In a situation...need input

[bushido_man96]

Firstly, RELAX. This will settle, i promise. Politics like this in MAs happen daily...the dust will settle.

If this is going to affect you sleeping at nigth, i suggest you talk to both of them, your old instructor and your current. Explaining to the old one why you left and that it's part of your journey and it's something you needed to do. Staying with him wasn't the right direction for you, etc. I'd explain very respectfully to your current one, that although you left, you are not about to drag your old instructor's name through the mud. You still respect them for who they are, you just can't respect what they do. Tell him you'd appreciate if he'd not make ill statements about them or say them while youre not around.

I agree with this tack. If this doesn't work out for you, then perhaps you may choose to put both of these schools behind you, and find one that is totally neutral to this whole situation.

Politics in the MA sucks, but it is a part of the MAs.

[NewEnglands_KyoSa]

Politics in the MA sucks, but it is a part of the MAs.

Ugh, man...agreed times a million!

[cjgotti]

Firstly, RELAX. This will settle, i promise. Politics like this in MAs happen daily...the dust will settle.

If this is going to affect you sleeping at nigth, i suggest you talk to both of them, your old instructor and your current. Explaining to the old one why you left and that it's part of your journey and it's something you needed to do. Staying with him wasn't the right direction for you, etc. I'd explain very respectfully to your current one, that although you left, you are not about to drag your old instructor's name through the mud. You still respect them for who they are, you just can't respect what they do. Tell him you'd appreciate if he'd not make ill statements about them or say them while youre not around.

I agree with this tack. If this doesn't work out for you, then perhaps you may choose to put both of these schools behind you, and find one that is totally neutral to this whole situation.

Politics in the MA sucks, but it is a part of the MAs.

I don't really feel as bad about it as I did before. I know my first instructor may be a little upset, but the fact is I paid for everything I received from him. Never did I get anything for free, and to be quite honest my parents were upset about the certificate being a fake. I'm going to do what I want to do regardless of the old school's opinion simply becauase I've been out of the loop there for 2 years now, so I'm not really going to do any harm to the man's business.

[NewEnglands_KyoSa]

As long as you can deal with yourself, and your situation, good for you. Just as long as you're not going to drive yourself crazy then you don't have to talk to anyone. You are right, you don't owe anyone anything, just focus on doing things that will makes the rest of your life easier to deal with. If you think your old instructor's going to go away quietly, leave 'em be. If not, you may want to reconsider talking to him. You haven't been treated right, so from here on out, it's all about YOU!

[IcemanSK]

Okay, I'm 19 years old, have been practicing Taekwondo since I was 12. Unfortunately I think my school has been cursed with Mcdojang style isntructors. Before I was 12 I practiced WTF style TKD and only went to yellow belt. Afterwards, I started back up at 12 with my yellow belt. The instructor let me keep my yellow belt but simply work my way up. I made it to green under him, before he ended up seeling the school. He got into legal trouble as well...sexual harrasment etc. It's an embarrassment to have to train under someone like that. He claimed to be a 5th Dan...but we weren't even involved in WTF style sparring. We were more of a NASKA oriented school but did a mix of Taeguk and Palwge forms.

After he left, two newer instructors took over who were not only younger but better in my opinion at teaching. One was a 3rd Dan, the other 4th Dan. They tried to revitalize the school. The 4th Dan was able to teach us more self defense...he was a gold medalist in the Korean Olympics in grappling from what I understand. But he was very good at what he taught. Eventually, the 4th Dan left the school, leaving us with the 3rd Dan who was a competitor in a number of NASKA tournaments. We never used chest protectors, only gloves, foot gear and head gear but were told to watch our control. Under him I received my 1st Dan at the age of 17. However, he focused on certain students who were interested in competing. Personally I'd like to compete but it feels like the age I started I was too old. Now I stopped practicing there when I was 18 and then just a couple of weeks ago I saw a WTF style dojang nearby that was known in the past to have bad blood with my old dojang.

I went there and told them my story. I wanted to do traditional taekwondo style martial arts not the type that was done at my old school. They told me my old instructo (the 3rd Dan) did not practice what he preached. They even made me show them my certificate, which they claim is a fake because it was only signed by my instructor and asst instructor as opposed to their certificates which were signed by the president of the kukkiwon. It was a big blow to me, because I feel like I don't know who's real and who isn't. I signed up with these guys, because I have seen their names on numerous national tournaments on the usataekwondo website and I think they would be very good at teaching. They told me I'd still be able to compete regardless of my age. Personally I have only competed 3 times, which is nothing. They told me they would let me keep my black belt, but they wanted to get me back in shape first and then work on their curriculum that way I can get up to speed and officially be recognized as a black belt.

Am I doing the right thing here? I felt like a traitor in a sense to my old dojang because the instructor was very friendly and was a friend. I was always welcome at his school. Is it worth it for me to get into it again? It was kind of a blow to my morale because after the testing for my 1st dan (which was no walk in the park by any means) I feel like I did it all for nothing.

When I was 18, my instructor sold the school to someone I couldn't train under. I left & went to a different school. My instructor never liked the instructor of the school I chose. Yet I didn't like the guy he chose.

At some point, we all need to do what's best for us.