Gen Choi Hong Hi – Use of the Hip for Power

Historic footage from an ITF International Instructors Course

ITF Taekwon-Do is sometimes controversial in its use of sine wave to create power. But what many people may not realise is that General Choi, the founder himself, always emphasised the use of the hips as well. In this classic clip, taken from an International Instructors Course in the 1990s, you can see him demonstrating and explaining just how important this is.

Here General Choi shows that power is not created by the arms alone. By coordinating the drop of body weight with a sharp hip rotation, he illustrates how the whole body should be used behind each technique. Even in this short segment you can clearly see his focus on balance, relaxation and timing – all key ingredients in the ITF system.

Sine wave and the role of the hips

Sine wave in ITF Taekwon-Do is often misunderstood. The idea is not to bounce up and down for the sake of it, but to drop body weight into the movement at the moment of impact. At the same time, in many techniques we should also be utilising the hips to add rotation and torque. When body weight and hip twist are combined correctly, the result is powerful, efficient techniques that do not rely on strength alone.

General Choi also made it clear that the use of the hip depends on the movement and the previous position. In some techniques a strong hip twist is essential; in others the hips remain more square because of the direction of force or the need to recover quickly. Understanding when to rotate and when to stay centred is an important part of advanced ITF training.

Learning from historic footage

Clips like this are a valuable reminder that ITF Taekwon-Do was always designed as a complete system of body mechanics – not just patterns, not just sine wave, and not just arm movements. Watching General Choi himself demonstrating these concepts helps instructors and students refine their own understanding of how power is generated.

This short video is only a sample from a much longer course, but it gives a clear insight into the founder’s teaching style and his constant focus on correct fundamentals.

Premium members can watch the full session – along with many more historic courses and seminars with General Choi – in our historic footage collection.