YoungMan

Keep in mind, the average University really doesn't know one Instructor from another. If an Instructor claims high rank, especially if he's Korean, that's good enough for a typical University. They just don't know the politics of Tae Kwon Do and who the truly legitimate teachers are. Again, martial arts are just not part of our culture, and most people think one Instructor is as good as another. The University not too far away from me is a great example. The Instructor claims high rank, with many fancy credentials, including "highest ranking non-Oriental in the world." I've seen his credentials page, and it is laughable. But the University, I'm sure, doesn't really care. They have bigger things to worry about than the credentials of their TKD Instructor.

You would most likely major in education, which includes the various psychologies needed to understand how to teach people, and then minor in whatever you were going to teach. Conceivably you could do a double minor to include business. But it all goes back to the fact that American culture could care less about a degree in Tae Kwon Do. It's just not part of our national culture, and the economics just don't favor it. You can earn a degree in exercise science, coaching, sports business. But martial arts education is just not ingrained inour culture deeply enough for something like that to matter.

But if someone was willing to pay me $200 per lesson for private training, who am I to say no? That would cover a lot of gas and hotel fees for seminar trips.

Very true, or a football, baseball, or hockey coach. Even then, you really have to reach the elite level to be able to teach that for a living. Otherwise, you coach on the side and do something else professionally. Whenever someone wants to know about getting a martial arts degree or teaching for a living, my attitude is "Don't waste your time." And it's not that I don't love Tae Kwon Do, I'm just being realistic.

Another nice thing about traditional martial arts, the longer you practice the stronger you get and more power you have. So that when you get older, martial arts builds your body up and makes you better than you would be at a comparable age if you didn't practice. Contrast that with many practitioners of western sports, especially athletes, who need joint replacements, and whose bodies just cannot handle the stress after a certain age. How many basketball or football players over age 40 do you know? Very few. How many martial artists over age 40 do you know? I know lots. They may not be doing 540-degree spin kicks, but they are still formidable. I worked out with my Instructor (over 50) several weeks ago. He still works the bag over.

Age is just a number. I've met 30 year olds who looked like they were 50. Conversely, I've met 50 year olds in great shape. I'm 38 and feel 20. There is no such thing as too old for martial arts. There is always some part of it you will be able to do. And this is one feature that distinguishes it from many western sports.

Much as I love TKD, I couldn't imagine doing it for eight hours a day at least or more while I am earning a TKD degree. That's too much. There is such a thing as burnout. All things in moderation. Having a TKD degree in this country means nothing. Our culture isn't the same as Korea. I think most people could care less that you graduated with a degree in Tae Kwon Do. They just don't take it that seriously. You are better off majoring in something else and learning how to teach from your Instructor.

I've never offered private lessons, so I couldn't tell you. I've had days when only one student showed, and we had a good workout, but I've never taught private lessons in themselves. Martial arts should be a group activity.

I respect junior black belts as senior to the rest of the children, but not as equals to the adult black belts. A junior black belt who out ranks an adult has to line up first. However, rank being equal, the adults line up first.

Apparently McDojangs exist at the college level as well. I find it very hard to believe you'd have the ability to pass certification for 4th Dan after four years of a college program, especially assuming you go in with no experience. I'll pass.

When he is not meeting with his senior students (6th and 7th Dan), GM Park, my Instructor, is usually meeting other senior members of the WTF and the Kukkiwon, either in Korea or various places around the country. I cannot speak for him or where he would be. However, if by chance you ever do meet him, his breadth of knowlege of Tae Kwon Do is incredible. Unlike many TKD people who claim high rank but stay within a narrow sphere of people they know, GM Park really is international as far as his knowlege and connections. Several years ago, some of our senior students were given the opportunity to judge competitions at the World Hanmadang Festival in Korea. As far as Taegeuk forms, I think GM Park dislikes them for the same reasons I stated: they do not really teach the fundamentals of TKD as well as the Palgue forms.

I don't really have a problem with a black belt taking up a different style, providing it is quite different from his base, as long as he waits until his basics and overall technique in the original style are firmly grounded. The problem is that many newbies take up two styles simultanously, cutting their energy and focus in half, and not allowing full development in one style first. How can you worry about two styles when you have your hands full with one? Master one style before moving on, otherwise you learn a little bit from several different styles, but not enough to really absorb and utilize the knowlege. I have more respect for someone who has shown mastery over one style than someone who knows a little bit about several.

Yes. Every time I get a chance to be around him, I consider myself extremely fortunate that I found his organization. I could have just as easily joined Isshin Ryu or Shorin Ryu. By the luck of the draw, I found him. I have had opportunities to practice with Hae Man Park, and GM Park was a judge at several of my testings. His knowlege of forms is incredible. He can explain what even the smallest actions mean and why it is important to do them correctly.

Fallacy: Something accepted as true by many people that is really not. It is a fallacy that bowing in martial arts means you are worshipping a new god. You are exercising the Oriental equivalent of a handshake.

Whe I was younger, my mom felt very similar to my practicing Tae Kwon Do as your mom does-she didn't know what it was, thought it was a bunch of people trying to beat each other up, and was concerned I would get hurt. She never really understood it, but accepted it more because she began to see what kind of person it was making me. It gave me more self confidence, physical energy, and allowed me to vent off whatever frustrations I had in a positive way. My advice is to be a positive embodiment of what martial arts can do. If what she sees is UFC, unfortunately I can't blame her for having a negative perception of martial arts. Explain to her what bowing is. Trust me-she would not be the only who misinterprets the action. We are not bowing to a strange god, only showing respect to each other the Oriental way, much like shaking hands. And it is not necessary to join a Christian martial arts school. I personally think they are a waste of time. Any legitimate traditional school wil emphasize the same things they do-good mind, respect, morality. To say that you should join a Chritian school to learn these is a fallacy.

My Instructor is Tae Zee Park, 9th Dan Kukkiwon and former Korean National Free Fighting Champion. I've never met anyone who compared to him power and technique-wise

The walking stance is a very useful tool for self defense and sparring, because it looks natural. However, I don't think students should really integrate it until they have practiced the traditional stances for some time. reason being that once you have learned the balance, stability, and hip/leg strength that traditional stances teach, only then would you be able to execute a good walking stance and still keep your balance. Otherwise, it becomes too easy to unbalance you. Kind of like making a big action when you first learn basics so that you can get away with a small action later on and still retain power. This is the mark of an advanced student.

Watch their eyes. If they are intently focused on you, you are keeping their interest. If their eyes look glazed over, or they are watching people around them, you've lost them. Age group doesn't matter.

I practice Chung Do Kwan. My Instructor's Instructor is Woon Kyu Uhm, who is Chung Do Kwan President and Kukkiwon President. That is exactly the advantage and problem with walking stances. They increase mobility a great deal, but stability is a problem. Hence, their use in free fighting. I do not recommend incorporating them into training in the beginning, since students need to learn the stability and body strength that comes from deeper stances. I have seen my Instructor use them in self defense demos, usually combined with a low block. however, he always shifts his weight back, never forward into the stance. Again, very reminiscent of the Kumgang Yuksa warriors.

Exactly. I've seen far too many schools where the Instructor caters to whatever the student wants. Anything to keep him coming back. It's kind of like parenting. You'll thank me for this later, but right now your job is to listen to me and do as you're told.

The problem I have with the walking stance in the Taegeuk forms is this: students learning the Taegeuk forms learn the walking stance as an integral part of their technique. Almost from Day One, they learn the walking stance while executing blocks, which does little to teach balance, stability, and hip/leg strength. Students doing the Palgue/Koryo forms learn the walking stance later, after they have practiced the traditional stances for a while. Additionally, the walking stances are used more to set up a counterattack, rather than trying to teach blocking. As I heard it, the Taegeuk forms were developed to help teach Tae Kwon Do to new students quickly. As a result, much of the balance, stability, and power they would have learned was lost. It is no surprise that the modern generation of TKD students, raised on Taegeuk forms, has much speed but little to no power. Great for making a point but not much else.

I'd have a meeting with the student where I tell them my expectations of them. I tell them flat out that as a traditional martial arts Instructor, a student should ask my permission to train in another art if they intend to practice under me. If they have a problem asking my permission to do this, they should consider training someplace else, where the Instructor doesn't care what they do. And they shouldn't have a hard time finding one of those schools. It boils down to respect and trust.

Actually I'm not surprised, as the Kukkiwon is well known for tinkering with its forms, adding techniques, changing existing movements, or removing them. All in an attempt to make them better and deeper. Additionally, as Korea and its martial arts "rediscovered" themselves, there was a concerted effort to make them more Korean and less Japanese. There are also two examples of walking stances in the color belt forms: Palgue Sa Chang and Palgue Pal Chang. Both are used to increase mobility to set up for an immediate counterattack. So again, the walking stances in the Taegeuk forms do have precedent in earlier Korean forms. It's also something that separates them from other styles.

The Palgue forms are still taught by some older schools outside Korea, ours included. Within Korea, all schools learn the Taegeuk forms. I prefer the Palgue myself. The walking stance is used in at least one WTF BB form, Koryo, which predates the Taegeuk forms. Aside from allowing mobility, the walking stance is a direct tribute to the Kumgang Yuksa warrior statues in Korea that are almost 2000 years old and show Korean warriors from that time period demonstrating some form of Korean martial arts.

I think the way to do it is this: 1. Earn a black belt in a legitimate, recognized system under a legitimate instructor recognized by peers. 2. Earn a reputation by working to advance that art and begin to make a name for yourself. 3. Slowly begin to develop your own method of doing things. You will have your base, but you can take it from there. Obviously, all this will take years. But oak trees don't grow overnight.