YoungMan

As my Instructor has told me several times, respect the rank if not the person holding it. There are several people in our Organization that I respect as a holder of X Dan, and bow out politeness. I don't necessarily respect them as people or martial artists, but I will respect them as one martial artist to another. I've generally found that the more they demand respect, the less they deserve it. That goes for any martial arts instructor, TKD or otherwise.

And as a side point, I find it interesting that almost every founding Instructor of Tae Kwon Do suffixed their art's name with "Do"-Tang Soo DO, Kong Soo DO, Hwa Soo DO. They realized even then that good philosophy was a part of the art.

Take away the philosophical aspects and it simply becomes Tae Kwon. One of the reasons I enjoy Richard Chun's books is that he delves into spiritual/philosophical aspects of Tae Kwon Do and tries to show how important those are to the art.

There are plenty of people in martial arts that I would be polite to, yet have no respect for, many in Tae Kwon Do, many not. Respect is not automatic. Respect must be earned, otherwise it is simply fear or, as it was eloquently put, blind respect given to a generic Instructor or style creator. And just because someone creates a style does not mean they are entitled to respect. Respect is given after it is shown they, their style, and their students have consistantly shown themselves worthy of respect. And not just in the ring, on the street, and in the classroom. Few styles and Instructors merit this.

Just reminds us that Tae Kwon Do is not just about kicking, punching, sparring, and making money. Traditional TKD has a very deep spiritual/philosophical element that sometimes gets lost in the hype.

I just brush it off. No sense getting into trouble by reacting to a finger or words. One of the hallmarks of a warrior is the ability to control emotion and not get set off by words and gestures.

Tae Kwon Do and Advancing in Tae Kwon Do by Richard Chun are both well written. Tae Kwon Do Kyorugi By Sang H. Kim and Kuk Hyun Chung is a great book for those interested in Olympic-style sparring

Ironically, there was a column on the website TKDTutor.com talking about just such a thing-ever fancier uniforms and uniforms looking like a general's uniform worn by those with no military experience. Reminds me of the scene from the "Great Dictator" where Charlie Chaplin and the other guy are trying to outdo each with barber chairs. Who has the fanciest uniform?

Considering that one host is an MMA fighter and the other is a wrestler, I'm not surprised they play up the effectiveness of MMA fighting. Still want to see a Tae Kwon Do episode from Korea though.

I should have clarified my original statement. I've seen plenty of people in fancy uniforms who are good technicians, more concerned with looking good and executing fancy technique. And yes, more commercial. In my experience, the fancier the uniform the worse the basics, manners, etiquette, and philosophy.

I've seen higher color belts helping very low students with basics. If you have no choice, that's one thing. Given a choice, I'll take black belt assistants any day. If nothing else, it looks more professional. After all, students aren't paying to be taught by color belts. You really shouldn't be teaching in any capacity until after black belt. That's one of the definitions.

Plain white (or WTF black v-neck) works for me. My rule of thumb: the fancier the uniform, the lousier the technique and manners.

We had a guy who started many years ago after he retired. He made 2nd Dan black belt.

I will use the Kukkiwon system of Dan ranking for example. 1. 1st through 3rd Dan is considered a junior level black belt. At this stage, you are concerned with using Tae Kwon Do to develop good self defense, free fighting, form, and other physical attibutes. You may teach, but only under the auspices of your Instructor. As you go from 1st Dan to 3rd Dan, your physical technique should become as good as it will ever get. 2. 4th through 5th Dan is considered Master Instructor, and you may now teach your own class. Within the auspices of whatever organization you belong to, but not answering to another Master Intructor. You must now develop and promote the well being of your organization. 3. 6th Dan is one who begins to promote Tae Kwon Do at the national level and develop national credibility. Going to seminars, teaching, officiating and organizing tournaments, developing national TKD policy 4. 7th, 8th, and 9th Dan is one who is active in Tae Kwon Do at the world level, going to international events, seminars, meetings, and developing programs Instructors in other countries use.

We've had Instructors, myself included, leave teaching to pursue other endeavors (job, school, relocation etc.). We've also had one instructor and his wife "retire" from the organization and teach on their own. We've never had an Instructor leave to teach in direct competition to us. Realize, by leaving to teach your own class, you'd be cutting your own throat so to speak. You'd never get recommended to test, and all your students would get cut as well. Aside from the fact that none of your former colleagues would help you. Seems like a pretty high price to pay to show your independence.

So as Instructors, we have a responsibility to ensure that newer generations understand who these people were and what they accomplished. Understand history so you can appreciate it. However, don't become so fixated on the past that you don't try to create a better future. Understand who Bruce Lee (for some people), Hee Il Cho, Gen. Choi, Jhoon Rhee, and other important MA people were, but try to make something new and better. Some people think "you could never remake Enter the Dragon". Maybe not, but Enter the Dragon was just a movie. Use it as a guide to create something new and different. Why can't you try to outdo it?

Duk Ki Sung is one of the few Tae Kyon masters to preserve the art to modern times. But he is deceased. He was named a Korean national treasure in 1986 I believe. Few people in Korea practice the art now, as it has been overshadowed by Tae Kwon Do. Incidentally, I have video footage of two guys practicing Tae Kyon sparring. Except for the sweeps (which we did not do in class because of the risk of accidents), it was quite similar to the way we free sparred. Sliding technique, circular kicking, jumping back roundhouse etc.

The problem is, as you get further away from when Enter the Dragon was made, it becomes less iconic for many people. If you tried to remake it 20 years ago, it would have been impossible since too many people were vividly familiar with and idolized Bruce Lee. Now, however, enough time has passed where new generations who don't really remember it are practicing and it doesn't retain the same power for them. And remember, there is nothing sacred in Hollywood. If Hollywood thinks they can make money from an Enter the Dragon remake, by God they'll do it. Be honest. Does Chuck Norris have the same star power he once had? Older generations vividly remember his films (or his fights). But newer students may just see this old geezer on TV.

But even among Koreans, an art like Tae Kyon is considered an anachonism. It's something they did 500 years ago with little relevance to today. Nobody wears the Hanbok anymore except for formal special occasions, anymore than we wear knee britches and tri cornered hats. The nice thing about Tae Kwon Do is that it has kept Korean philosophy and culture, while modernizing and improving the technique. Yes, we have incorporated many of the old Tae Kyon techniques, especially the kicking, but have evolved into a modern martial art.

If I were the Instructor, I would have a sit-down with them to go over what kind of behavior I expect. Before class is designed to allow you to prepare for practice. No PDA before class. Before you arrive and after class outside the practice hall is okay. Inside the practice hall you are expected to behave professionally.

With the exception of groundfighting, we practiced all that and we aren't ATA. We didn't practice groundfighting, because Tae Kwon Do is a stand up strking style, although learning how to fall and knowing how to kick and execute TKD technique from the ground is useful as well. But incorporating groundfighting just because it's popular or MMA fighters do it is unwise and degrades TKD to just doing what is currently popular. I have seen my Instructor show students how to protect themselves while on the ground, but never worked extensively on it. As far as using the ball of the foot for kicking, except for free fighting we kick like that. I think overall ATA has degraded into a moneymaking operation more concerned with publicity than producing high quality students.

Keep in mind, there are good and bad Instructors and methods of teaching in every organization. There are many Instructors in Kukkiwon TKD I would never go to.

I question the wisdom of learning two separate and very different striking arts. It is better to learn one striking art, commit it to muscle memory, and have its techniques be part of your automatic response. In contrast, learning two striking arts is a recipe for confusion and delayed response, as your body won't know which way to go should the need arise. Should I do a TKD kick or a karate kick? How should I move? And don't give me "well now you'll know two". I don't buy that. I think it's better, and safer, to learn and understand one striking art that you are fully grounded in. Then, after 4th Dan, you can try a different, non-striking art. Have a basic understanding of karate to know how it works? Sure. Actually become a student in it? I don't recommend that.

Before Haeng Ung Lee died, the ATA was relatively credible. Unfortunately, it has, in my opinion, degenerated into an organization whose primary goal is making money. I'm sure you can find plenty of people with bad experiences who felt like they were treated like dollar signs within the ATA.

If I remember my reading, he tried to tie Hwa Rang Do to 2000 years of Korean history, including learning from Korean monks at Buddhist temples. Much like what you'd see in a movie. Turns out he was basically a Hapkido student who left/got kicked out for political reasons.