Master Neil Franks VII Dan

Master Franks was a member of the South African ITF Association up to 2004, being one of the 3 highest ranked members of that association and holding the position of technical director. Prior to General Choi’s death in 2002 he had attended numerous IIC's including the one hosted by Irish Taekwon-Do Association in Dublin in 1999. Following the splits in the ITF in 2004 Master Franks looked to GM Park and the GTF. He then formed GTF SA and began to increase his profile within GTF.

Master Franks has completed 5 IICs under General Choi, in 1991 North Korea, 1992 Moscow, 1994 South Africa, 1997 Prague and 1999 Trinity College Dublin. He has completed 8 IICs with GTF from 2004 to 2011.  He also hold a Sports Science diploma.                                                                                                                          

Master Franks moved to Ireland in July 2011 and began teaching Taekwon-Do as part of the ITA in the Waterford region since then. 

1985 Awarded best Student in Taekwondo South Africa    

1987 Black Belt 1st Degree under the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF)

1989 2nd Degree Taekwondo Black Belt, under the ITF,                                         

1991 3rd Degree Taekwondo Black Belt under the ITF Cert No SA -3-3

1991 Selected as Springbok to Represent South Africa at the World Taekwon-Do Championships in Pyong Yang, North Korea    

1993 Selected at Protea to Represent South Africa at the World Taekwon-Do Championships in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia    

1995 Won the Australasian Championships for Sparring and Patterns in Melbourne             

1995 Graded to 4th Degree Taekwondo Belt Belt in Italy Cert. No SA-4-2

1999 Graded to 5th Degree Taekwondo with ITF in Dublin Ireland Cert No SA - 5 - 1

2004 Founded the Global Taekwondo Federation of South Africa and opened the Headquarters in Rivonia, Johannesburg    

2005 Graded To 6th Degree with GTF Cert No SA-6-1

2005 Brought Master Xuan Ha, 8th Degree Master and Technical Director of GTF to South Africa for a Technical International Seminar in Johannesburg  

2006 Six of my Black Belt students became World Champions at the GTF Taekwon-Do World Championships in Italy    

2009 Eight of my Black Belt students became World Champions at the GTF Taekwon-Do World Championships in Malaysia    

2010 Selected as one of three Instructors across the World to head up the Technical committee of the Global Taekwondo Federation By Technical Chairman Master Ha, 8th Degree Black Belt

2011 Graded to Master 7th Degree under GTF 2011 Cert No SA-7-1.

Umpiring:

Global Taekwon-Do International Referee, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011.