Being able to award rank?

[G95champ]

Simplest way is for you to train her and find one of your old teachers to oversee the exam.

[bushido_man96]

If you have useful knowledge and experience that you can pass on to your wife, isn't that enough? Do you think that she really needs a piece of paper/belt? If it is important to you / your wife to have this as a goal, then perhaps you need to become a member of an association who can authenticate the grade.

Otherwise you are right back where you started.

I agree with Zanshin here. Many times, people get too caught up in the idea of rank, rather than what they become capable of, or they tend to relate the two, which isn't necessarily correct, either. In the end, you may just want to train her, and then move on to newer material when you feel she is ready to handle it.

[tacticalreload]

If you have useful knowledge and experience that you can pass on to your wife, isn't that enough? Do you think that she really needs a piece of paper/belt?

Is it so wrong to want to give her credentials of some sort and motivating her / rewarding her for her hard work? I don't know what your rank is, but imagine someone just stripped you of your rank. Should that mean anything to you if the sole goal of your training was simply gaining useful knowledge and experience? How about if someone took away your high school diploma or college degree? Why do we compete or grade students on anything but a pass/fail scale or put little gold stars on elementary school students' tests?

While it is true, a lot of people get too caught up in rank. The study of martial arts is supposed to be founded in honor and respect, I understand that. But to deny that it's human nature to want to be rewarded for our work is idealistic.

[bushido_man96]

I think that early on, rank and awards are important to people. We all learn that eventually, it doesn't seem to matter as much.

In the end, what is important is that if you are going to award rank, make sure that you are valid in doing so, that way, no one can question the validity of what she achieves.

[Truestar]

If you have useful knowledge and experience that you can pass on to your wife, isn't that enough? Do you think that she really needs a piece of paper/belt?

Is it so wrong to want to give her credentials of some sort and motivating her / rewarding her for her hard work? I don't know what your rank is, but imagine someone just stripped you of your rank. Should that mean anything to you if the sole goal of your training was simply gaining useful knowledge and experience? How about if someone took away your high school diploma or college degree? Why do we compete or grade students on anything but a pass/fail scale or put little gold stars on elementary school students' tests?

While it is true, a lot of people get too caught up in rank. The study of martial arts is supposed to be founded in honor and respect, I understand that. But to deny that it's human nature to want to be rewarded for our work is idealistic.

I think it's a way of recognizing your accomplishments. While people do tend to get caught up in the idea of a prize, if the training truly is going well I don't see a problem with her being awarded a rank. Its the young inexperienced people that think rank means a level of skill which although is generally true cannot be assumed for all people.

[IcemanSK]

If you want to give you wife official Kukkiwon rank, you need to have tested by a KKW 4th Dan or higher. I looked into this years ago when starting my own school. I was able to connect with an organization that I'm quite happy with to get my students Kukkiwon certification.

If you're interested, let me know.

[tenshinka]

I know in Kukkiwon you need to be a 4th dan to recommend students for dan rank...However, in most other systems a 2nd dan is able to award a 1st dan (usually under the supervision of a chief instructor) but its not unheard of. I would look at some independent associations, that can help you out...For instance, I would personally recommend Grandmaster Rudy Timmerman's National Korean Martial Arts Association, which is a Non-Profit organization that is truly their to helps its members. GM Timmerman is a great man, and an EXTREMELY knowledgeable and capable teacher. His website is https://www.nkmaa.com

Another man that has a good reputation that could help you out is Master George Petrotta and his International Sung Ja Do Association (https://www.sungjado.org)...He is a Kukkiwon certified Master, and is also certified through GM Humesky's Universal Tae Kwon-Do Brotherhood (https://www.utbtaekwondo.us)...Both of the latter organizations can help you in furthering your own Tae Kwon Do knowledge, and gaining further rank and instructor certification (including Kukkiwon, and independent is desired).

Best Wishes In Your Training!

--josh

[3]

So essentially, my friend could train me and I could test at my local dojo?

[bushido_man96]

I don't think that would necessarily work out. It is going to depend on the dojo, and I doubt it would work out.

[sensei8]

If you are interested in staying under the organization you leraned under they I would check with them to find out what you need to be an "instructor". It may be a relitively easy process if you're already a black belt. Then it would be nice an offical.

Conversly, if you're not all that attached to your organization, t here are probibly plenty of independant federations and such that you could register with and utilize their certificates while teaching your cirriculum.

A third option is to simply teach your style and rank her yourself. Have cert printed that you like at a store that will do such things and order the belts from any number of supply houses. Now before I get flamed for this- how much more legitimeate is a rank just because it's from an organization? Really? Can you teach her what you learned and keep it authentic? If the answer is yes, then you could go for it.

The organization I grew up in went belly up some time back and this is the path I've gone. The proof of worth in an art is what it's practitioners are able to do, not where their certificates come from. If your students can stand on a floor with anyone else, then you've got no worries and if a school is that worried about pedigree then I probably counldn't stand training with them anyway.

There was an article not long ago in 2008 in a NAPMA magazine that addressed this very thing. The author of this article is an attorney and said that from a legal stand point, all one would have to do to legitimize themselves/their own style of the Martial Arts and then declare themselves "Grandmaster" would be to create a logo first, then a letterhead. No fuss and no muss!

Of course....good luck with this and its credibility....which seems to be the rage of the page nowadays.