Question about a teacher

[Cat Nap]

Hi,

New to the forum. I'm curious about an instructor in San Jose named Tae Yun Kim who operates a school "Su Won?" Not sure of the name but she's been all over Tae Kwon Do magazines. Her school looks like a McDojo and some of the people on another forum question her "shady" dealings but don't go into much detail. Does anyone know anything about her and how she operates her school? The Internet doesn't say much beyond the advertisements. Thanks.

Laura

[Sohan]

She seems like a very driven, successful woman in a very male-dominated industry. She has a very nice website that is very informative and clear with tons of pictures of students and testing:

http://www.jsw.com/instructors/gm.html

On the surface, and not knowing her, it seems like an OK place for the average joe to train, although probably not nearly enough edge for me.

A couple points, though:

*What's with the headbands? Kind of silly to have everyone wearing them. I don't remember those from my TKD classes.

* I don't like colored uniforms with all the fancy fu-fu stuff. Nope, not at all. But I see how her target demographic will go for it.

*My biggest concern is the emphasis on private lessons. What, aren't regular classes enough to understand etiquette and basic techniques? Seems like a moneymaking slant to me the way she encourages monthly personal training sessions.

My thoughts. I don't know her, only the site, so take what I say with that understanding.

Respectfully,

Sohan

[rmclain]

I asked some Korean martial artist from the old days about her. Certainly someone would have heard about a woman training back then in an all or mostly-all male endeavor. No one knows or ever heard about her until a few years ago.

Especially, someone claiming being the first female master or Grandmaster should be able to give verifiable sources and contacts for these claims - unless it was a situation where she said , "Proof! I did that kick very well, so now I am promoting myself to a Grandmaster!" Interesting as to how many "Grandmasters" these days leave out the details on who they trained with (for years) to achieve their status.

I started seeing her ads a few years ago also - showed her with lots of makeup using some sort of MA posture with clawed hards and smoke all through the photo. (Does anyone remember those?) Looked like a nut to me. Now, she has a new image - like a female Tony Robbins, talking about inner power, etc., dressed in a nice suit.

IMO: She looks like a business woman that is able to influence people. I've never seen any of her classes or if she teaches anymore. So, I'd recommend asking questions to her instructors and dig for more information. Let us know what you find.

R. McLain

Edited April 28, 2006 by rmclain

[Cat Nap]

This is why I said "McDojo." I think when a school has fancy uniforms, off the beaten track classes (cooking, yes, she has them too) and all the trappings you see with her school - it's more of a business than a martial art school. I respect her if her rank is legit but it just goes to show, just because someone's Asian, doesn't make them a great teacher, or their style effective.

[MartialArthur]

I don't like the headbands

..

[Sohan]

Respectfully,

Sohan

[Aodhan]

I did some research on google groups and various other forums, and it appears that there are a few people that have investigated her for "cult like" activities. I could not find any substantiation, but I didn't dig really hard in the time I had.

I also could not find anything to substantiate her background, but since she "created" her style, she is free to call herself Grandmaster if she wishes (Shouldn't that be Grandmistress? :D)

Aodhan

[ninjanurse]

Dobok's to match your belt? Hmm...

[younwhadoug]

you have to reallize that she probably has a family to provide for, and dojang rent isn't cheap either.

she sounds like a good instructor to me. i think requiring private sessions is a great idea. it allows a bond between teacher and student and it lets her know if you understand what and how she teaches

[patusai]

Where is her headband?

I don't know her so I can't comment on her. Her site is professionally in that she markets her product very well it seems