Category Archives: Announcements

General announcements including committee meeting minutes and notices.

2014 – CHITF Upcoming events

August
– August 14 2104, CH ITF Umpire Certified Course,  Loudi, Hunan, China
– August 14 2014, CH ITF 3rd Leaders Meeting, Loudi, Hunan, China
– August 15 2014, CH ITF International Certified Instructor Course/ Black Belt Patterns Seminar, Loudi, Hunan, China
– August 15 2014, CH ITF International Dan Grading (please send your application to gmphaplu@gmail.com to obtain approval first)
– August 16-17 2014, China International TaeKwon-Do Championship, Loudi, Hunan, China

September
– September 27-28 2014, CH ITF International Technical Seminar, Colombia

October
– October 26 2014, CH ITF Black Belt Tuls Seminar, Ottawa, Canada

December
– December 6-7 2014, 1st Asia Pacific CH ITF TaeKwon-Do Championship, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2014 – Report from Asian Seminar Tour

Dear All,

I hope this email reaches you in great health indeed.

I just came back from a one month long Asian Seminar Tour from February 20-March 18, 2014.  I would like to make a brief report to all our Chan Hun International TaeKwon-Do Federation ( CH ITF, www.chitf.org ) Members and friends.

A CH ITF Delegation was formed with members SM Phu Nguyen, SM Cheong Kwee Seng, Master Terry Wisniewski,  Sabum Tony Thang being a part of this special CH ITF Delegation.  They have done a great job to assist SGM Phap Lu in this special mission.  A young dynamic team of Malaysia Instructors, Master Khoo, Sabums Teoh, Gregory, Song, Kuan as well Indonesia Representative Sabum Stanley Tan, Sabum Cheng from Taiwan joined SGM Lu and the CH ITF Delegation while visiting China and Hong Kong. CH ITF thanks their dedication and contribution for the CH ITF development mission during this Asian Tour.  CH ITF thanks Master Khoo and Mr. Stanley Tan for their professional photos shooting for the seminars in Malaysia, China and Hong Kong.

Vietnam:  February 22- 25, 2014

Can Tho TaeKwon-Do Association
Department of Sports, Cultural, Tourism of Can Tho City, Vietnam
– hosted one day seminar and one day Dan examination
– They gave their full support and their affiliation to CH ITF.  They will co-ordinate future events with CH ITF
– Master La Van Long was promoted to Senior Master 8th Dan
– A proposal was made to Vietnam to host the 2014 Asia TaeKwon-Do Open Championship in early November

Malaysia: March 1-2,2014
Master Cheong Kwee Seng hosted the seminar and the 1st CH ITF Leaders meeting

– more than 100 participants attended the seminar
– Master Khoo together with his Professional photographer club Team organized a 4 hours professional TKD action photo shoot.  SGM, SMs, Masters, Sabums participated in this golden opportunity for action photos and outdoor shootings. Many great action photos were captured by this professional team.  Some photos will be entered for photo competitions.
– more than 400 new members joined the CH ITF
– GM Ally Teoh, Master Tay, and their big groups joined CH ITF
– Master Peter Wong from Australia, Master K.C. Tan from Singapore were promoted to Senior Master 8th Dan
– Master Cheong Kwee Seng was promoted to Senior Master 8th Dan, he was proposed as the CH ITF Director General
– Sabum Kbee Lim and Sabum Khoo Boon Hau were promoted to Master 7th Dan. Master Hau was appointed as the CH ITF National Commissioner to replace SM Cheong
– The 1st CH ITF Leaders meeting was held on March 01, 2014.  There were leaders from Singapore, Canada, Australia, Taiwan, Malaysia, China, Vietnam, Indonesia in attendance at the meeting.  Leaders agreed and voted SGM Phap Lu as the President of CH ITF, SM Phu Nguyen as the Vice-President, Mr. George Donovan as the Vice-President, Master Peggy Seely as the Secretary General, SM Cheong Kwee Seng as the Director General, GM Ally Teoh as a member of the Advisor Committee, SM K.C. Tan as a member of the Advisor Committee, SM Peter Wong as a member of the Advisor Committee, Sabum John Duncan, as a member of Advisor Committee, Mr.  Raymond Yao as a member of the Advisory Committee
– The Leaders have proposed Vietnam to host the 2014 Asian TaeKwon-Do Open Championship in early November
– Umpire courses should be held soon to upgrade the CH ITF Umpires
– CH ITF Umpire and Competition Rules draft will be sent out shortly for members to review
– Mr. George Donovan, CH ITF Vice-President , as well, in charge of Legal matters, is working on to registering CH ITF in Canada
– The CH ITF Constitution draft will be sent to members to review shortly
– The 2nd CH ITF Leaders meeting has been set to be held in Ottawa, Canada during the 2014 International Gen. Choi’s legacy Cup
– Leaders have approved the CH ITF Headquarters to be in Ottawa, Canada; the Asian office will be in Melaka, Malaysia
– Leaders have agreed that the CH ITF President will appoint: CH ITF International Commissioners of Technical; Umpire, Competition; Junior, Women; Veteran, National Commissioners

China: March 9-12, 2014
Sabum Lin Na from Hefei hosted the seminar

– There were 50 instructors from across China in attendance at the seminar and the meeting; some were from Mongolia who took a 20 hour train for the event.  We salute their indomitable spirit and enthusiasm.
– Instructors expressed their ideas and gave positive comments about our approachable, democratic leadership
– Instructors have received so much technical information in a well-run seminar
– Instructor form Hunan has expressed his interest in hosting the 2014 China International Invitational Championship in August
– CH ITF Leaders have proposed to host an Umpire course, a seminar in conjunction with the Championship
– Hunam Instructor would like to invite SM Cheong to visit Hunan within the next month
–  Heifei TV covered the event and interviewed SGM Lu about the CH ITF development in China

Hong Kong: March14-16,2014
Since the launch of RTV HK Kung Fu Quest series III which has featured ITF on January 18, 2014,  a heat wave about TKD in Hong Kong and Southern China has been created.  Sabum Ng and Master Alex Cheung have seized the opportunity and approached SGM Lu to conduct a seminar.  They came with the idea to gather all ITFs and WTF in a neutral platform with a Collective Leadership to host the historical seminar without federation and affiliation boundaries.  It turned out to be a huge success with 2 major Radio Talk Shows and 3 Newspaper support together with more than 150 participants from all affiliations.

CH ITF thanks the Hong Kong’s medias’ great support.

– March 14th a busy day with 2 Radio Talk Show interviews; 3 Newspaper interviews, 3 hours professional photo shooting with SGM Lu and all Hong Kong Masters and Instructors
– March 15th a special Black Belt seminar with more than 50 black belts attended
– The organizer committee hosted a special dinner.  Many topics were discussed during this special evening.  SM Au from Taiwan said that he is a WTF 8TH dan holder, he has many Chinese  WTF Instructors contact in China, he also has a World Chinese TaeKwonDo Association. He has proposed that he will ask the WTF Instructors to join the Hunan Tournament event right after they finish their WTF event in August.  This way there will be a chance for all ITF and WTF Chinese Masters and Instructors to meet in a friendly atmosphere.  Everyone agreed on his proposal and the cooperation with WTF Members.
– March 16th a special color belts and black belts seminar was held with more than 150 participants

CH ITF welcomes all new members.

CH ITF send their heart-felt Congratulations to the following members for their newly promotions and appointments:

SGM Phap Lu, CH ITF President

GM Ally Teoh, CH ITF Advisor

SM La Van Long, 8th dan, Vietnam
SM Peter Wong, 8th dan, Australia, National Commissioner, CH ITF Advisor
SM K.C. Tan, 8th dan, Singapore, National Commissioner, CH ITF Advisor
SM Phu Nguyen, Canada,  CH ITF Vice-President, International Commissioner of Umpire
SM Cheong Kwee Seng, 8th dan, CH ITF Director General, Malaysia
SM Norman Law, USA, CH ITF International Commissioner of Spiritual Meditation Training
SM Lun Ping Shum, 8th Dan, Hong Kong Commissioner of CH ITF
SM Cheung Kwok Keung, 8th dan, Hong Kong
SM Dago Castillo,8th dan, Columbia, National Commissioner, Advisor for Pan Am continent
SM Au Jie Man, Taiwan, National Commissioner

Master Terry Wisniewski, Canada, International Commissioner of Education
Master Peggy Seely, CH ITF Secretary General, Canada
Master Ralph Marin, Canada, CH ITF International Commissioner of Veteran
Master Tam Gar Bao, 7th Dan, Hong Kong
Master Tay Chin Hiang, 7th dan, Malaysia
Master Kbee Lim, 7th dan, Malaysia
Master Koo Boon Hau, Denis, Malaysia, National Commissioner
Master Alex Cheung, 7th dan, Hong Kong
Master Ho, 7th dan, Hong Kong
Master Petro Emilio Cambiaso, 7th dan, National Commissioner
Master Ralfael Alvarez, 7th dan, Mexico

Sabum Joel Denis, Canada, International Commissioner of Competition
Sabum George Donovan, Canada,  CH ITF Vice-President, in charge of legal affairs
Sabum John Duncan,UK, CH ITF Advisor
Sabum Jeannie Fung, Canada, CH ITF Deputy Secretary General
Sabum Marcus Ma, Canada, CH ITF International Commissioner of Junior
Sabum Lin Na, 6th dan, China, National Commissioner
Sabum Rafa Lopez, 5th dan, Spain, National Commissioner
Sabum  Lui Nai Chung, 5th dan, Malaysia
Sabum Ho Wai Man, 5th dan, HK
Sabum Chi Hong Wu, 5th dan, HK
Sabum Marvin Jose Reyes Rizo, 5th dan, Nigaragua,  National Commissioner
Sabum Stjepans Ambroz, Croatia, National Commissioner
Sabum Teka Aklilu, 4th dan, Ethiopia, National Commissioner
Sabum Tony Thang, 4th dan, Canada
Sabum Liew Pin Huat, 5th dan, Malaysia
Sabum Ng Hoe Nian, 5th dan, Malaysia
Sabum Tay Sinn Yee, 5th dan, Malaysia
Sabum Chun Chung Lo, 2nd dan, HK
Sabum Wilson Chan, 1st dan, HK

Mr. Raymond Yao, Canada, CH ITF Advisor, Media and Public Relations

SGM Lu is in charge of the Technical Commission.

Thank you for your attention.

Yours in TKD,
SGM Phap Lu

Upcoming CH ITF events:

–  CH ITF Umpire course, April 27,2014 Almonte, Canada, hosted by Master Ralph Marin, sabum@rogers.com
– June 7th 2014 International Gen. Choi’s Legacy Cup, Ottawa, Canada, gmphaplu@gmail.com
– 2nd CH ITF Leaders Meeting, Friday June 6th 2014, Ottawa, Canada
– CH ITF Seminar, Columbia, August, 2014
– Proposed China International Invitational in conjunction with CH ITF Umpire course and technical seminar, Hunan, China, August 2014
– Proposed 2014 Asia TKD Open Championship, early November, 2014, Can Tho city, Vietnam
– Proposed 2015 World Camp, Malaysia
– Proposed 2016 CH ITF World Championship, China

2012 – Taekwondo program brings purpose to at-risk Iqaluit youth

2012-05-10
Ottawa grandmaster’s after-school classes provide outlet for students

A hard-to-reach youth demographic in the North has found a reason to stay in school – and in shape. Taekwondo, the Korean martial art, is expanding rapidly in the North and having a markedly positive effect on at-risk youth as well as the community at large. What’s more, the program has close ties to Ottawa’s taekwondo community.

“As a principal (of an Iqaluit school) I was dealing with a lot of behaviour problems and really just a lack of interest,” said Don Peters, 58, principal of Aqsarniit Middle School. Peters created a taekwondo after-school program two years ago and he has been seeing some encouraging results.

“It has turned around the attendance at the school as well as a lot of the behaviour problems, it’s been a godsend for us,” said Peters.

Grandmaster Phap Ken Lu, 54, is a Canadian taekwondo leader who runs three taekwondo schools in Ottawa. He has mentored the Iqaluit taekwondo experiment since it started. He says the program is successful because it “builds up the trust between the student and the instructor, this way we can help them to achieve their goals, not only in taekwondo but also to improve their schoolwork and behaviour at home.”

According to Lu, taekwondo goes beyond getting kids into shape, it helps build good citizens. “We can guide them on how to exercise, how to focus and learn discipline and at the same time how to respect their elders and carry themselves more confidently in public,” said Lu.

Lu has travelled twice to Iqaluit to award students belts and oversee training. Iqaluit students have journeyed to Ottawa four times for friendship competitions against Lu’s students, which, for these northern youths, is a rare chance to travel and compete in their sport.

Janurary 31,2014- Philosophy note part I

New Year Training advice:  TaeKwon= Do.

Gen. Choi wrote TaeKwon-Do, he taught us that: TaeKwon is the physical ( techniques, conditioning, physical fitness…) Do: the Mind ( training techniques, conditioning, furthering yourself the Do and to the spiritual path through medidtation).  Gen. Choi taught me that: in this life time, he spent most of his time for researches and developments for the perfect techniques.  Furthermore, he had to confront with so many oppositions of the creation of TAEKWON-DO ( when he gave the name TaeKwon-Do on April 11, 1955…

… he continued to say: in his life time, he did not have enough time to teach, to research further the spiritual path through meditation trainings and mind conditioning.  Every martial artist when one reaches in the physical and technical satisfaction and its peak level, one will eventually turn into the mind conditioning and go deep into the spiritual path.  Meditation plays a very important part in the very high level training of a true martial artist.  It will take one’s life time and beyound……

… to achieve it and to understand it.  You might laugh at it.  Confucius, Buddha and all other Saints have to choose different wisdom words to teach their students according to their levels of understanding.  When you read their history books, you can see that it took a very long time for their students to understand their teachings, words.  Eventually some these Saints’ students would reach the enlightenment accordingly.  Think about when you are a white belt, the way you understand a Walking stance, low section block and compared it to your present level, through months, years practices, you now understand it differently with the times.  It took me so many times to understand his meaning of Reaction-force of application into the movement by how to keep the back leg straight, it must apply to both back leg and back hand.  I am very grateful and fortunate to have the golden opportunities to follow Gen. Choi and to learn directly from his different seminars and international instructor courses around the world from 1985 to the last instructor course he conducted in Colorado, USA (organized by SGM Chuck Sereff in April 2002, in this course our beloved Founder did had his operation, he specially flew back from Korea to teach and to keep his promise to his 500 more students, our Founder passed away in June 2002)…

…through many years of the Do conversations with the Legendary Founder, Gen. Choi Hong Hi, i will try to share a little by little wit you, if you are interested in reading it.  He said: just sitting down silently and contemplate is not easy.  It takes a lot of practice, patient and find the joy of this journey.   If you have never sit down for half hour, then try it.  By just sitting the first 5 minutes, you will find yourself felling anxious, uncomfortable, aches and all kinds of wondering thoughts start appear in your mind…. your mind(heart)like a very wild horse, you suddenly try to tie it down and sit, it will take a lot of patient, adjustment, and hours of practice, this is just the experimental stage, nothing about meditation yet!.

The high level of the 1st stage of TaeKwon-Do training is to train and to condition yourself to be a good human being by living in this planet.  Do not contribute any harmful, destructive actions to it.  Try to protect it, treasure it and learn how to enhance the mutual respects, be kind to each others.  Enhance your knowlege in all aspects, so that you know more about life, the universe, about the others and about the Truth.  Condition your body to be healthy to enjoy what life has offered you as well to serve others:  ONE cannot just: take, take and take; one has also in return to give.  In order to give, one must has something good to give, if yone just takes in all the time, one has never learned something valuable to share and to give…. one needs to continue to stay on the same path until one has learned enough the lessons giving in this path, and then one could move on to the next path….. Your friends and others’ actions would provide the secenes and the lessons for you to learn….. So in life, there is no enemies, they are all your teachers.

… Philosophy learning, teaching have to go through the path of meditation practices and experiencing it.  If one just do the physical conditioning, technical training, it is just a sport not a martial art.  Sport is to win over the others, martial art is to see your weakness, self-critism, self-improved and win over the enemy within yourself ( the mind).  A humble thank you for your reading and sharing.  We will exchange more……

Phap Lu, SGM

2013 – PRESERVING GENERAL CHOI’s LEGACY!

Phap Ken Lu Phap Lu (1)

“We must have a borderless original TaeKwon-Do home where members are really free to participating in good quality and well organized TaeKwon-Do Championships, Seminars etc as during Gen. Choi’s time!!!
We want to learn the original techniques without any changes and we want to have fun!.”

Phap Lu, Senior Grand Master
President, Chan Hun Ryu ITF TaeKwon-Do Federation