TOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH POLITICS IN KOREAN ARTS

[Dobbersky]

All,

I don't practice korean arts anymore although I do practice an altered version of Chil Sung Ee Ro Hyung (Tang Soo Do). The reason being too much politics and too many belt factories. There's also too many Monies in the correct Pots syndrome

I got to 4th Gup in one school of TSD and my friend got to 2nd Degree Midnight Blue belt. One school of TSD which followed the same lineage as the other were uncertain whether to acknowledge our grades even though the syllabus were almost identical. This was also to the fact that I am a Graded 2nd Dan Black Belt "teaching" my own style of Karate too.

It put me off, as it did years ago when I was "offered" a "Instructor Training Programme" (ITP's) for a bargin £7,000 cash or £10,000 over 4 years. The Training included knocking on doors/stopping people in the street and getting students to subscribe to these ITP's themselves.

The Style of sparring was tippy tappy too!!!

I know there are REAL Korean Martial Arts Schools out there who teach REAL Martial Arts, but where are they?

[bushido_man96]

Just like any style, you've got good, and the not so good. I've seen and read in my time here that there are politics in other styles as well, and not just Korean ones.

Anything tied into the Kukkiwon is likely to have some politics involved. But then again, most times new organizations are started by people who are sick of the "politics" of the system, only to start an organization that begets its own politics. So many times I'm led to believe that it isn't that people don't like politics; its that they like their own politics. For what its worth...

[The BB of C]

Korean arts are very popular. I don't know why. Because of their popularity, they're easy to capitalize on which makes a good school all the more rare.

In New York there is a town called Scottsville. It's a rural town for the most part but there is an urban part of it too. In the urban part there is a Tae Kwon Do academy that's unlike every other Korean martial art studio I've ever seen. The training there is great and the black belts are deserving of their title. I'm familiar with most of the other TKD schools in the Rochester area. Three of them are part of a chain and that chain SUCKS!

The same thing happened with my Kuk Sool Won school. Also a chain and owned by the same man. There were way too many politics, training was bad and there was too much emphasis on rank. I'll never forget the 4th degree black belt teacher that had sparring strategies so contradictory to martial arts or self defense in general that I actually felt compelled to call him out in class.

Then they wondered why I went to supplement my training with a school that practiced full contact and they kicked me out.

[bushido_man96]

That's a tough deal, BB of C. I don't know why it runs like that, but those kinds of thoughts are some of the very reasons that compelled me to write my article on monogamy in the Martial Arts. I'm not sure if it is really only the Korean styles that are that particular, or if other styles are just as guilty.

[KarateEd]

So many times I'm led to believe that it isn't that people don't like politics; its that they like their own politics. For what its worth...

That is a very true statement!

Dobbersky, the ITP deal you mentioned sounds similar to a pyramid scheme. It is unfortunate, but if something becomes popular then there is always people willing to exploit it just for the sake of their own bank accounts. The bad thing is that many people end up getting burned because they initially think they are dealing with a legitimate enterprise/school/person.

[Tiger1962]

Yes, unfortunately there is lots of politics in martial arts too. Don't know why, but when I was first starting out, I thought that would be the one place I could escape politics, especially after a long day at work.

Anyway, it's like looking for a good doctor or a house, you just keep interviewing schools until you find the right one. Or, the one that has less politics than others at least. Maybe it comes with certain people, maybe not...but you gotta do your research/homework on schools and locations.

[CTTKDKing]

I've been studying for 5 plus years under a WTF (Kukkiwon) school. While I agree there are a lot of belts (12 I believe), my instructor is one of the best in the area. It just annoys me when people generalize that "Anything tied into the Kukkiwon is likely to have some politics involved". Not true at all. Sure there are a lot of crappy instructors out there and a lot of crappy McDojo like schools, but it's wrong to generalize.

[bushido_man96]

It is wrong. But unfortunately, it is the Kukkiwon that has brought that image on itself. But, if one keeps his goals in mind, and knows what one is learning at the time, then its easier to focus and not pay attention to what others say or think.

[boatride14]

I am just a yellow Belt in TWD, so what do I know. But I'll say it anyway. I'mm 55. I staterted martial arts seriously, when I WAS IN MY TEENS. I TOOK twd A FEWW MONTHS, THEN DROPPED OUT. Joined the boxing team in college, never threw a punch, and took TWD again for a few nonths. Actually used a kick in a after hours bar fight. (the kick was impressive) Joined the military, learned a little somethin somethin. Took Shorin Ryu from Frank Hardgrove. GHot my prple belt. Became a correctional officer, learned a little somethin somethin. Came to Hbg, Pa and took issin-ryu. Didn't get a belt, but it helped. I didn't like the style though-too robotic! Now I am taking Tae Kwon Do again Love it! In just 8 months I have won 8 trophies. # of them are for first places-one of the in sparring. Now back in 1989 I had a car accident Recieved a head injury. I ran into a mailbox, a telephone pole, and a brickwall. My balnce is bad. The forms Of TWD is helping my balnce. And my confidence spills over the rim. In my class (Marc Slomske's Tae Kwon Do, we grapple, on occassions I have made black belts Tap Out. We don't play politics there. Neither are we old school. We are are a combination of both. Both in the way, we are Americanized the sport, while hanging on to some of the remnants of Korean philosophy. We respect Korean Philosophy, and some of the customs we have maintained. But we don't go out hummin and a bummin trying to raise money. Nr does my instructor appear inj t.v. adds saying "nobody messes with mke, even though I like John Rhee. it was under his chain, I started taking karate in 1974 or 75. The school I go to now, is on a corner street beside a Beauty parlor, and the nieghborhood laundry mat is across the street. The carpet in the place is 1/4 inch thick, and I have bled in the place, and I have seen others bleed. As a white belt, yellow stripe I have broken boards for my yellow belt test. We spar or grapple every thursday, and if we played politics there, I would surely quit , because then poltical skunks don't truly mix in learning how to fight. Sorry for the grammaticl errors, blam it on tthe boogie.

[dwarf2]

This is one of the reasons i left organized martial arts, 8 year old black belts and organizations that want there money, and wanting us to send them out in the street thinking they can fight. Im glad i trained my students to fight and not be parrots who can repeat a movement, I sleep at night .