Taekwondo Defense Season 4 - Impressions

The Taekwondo Defense Community in Europe is growing and growing together: Taekwondo Defense founder Eunseob Kim was able to see this for himself at the fourth seminar in Sindelfingen.

In January 2022, Taekwondo Defense founder Eunseob Kim came to Sindelfingen for the first time and taught his reality-based self-defense. He inspired the participants with his effective techniques and dynamic training style. Since then, over 90 martial artists have undergone intensive nine-day training at four seminars with Eunseob Kim and his instructors. There are also weekend participants who wanted to get to know Taekwondo Defense (TKDD), but also many enthusiastic athletes who, after earning their TKDD license in nine days, returned for refresher courses or even a second license seminar. Most of the participants - like Eunseob Kim himself - come from Olympic Taekwondo. But there are also practitioners of traditional and ITF Taekwondo as well as other martial arts such as Ju-Jutsu, Hapkido, Wing Tsun or Viet Vo Dao. The great response, especially from Taekwondo athletes and trainers, shows that TKDD offers something that modern Taekwondo lacks: realistic self-defence that is suitable for everyday use and is fun in training. The World Taekwondo Headquarters Kukkiwon in Korea has therefore already integrated TKDD into its curriculum.

A Perfect Teaching Team

From April 8th to 16th Taekwondo Defense Season 4 took place in Sindelfingen. Masters were Eunseob Kim himself, supported by his congenial Chief Instructor Jiseok Lee. Together, the two formed a highly effective coaching team. While the ingenious founder of the style Kim impressed with the wealth of effective techniques in ever new variations, Lee was responsible for systematic learning and practicing. Lee is a Taekwondo star himself: He was a founding member and longtime captain of the World Taekwondo Demo Team, with whom he has performed around the world and on several Got Talent franchise shows. He is also active in show business, for example as an action coach and actor in the Hollywood production Warrior. As with the previous seminars, the participants were drawn not only from all over Germany, but also from Finland, Austria, Poland and Romania to TKDD Season 4.

From October 28th to November 5th, Eunseob Kim and his team will come to Sindelfingen again for a Dan and license seminar. If you are interested, here is what the participants of the fourth edition think about the seminar:

“In this seminar it was conveyed that TKD is more than just competition. I really liked that!”
Andreas Beck

“It was the best seminar so far. Everyone was more relaxed, including the masters, and we used the techniques we had learned more freely. That's why I think it was a successful seminar.”
Eugen Bense

“TKDD – that is self-defense simply thought. Once you understand the principle, it's (almost) not that difficult. However, we have to completely rethink the "normal" Taekwondo training. Thanks for the enrichment!”
Marc-Stephan Bottländer

“To practice what you have learned so far and, above all, to improve it – that was clearly the goal set for the refreshers that GM KIM Eunseob had on the plan for the fourth TKDD seminar. Of course, new technical combinations and applications were also added, but not to the same extent as in the last seminars. For this, the basic techniques and their execution were filed and polished. And that intensively - or when do you stand for half an hour and practice just one technique with concentration and paying attention to every muscle movement? Despite this effort, the fascination with the clarity and effectiveness of the techniques remains. In addition, the community of TKDD instructors is growing ever closer together. Everyone supports everyone, and there's always a competition to see who's bruised whom more. Because "It's Martial Art"; as GM Kim always says!”
Dietmar Brandl

"Although I had never attended a seminar like this before, I have to say that my expectations of the seminar were exceeded. Both the warm welcome and the conversations that developed from it were very pleasant and created a homely atmosphere. Regarding the content of the seminar, I have to say that I got a lot of impressions and was able to learn new techniques, even though we only took part in it for one day. Of course, I will share and pass this on to my training colleagues in the club. I'm looking forward to teaching what I've learned! My 14-year-old daughter Katharina found the training strenuous (I can only agree with that). Nonetheless, she had a lot of fun. In the beginning she was a bit skeptical and shy, especially in relation to the mass of new people, but this quickly subsided after the first talks. She herself was very proud of how President Eunseob Kim repeatedly praised her for how quickly she learned the techniques and was able to implement them. Especially in relation to the knife fight, it filled her with great pride how she stood her ground here. If time and health permit, we'll be back on the mat in autumn for the next seminar and maybe two days.” Matthias Buschle

“President Kim's reflections are based on a deep understanding of the fundamental principles of Taekwondo. The techniques all build on each other - even the techniques with the stick or knife use the same movement mechanics. It is always impressive at what high level President Kim and his team of masters are. In addition, it is very important to me to thank the organizers Meister Park and Taekwondo Aktuell for organizing the seminar. I always feel like I'm in good hands and I'm looking forward to the next seminar.” Maximilian Dengel

"I am still convinced that TKDD can be learned and used very well, especially with a certain background in Taekwondo, as a supplement, but also for practitioners of other martial arts to practice or expand self-defense ideas. That's why I keep coming back. In my opinion, Grandmaster Kim is the imaginative genius who can show the learner a wide range of possibilities for self-defense in TKDD style and can always present new variations, through which the understanding of individual techniques and combinations of TKDD is sometimes neglected. Then you can only marvel. Grandmaster Lee is therefore a congenial partner who, on the one hand, has the ability to implement the many ideas and, on the other hand, to bring them to people. With his calm and patience in training the techniques step by step, he has the gift of taking the learners with him and increasing the already existing enthusiasm for TKDD even further. It is therefore worthwhile in any case, even if it is perhaps only for a one-day seminar, to experience these two grandmasters.”
Michael Heinrich

“With the refresher seminar, well-known techniques could be refined and new ones learned. Master Kim explains the techniques very well and presents a few variations from time to time, which shows the many possibilities of TKDD. The repetitions, for example the stick attacks and blocks with Master Lee, were didactically perfect. The entire training atmosphere was very pleasant, it was a lot of fun training with Master Kim and Master Lee for the four days. Combinations that are shown by the two at unbelievable speed are also always impressive.”
Georg Neise

“After the pressure of the nine-day seminar last November, the four-day refresher course was just the thing for my training partner and me. Before the course, I still had the feeling that I had forgotten most of the important things. But I clearly noticed that we were systematically building on what we had learned for the 1st Dan at the first seminar. And almost everything that was taught in the first course was quickly back in my head and body. And I was able to build on that during this course.

Still, it was the subtleties in the basics that Grandmaster Kim Eunseob and Master Lee Jiseok emphasized. The basics are also what I take away from the seminar. After all, we want to raise our level significantly by the time of the next seminar with the masters. Because the honor of having already been awarded the 1st Dan in the TKDD now obliges us to work on the quality, which we have definitely not yet achieved to the required extent. Especially if you want to teach elements from the TKDD as a whole!

It was very nice to meet Master Lee this time too. I was very impressed to see how he moves and how he works. It was a great experience to be coached by him as well.

Personally, I was particularly pleased that Grandmaster Kim was able to remember us and that we were able to build on the good relationship and that communication (despite the language and cultural barrier) is now working very well.

I'm already looking forward to the next course!”

René Knipschild

“For me, TKDD is an exciting addition to classic TKD training. The analogies and comparisons of the basic techniques are logical and understandable and make it much easier to get started.”
Jörg Landwehr

The course is now much more coordinated than the first. President Kim has also loosened up a lot, which makes him even more likeable but in no way diminishes the respect we all have for him. The Kim/Lee team is also unique, as these two people work together perfectly. President Kim explains all the ways of defending oneself, as well as the techniques and grips, and shows how they are derived from Taekwondo. The participants learn to achieve great success with short actions.”
Uwe Neumann

"Grandmaster Kim has shown once again how he transforms techniques from the sports, especially Taekwondo, in order to be able to use them effectively and safely in his martial arts."
Thomas Priermeier

“The nine days in a row are in a way a borderline experience and are like a mental marathon. It was fascinating to get to know TKDD so intensively and to experience its effectiveness so closely. It was a great honor to have this shown and taught by Master Kim and Master Lee, who are among the world's best in their fields. Thank you.”
Stefan Roth

“The seminar was again a complete success! Compared to last year, President Kim is even more responsive to us and puts a lot of effort into each of us. A smile or a bit of fun is what makes us not just a training group, but a small family in terms of atmosphere and feeling. I'm really looking forward to the next seminar, even if, at least for me, it's difficult to always see four or nine days - as much as I'd like to.”
Tanja Schipp

I have taken part in all seminars offered so far. After the current seminar, I became much more aware of a number of links between the content I had learned so far. This also applies to the importance of various details in the execution of the basic techniques. This not only helps me, but is also very valuable for the training with my students. I also found the series of exercises shown and practiced to learn somewhat more complex movement sequences very interesting, which I will incorporate directly into my training.”
Frank Steffen

“It was fascinating again when I took part in a TKDD seminar for the fourth time, from what hundreds of possibilities Taekwondo Defense self-defence is possible again and again. It is really remarkable from which inexhaustible possibilities Grandmaster Kim derives his ideas. The four-day refresher course was exhausting again, but a very instructive time. At the same time, it's always nice to meet old and good like-minded people again.” Andreas Thiel

“Although we only visited the first weekend, we were both very impressed by TKDD. Real self-defence with Taekwondo and not the soft-washed exam self-defense that we usually do. Small changes to already known techniques lead to significantly more impact. We have already implemented various things in the first training session after the Easter holidays. Masters Kim and Lee were very personable and always happy to answer a question. And above all Master Kim was happy to answer questions with an actual application (which one felt for a while). The participants were also great as a group.”
Klaus Weigand

“I found the seminar really good and the atmosphere was much more relaxed than the one before. That's probably because both sides just know each other better. Basically, the techniques are very quick and short hitting and kicking and a lot of value is placed on the right body mechanics. Especially at close range, these techniques can be used very effectively. It's an effective martial arts style that gets you further if you get involved with it.”
Hans Wieser

“Thank you again for the opportunity to attend this seminar in Europe. It more than exceeded my expectations in terms of the variety and dynamics of the exercises. Of course you can always do something differently, but anyone who attends such an intensive seminar should expect everything and expect the worst :-). Jokes aside: It was one of the best seminars I've ever attended in Taekwondo. That motivates me to talk about Taekwondo Defense in Austria, to train and to send more participants to Sindelfingen.” Michael Willax

“The seminar was a great opportunity to learn from amazing Korean Taekwondo masters! TKDD is a system that can be used by anyone, men, women and children, that promotes safety and provides self-defense skills even for those who do not practice martial arts. The content of the seminar was completely new and different from many other Taekwondo self-defense events. Real life applications were explained in detail and practiced. The teachers were excellent, friendly and patient. The atmosphere was open, friendly and supportive among all participants. My experience of the seminar was great, I had fun and I look forward to attending more seminars.”

Judith Yabal