“My goal as Vice President of the OTFA is to use the vast technical knowledge, training methods, leadership skills and business experience that I have gained throughout the many years spent as a student, National and International competitor, National and International coach, umpire and full-time Instructor, both in the USA and abroad, to guide the OTFA into becoming one of the leading ITF Taekwon-do organizations in the world.”

Merits

Master Vincent A. Affatigato: Since June 2015 Master V.A. Affatigato holds the ITF Certified rank of 8th Dan [A-8-23]. He has been part of the ITF since his formal Taekwon-do training began in January 1980 with GM Kwang Sung Kim, who operated Kim’s Taekwon-do School, the 2nd largest ITF Taekwon-do dojang in New York City at the time. He has trained in numerous martial arts aside from Taekwon-do, but has always remained true to his first art and used this knowledge to become a complete martial artist, instructor and coach.

Master V.A. Affatigato has been a full-time Taekwon-do and fitness instructor since the late 1980’s. He is the owner and chief instructor of Original Taekwon-do/MMA & Fitness Center located in Brooklyn, New York, which has been one of the leading ITF Taekwon-do schools in the USA since it’s creation. Original Taekwon-do Center served as one of the main dojangs in the Tri-state area for ITF Black Belt trainings, seminars and examinations.

Achievements

In addition to his work with Original Taekwon-do/MMA & Fitness, Master V.A. Affatigato has been both a National and International competitor, winning medals at the 6th ITF World Championships [Hungary], 1988 ITF friendships Games [Yugoslavia] and numerous competitions throughout the United States. In 1999 and 2001, he was the USTF National Grand Champion for 5th and 6th Degree black belts. He has taken the knowledge and experience gained from his years as a competitor and used it to become one of the top coaches in the USA, serving as USA Team coach in numerous ITF World Championships and International competitions. Many of his students have gone on to become successful USA Team members and medal winners.

Career

For more than 20 years, Master Affatigato worked as a Center referee in all major Taekwon-do competitions throughout the USA before focusing his time and energy on conducting Sparring, Self-defense and Pattern seminars in the USA and abroad. Also, for over 15 years, Master Affatigato served as an officer of the United States Taekwon-Do Federation, which until 2002 was the NGB in the United States for the International Taekwon-do Federation.

Through the first 20 years of his training, Master Affatigato had the privilege to train and spend time with the Founder of Taekwon-do, General Choi Hong Hi on numerous occasions. In 1991, due to Master Affatigato’s technical ability, General Choi Hong Hi selected him as part of the group to film the ITF Training Video. For almost 30 years, he had the privilege to train under GM Charles C.E. Sereff, Founder of the USTF, past Vice-president of the ITF and the second person promoted to Grandmaster by General Choi Hong Hi.

Since the passing of General Choi, Master Affatigato has continued training and participating in the ITF nternational Instructor Courses and seminars conducted by the ITF Technical Committee across the world.

Master V.A. Affatigato is known throughout the National and International Taekwon-do community for his knowledge, technical ability, deep philosophical and spiritual insights and intense physical training methods, all of which will help to serve the OTFA and its members both now in the present and far into the future.

Board of Directors