Scam or no?

[Seig]

I'm not going to get into fees, but I will say this: I got my first TKD BB in 1986, I got the certificate for it in 1995. The instructor was a little difficult to get paper from. His answer was, I know your rank, you know your rank and my people know your rank, why do you care?

 

[Damian Mavis]

My old instructor would hold off as long as possible to get your certificate because if you quit then he got to keep the $200 it cost him to get the certificate (which you already paid for of course) and would only buy your certificate if you stuck around and bugged him long enough.

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD

 

[Kirk]

What about going to another school of the same style, and being
required to start over as white belt? Scam or no?

 

[Damian Mavis]

Right away? I can understand starting over after a 6 year break from training but if you get a black belt in ITF TKD and go to another school right away you are automatically recognised as black belt.

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD

 

[white dragon]

I think it depends on the situation, but I don't think any instructor has the right to take your belt off you (unless it's for a disipline reason). If he's unhappy with your techniques and doesn't think you're up to the standard he'd normally set for his students then I think just holding back on your gradings till he feels you've caught up seems better than stripping you of your belt. And simply taking a belt away because you're from a different organisation is sad as that's politics, not ability.

 

[Kirk]

Originally posted by white dragon

I think it depends on the situation, but I don't think any instructor has the right to take your belt off you (unless it's for a disipline reason). If he's unhappy with your techniques and doesn't think you're up to the standard he'd normally set for his students then I think just holding back on your gradings till he feels you've caught up seems better than stripping you of your belt. And simply taking a belt away because you're from a different organisation is sad as that's politics, not ability.

I totally agree, yet it happened where I live. A guy has been an
active b.b. for almost a decade now (from Maryland) ... he came
down here, and ended up leaving one school because the master
felt he should be a white belt.

 

[fist of fury]

Originally posted by Kirk



I totally agree, yet it happened where I live. A guy has been an
active b.b. for almost a decade now (from Maryland) ... he came
down here, and ended up leaving one school because the master
felt he should be a white belt.

Well if it's the school I think it is then it's because it's a mcdojo and the instructor wants him to pay the money.

 

[Damian Mavis]

Ya in a case like that it's definately all about the benjamins.

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD

 

[deadhand31]

With the WTF, once you get your Kukkiwon ID card (it's a photo id, legally recognized), any other WTF school will accept you at that rank. If you're under 16, however, it's different. you are able to get up to 2nd degree, but it will only be recognized as a junior level. when you turn 16, then you need to get recertified for the rank.

 

[Bod]

Although this may seem like I'm going off topic I'm going to talk about Judo. I've been to schools of other styles where, yep, everybody wants a higher belt, so they have to pay one way or another.

Because in training people tend to go lighter on the lower grades and that the element of surprise is a big factor in throwing someone, there are constant complaints that people are not wearing their correct belts - i.e. too low. Many competitors hold off gradings until virtually forced to take them because they have to wear their true belt.

Not surprising then that gradings in Judo are virtually free (dirt cheap anyway). It's a supply and demand thing. Now maybe if you TKD guys would all conspire to hold off gradings for a year - say, like, form a union - then the price might fall dramatically!

 

[white dragon]

well I'm taking a year out after summer and I might not grade for the year, but continue training at a different club. The main reason for this is because I think it'll be hard to find another class that teaches such a wide range of techniques and with such a high practicality value. the upside crossed my mind that I'd go back and fight in the same belt class as this year at the nationals... get an easy gold, hazzah.

But then it dawned on me again that this would really suck for people I was fighting. I know how annoyed everyone get this year when a white belt one his gold... he'd been training for over 4 years, just never graded so he was fighting begineers. Doesn't say much about honour if you ask me.

 

[Nightingale]

When I took TKD, the instructor didn't care what belt we were in what style (even if it was TKD elsewhere), he made us all start at white belts...I had a blue in TKD at that time, so he kinda pissed me off.

My kenpo instructor honors all belts from all styles. If you're a black belt in TKD and want to learn kenpo, you still wear your black belt if you want to, and are given all honors and respect normally accorded to black belts. However, he sticks your tail in the white belt class and only advance to the next class when he thinks you're ready. Of course, if you actually wanted to start as white belt, he'd let ya, and his testing fees are only like $25 per rank (black is more, dunno how much...I'm only brown). so money isn't really that much of an issue if you want to start over and earn kenpo ranks too.

Personally, I like starting over when I switch styles, because it lets me better measure my progress...don't think I'll be switching again, tho. Kenpo and I get along well.

If I walk into a school and the instructor tells me he charges a hundred bucks for a belt test, I walk right back out the door.

 

[yilijunior]

My god??!!
I'm sure glad I'm with the organization I'm with...
Our dues are $30 a month, $10-15 (can't remember since last grading) for testing which my Sifu charges just to cover cost of new belt/sash, certificate, and card that says our new rank in case we go to another chapter of our group.
I couldn't imagine hundreds of dollars to test, or money paid for each part of the exam (i.e. empty hand, weapons, etc).
To each his own I guess?!

 

[Nightingale]

there's nothing wrong with charging a small fee for a belt test, but hundreds of dollars is rediculous.

 

[Cthulhu]

I paid $20 per belt test up to black, and I didn't have a problem with that all. Black belt test was no charge.

Cthulhu

 

[Seig]

Different people have different takes on testing fees. My people pay fees, a large percentage of what I charge is earmarked for the organization, what is left over is for me. My school does not pay me, it supports itself, barely. The money I collect for belts more often than not, winds up being poured right back into the school. It's all a matter of perspective.

 

[D_Brady]

Seig , I agree with you, I have a small club so I know what your talking about. I was curious on your thoughts on holding on to certificates as part of a probation. I personally don't agree with it. I never herd of a college telling someone they have to wait for a year after they graduate to receive there diploma.

Or how about telling the MA teachers to hold the check for a year I bet that the would go over big. Again I'm just curious.


Thank you
Dan Brady.

 

[Seig]

Dan,
I hold certificates until the fee is paid, no longer. I do not believe in probation. For under belts, I promote them when I feel they are ready, period. For upper ranks, when I feel they are ready, I recoomend them to Mr. C. He and I then discuss when we should do a panel. My students either get promoted, or they do not, no probation.

 

[D_Brady]

Thanks for the reply, sounds like your doing a great job up there,

Dan.

 

[Disco]

If your Instructor / Master feels your ready to test for Black Belt, then you have been deemed worthy. They have watched you train from white belt on up. Once you test, there should be no waiting period. You've trained and proved yourself and they allowed you to test. Keeping you hanging is just a ploy to keep you paying for training. Once you receive your Black Belt, a good school will give you a brake in price on your continued training because you are now expected to become an assistant instructor or instructor in training.

If you think you are in a school that has a questionable instructor, you can check their background and certifications. For WTF instructors contact the USTU. They have a web site and they can also verify if your instructor has submitted your Dan ranking to the Kukkiwon or if your ranking has been listed. For the ITF, I'm sure they can do the same.