Hi All,
There has been a lot of discussion lately about Kukkiwon certification. I have been a part of an independent organization for the past 37 years. Although we are small, we have extremely high standards. I suppose because we are small we are able to better control the quality of belt promotions we issue. This is not meant as a Kukkiwon bashing thread, they are the biggest MA org in the world. They do have some fantastic athletes, they appear to have some great programs and resources for its members. However, it is the only organization I'm aware of that will issue black belts after only 2 years of training. Most traditional Korean, Japanese and Chinese arts that I'm aware of require a minimum of 4-5 years to earn a 1st Dan. Additionally, some of the sloppiest black belts I have ever met in my martial arts career have been Kukkiwon certified black belts. This is one of the reasons I have stayed clear of the Kukkiwon. I have not wanted to be associated with an organization that issues black belts after only 2 years of training and that produces such sloppy black belts (I'm not saying all Kukkiwon black belts are sloppy).
Other than having the opportunity to compete in the Olympics, are there any tangible benefits? We aren't interested in the Olympic style of fighting as we train to punch to the head and practice sweeping. We compete in the open Karate and kickboxing competitions. I don't view it as a place to receive "legitimate" promotions for the reasons I listed above. Just because I pay an annual fee to an organization to issue me a certificate from someone I've never met does not make it "legitimate" to me. To me, legitimate promotions come from people who know you, who have proven themselves as martial artists, etc.
Obviously there are some great resources for helping instructors structure classes, help in business strategies etc. as do most organizations out there. Why all the hype? Am I missing something? Is it just because they are so big that people view their certificates as "legitimate"?
Again, I'm not trying to slam the Kukkiwon, they do have some fantastic martial artists and a lot of great things going for them. I've just met too many terribly sloppy Kukkiwon certified schools that to me make the thought of a Kukkiwon certificate being "legitimate" as quite laughable.
I'm hoping someone can help shed some light on why anyone would want to seek a membership with them other than the Olympics. BTW, I have the exact same opinion of the ITF as well, but they don't have the Olympics as incentive.
There has been a lot of discussion lately about Kukkiwon certification. I have been a part of an independent organization for the past 37 years. Although we are small, we have extremely high standards. I suppose because we are small we are able to better control the quality of belt promotions we issue. This is not meant as a Kukkiwon bashing thread, they are the biggest MA org in the world. They do have some fantastic athletes, they appear to have some great programs and resources for its members. However, it is the only organization I'm aware of that will issue black belts after only 2 years of training. Most traditional Korean, Japanese and Chinese arts that I'm aware of require a minimum of 4-5 years to earn a 1st Dan. Additionally, some of the sloppiest black belts I have ever met in my martial arts career have been Kukkiwon certified black belts. This is one of the reasons I have stayed clear of the Kukkiwon. I have not wanted to be associated with an organization that issues black belts after only 2 years of training and that produces such sloppy black belts (I'm not saying all Kukkiwon black belts are sloppy).
Other than having the opportunity to compete in the Olympics, are there any tangible benefits? We aren't interested in the Olympic style of fighting as we train to punch to the head and practice sweeping. We compete in the open Karate and kickboxing competitions. I don't view it as a place to receive "legitimate" promotions for the reasons I listed above. Just because I pay an annual fee to an organization to issue me a certificate from someone I've never met does not make it "legitimate" to me. To me, legitimate promotions come from people who know you, who have proven themselves as martial artists, etc.
Obviously there are some great resources for helping instructors structure classes, help in business strategies etc. as do most organizations out there. Why all the hype? Am I missing something? Is it just because they are so big that people view their certificates as "legitimate"?
Again, I'm not trying to slam the Kukkiwon, they do have some fantastic martial artists and a lot of great things going for them. I've just met too many terribly sloppy Kukkiwon certified schools that to me make the thought of a Kukkiwon certificate being "legitimate" as quite laughable.
I'm hoping someone can help shed some light on why anyone would want to seek a membership with them other than the Olympics. BTW, I have the exact same opinion of the ITF as well, but they don't have the Olympics as incentive.