I consider that a downside though. Getting certification from a different governing body should be difficult. But then again, the ITF has always been the more no-nonsense organization as far as rules/procedures/training.
What I meant by that is that they're not going to screw you just because you're from another organization. They still want the skill level, and you still have to grade with or benominated by a KKW/WTF Dan, but they're not going to tell you to shove it just because you're TAGB or ITF or whatever.
I personally think there needs to be a separate organization for Olympic TKD. Some of the people who want me to train them ask me if they can go to the Olympics. I tell them to look elsewhere. LOL.
thats what i was trying to explain.... the WTF is a sports orginasation for sparring.. the Kukkiwon is the one that actually regulates our forms, belt and test requirements. theres a good number of people that just get their 1st dan through the kukkiwon to be eligible to spar at the big olympic style tournaments. They either get the 1st dan and train to spar from there (which i personally don't like) or their a higher dan with whatever they started in, and advance through the ranks that way The majority of olypic style tournaments in the us don't even check for your kukkiwon cert. in your case... you'd just have to be a member of the usat, i'm not sure how it works (my grandmaster can issue kukkiwon certs on his own) but i know they have a way of getting them for you and whatever students want to compete that way. The issue is, for you to be good enough to qualify for the us olpmic team, you pretty much just have to work on sparring and nothing else, which is whats causeing the degrading of the TKD image.
I've mooted this before but as most sparring in tkd is SO very different from the patterns etc., you should maybe consider different grades for different aspects. I find it really odd to have the competition sparring and the patterns practice be so different, and yet welded together
Most TKD sparring is like the game of tick you played at break time in school. Good fun, but not the reason you're at school. Mitch
Here is a joke my daughter (8) told me this afternoon: Why were the TKD athletes at the Olympics so hot? Because there were so few fans. All right, she told it with Kung Fu, but it fits so well here...
It's like that in most "traditional" martial-arts really. Sparring and patterns are very different animals. Some students are always going to be better at one aspect than another. On the subject of Kukkiwon degrees. Personally I would not want one. That style of TKD is not what I practice and I would not feel right about having a KKW Dan Cert.
I would be interested in finding out which ITF President will represent the organization. The last I read, admittedly a long time ago, there were three people claiming to be the "official" president of the ITF. That could make for some interesting official greeting ceremonies....
I think that there should be an organisation for tkd olympics, but not ran by any one style!! So that no matter what org your in if your good enough go show your stuff!! Every org, every person who loves TKD has an equal shot at representing there country!!
I see one of the barriers preventing most fighters is that they are not a Kukkiwon black belt. The WTF, the governing body that sanctions all Olympic selection events, will only recognise Kukkiwon certification. So, even if you're an 8th Dan in ITF-style Tae Kwon Do, you ain't got a hope of entering the Olympics because you're not a Kukkiwon 1st Dan, and therefore not a high enough grade to compete at the Olympics. I think this rule is stupid. How can a person's eligibility be based on their patterns and step sparring knowledge if they're entering a purely sparring event... ??? I think Taekwondo in the Olympics should follow the MMA/UFC example. Fighters don't have to be a set grade in any style in order to compete. All they gotta do is win. Often. But preventing good fighters from competing in the Olympics because they aren't a black belt in a style completely unrelated to the Olympipcs is daft... after all, you grade to black belt based on your patterns, theory and step-sparring - how many marks are awarded for your sparring? Sure, it makes up a percentage of the overall grade, but for someone purely interested in sparring, it's a waste of time. You don't see patterns/poomse, breaking or step-sparring in the Olympics, do you? Would be interesting if they were. I love patterns/poomse, breaking and step-sparring, but you can easily train all the skills necessary for successful sparring without these. All a fighter needs is a good coach with the correct equipment and facilities. Surely it would make more sense to judge a fighter's eligibility based on his/her fight record and ability, and not how many patterns/poomse they know? I say we get rid of the belts in the Olympics. That will probably get rid of most of the politics and problems associated with affiliation.
As long as your a good enough fighter theres always ways and means of getting round the Kukkiwon - you only need to look in the MA press to see people advertising Kukkiwon accreditation. Its how good a fighter you are when you get put into the Dan category as that is a big jump up from the Kup category..........
Getting a Kukkiwon cert is not a big deal. You could get one and still train with the TAGB. Hell there's nothing theortically stopping a few people in the TAGB getting up to the dan ranking needed in order to issue their own and then give tham out as part of the regular TAGB black belt grading. There's no point complaining about the Kukkiwon, they were appointed head of TKD so if you want to compete in the biggest profile TKD competition it makes sense that you need to be recognised by them. As for patterns in the Olympics I believe its something the WTF are pushing in order to enforce the 'art side' of TKD. The Kukkiwon aren't the problem, the belts aren't the problem. The problem is the BTCB who are appointed by the WTF to oversea the olympic process in this country.
okay first off... i haven't met a high ranking dan in the itf yet that couldn't easily obtain a 1st dan kukkiwon IF THEY WANTED TO. it's 9 patterns to learn and a realtivly small fee. (compliment to ITF schools i've seen, i don't know if I could say the same about some local WTF schools) its very common for schools, at least in my part of the world, to teach both sets of patterns at some point. I know all the Taeguek forms, 2 wtf BB forms and the Chon Hi forms up to Ge Bak. 2nd off why would any 8th dan even want to compete anywhere?
