By Dr. Theresa Ferg
August 17, 2026
In 1993 I was commissioned by Taekwondo (TKD) Grandmaster Charles E. Sereff of the U.S. ITF Headquarters located in Broomfield, Colorado to make a larger than life size (1.25) statue of him in bronze. He requested the sculpture demonstrating his well-known “Knife-Strike” movement in the martial art of Taekwondo. In order to precisely document that physical action; I created 12 small clay statuettes about seven inches high that described from the start to the end steps of the Knife-Strike action. I asked Grandmaster Sereff which of the 12 statuettes was his choice to accurately display the composition of the specific form. He stated that it was the fourth position from the start of the movement. I was surprised to hear that choice and asked him why was that position the most definitive? He said because from that precise composition of his body, balance, and mental concentration the follow-through and delivery of his driving-force was the most powerful. He felt that at that specific Knife-Strike positioning he had accumulated maximum power. The energy then flowed through him to break the tiles/ boards or during sparring as an offensive action to stop his opponent. The Grandmaster stated he wanted to have the sculpture made to be a teaching demonstration of the Knife-Strike for Taekwondo students.
These concepts of power and form in the martial arts are well-understood for the development of sparring techniques. Physical power is the fundamental driving force that stops an opponent and carries the body through precision forms that are designed to interconnect and maximize energy. When sparring events, such as, determining the various teams for a World Championship competition, are conducted it is easy to see that martial arts sparring can result in injuries. Even during a regular class of lower belts learning to control their movements injuries can occur. A dual consequence of today’s TKD changing environments for students is the new interest in non-physical combative activities and the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) TKD gaming using virtual reality (VR). Whereas, many TKD parents and their children, who may also be TKD students, want to participate in TKD classes they might prefer the gamification of TKD and choose to continue their training using the no-contact sparring and VR technology.
Recently, an increase in TKD VR students (adults and youth) has resulted in numerous news articles describing the reactions and experiences of the participants. In the July 7, 2026 Associated Press (AP) news article about the TKD VR game version of sparring, Malaysian TKD coach Henry Lee said during a recent training session at a club, “Strength … is about how fast your leg can lift and strike. Speed becomes your power.” One of his students, Victoria Siow, 12, said the challenge lies in judging space she cannot physically see. “You have to work on your mind — when to kick, how far to move,” she said during a training session. “It feels like a game and like a dream at the same time.” Another TKD student, Ngyuyen, stated about her initial attempts at VR that success came after she learned virtual taekwondo requires far more than simply throwing kicks. “You have to guess first where your opponent is and move before they do”. In using the cyber world environment of VR for sparring there is no longer the sensory modality of physical contact. Therefore the driving force of power is replaced by a requirement of increased speed and spatial computing to locate the opponent and win the sparring match.
There are additional discussions and developments within the TKD community, for example, that spatial sequential working memory is utilized in both the traditional and VR versions of TKD sparring but in altered states of mind. The students currently trying out the new VR systems are already competent in the traditional TKD methods so they would be able to readjust their cognitive mindset for either version. It is notable that the participants state there is a change of mindset required to learn the TKD VR movements. Specifically, the tactile proprioceptive sense of kinetic physical contact is not required for TKD VR but increased cognitive spatial computing for direction and speed are favored. The questions that may arise about these new technologies are what might happen if an individual learns and is trained from the start on the TKD VR version and attempts to compete in a traditional TKD sparring match? Would this then create a delineation of cognitive access to the physical contact memory between the two TKD methods of sparring for the contact sport?
