MAist25
Blue Belt
Hey guys,
I know you all dont know me other than from an introductory thread a while ago. Im more of a lurker here, but I think I'm about to begin getting involved and more active in posting as you all seem like a really cool and knowledgable bunch. Anyway, I recently have come across some very disappointing and disheartening news from my dojang, which I have been training at since its opening about 6 years ago.
I, with the help of one of my instructors ex-friends I guess you could call him, and an old training partner have discovered an untruthful history about my instructor and his martial arts and personal background. I love and respect my teacher to death and all of my training partners. He is one of the few who does not teach for the money, he teaches because he loves the martial arts. He has given me many months of free lessons, including private lessons. He has given me uniforms, gloves, and all kinds of equipment for free when mine were falling apart. He has taken me out for sushi to just talk about our training. He has taken me to local open mats to broaden my knowledge of martial arts and to have the opportunity to train with people from other styles. He was there for me when my mother passed away and has always provided me with a second home. He has even trusted me to train on my own time at the school without his supervision. Anyway, My instructor is a certified 3rd Dan in Moo Duk Kwan Taekwondo under Richard Chun's group the USTA, as well as a 2nd Dan (just submitted paperwork for 3rd) from Kukkiwon. This is all legitimate and is not what is being argued.
What is being argued is his rank in Hapkido, which he claims masters rank in. It has been determined beyond a reasonable doubt that my teacher is not ranked in Hapkido, but we are currently under a reputable organization which we have attended numerous seminars and showed our technique to. Anyway, my teacher claims his teacher is Master X, for arguments sake, who used to teach here in the US, recently had a stroke and moved back to Korea, leaving my teacher in charge of our "Hapkido" federation, which includes but one school: ours. Anyway, the name of the instructor my teacher uses happens to in-coincidentally be a real Hapkido master who lives in Korea, and that is how he slipped through the system with the organization we have been training with and involved with lately. This organization is very good and is open to all Korean martial artists and Hapkidoists of all kwans. My instructor as well as myself and several of our students, after training at several of these seminars, were welcomed into their family and recieved legitimate rank in Hapkido through their organization.
So, as it is now, I am a 1st Dan in Taekwondo under the USTA and Kukkiwon, as well as a 1st Dan in Hapkido under my instructors fake federation with a fake Korean grandmasters signature, and a 1st Dan under a real Hapkido org. I am also training at another TKD school while I am away at college which is a Kukkiwon school, and I am certainly at a 1st Dan level. The master at this school even said I should be a 2nd Dan, which I am actually testing for in a couple weeks at my home school with my "sketchy" instructor. I have opted to only test for TKD, with my excuse being that I have not trained enough in Hapkido since I have been away at college.
Anyway, I have told 2 others at my school about our teacher. The guys I told are my closest training partners who have been at the school since the start. We are my instructors top 3 students. Basically, we all feel very hurt that my instructor has lied to us about his background, which also includes service in the Greek Special Forces, which seems to also be a lie. Its just a shame how he feels for some reason that a 3rd Dan in taekwondo is not good enough or something like that. Why does he need to lie? He is a big fish in a little pond. We are a good school and we train hard and produce quality martial artists. Like I said, I train at a second TKD school and am one of the better students at the school. Its just that we are not learning what he says we are learning.
My dilemma is that I want to stay with my teacher and so do the other guys. We are going to confront him and ask him why he did all of this. Why would he lie to us? We are going to ask him to come clean and just be who he really is. If not, we are all leaving. It's just a shame that this all has to happen because either way things wont be the same. If he does come clean, he will lose many students. If he doesnt, his top 3 students will be leaving, which will cause much suspicion. I just cant be a part of a lie anymore. If my instructor is a fraud, then that also makes me a fraud. But its only in one style, we still practice legitimate Taekwondo which is why I want to stay there. We practice traditional Moo Duk Kwan TKD and still train in the old school way with a lot of hardcore training in a style utilizing punches, kicks, sweeps, takedowns, etc. all full contact at the higher ranks. I love the intensity of the training and have not found this type of training at any other Taekwondo school I have ever been to.
Anyway, what do you guys think I should do? Do you think I am handleing this correctly? Do you think I should try and save my school or hit the road? I really appreciate any advice you give me.
I know you all dont know me other than from an introductory thread a while ago. Im more of a lurker here, but I think I'm about to begin getting involved and more active in posting as you all seem like a really cool and knowledgable bunch. Anyway, I recently have come across some very disappointing and disheartening news from my dojang, which I have been training at since its opening about 6 years ago.
I, with the help of one of my instructors ex-friends I guess you could call him, and an old training partner have discovered an untruthful history about my instructor and his martial arts and personal background. I love and respect my teacher to death and all of my training partners. He is one of the few who does not teach for the money, he teaches because he loves the martial arts. He has given me many months of free lessons, including private lessons. He has given me uniforms, gloves, and all kinds of equipment for free when mine were falling apart. He has taken me out for sushi to just talk about our training. He has taken me to local open mats to broaden my knowledge of martial arts and to have the opportunity to train with people from other styles. He was there for me when my mother passed away and has always provided me with a second home. He has even trusted me to train on my own time at the school without his supervision. Anyway, My instructor is a certified 3rd Dan in Moo Duk Kwan Taekwondo under Richard Chun's group the USTA, as well as a 2nd Dan (just submitted paperwork for 3rd) from Kukkiwon. This is all legitimate and is not what is being argued.
What is being argued is his rank in Hapkido, which he claims masters rank in. It has been determined beyond a reasonable doubt that my teacher is not ranked in Hapkido, but we are currently under a reputable organization which we have attended numerous seminars and showed our technique to. Anyway, my teacher claims his teacher is Master X, for arguments sake, who used to teach here in the US, recently had a stroke and moved back to Korea, leaving my teacher in charge of our "Hapkido" federation, which includes but one school: ours. Anyway, the name of the instructor my teacher uses happens to in-coincidentally be a real Hapkido master who lives in Korea, and that is how he slipped through the system with the organization we have been training with and involved with lately. This organization is very good and is open to all Korean martial artists and Hapkidoists of all kwans. My instructor as well as myself and several of our students, after training at several of these seminars, were welcomed into their family and recieved legitimate rank in Hapkido through their organization.
So, as it is now, I am a 1st Dan in Taekwondo under the USTA and Kukkiwon, as well as a 1st Dan in Hapkido under my instructors fake federation with a fake Korean grandmasters signature, and a 1st Dan under a real Hapkido org. I am also training at another TKD school while I am away at college which is a Kukkiwon school, and I am certainly at a 1st Dan level. The master at this school even said I should be a 2nd Dan, which I am actually testing for in a couple weeks at my home school with my "sketchy" instructor. I have opted to only test for TKD, with my excuse being that I have not trained enough in Hapkido since I have been away at college.
Anyway, I have told 2 others at my school about our teacher. The guys I told are my closest training partners who have been at the school since the start. We are my instructors top 3 students. Basically, we all feel very hurt that my instructor has lied to us about his background, which also includes service in the Greek Special Forces, which seems to also be a lie. Its just a shame how he feels for some reason that a 3rd Dan in taekwondo is not good enough or something like that. Why does he need to lie? He is a big fish in a little pond. We are a good school and we train hard and produce quality martial artists. Like I said, I train at a second TKD school and am one of the better students at the school. Its just that we are not learning what he says we are learning.
My dilemma is that I want to stay with my teacher and so do the other guys. We are going to confront him and ask him why he did all of this. Why would he lie to us? We are going to ask him to come clean and just be who he really is. If not, we are all leaving. It's just a shame that this all has to happen because either way things wont be the same. If he does come clean, he will lose many students. If he doesnt, his top 3 students will be leaving, which will cause much suspicion. I just cant be a part of a lie anymore. If my instructor is a fraud, then that also makes me a fraud. But its only in one style, we still practice legitimate Taekwondo which is why I want to stay there. We practice traditional Moo Duk Kwan TKD and still train in the old school way with a lot of hardcore training in a style utilizing punches, kicks, sweeps, takedowns, etc. all full contact at the higher ranks. I love the intensity of the training and have not found this type of training at any other Taekwondo school I have ever been to.
Anyway, what do you guys think I should do? Do you think I am handleing this correctly? Do you think I should try and save my school or hit the road? I really appreciate any advice you give me.