THE ANCIENT ART OF MULTIMEDIA by Chuck Fisher Taekwon-Do is arguably the most successful martial art of the 20th century. From its beginnings in South Korea in the late 1940’s, it has spread to 140 countries around the world and is practiced by 20 million men, women, and children. Along with this success has come many challenges. Perhaps the greatest challenge Taekwon-Do has faced because of this rapid worldwide spread is maintaining the purity of the art. No one understands this challenge more than General Choi Hong Hi, the President of the International Taekwon-Do Federation and founder of Taekwon-Do. He recognized early on that unified teaching techniques were the only way to maintain purity of form. But how do you communicate these teaching techniques around the globe? The communication technology of the late 40’s did not even hint at what we have available today. At the time the printed page was still the best way to communicate ideas and visual images. That is why in the 1950’s, when General Choi started demonstrating Taekwon-Do outside Korea, he also began developing the Taekwon-Do Encyclopedia. This exhaustive 15 volume work first published in 1983 has become the de facto reference standard for instructors and students worldwide. Today’s computer technology offers new opportunities to communicate that same cohesive message in a dynamic new way. General Choi, always one to recognize and capitalize on new opportunities, embraced this new technology in 1997 when he sanctioned and participated directly in the production of the first Taekwon-Do Multimedia Encyclopedia CD-ROM. The CD, released in January 1998, is made up of four sections. First, all 5000 pages of the original encyclopedia were digitally reproduced. A sophisticated interface was built around the digitized images to provide the ability to zoom in or zoom out and move around a selected page. Utilizing hyperlink technology, a user can jump to a specific page based on choices from either the on line table of contents or via direct word search. The second section of the CD-ROM is comprised of the 24 patterns or Tuls. The patterns are the heart of Taekwon-do. It is through mastery of these patterns that a student advances through the nine degrees of the Taekwon-Do black belts. General Choi hand picked ten of the worlds best Taekwon-do instructors and brought them from as far away as New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, and Puerto Rico to the Banff Centre for Fine Art. Located in the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Banff Alberta Canada, the Centre provided the state of the art video production facilities required for the filming of the patterns. General Choi personally supervised the filming of each pattern to ensure the accuracy of each performance. It was a grueling task even for this elite team and took five long days to complete. The General demanded nothing short of perfection. He understood that the technology would allow each pattern to be viewed in intricate detail and he wanted these performances to become the standard by which the patterns would be taught and practiced in the future. It is in the patterns section of the CD-ROM that multimedia technology was allowed to truly flex its muscles. Each pattern was filmed from four different directions giving the user a virtual 360 degree view on any pattern. Two modes of play are provided. In the continuous play mode, the user can watch a pattern and actively switch between views much like a motion picture director chooses the best camera angle to tell a story. In the step play mode, the user can study each step or move in a pattern individually. The four views option is available in this mode as well. QuickTime digital video technology affords the user full motion control. At any point the user can pause the action, rewind, fast forward, or even view a pattern in increments of 1/15 of a second. The third section of the CD-ROM uses another aspect of multimedia technology: audio. Given its roots in Korea, many Korean terms are used in Taekwon-Do. Master Choi Jung Hwa compiled the top 200 words and phrases and his voice was used to record these terms for the CD-ROM. For easy reference the 200 terms were categorized. The categories include: common phrases used in a do-jang, Korean words for kicks, punches, blocks, and stances, the proper pronunciation of the 24 patterns, plus commands and phrases used in tournament competition. The last section of the CD-ROM is perhaps the most unique. While in Banff, General Choi gave two days of extensive video interviews. In conversation with his son, Master Choi Jung Hwa, General Choi talked about his childhood in Korea, his adventures during and after World War II, the formative years of Taekwon-Do, the philosophy of Taekwon-Do, and his vision for the future. Selections from these interviews along with photographs from the General’s personal photo albums comprise the section called The General’s Story. If the 24 patterns are the heart of Taekwon-Do, then General Choi Hong Hi is the soul. It is through his vision that Taekwon-do was brought to the world stage. It is through his tireless efforts and those of his instructors around the world that Taekwon-Do has successfully maintained its purity of form under the umbrella of the International Taekwon-do Federation. The most powerful proof of this success can be seen at any of the numerous seminars that the General still gives. Men and women from around the world gather at these events and perform the patterns in groups. Like a well choreographed dance each step is perfectly in sync, as if they had been practicing together for years. The first release of the CD-ROM is a special limited edition called "Legacy". It is aptly named because General Choi, now 80 years old, is looking ahead to a time when he will be gone. Taekwon-Do however, will remain. That is Choi Hong Hi’s legacy. The Taekwon-Do Multimedia Encyclopedia CD-ROM will help carry that legacy into the next millenium.
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