have excellent leg strength and speed in actual combat, which is obtained through hard training.

Side kick: the most basic and common action of ITF. In actual combat, side kick plays an irreplaceable role. And WTF didn't.

Straight fist: The difference between ITF and WTF is that ITF's straight fist can expose the head, that is, it can attack people's head, while WTF's fist can't pass WTF's upper body protective gear. TF, who was afraid of too much head injury, was banned from the competition.

Double kick: it is a quick round kick of the left and right legs. This is the most common action in WTF, which is very practical in WTF competitions, but it is rare in ITF.