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By Roy Rolstad, VI Dan, ITF Taekwon-Do

When I look back at my martial arts journey, I remember the long hours in the dojang, the nerves before gradings, and the endless repetition of techniques. And another source of motivation has always been there as well. The images that captured Taekwon-Do in motion.

Sabum Robert Skagseth at the summer camp in 1999. NTN was in GTF and GM Park Joung Tae at the time.

The Encyclopedia That Lit the Fire

General Choi Hong Hi’s Taekwon-Do Encyclopedia is not only a technical reference.

Every stance, movement and pattern is explained in detail, and what stayed with us just as much as the words were the photographs. Black and white pictures of flying kicks, twisting spins and sharp hand techniques did more than demonstrate positions. They created an image of what Taekwon-Do could look like at its best and challenged us to aim for it. For both myself and Sabum Robert Skagseth this Encyclopedia became a source of energy. It pushed us to polish our movements and to imagine something larger.

Every time we saw those photographs of dramatic kicks suspended in the air, the question came to mind: can you match this, can you go higher, can you become sharper.

Me doing a split kick at a summer camp in Risør back in 1999.

NTN nytt – Inspiration Before the Internet

Before social media connected everyone instantly we had something just as important here in Norway. A magazine called NTN nytt, published by National Taekwon-Do Norway. With Antonie Cappelen as editor.

The magazine started in the middle of the 1980s and was published until 2007. For more than two decades it tied our community together.

What many of us waited for in every issue were the photos. Instructors and masters caught at the exact moment of a side kick or a jump. Those pictures were our window into what was possible. For Robert and me, they became maps showing us the direction forward. If someone from another part of Norway could perform a spectacular kick then maybe we could too.

Sabum Frode Steindal and me in 2011. This photo is taken by Raimon Bjørndalen

Kicking on the Mountains

In Norway a tradition also grew alongside this. Taking pictures of Taekwon-Do kicks on top of mountains. Students would climb, breathe the fresh air, and photograph a perfect kick with valleys and peaks in the background. The landscape became the stage and the kick became a symbol of effort, freedom and persistence. This practice continues today. Our own children have grown up with what we call yoping. That means taking a side kick picture wherever life brings us, on top of a mountain or in front of historic monuments. It is playful and it is also a way of carrying forward the same inspiration that once came from the Encyclopedia and from NTN nytt.

Ingrid Jyssum and Sabum Camilla Rolstad in 2005.

The new generation with a cool kick at a mountain top.

A high side kick at the famous “Pulpit Rock” outside of Stavanger, Norway

Modern Masters Behind the Camera

In recent years we have also had professional help in capturing these moments.

Photographers such as Jostein Væres and Raimon Bjørndalen have given our community outstanding images. They are recording Taekwon-Do and they highlight the timing, power and beauty that is there when technique and commitment meet. Their work allows the tradition of Taekwon-Do photography to remain alive in the digital age.

Sabum Robert Skagseth in front of Dojo Stara Wies in Poland. Taken at the TKDMeetUp.

From the Page to Real Life

Both Robert and I carried this inspiration into our Taekwon-Do careers. The Encyclopedia showed us the possibilities, NTN nytt gave us role models to look up to, and the mountains gave us a place to make it personal. Those images were frozen moments and reminders that vision is just as important as repetition. They told us that you can become something more if you keep working, keep jumping and keep reaching a little higher.

This money shot are showcased at the NTN HQ in Tronheim. Sabum Robert executes a fully controlled double flying sidekick to my face.

Passing the Torch

Today a younger generation scrolls through Instagram or TikTok instead of leafing through NTN nytt or the Encyclopedia. The technology has changed and the effect is the same.

Images inspire. They open the imagination, they show what is within reach, and they keep the circle of motivation alive. For me and for Sabum Robert Skagseth, the pictures we saw as young students still burn in memory. And now it is our children and our students who make new ones. The tradition continues, from books and magazines to mountainsides and social media feeds.