International Chi Taekwondo Organization

ICTO Manuals


Brief History of TKD

The style of Taekwon Do which the Chi organization practices is called Ch'ang Hon or "blue cottage". General Choi Hong Hi, the father of TaeKwon Do, was given the pseudonym by his calligraphy teacher. The hallmark of this system, which was created in the 1950s, is the combination of fast and slow, light and forceful movements together with extensive footworks whose roots stem from the Sho-Rin and Sho-Rei schools of Okinawan Karate (TaeKwon-Do: The Art of Self-Defense, by CHOI HONG HI, 1965, page 216).

These roots combines with others have over time refined to the extent that they no longer resemble their original movements and have become totally "Korean" in every way though the application of the nine training secrets:


  1. To study of the theory of power throughly
  2. To understand the purpose and method of each movement clearly
  3. To bring the movement of eyes, hands, feet, and breath into a single coordinated action
  4. To choose the appropriate attacking tool for each vital spot
  5. To become familiar with the correct angle and distance for attack and defense
  6. To keep both the arms and legs slightly bent while the movements of patterns are in motion
  7. The backward motion of all beginning movements with very few exceptions. However,
    once the movement is in motion it should not be stopped before reaching the target
  8. To create a sine wave during the movement by utlizing the knee spring properly
  9. To exhale briefly at the moment of each blow except connecting motion

The name and number of movements as well as the diagramatic representation of each Ch'ang Hon pattern have a specific significance which symbolizes its namesake or relavance to some historical event or personage