Our Lineage
Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance,
Self Control, Indomitable Spirit
Taekwon-do was officially born on the 11th April 1955, since then it has grown in popularity. People come to the art from many different avenues. It is our ethos to follow the tenets above and use them as our compass.
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Below are details of the School I have run for over 25 years and the associations we are proud to be a part of.
ZNT Taekwon-do
Miss Tate started teaching Taekwondo in Dundee in 1996, while at University. After graduating she left Dundee and took Taekwondo back to her home village, leaving the schools in the capable hands of Mr Robert Dolan, then II Dan. However, the dizzy heights of Dundee kept calling and she returned and spent many years teaching the schools together with Mr Dolan, until he decided to retire his dobok.
Her schools were originally part of the Global Taekwondo Federation and Miss Tate got the opportunity to train with Grand Master Park Jung Tae (1943-2002) on many occasions. In 2005 after a long conversation with the Scottish President Miss Tate resigned and went looking for new guidance.
One of her black belts mentioned the United Kingdom Taekwondo Association (UKTA) that he had been training with whilst in Cardiff. The UKTA was the association formed by First Grand Master Rhee, the man responsible for bringing Taekwondo to Europe. She took steps and applied to join and in 2005 she began receiving guidance from First Grand Master Rhee and Grand Master Cutler (then Master Cutler).
In 2012 the Master’s Council of the UKTA decided to part ways with First Grand Master Rhee. This led to the formation of the Authentic Centres of Excellence for Taekwondo by Grand Master Cutler and ZNT Taekwondo School are members of the A.C.E Association.
Authentic Centres of Excellence (ACE)
A.C.E. Taekwon-Do is a Society for Traditional and Authentic Taekwon-Do. The Society was established by Grand Master Paul Cutler, who studied directly under First Grandmaster Rhee Ki Ha and General Choi Hong Hi.
A.C.E. Taekwon-Do is an organisation that strives to uphold the integrity and goals of General Choi Hong Hi & First Grandmaster Rhee Ki Ha, which includes following the guidelines and principles set forth in the Student Oath, the Tenets of Taekwon-Do, Moral Culture and Martial Art Ethics.
A.C.E. Taekwon-Do promotes the values, practice, and teachings of Taekwon-Do, as developed by the Founder General Choi Hong Hi and carried on by the ‘best ever student of Taekwon-Do’ First Grandmaster Rhee Ki Ha. A.C.E. Taekwon-Do will preserve the highest standards of Technical Excellence and teaching practices in the art of Taekwon-Do.
A.C.E. Taekwon-Do is rich in tradition, but continuously moves forward. It aims to bring all true Taekwon-Do practitioners together to follow these same guidelines
The current masters in A.C.E. are Grand Master Paul Cutler, Grand Master O’Neill, Senior Master Paul Kavanagh, Senior Master Derek Blackburn, Senior Master Timothy Helstrip, Master Steve Proctor, Master Britton and Master McMillian.
ITF
International Taekwon-Do Federation is an international taekwondo organisation founded on March 22, 1966, by General Choi Hong Hi in Seoul, South Korea. The ITF was founded to promote and encourage the growth of the Korean martial art of Taekwon-Do. The organisation came into existence 11 years after Taekwondo was officially named in 1955.
Today there are many different associations that use the acronym ITF and it has grown in its use to refer to the system that General Choi devised and called Taekwondo.
You may hear of a WTF (World Taekwondo Federation) style. Or even be asked if you follow a WTF or ITF training style. To use First Grand Master Rhee’s words “Taekwondo was not born a twin baby” but has grown quickly across the world. This rapid growth has allowed for individual interpretations and developments.
We train as closely as we can to the original teachings of General Choi under the guidance of First Grand Master Rhee and Grand Master Cutler. This is often referred to as ITF style. We do not mind what label is used as long as the martial art works.