ITF Radix in Bergen
Throug the course “NTN Instructor 6”, ITF Radix was presented in Bergen, Norway, the weekend of 17th to 18th of February. With a total of 57 participants from the whole western coast of Norway.
ITF Radix is the core of the 6th Instructors course of the National Taekwon-Do Norway (NTN) instructor program, which consists of seven instructor courses in total.
NTN is one of the leading ITF organizations in the world today, with 12,000 members in 70 clubs in a country with a total of 6 million people.
One of the main factors of NTN's success is the mandatory education of their instructors through the ranking system
This two-day course consists of a comprehensive program of lectures and practical activities. The first day focuses on tactical principles for self-protection, including awareness and mindfulness in daily life. Paying attention to proper conduct when socializing with individuals from diverse societies is crucial for preventing crime and social conflicts.
Understanding human behavior is one of the most important skills you can develop to prevent violent crime, both for yourself and others.
Verbal and nonverbal communication, both before, during, and after conflict, is covered.
The principle of proportionality in law is discussed and established.
Human perceptions under duress and how it affect and activate the kinetic chain and chemicals in the bloodstream are covered and worked on both in theory, discussions, and in practice.
Self-empowerment and self-coaching through physically demanding tasks are an important part of the course. Learning the importance of establishing micro-scenarios and more complex scenario training.
A common perception of the ITF Radix is that it consists only of alternative applications of the ITF patterns. This is just a small part of the truth, it goes so much deeper than that. We explain everything with a modern approach on human behavior both social, mental, and kinetic. We cover the connection between the patterns and free sparring. And we cover edged and blunt weapons and multiple opponents.
The western region of NTN is known for its outstanding competitors in all disciplines of ITF competitions. Both their athletes and staff of coaches and instructors are well-trained and educated in both Taekwon-Do and training generally.
I am so invested in the ITF Radix concept that it was a true honor to have such a big group of excellent athletes in one course.
I must also admit that the excitement of the senior ranked instructors, who have been some of my best friends for the last 30 years, made me really proud.
My biggest takeaway after the course was the feedback from those instructors about the structure and progression throughout the weekend. I have put tremendous effort into this, given their roles as Taekwon-Do instructors and educators in their civilian lives, this holds significant weight.
I had such a fantastic weekend, all thanks to Master Iversen and his amazing team!