General Choi Hong Hi – 10 years on

The man pivotal to the development and spreading of the art of Taekwon-Do will be ten years dead this June. General Choi Hong Hi, the principal founder of Taekwon-Do and founder and first president of the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) died of stomach cancer in Pyongyang, North Korea on June 15^th 2002.

Reportedly a 2nd dan in Japanese Karate he began work on developing a new Korean Martial Art and during the 1950's while developing this new Korean Martial Art of Self Defence he received permission from the then President of The Republic of (south) Korea to use the name Taekwon-Do as the new Martial Art of Korea. The date of 11^th April 1955 became the day recognised as the birthday of Taekwon-Do.

For over nearly half a century and being well into his 80's General Choi worked tirelessly to develop Taekwon-Do through his seminars and International Instructor courses. He controlled the International Taekwon-Do Federation with an iron fist and commanded genuine respect from followers the world over.

Historical Context

On March 22^nd 1966 General Choi formed the International Taekwon-Do Federation after separating from the Korean Taekwon-Do Association in a bid to spread Taekwon-Do around the globe, a feat he lived to appreciate. The separation from the Korean Taekwon-Do Association was caused in part by General Choi’s autocratic leadership style and differences with the second generation leaders who were emphasising sports rules as a unifying rallying point and not the first set of Korean patterns that General Choi had designed. Along with his contentious battle to have them adopt his name of Taekwon-Do over their preferred compromise name of Tae Soo Do, General Choi eventually parted ways with the KTA.

General Choi courted controversy. He was incarcerated for resisting Japanese rule during the Japanese occupation of Korea. He was also an outspoken critic of the military dictatorships that plagued South Korea at that time. It was during the height of this government brutality in 1972 that General Choi exiled himself to Canada while leaving his entire family behind. He remained a fierce critic of the government while exiled.

When the Korean dictator General Park was assassinated by the director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, General Choi had hoped he could return to Korea to continue his build of Taekwon-Do. However this was not to be. Another military coup took control as General Chun Do Hwan became the leader of South Korea. The South Korean government and the KCIA were adamant on destroying the ITF as it provided General Choi with a world-wide traveling platform which he used in addition to his teaching to severely criticise his government back home. Additionally South Korea was looking to use Taekwon-Do as a political and cultural propaganda tool. Dr. Kim Un Yong (first president of the WTF) was already working on his vision to have Taekwon-Do become an Olympic Sport. So naturally they would also look to minimise the influence of the ITF, a rival organisation. As the pressure from the KCIA of South Korea increased and the WTF became more successful in attracting and building their Taekwon-Do, General Choi's Korean following shrank.

In light of this General Choi courted North Korea in an attempt to gain more Korean instructors, as well as political and financial help to battle the political influence and money South Korea was providing to the WTF. This was a move that greatly helped the ITF but also one that was to frustrate it in the years ahead.

His desire to see the ITF grow led General Choi to make many enemies and even in death he stirred controversy. His final wishes in relation to the future of his ITF remains a topic of controversial debate, with many ITF members disputing the direction of his final wishes.

He died in a Pyongyang hospital ward surrounded by North Korean officials some of which were his closest masters. From that ward it was announced that General Choi chose Prof Chang Ung a North Korean politician and member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to become the next and second president of the ITF.

It has been documented that this was in fact General Choi's wish, it was not a last minute decision, but rather one that took place over a course of time. At this point there were serious and very high level government talks between South and North Korea, which included an idea to exchange Taekwon-Do Demonstration teams while discussions to merge the Taekwon-Do's of both Koreas took place. As a result, General Choi, who fought his adult life to get to this point wanted to be at that table and he probably would have been if he hadn't passed away prior.

In light of these political circumstances General Choi thought about who would be the best person to politically accomplish what was a highly political move, so he picked a politician, Prof. Chang Ung. This of course did not sit well with many members of the ITF, as they did not wish to be political, many members were not interested in politics, with some even resenting General Choi’s politics and his constant use of Taekwon-Do and the ITF as a political tool.

The cracks begin to show

At the ITF congress in Italy 2001, General Choi's son, Choi Jung Hwa along with his supporters initiated a plan to unseat General Choi as president by having him voted in for only two years out of the six year term with the remaining four years being presided over by Choi Jung Hwa. This was passed at the congress but due to the nature of the vote it caused divisions between General Choi and his son. They fought furiously after the congress with Master Choi Jung Hwa saying the North Koreans would not work with him as he would not let them control the ITF or exert their influence over the ITF as they did with his father.

General Choi met with his senior masters and instructors in a bid to plan the undoing of the vote at the 2001 congress. General Choi stated that the vote had to be undone as their were serious and significant merger talks taking place between the ITF and the WTF at which he needed to be remain as the president of the ITF. The WTF denied there were talks happening, but that organisation had signed an agreement in the early 1980's that WTF president Dr Kim had never honoured. The talks that were taking place were above and beyond Taekwon-Do and resided in the hands of the North and South Korean government's reunification ministries. The pressure was on General Choi to remain ITF president.

It was January 2002 in Vienna when an emergency meeting was called by the ITF, General Choi and his supporters voted to undo the result of the previous congress on the grounds that these were important political times. ITF meeting agreed with General Choi and he was reinstated as president for the full six year term, the vienna meeting also removed Master Choi Jung Hwa as Secretary General. This caused major frustration for Master Choi Jung Hwa resulting in him and his followers leaving the ITF and setting up their own organisation which was also to be called the ITF. Master Choi and some of his supporters were later expelled officially from the original ITF. This was the start of a very bitter division between Master Choi and General Choi which continued until before the time of General Choi's death when as father and son they reconciled.

It was also the beginning of a number of further divisions within the ITF as General Choi planned for the future of his organisation.

Following on from the Vienna meeting which reversed the decision to have Master Choi as the next ITF president, a hastily called meeting of the ITF ratified Prof. Chang Ung as the next president in accordance with General Choi's wish to have a politician lead through a politically charged period for Taekwon-Do and for Korea.

The decision to elect Chang Ung should have taken place at the scheduled congress which was to take place in 2003 in Poland. Some members were disgruntled at how this decision was handled and decided to challenge the decision at the congress in 2003. However this congress did not happen as agreed, Chang Ung and the ITF moved the world championships to Greece where the congress took place, while back in Poland opponents to the move held their congress as was agreed previously by the ITF. At this congress in Poland, Master Tran Trieu Quan was elected as president of the group emerging from this congress also to be called the ITF.

Tran Trieu Quan was a professional business man with an MBA, in addition to a knowledgeable martial artists with a depth of experience as a close and long time student of General Choi.

The stage was set, there now existed three International Taekwon-Do Federations. All three groups dispute the legalities of each of their respective congress meetings and votes taken within.

The ITF today ten years on

Master Choi Jung Hwa’s ITF went on to attract new member schools and also attracted some followers from the original ITF structure.

Choi Jung Hwa’s ambition was to return the ITF to South Korea, the country that his father had been exiled from decades previously.

In 2004 his organisation ran the first world championships held in South Korea and again in 2010 at which he attended himself which was as a result of his cooperation with the South Korean government. It was during this time that he gave an interview to an international news paper about his involvement with North Korean intelligence. Choi jung Hwa had been previously jailed for his role in a plot to assassinate the South Korean dictator president – General Chun Do Hwan.

Many of the changes introduced to Taekwon-Do through his organisation are confined to the tul, or patterns. Master Choi Jung Hwa introduced the ‘kihap’ into the patterns and also changed the name of a controversial pattern titled ‘Juche’ to ‘Kodang’ a move seen as a sweetener to the South Korean government as the organisation moved closer to that country. ‘Juche’ is a North Korean communist ideology based on Marxism and Leninism.

Today Master Choi Jung Hwa’s ITF appears to be the smallest of the three main organisations with 14 countries at their last European championships held in Italy 2011 (www.itf-administration.com). They continue to work within South Korea which appears to have become the headquarters for that organisation. Choi Jung Hwa’s organisation has lost many significant master instructors and countries over the past few years with many returning to either of the other international groups or operating independently.

Grand Master Tran Trieu Quan presided over his ITF until he was

tragically killed in Port Au Prince, Haiti by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake. Ironically he was there in his capacity as a civil engineer surveying buildings in a bid to make them safer; he was killed when the hotel he was staying in collapsed under the pressure of the earth quake. His organisation is now presided over by GM Pablo Trajtenberg. GM Tran was the first non-Korean to preside over an international Taekwon-Do Federation.

GM Tran's ITF introduced many changes also, but most noticeable is their work towards giving the organisation a more corporate image. The introduction of a new logo is a significant step away from the original recognisable blue and gold logo which is still in use by this ITF presently but sources close this organisation say it will eventually use the new design as their corporate logo moving the ITF’s even further away from each other. In relation to performances, this ITF tends to use a much slower rhythm when performing patterns, nearly giving more emphasis to the aesthetic beauty of the patterns over martial application.

This ITF attracted twenty four countries to its last world championships in 2011 held in New Zealand (www.tkd-itf.org) and maintains a considerable competitive standard.

Prof Chang Ung remains as president over the ITF which has it's headquarters in Vienna, where controversially an Austrian court found that the consultative committee of the ITF properly followed the rules at the time of Prof Chang Ung's election and hence ruled him as the president of the ITF. Much of Chang Ung's work to date as been around courting Olympic recognition for the ITF.

This work has resulted in many of the changes made to Taekwon-Do competition by this organisation which many say help to promote ITF Taekwon-Do as a dynamic kicking art. In order to achieve recognition this ITF has introduced a two punch rule, where the competitor may only throw two punches before kicking or pausing to throw another set of punches thereby encouraging more kicking. Its rules have also changed to include the compulsory use of 360 degree kicks during a bout again to promote more aerial kicking. This group ran the largest of the recent international tournaments with fifty eight countries participating in the last world championships in Pyongyang North Korea (www.itftkd.org).

Newer organisations

Although it is acknowledged that these three groups represent the ITF, other smaller organisations have also popped over the course of the last ten years.

GM KS Hwang who originally supported General Choi's wishes to have Prof Chang Ung as the next president eventually left the ITF and formed Unified ITF as he felt Chang Ung had deviated away from General Choi's wishes. Unified ITF is relatively small but has a mission statement to unify all the international groups again at some point in the future.

The Future?

Across the ITF grass roots there is common desire for unifying the membership. Unification of the international bodies lends more credibility to its world and European-class tournaments as well as it’s standing as the official world governing body for traditional Taekwon-Do.

Unfortunately with all of the technical and aesthetic changes taking place as well as a number of bitter court battles over trademark rights, the unification of the ITF’s has never been so distant. While all of the groups pay homage to their founder and still hold him dearly in their hearts, only one action can truly show the respect and appreciation for the work that General Choi carried through his entire life and that is the action of unification. Until then, his legacy remains a myriad of disputes and conspiracies as the international Taekwon-Do Family walks in different directions.

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Acknowledgement:

A special thanks to Dr George Vitale of New York (Taekwon-Do Master and reputed TKD historian) for his time and assistance in compiling information for this feature.

The Author and Dr Vitale would appreciate any feed back, new information, memories and insights that any Taekwon-Do practitioner may have about these past turbulent times for the ITF.

Taekwon.

ITF competition rules, is it going in the right direction?

 

ITF Taekwon-Do has created a competitive standard for itself that out shines many if not all of the other Chang h’on Taekwon-Do groups in the world today. Post the 2002 split, ITF World Champions were a class amongst themselves, and even today with three ITF groups in existence each of the groups can boast some highly competent champions, every one of them are outstanding athletes and are a credit to their associations.

Over the years, ITF tournaments have undergone a step change. Most of the international groups have introduced changes to the sparring rules that some say enhance the sport and may make it more appetising to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as they scout for new combat sports. Others, however, say that some of the new rules are strangling the sport and that these new rules may encourage top class ITF competitors towards the like of the World Association of Kickboxing Organisations (WAKO). Here I will endeavour to outline this argument as best as possible. Before starting, I would like to acknowledge those ITF senior instructors whom I have discussed this topic with over the past month.

ITF Taekwon-Do is a dynamic, explosive martial art. In the ring Taekwon-Do athletes possess some of the fastest legs in the business, many also have sharp tactical hands. Taekwon-Do itself is based on Newtonian physics which is the scientific application of body mechanics to generate maximum power. In short, Taekwon-Do is an explosive, dynamic and powerful martial art when trained correctly - not unlike many other combat sports that take competition seriously. However, recent rule changes have been brought in to penalise any competitor with disqualification if they have injured their opponent and he or she can no longer continue. In Kickboxing this is called a ‘technical knockout’ and the injured fighter loses having been unable to continue.

For ITF Taekwon-Do, this rule change will water down some of the dynamic kicks that it is famous for within the ring. Competitors who have trained vigourously for international tournament will be very cautious about landing for example a reverse turning kick to an attacking opponent. The reverse turning kick when landed correctly is a powerful tool and has stopped opponents many times in the past. Likewise the axe kick will now become a kick that could lose you a tournament. Both the axe kick and the reverse turning kick in particular are kicks that are thrown with speed and power, they are difficult to throw gently, especially at an attacking opponent. You could in fact say the same about any kick aimed to head. These kicks will all now carry the possibility of disqualification for the competitor and because of this they now risk becoming rare kicks in ITF Taekwon-Do.

Other international groups have introduced the compulsory use of the 360 degree jump kicks mid round. These kicks when performed are the trade mark of ITF Taekwon-Do. However these kicks, due to their method of execution are also capable of delivering knockdown power. So in one hand competitors are encouraged to throw jump spinning kicks during the bout, but in the other hand they are penalised severely for any injury that they may cause. International rule makers need to make a choice, ITF Taekwon-Do at it’s finest, or ITF Taekwon-Do watered down.

The new two punch rule, which inhibits a competitor of throwing more than two punches in any combination was brought in to encourage more kicking, that’s fair enough, but with the already mentioned disqualification rule for knocking someone out kicking is already a touchy subject. However this two punch rule also waters down the Taekwon-Do competitor’s ability to use nice clean combinations while incorporating hands with kicks also. There is an opinion on this that even if the rule was made into a three punch rule it would allow a lot more combinations to flow. The blitz for example will suffer due to this rule. The blitz which is a flurry of straight punches that gains a competitor an explosive entry is generally no less than three punches with the lead hand used as an initial attack followed by a cross and lead hand again which can then be followed by some kick combinations.

While the new rules are meant with the best intention for ITF sport, they may serve to turn competitors away from top level events. Why train to increase your speed and power, if you may get penalised for it? It was General Choi who coined the phrase – “One strike, one victory” but now that victory may lie with the individual you have struck. Even in a self defence context if you train only to pull your shots well then you will pull your shots for real.

Competitors may seek other avenues to perform at a high level. WAKO have already made significant steps towards Olympic recognition, and while Kickboxing at the Olympics may be a bit into the future, it will certainly perk the ears up of any ITF athlete that fancies themselves in the ring. The rule set in Light Contact Kickboxing is relatively similar to that of ITF Taekwon-Do give or take a few minor details. There is a legal foot sweep in Light Contact, but the scoring is the same. The ring in Light Contact Kickboxing is two metres smaller which encourages more action and the sport in general is more safety focused in relation to equipment; mandatory head protection, mandatory wrist and hand protection and bigger softer gloves. Light Contact at a high level possesses all of the explosiveness of ITF Taekwon-Do except hand combinations are allowed to continue, there is no separation of competitors while clean techniques at close range are used.

WAKO is also presently a prestigious organisation, there is only one. So you can understand how any top level ITF fighter would eye up the WAKO’s as an organisation that would accommodate explosive and dynamic technique. Having said that, in WAKO a fighter can still be disqualified for lack of control, however clean technique within the realms of Light Contact will not lead to disqualification like it can in ITF.

The first person who managed to be successful at ITF Taekwon-Do and Light Contact Kickboxing was Slovenian Tomaz Barada. After dominating the ITF circuit for years he then went onto become one of WAKO’s top fighters, maintaining the Pro title at his weight for over 80 fights.

The message should be clear to the international rule makers involved in ITF sport. Allow the competitors the freedom to use the kicking and punching techniques that have made ITF sport what it is today. Allow competitors to be explosive while in control, and if a competitor gets injured because of it, count them out. The WTF is a knockout sport which is one of the reasons why it has held onto it’s Olympic mantle for so long. The ITF need to think about doing the same.

New challenges always accepted!

Another year another major international tournament. Bulgaria awaits us this coming Monday 14th May 2012. I have mixed thoughts on this one. This tournament promises to be tough, it promises to be bigger than most and the standard promises to be top class.

This will probably be our toughest tournament to date, new challenges like this always bring with them anticipation and of course excitement, new challenges are always accepted.

After the six competitors were selected to travel we began training back in early February. Like any good coach would do, I opened the training diary and made a log of the initial session and marked in my own thoughts on where each individual's head was at. We had a lot to work on, but we got down to brass tacks and started to make progress. Preparing for any major tournament takes time and dedication from everyone involved, not only for all that extra training but there were also a sizable amount of tournaments needed to benchmark our progress. Luckily for us tournament happy TKDists we had a plethora of events lined up, mostly kickboxing fights that helped us identify weak points and enabled us to build on the strong points as the training progressed.

Every competitor brought their own strengths and weaknesses, all except Neidin and Lauren (both having extensive foreign tournament experience)  were brand new to this level of training and participation. Some of the guys needed to be worked under pressure, piecing together tactics for operating under duress while keeping the head, others had to work on footwork to aid using the angle which then brought in reaction speed while being offensively defensive as I like to call it.
 We needed Dylan to develop a dominant game plan instead of being reactive,  Laura needed to get those hands working faster and straighter with the legs under pressure, same for Lauren Russell who also needed to build speed into that crazy side kick she has, Leon needed to keep his head up and develop impact in those kicks, Neidin needed to think more about evading that lead leg and Lauren had to step up her speed and reaction timing. So with all the SAQ coaching material, pads and power bands out and ready, we began our work.

We also took time out to study the opposition, we got some clips of the Bulgarians and the Russians, we studied their form and their tactics, we've seen them before in Italy 2008, Croatia 2009, and the Russians had a big team in Korea in 2010. We know they're good but with the right mindset anyone is beatable, we needed to stay positive in our approach to training for this tournament without underestimating the strong teams from the former Soviet Bloc.

Fast forward from February to May, we had our final training session on Friday night and I have to say, on the floor over the past week were six different competitors to what we started off with. All six have improved speed, power and fitness with improvements documented for all to see in the training diary, result times were shaved off drills left right and centre. The last couple of tournaments were testament to their new found levels of performance. The last kickboxing show we entered was a very tough and high paced event. All six recorded wins. The training was paying off. All those stomach churning hill sprints were worth it, all those viper cord power and speed drills were now making sense and in the ring, all those sessions involving ring tactics were working. Anyone that has trained with me they'll know I base my training for tournament on principles and concepts, from there everything else follows.

So we leave for Bulgaria on Monday. I am nervous for them, like any coach would be, especially as I'll be on the side lines and not available to coach ring side, but for me a good coach will have prepared their fighters comprehensively and consistently, that's my hope.

In relation to results? Meh I don't worry too much about results before hand, all I wish is that they all perform gallantly and do themselves and the team proud, a medal is a bonus as always but a strong performances always out weighs that. This is about ring experience but most importantly life experience!

To finish, I would have to add that I have never in my time had the pleasure to have trained six wonderful TKD junior athletes like these guys. They have bonded like no other team I have ever trained, there is no ego, there is just a team spirit, they genuinely care about each other and have helped each other along this very tough path. No matter what happens in Bulgaria, these six lovely people will be etched in each others memories forever, now that is what this stuff is all about!

So as I've learned some teenage lingo over the past 8 weeks or so, I'll finish with this...

"Bulgaria.. come at me bro!"

Good luck to all of the National Team taking part, my the gods and goddess's shine favourably on you all :)

Children and tournament coaching

CHILDREN & COACHING

Should coaching be allowed at children's tournaments?

In many sport based martial arts there are tournaments held where children of ages of six and upwards are allowed to compete against each other. In many cases and rightly so the rules of the sport are altered to allow a fun and not so competitive match against a peer. In my own sport of ITF Taekwon-Do many associations will change the format from one of light contact continuous to one of semi contact or stop start points fighting, which for children is less pressurised and reduces the chances of the bout turning into a brawl due their limited skill and knowledge at that age.

Another rule enforced for children's bouts and this includes colour belts of all ages up to adult is that coaching is prohibited. The reason's behind this rule make sense to a degree but there are in my opinion more positives than negatives when you allow a child's coach be present at the ring during a fun bout.

Coaching in Ireland has come on leaps and bounds with credit given to the guys and girls at IMAC and Coaching Ireland who are rolling out level 1 and now level 2 coaching programs for their respective martial arts. Therefore increasing the knowledge of new coaches to the needs of children in sport including the code of ethics. Coaches in 2012 are more knowledgable in this respect. There are however 'coaches' to be found in many clubs who wouldn't know the first thing about creating an atmosphere of fun and inclusiveness for the children attached to their clubs, I have encountered individuals on the rings who are hot headed, aggressive and argumentative . It is individuals like these who have directly influenced the decision by many associations to prohibit coaching on children's bouts.

However, and thankfully these kinds of individuals are in the minority and as professionalism becomes more accessible in the 21^st century they will inevitably become a thing of the past.

The negative influences a bad coach and indeed a parent can have when attending a children's bout are many if the wrong attitude is adopted. Indeed parents and family members can be some of the worst perpetrators when it comes to shouting support.

As an umpire I have had to stop children's bouts and ask parents and family members to be quiet after shouting 'support' along the lines of “go on son get stuck in” and “get your hands up and kill 'em” among other slogans which were aimed at two seven year olds. Obviously this kind of event can only serve to damage the child's experience and alter the view of what fun competition is all about.

Toss the coin and on the flip side where you have a clued in coach and understanding supportive parents the positive influences that can be brought to bare on the child during the event are ten fold.

Therefore it is time to reevaluate the prohibition on coaching at children's events in order to develop and change the mindset of parents and coaches when it comes to children competing.

We were all children at some point therefore we can easily relate to how daunting it is to be sitting in a group of peers at the side of a ring waiting to be called to compete. It is even more daunting when you are on your own from your club amongst other kids who maybe from the same club or have met each other before. In fact you don't have to be a child competing to understand how this feels, it is the same for adults!

Now insert a friendly face in the shape of the child's instructor or coach. Now there is someone to help control the nerves and promote the fun element of competition. It provides a trusted face to ease the tension.

It is the nervous build up that blocks a lot of kids from wanting to compete. The flow adrenalin in the bloodstream and the effects this has on the child make it even more uncomfortable. Being able to talk with the child, reassure them and let them see a relaxed smiling face will certainly work towards keeping more children competing and having fun while doing so.

Two other major factors that will have a negative impact on the child is of course the risk of injury and losing.

As coaches and umpires we have all seen the little 8 year old who receives a punch to the belly and the shock of it sends them into tears. In the current rule set of no coaching, the already upset child now has to deal with an stranger in the form of an umpire bended on one knee seeing if they are ok, and the possibility of the a guy in a red and grey uniform with red crosses all over it coming to see if they need medical assistance. What the child wants and needs in a situation like this, is either a reassuring parental face or the trusted presence of the coach. Either one in this situation will help ease the stress on the child and if the coach is at the ring side it alleviates this all the more because the child is reassured of their presence.

In relation to losing, a child must never feel upset at losing. This can be negated by the beliefs and value systems instilled at the club. Competition must never be for winning, it must only be for participation. Winning of course is a bonus, coming away with a medal is a happy day, but competing is a great day. This ethos needs to be installed in the child at the club and the club must institutionalise such an ethos.

Having a coach present at ringside to deal with the upset of losing a bout can only serve to help reinforce the ethos of participation first, winning second. Unconditional positive regard must be to the fore at all times. Winning or losing, the child receiving a 'high five' as they come off the mat helps anchor the experience as one of positivity. Seeing how the coach interacts with the child can also benefit the parents who in some rare cases can become challenging as they question the results and the umpires decisions in front of the child.

All of this positivity that can be created by having a suitable coach in place at ringside can be immediately undone by that one individual who lets their emotions dictate their behaviour and thus become irate and overly competitive on the child. In order for tournaments to become more child focused and allow coaches at ringside stringent penalties need to be available to umpires and tournament committees so they can come down hard on such coaches and have them removed from the ring and banned from coaching at such events in future until proper training through the NGB is achieved.

In conclusion, I would like to pay tribute to those associations who are successful at running child friendly tournaments. Those tournaments that have a medal for every competitor, those tournaments that ensure enough medals to provide small and inclusive divisions, those tournaments that are matted and safe and those tournaments that put participation ahead of winning all need to be commended and supported. It is now time for those tournaments to allow suitable coaches to be allowed coach and supervise at children's bouts for all of the positive elements that it can bring.