From: gbaker@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca (Greg baker)
Newsgroups: rec.martial-arts
Subject: Re: Tae Kwon Do, getting a Black Belt, etc...
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 92 14:42:14 MST
Organization: Edmonton Remote Systems #1, Edmonton, AB, Canada

ensrit@gdr.bath.ac.uk (R I Taylor) writes:
- 
- I have been training for 5 years with a WTF club and reached 1st kup
- about six months ago. I've just moved here to the University of Bath
- where there is no University TKD club and `only' (no offence meant) an
- ITF club in the town.
- 
- I've trained with the town club a couple of times and they seem a nice
- enough crowd. The problem is that the instructor says that he isn't
- allowed to recognise my grade and that if I want to start "training
- properly" with them then I will have to take a white belt and drop into
- the lower class (there are two groups: white to red belt and black tags
- and black belts).
- 
- It's not the grade that bothers me, I don't care what colour my belt is
- really, but the training I will get. I'm always willing to practice my
- basics but I don't really want to `start again' for the sake of
- learning a new set of patterns/forms (the only difference between me
- and the rest of my current class as far as I can see).
- 
- What I'd really like to do is start my own club here at the University.
- I've done a lot of teaching in the past (probably at the expense of my
- own training, but that's another story) and really enjoyed it. I doubt
- very much if I could pull that off without having a black-belt though...
- 
- Any suggestions?
- --
-    Richard


I think it would have to depend on how far away you are from your master, 
and how close you are to getting that black belt. If you are close to 
your master, it may be possible to keep practicing your own techniques 
while also teaching. I've seen small schools in small towns run by a 
first dan black belt before, the only thing is if you want to be 
recognized as a WTF school you would have to be a satellite school under 
your masters main school. At least that's what you have to do to be 
recognized by the governing bodies (the Canadian Taekwon do Assoc.and the 
Alberta Taekwon do Assoc.) where I live.

The biggest problem I see is trying to establish a second school in the 
same town as an already established Taekwon do school. I know there is a 
big difference between ITF and WTF, but I don't think John Q. Public 
knows it. It would probably be easier to establish a Karate school. Your 
school would be weaker then the ITF school (unless it's being run by a 
black stripe...black tag, whatever, its all the same in Korean) and would 
invariably be harder to promote. If you do decide to try it out, I hope 
you like headahes, running a school is a BIG one under normal 
circumstances, even if its only a satellite school. Talk to your master.

.greg.

p.s. If it makes you feel any better, I wouldn't try to start taking ITF 
if I was in your position. But that may be because I have a black belt 
already.


           \\\\\\\\\B.anzai A.nime K.lub of A.lberta/////////
                 Greg Baker gbaker@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca
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Newsgroups: rec.martial-arts