Once again GrandMaster

[tshadowchaser]

A instructor in my area, who has changed afilliations among the diffrent TKD groups for rank so many times his students have a hard time remembering which forms he is teaching, recently started calling himslef a GrandMaster.
Now my question is at what rank is someone considered a grandmaster in TKd?
Also how many GrandMasters are there in a single tkd Federation?
After reaching Grandmaster in one federation what is your new and higher rank when you change federations again?
Shadow

 

[arnisador]

Originally posted by tshadowchaser
Now my question is at what rank is someone considered a grandmaster in TKd?
Also how many GrandMasters are there in a single tkd Federation?

I know that there can be multiple Grandmasters in some styles of TKD. I read about Grandmaster Edward B. Sell in a recent martial arts magazine (I skimmed it at the newsstand). That style is Taekwondo Chung Do Kwan, and his martial arts biography is at the page. He is currently a 9th degree black belt and his wife, Grandmaster Brenda J. Sell, is also a Grandmaster and is a 7th degree black belt. The articles referred to them as the "Grandmaster Sells".

I do not believe that this is unusal in TKD. On a related note, note from this page that in Hwa Rang Do anyone achieving 8th degree black belt is automatically considered a Grandmaster; a 9th degree may be Head Grandmaster and a 10th degree, Supreme Grandmaster.

 

[tshadowchaser]

It just seems like there are way to many people with way to much rank. Somewhere along the way things must get confusing with that many 'Grandmasters" walking around.
Maybe thats one of the reasons I got out of TKD. Plus the fact I always thought I was buying rank not earning it. Only studied under one instructor in TKD that didn't charge outragious fees for testing, but then he had broken fom Korea and was more or less doing his own thing
Can you imagin a large tournament and it takeing 10 -15 minutes to introduce all the 'grandmaster" and thats only in one federation.
Shadow

:soapbox:

 

[arnisador]

Originally posted by tshadowchaser
It just seems like there are way to many people with way to much rank. Somewhere along the way things must get confusing with that many 'Grandmasters" walking around.

The proliferation of titles seems to be increasing now that everyone has high rank. I absolutely agree--there are too many Grandmasters. I don't think more than one per system is needed, frankly.

 

[Cthulhu]

I still think the term 'grandmaster' didn't really exist until the Asian martial arts spread to the Americas. In Japan and China, they still predominately use their native terms, like soke, shidoshi, sensei, sifu, sigung, etc. Not being intimately familiar with Korean styles, I'd hazard a guess and say they would use terms similar to the Japanese, since the Japanese occupation of Korea had a big impact on their culture.

In some cases, it could be done to retain high-ranked students. If a 7th degree blackbelt knows he'll get the 'grandmaster' title on his next promotion, he just may want to stick around, just so he can call himself 'grandmaster monkey butt' and promote himself as such. In this case, promoting himself as a grandmaster would not be a misrepresentation, since the system awards that title upon reaching a certain rank. I don't agree with it, but that's neither here nor there.

Anyway, this is all just opinion spouted from a brain with very little sleep since my daughter kept us up all night with a belly ache.

Cthulhu

 

[Klondike93]

I got out of TKD (ITF) version because I didn't like being told that I could only practice one style (TKD) of martial arts. I was told it would "bastardize" the system to learn other arts, so bye bye.
Now I've done some BBJ, lots of Kenpo, kickboxing and having a much better time of it too.

:shrug:

Chuck

 

[TLH3rdDan]

in my training and personally knowing several grandmasters in the nashville area that belong to varying federations... the only way they can keep a handle on things is to run the federations like a board of directors they elect one person to head up the board of 10 or 12 grand masters and they vote on belt requirements and changes to katas and which sets will be included its very political as opposed to the japanese and chinese organizations with only one person at the top...

 

[white dragon]

Just to add to this pretty much dead topic (I'm bored, ok?) I THINK you are considered a grandmaster in WTF TKD after you've reached you 6th or maybe 7th Dan. I've been told that most people don't make it past 5th Dan though simply because of the amount of time that's required between the gradings. 2 years between 1st and 2nd Dan, 3 between 2nd and 3rd, 4 between 3rd and 4th, 5 between 4th and 5th, etc.

 

[tshadowchaser]

is it the time factor or the coat factor that really stops them?

 

[white dragon]

I think it's the time factor, to keep your body in such a flexable condition for so long is very hard. Even Grandmaster Cho says how he finds it really sad that he's got to the point where he knows he's no where near as flexable, or fast as he used to be.

On an interesting note though, Cho always seems to use the title Master rather than Grandmaster, despite being a 9th Dan. SO hmm.... make of that what you will.

As for cost. I'm sure it is an issue with some people, HOWEVER my instructor is taking his 5th Dan soon and another friend is taking his 4th in about two weeks. He's paying about £200 for the grading Ithink it is. That sounds a lot I grant you, but the cost covers high of a hall and paying towards having people ranked at least two belts above the one he's going for there. For his grading people are flying in from Korea as there aren't enough people over 7th Dan in the country free to grade.

 

[matt.m]

In Moo Sul Kwan 1st-4th dans are called sir or ma'am. 5th and 6th are master, 7th-8th are grandmaster. 9th and 10th are great grandmaster.

 

[Fluffy]

It depends on the org. In the Hwa-Rang Taekwondo Federation (HTF) 1st-3rd Dan are regular Black Belts, 4th-5th are senior instructors, 5th (after a waiting period) thru 7th Dan are Masters, 8th is Grand Master and 9th is Grandmaster Instructor.

Traditionally (ITF) 7th and 8th Dan was Master and 9th Dan was Grandmaster. If I were to change anything in the HTF it would be to go back to the traditional titles.

 

[IcemanSK]

In the Kukkiwon-style, master is 4th Dan. Although in the US Chung Do Kwan Association (GM Sell's organization) instructor rank is separate from the actual belt rank. For example, one can be a 4th Dan, but if she/he doesn't teach (& fullfill other requirements), they'd be elligible only for "associate master" rank. In the USCDKA, one isn't elligible for GM rank until 8th Dan.

 

[stone_dragone]

In the ATA, there is only one Grandmaster, 9th Degree BB. There is a handfull of 8th degree's (Chief Master) and more 7th Degrees (Senior Master)...I think I got that right.

 

[Fluffy]

In the ATA, there is only one Grandmaster, 9th Degree BB. There is a handfull of 8th degree's (Chief Master) and more 7th Degrees (Senior Master)...I think I got that right.

You did. Who do you train under?

 

[stone_dragone]

I trainined under Jimmy Cole in Enterprise, AL. I've been gone from there since 2003, but I'm going back this winter...looking forward to it. Maybe getting a midterm in and possibly my 2nd Degree Black belt with them, too.