The British Student Taekwondo Federation (BSTF) is a non-profit organisation for university Taekwondo clubs in the UK. The BSTF promotes the Korean martial art of Taekwondo for university students in the UK . It was created in the 1980s as a means of getting university Taekwondo clubs together to train and host competitions, with the first student nationals taking place in 1986.

The BSTF is 'run by university club members, for university club members'. Our membership is made up of dozens of university Taekwondo clubs, representing thousands of individual students. The BSTF's main aim and focus is to provide student based Taekwondo activities in the UK. To this end, the BSTF hosts or sponsor many competitions, fight camps, trips and can help provide clubs with instructors and the contacts necessary to become a fully working Taekwondo club. The hugely successful BSTF Student National Championships are our largest and longest running annual event. They are the largest national university Taekwondo competition in the country, catering for seniors and beginners, Dan grades and Kup grades alike.

The BSTF has not, and never will, discriminate against any university club from attending BTSF events on the basis of their association. The BSTF has always promoted obtaining British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS, previously BUSA) recognition for university Taekwondo competitions. In the past, an agreement was reached for BUSA medals (although no BUSA points) to be awarded for Kup grades at the BSTF Student Nationals competition, with the British Taekwondo Control Board (BTCB) hosting a separate competition for Dan grades. Unfortunately, differences of opinion between the BSTF and the BTCB led to BUSA retracting their recognition of the competition, a situation the BSTF are working to resolve. Nevertheless, the BSTF will continue to offer events and competitions for all university Taekwondo students.

In a standard year the events supported by the BSTF are: the Cambridge Open (organised by Cambridge and sponsored by the BSTF); the Bristol Fight Camp (a one day Fight camp held by the BSTF); the Birmingham Open; the BSTF National Championships (annual student nationals event held by the BSTF in March at a host university); the Easter Fight Camp (a 3 day training camp in Aylesbury); trip to Korea; and an International Summer Fight Camp in Hungary in July/August.

Events are open to all university clubs and all Taekwondo styles. However, the BSTF are primarily a World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) based organisation. To become a member of the BSTF, your club needs to pay an annual membership fee (approx. £25). All proceeds made by the BSTF from membership fees or events (usually modest) are ploughed back into student Taekwondo to make events cheaper for its members.

For more information please get in touch via the BSTF email account (student.taekwondo@googlemail.com). Alternatively, check out the BSTF Facebook group (click here).