Great Taekwon-Do fighters

Great Taekwon-Do ITF fighters, Part 1. European fighters in focus. Video material from 2007 to 2012.
Sparring merits from Taekwon-Do world championships, European champtionships, World Cup and Euro Cup :
Katya Solovey:
Gold - World Cup Taekwon-Do 2004 -52 kg
Gold - European Championships 2004 -52 kg
Gold - European Championships 2005 -52 kg
Gold - World Cup Taekwon-Do 2006 -52 kg
Gold - European Championships 2006 -52 kg
Gold - European Championships 2007 -52 kg
Gold - World Champion 2007 -52 kg
Gold - European Champion 2008 -52 kg
Gold - European Champion 2009 -52 kg
Gold - European Champion 2010 -52 kg
Ales Zemljic:
(no specific information about the career)
Kristina Jelenic:
(no specific information about the career)
Hong K Looi:
Silver - World Championship 2011. -71 kg
Gold -European Championship 2012. -71 kg
Ekaterina Kozlachkova:
Gold - World championships 2011. -70kg
Gold - European championships 2009, 2010. -70kg
Gold - European Cup 2009, 2010. -70kg
Best competitor - European championships 2006, 2009 and 2012
Best competitor - World championships 2011
Arto Ala-Häivälä:
Silver - European championships 2005 -80 kg
Bronze - World championships 2005 -80 kg
Bronze - Eurocup 2007 -80 kg
Three medals in European championships team sparring
Unfortunately, my personal video library is limited and I don't have footage of all the great fighters around. Moreover, I don't have material of some of the already retired legends. This clip is my humble tribute to the great Taekwon-Do fighters I have had a privilege to see in the competitions.
All music by Within Temptation, album The Silent Force
1. Stand My Ground
2. Intro
3. Aquarius

[@spinwaus]

this is more fun then those borin taekwondo olympic matches

[@slimshady9555]

Internet held aha itf is nothing to wtf

[@feckingegg9146]

Let's just say they're both equal, alright?

[@XAE_A_Xii]

find wtf taekwondo highlights and you will be also surprised. and if you watch from a to z any taekwondo tournament, that will be very boring

[@therealdrhankmccoy5047]

WTF is point sparring trash

[@anguvikiba289]

Yeah It's ITF it's way more scary then Wtf

[@Frank9532]

I had my first sparring session last friday, and didn't went well... But watching this gave me the motivation to train to get better. Thanks for the vid.

[@justsomeguy8982]

did you did better next time?

[@Frank9532]

@@justsomeguy8982 got a black belt 1st dan, working in my second dan, praise this motivation 🙏

[@ehvway]

I did Taekwondo tournaments in the past and 8 out of 10 times I came back with a price. Try to find your weaknesses and pay attention to it during your training. Also you should ask yourself what type of fighter fits you best. I am more a defensive fighter with backward kick as my homerun kick. I thought I would reply to a new post, but it was 10 years ago😯 i hope you are allright and did win a lot matches

[@Frank9532]

@@ehvway hello there! Now I'm training newcomers, I always come back to this video 🙏

[@OlliLeino_sportstuff]

Punching in light contact probably makes the biggest difference compared to full contact because the punches are not allowed to be penetrating by nature. Basically, this means that you only punch with the arm, not with the whole body. In full contact sparring, fights can change in one millisecond (in case of KO) which makes it exciting to watch. On the other hand, light contact sparring is much healthier for the brain :)

[@MMAdekimono]

good! im not from taekwondo, but i liked soo much, this is a martial art, not just a simple leg game, like wtf..im from kudo daido juku, and this taekwondo, have my respect!! congratulations! osu!

[@markovandebraak2870]

Please post part 2! I have now seen this one over and over I just can not get enough. Really anxiously awaiting part 2.

[@N3onDr1v3]

😭 2024, 11 years after this comment. We never got part 2. Perhaps one day....

[@markovandebraak2870]

@@N3onDr1v3 I’m starting to think that will never happen 😂

[@MarcoECDC]

Great posts and nice clips, Olli. Refreshing to read thoughtful posts (vs much of the thought-less drivel that often accompany martial sport vids) - thank you for both! Tae Kwon!

[@OlliLeino_sportstuff]

Thank you sir. I hope to one day start doing videos again. Currently, I'm struggling with my new camera and editing software.

[@MarcoECDC]

Hope all is well, Olli! :-)

[@OlliLeino_sportstuff]

I am fine, thank you :), I have edited four new videos from 2014 European championships. I just used the old software with a little down-converted video quality to get the videos done. Power breaking in Taekwon-Do European championships 2014, Italy

[@OlliLeino_sportstuff]

Thank you for your kind words. In my opinion, there is great richness in the variety of martial arts. I enjoy watching them all.

[@OlliLeino_sportstuff]

Good points. I agree that the fundamental techniques in the ITF are more of laboratory type of exercises than realistic fighting. Exercising patterns will not make person a great fighter (at least not using the current ITF free sparring rules) but rather contribute to physical conditioning of the body. Practising fundamental techniques also honors some Korean roots in martial art disciplines, such as Taekkyon. Modern sport has become very far from the traditional purposes.

[@leelarkin2170]

Well if you put your own spin in itf tkd it will work in a street fight in from experience

[@gordomono]

Unos de los mejores resúmenes del TKD ITF!!! Congrats!!!!!

[@neepps3gaming]

iv had the pleasure off seeing mr hong k looi spar in real life and the distance he can cover with some of his techniques is unreal

[@chrysaetos8359]

Me emociona mirar esos combates de Tae Kwon Do, y no los que hacen ahora en 2022, que parece que están bailando.

[@OlliLeino_sportstuff]

Thank you, and great to hear that. I suggest you go try to find an ITF club if you know a place where they train. In my hometown we have both ITF and WTF clubs, and we train together maybe once a month. Learning from each other and having fun.

[@michaelmckenna705]

i wish you lots of luck in the world championships next year. i recently competed in the GTF world championships in cyprus and won two bronze medals if next year is going to be your first i can tell you it is an amazing feeling. lots of luck from your taekwondo brother from the global taekwondo federation :)

[@stefansls1]

Finally people who keep there hands up! Good fights

[@MartialArtsConway]

these are some fighters !

[@mastermantwelve]

Sean Conway yeah, great representatives of the sport

[@marcosmiranda8951]

Excelent vide man ! It's amazing, all those great fighters, I would like to be like one of them, JA, with a lot of train maybe... I train since a few months, I'm almost a yellow belt, this video just makes that one want to practice combat. Congrutulations for the video and more for the music, a good combination ( sorry for my mistakes, I don't dominate the english very well )

[@Liquidcadmus]

Great Channel. I noticed you also produce the videos for the official ITF channel. good job! cool to see my friend Arto in this video too.

[@OlliLeino_sportstuff]

Thanks :) Yes, I rarely upload videos here because they are found in various other KZbin channels.

[@Liquidcadmus]

subscribed anyway. hope you keep uploading something everynow and then.

[@philip_394]

2 Swedes! I'm from Sweden!🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪

[@BarneyFife00]

Good matches. These fighters are bringing it.

[@OlliLeino_sportstuff]

:) Great to know that you are looking forward to the sequel. Unfotunately, my camera broke down in the World Cup and therefore I wasn't able to edit the sequel. But I just purchased a pro camera and hopefully I am able to submit the part 2 after European champion ships in May.

[@OlliLeino_sportstuff]

The video is a compilation from my personal TKD video library, containing only few fighters I have seen live with my camera aboard. I sure hope to get more footage of all the great fighters there are.

[@grandmastertippett4548]

great video, there is not enough of the ITF on line.

[@OlliLeino_sportstuff]

This video is a golden oldie :) I haven't been doing ITF videos lately. The last ones were from the 2019 Germany World Championships which are found on the official ITF KZbin channel. I don't know if I´m going to do any ITF videos in the future because I´ve moved on to still photography. I´m doing just the opposite from the rest of the people and social media platforms :D But you never know if somebody asks to do yet another production (and time allowing). I got really tired of doing TKD videos, hard work and takes way too much time.

[@ObohsMC]

Glad to see an Irish fighter here!!

[@andrei40140]

This is real ITF taekwondo. I am Romanian but live in Canada and I am preparing to go to the junior world championships next year. I'm 14 and my school has many medalist from past years also

[@Micha-gp5uy]

@Taekwondo invented 1930 ITF style invented in 1959 "Taekwondo WTF is not real taekwondo". General choi said so durning an interview in Poland and is true. WTF is more like ballet than martial arts.

[@emamel6550]

Great compilation, i love old fights, now i don´t see good fights in the world cup, only yop chaguis and direct punches like a crazy boy in a disco, a lot of federations and not enough TKD

[@AssassinCreedMartin]

Awesome vid! Feel all pumped up AND WANT TO FIGHT! looking forward to Brighton! :D

[@carlo-dovandebraak1031]

haha, great to see this comment of my brother! great video Olli i really wanne see part 2 aswell ;-) untill next time! no not the next world cup in jamaica.

[@gillesbrowntkd8088]

would love to see another one of these videos

[@brendagonzalezburgos7086]

son unos genios unas patadas increibles....!!! grandiosos

[@NiCoL4x]

Amazing video. Surprised Taekwon-Do legends such as Tomaz Barada (who only appeared coaching Ales for a second on the video) or Julia Cross, or David Kerr don't appear on the video.

[@OlliLeino_sportstuff]

Thanks. Unfortunately, I don't have enough video material of these great guys fighting. Only one fight of David in the world championships 2009. It would be a pleasure to make a compilation video of these fighters.

[@enachesebi4234]

2:04 carl van roon 😻

[@OlliLeino_sportstuff]

I agree that sparring has become more or less light kickboxing. Prearranged sparring (also known as traditional sparring) was meant to demonstrate applying the fundamental techs. However, I haven't seen prearranged sparring with proper realism yet. The rules make how fighting looks like. I know there are many who are not happy with the current rules.

[@badangmelayunusantara677]

yeaaaa i love ITF taekwondo..very full contact like combat

[@garycleveland6410]

This is Tae Kwon Do!

[@OlliLeino_sportstuff]

Thanks for the information. I will make plans beforehand what to film there. I am competing and coaching too, so my time behind the camera will be limited this time.

[@onofresegura5]

Buen trabajo audiovisual.. reconozco su esfuerzo...

[@OlliLeino_sportstuff]

:) You might prefer full contact, and ITF Taekwon-Do sparring presented here is light contact. Strategically, these two differ quite a lot and this affects how techniques are performed. In my opinion, both full and light contact sparring are great to watch, just very different purposes there.

[@McKenzzii]

awesome! andsightly scary. Within temptation music wrks so well with the video :)

[@delhitigerstaekwondoacadem5431]

Katya is my favourite fighter

[@MrBoyka3]

Awesome as always :D

[@itfukraine]

Thanks!

[@vivirados4079]

is beutiful

[@MrForest2010]

Muy buena la calidad del video...

[@Benini916]

That blonde for Ukraine in the first fights.. Scary. hahha

[@noiceheeeeah5144]

yup....but using hands isn't so majestic

[@dblanco454]

Yeah, the side stance is good for kicking but only allows you to punch straigth effectively, sorry for my english, have a nice day.

[@QuantTradingSociety]

@@dblanco454 thats katya solovey

[@freeingushetia9680]

Катя Соловей классно машется

[@unknownchad4156]

This is real taekwondo

[@Alisontobback]

katya is amazing

[@andrei40140]

They have their hands down because it's easier to see and attack, that's what I think because I do this too

[@OlliLeino_sportstuff]

:) I know. The main reason is that I get to see Kiwi fighters much less often than the European ones :) I really enjoyed the World Champs 2011 in New Zealand, I hope to come visit that part of the world once again.

[@HIRUKAGEMOI]

i LOVE ITF...

[@OlliLeino_sportstuff]

Thanks. I just got to get my new editing software up and running with my new camera. I'll be in the Euros 2013 shooting video, maybe in Wordl Championships 2013 too. Part 2 will probably be a collection of fighters seen there.

[@23viktor23]

Search here on the tube for: ITF taekwondo tournament. It will be the top thumbnail with the referee in the middle. Two of the best fights i've ever seen ;) have fun :)

[@romanoconti3845]

I LOVE YOU KATYA.....!!!

[@TKD344]

Nice Video -

[@mrbest1981]

Yes, it makes sense...it's different if you're fighting to score a point with strict guidelines, or kick someone's head off with intent. Although, I'm still not too fond about their striking in general at all, especially their punching, they're always jamming up so there is no flow what so ever to the movements. This is only my opinion :)

[@m.amirulhakim7406]

on my opinion, itf taekwondo looked like a real combat

[@OlliLeino_sportstuff]

Kiitos vaan ja treeni-intoa jatkossa. Suomalaisista on kyllä materiaalia ja tarkoitus on tehdä heistäkin kooste. Part 2 tulee mahdollisesti EM2013 jälkeen jos siellä pääsen heiluun kameran kanssa :)

[@christianstaffolani]

fantastico!!! viva el TKD ITF :) :)

[@nahuelquirogaa5446]

Mas valeeeee

[@oluhsac]

Yes it is, this is the original taekwon do, it's called TaeKwon do ITF.

[@soniekkx33]

awesome

[@OlliLeino_sportstuff]

If I may say, sport sparring in many martial arts is not necessarily meant to be a demonstration of real fighting but only one aspect in the whole fighting system. In general, sports are considered as games. Olympic status of a fight sport does not reflect it's value as a martial art discipline, rather it is subject to financial, political, and commercial etc values.

[@AndersonDiasxD]

Great! Congratulations :D

[@abccba1971]

Voilà, on retrouve un peu du TKD à ses origines. Du vrai combat. Et si c'est contrôlé sans partir en agitation, c'est très beau en plus !

[@mrkarate8849]

beautifull

[@OlliLeino_sportstuff]

A agree :( I would love to introduce more great fighters but as said, my video library is limited. I hope with the brand new professional videocamera I just purchaced I will be able to expand my TKD video library :)

[@ЧынараТыныбекова-д9ч]

очень крутооо!!!

[@AngeldragonGonzalez7]

Wuaooo!!! Tremendo!

[@badangmelayunusantara677]

i'd learned both ITF and WTF..and ITF more combat, brutal n fun

[@brantvictor]

Good video, bad music

[@machixiaogui]

great!!!!!!!

[@palkup3]

Taekwondo ITF World Championship 2013 Lyndsey Conway Polska 68kg Highlights - 2013 World Champion Lyndsey Conway Benidorm HIghlights

[@daylejanzendayao1255]

Europeans are very when it comes to kickboxing like this one , though this ain't kickboxing but it shows

[@irishfighterITF]

oh cool,in Brighton.Are you looking to focus on any fighter pacifically ?

[@noiceheeeeah5144]

wearing hands and foot covering really puts me in a disadvantage except for the chest guard and head guard

[@arinablazek9540]

This is still sport not street fighting.

[@GODOFWARWARS]

Хорошо!

[@jagvetinte8643]

it seems that looi had some problem against Patrik carlstrom!! 🇸🇪🇸🇪 (3.05)

[@andrei40140]

ITF is the same thing but only we use hands and no body protection

[@bad69100]

This is just a beautiful picture advertising, the reality for athletes such technical steps have been warned

[@tanka8168]

Look at at the Scottish tagb team they are absolutely insane fighters better than most of the people in this video

[@OlliLeino_sportstuff]

I hope I will get more footage on these fighters. Unfortunately I have only one or two fights from these guys. My old camera broke down in the World Cup and I couldn't get material from this event :/

[@johnmach3272]

It miss still a lot of fighters... Polish +80kg, Slovenia -71kg Rudolf, ukraina -63kg,, the name i dont know :), video is good...

[@marcelomarsico7816]

bom vídeos,boas lutas,boa arte,treino JiuJitsu,a arte do meu País Capoeira,&Taekwondo WTF,o ITF é muito bom,assim como é o WTF quando treinado como arte que é+que esporte+isso depende+do atleta,da forma que aprende oque consegue tirar do que treina,isso em todas as artes é assim

[@ririoncam3288]

Concordo plenamente

[@OlliLeino_sportstuff]

At least I do get a good aerobic workout in pattern training :) Additionally, improving elasticity and core muscles, this way improving kicking abilities. I wouldn't say it's absolutely useless (I hope I'm not totally out of shape). Obviously, intensity is lower and there is no reaction time involved (which makes the major difference in sparring and patterns). Obviously, similar lower intensity exercises can be done in sparring as well.

[@ArmadusMalaysia]

Arto seems to be the cleanest fighter.

[@jutubjuzr7246]

Why they does 3 or more punches and didnt get warnig? in my country you can do 1 or 2 punches in row

[@dragonbalzy]

damn, you're patient.

[@OlliLeino_sportstuff]

Part 2 will introduce Polish fighters too (including Joanna Paprocka). The reason for not including Polish fighters in the first part is that I simply don't have that much video material of them.

[@screamityeah]

How is this different to Kickboxing?

[@dragonbalzy]

btw did you go to the Dutch Open? Did you see Sheckema Cunningham fight? She's one of the Jamaican competitors.

[@OlliLeino_sportstuff]

I will also compete there but I should have some time for shooting video as well. I will try to get video material of fighters I don't have too much footage yet (and some material from my friends competing there). I hope to have the list of competitors before the competition so I could find the interesting ones beforehand and know what ring they are performing. If you have suggestions, please let me know.

[@AlexisGuzmanmr]

where and when was it?

[@thenotorious3398]

Can you pls add clips of Paul Germain all matches from -1997 world championship Russia...

[@OlliLeino_sportstuff]

It's impossible I am afraid :( I have footage from just a few tournaments (2005-2013) and none of them contain Paul Germain.

[@irishfighterITF]

when is part 2 ?

[@koirrah]

ARRI!

[@sofiacastillo9241]

Es lo mas katyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[@OlliLeino_sportstuff]

Thanks. Will be posting more of these great fighters videos later on. Stay tuned :)

[@karbinshahbazi5805]

Where is hadi saei

[@sahejtkd7303]

Where is part 2?

[@OlliLeino_sportstuff]

Unfortunately I'm not doing videoproduction as a hobby anymore so I'm afraid there won't be part 2 :(

[@Subject__]

I wonder why itf or wtf doesn't allow fighters to implament thier aikido

[@snirisrael8460]

Hit in the shoulder is considered two points?

[@DanielGarcia-dd7vu]

no