TaekwonDo rank is a joke!

B

BlackbeltNovice

White Belt
Ok, Taekwondo itself may not be a joke but the overall ranking system is. Let me explain. I took Tang Soo Do back in the early 80's when I was 9 or 10 years old. I did it for a year and a half and made it to green belt. Here we are years later (2023) and I was like "oh it would be cool to get a black belt in my early 50's." So I looked online and figured Taekwondo is Korean just like my Tang Soo Do was. I reached out to an organization and expressed my interest and said I have a past in Tang Soo Do, but didn't explain my past. They said that I had to know Taegeuk 1-8 and Palgwe 1-8 and that after learning them to send in a video of me performing them all right in a row. I started the day after Thanksgiving in 2023 and a few day before Christmas of that year I sent in my video and paid my fee for 1 Dan. A day later I was informed that I had passed and would be sent a black belt with my name and 1 gold stripe on it. I was also told that there is an option to get registered with the Kukkiwon. I just had to make some profile on TCon? and pay and additional fee. Within a week I received a black belt certificate and the belt itself from the organization and about 6 weeks after that, I got a certificate from the Kukkiwon. It took me less than 4 weeks to learn these patterns and achieve blackbelt. I never threw a kick higher than my waist and haven't practiced a single form since and forgot all 16 of them. Last year I received an email saying it had been 2 years since my 1 Dan test and if I wanted to that I could now test for 2 Dan. I just had to send a video performing Koryo, some older version of Koryo and some weird Chinte form. Needless to say, I declined. I just wanted to see if I could get my blackbelt. I now box for fitness/recreation but at least that blackbelt did get me back into some sort of self defense, just not Taekwondo.
 
This is, sadly, not uncommon, but hardly a fair representation of taekwondo training. Turn up to the average actual TKD class and you get a good workout and a fair amount of martially useful training
 
I'm sure there are enough disgruntled TMAs where bitterness over politics overides the love of the art. I've been there. Hoping to build something better.
 
skribs said:
I'd make the argument that it's not the attitude a TKD black belt would have, but that would help prove his point...
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1768588796332.webp
 
BlackbeltNovice said:
Ok, Taekwondo itself may not be a joke but the overall ranking system is. Let me explain. I took Tang Soo Do back in the early 80's when I was 9 or 10 years old. I did it for a year and a half and made it to green belt. Here we are years later (2023) and I was like "oh it would be cool to get a black belt in my early 50's." So I looked online and figured Taekwondo is Korean just like my Tang Soo Do was. I reached out to an organization and expressed my interest and said I have a past in Tang Soo Do, but didn't explain my past. They said that I had to know Taegeuk 1-8 and Palgwe 1-8 and that after learning them to send in a video of me performing them all right in a row. I started the day after Thanksgiving in 2023 and a few day before Christmas of that year I sent in my video and paid my fee for 1 Dan. A day later I was informed that I had passed and would be sent a black belt with my name and 1 gold stripe on it. I was also told that there is an option to get registered with the Kukkiwon. I just had to make some profile on TCon? and pay and additional fee. Within a week I received a black belt certificate and the belt itself from the organization and about 6 weeks after that, I got a certificate from the Kukkiwon. It took me less than 4 weeks to learn these patterns and achieve blackbelt. I never threw a kick higher than my waist and haven't practiced a single form since and forgot all 16 of them. Last year I received an email saying it had been 2 years since my 1 Dan test and if I wanted to that I could now test for 2 Dan. I just had to send a video performing Koryo, some older version of Koryo and some weird Chinte form. Needless to say, I declined. I just wanted to see if I could get my blackbelt. I now box for fitness/recreation but at least that blackbelt did get me back into some sort of self defense, just not Taekwondo.
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Let's be fair... the rank from that TKD school is a joke.

I can do this with TKD, Karate, Kung Fu, Aikido, Jeet Kun Do, Jujitsu..... heck, I have ever seen a few BJJ rank by video bits as well. There are always folks who will sell you anything you want. Heck, you could have gone here and got a black belt: Isami Karate Black Belt Premium (A lot cheaper, any dan you want)

Go here instead... they will even put the work in for you: https://www.etsy.com/

You get what you pay for.... to get something that means something, you need to put in more than money. But, you can always find a way to put in just money.

I run a small school, we don't compete, I have promoted no black belts yet (one is close...) yet every year I get invitations to be inducted into different black belt halls of fame and martial artist halls of fame... so long as my check clears..... (I never guessed that there would be that many halls of fame...)

I have even had many high ranking black belts in other arts, give me on the spot rank promotions.... they thought they were doing a good thing for me and appreciating what they saw... but I still go by the lowly rank that I worked for in the organization to which I belong.

The mistake is to run into a belt scam.... and then assume all people who practice that art are a part of that scam, or a part of a scam. The reality is that every school is different. Rank only really means anything to the specific school in which it was earned.... as they are the only ones that truly know what was involved.
 
So you found a mail order belt mill and you're disappointed with what you learned? What did you expect? And what does the existence of said belt mill have to do with TKD as a whole?
 
BlackbeltNovice said:
Ok, Taekwondo itself may not be a joke but the overall ranking system is. Let me explain. I took Tang Soo Do back in the early 80's when I was 9 or 10 years old. I did it for a year and a half and made it to green belt. Here we are years later (2023) and I was like "oh it would be cool to get a black belt in my early 50's." So I looked online and figured Taekwondo is Korean just like my Tang Soo Do was. I reached out to an organization and expressed my interest and said I have a past in Tang Soo Do, but didn't explain my past. They said that I had to know Taegeuk 1-8 and Palgwe 1-8 and that after learning them to send in a video of me performing them all right in a row. I started the day after Thanksgiving in 2023 and a few day before Christmas of that year I sent in my video and paid my fee for 1 Dan. A day later I was informed that I had passed and would be sent a black belt with my name and 1 gold stripe on it. I was also told that there is an option to get registered with the Kukkiwon. I just had to make some profile on TCon? and pay and additional fee. Within a week I received a black belt certificate and the belt itself from the organization and about 6 weeks after that, I got a certificate from the Kukkiwon. It took me less than 4 weeks to learn these patterns and achieve blackbelt. I never threw a kick higher than my waist and haven't practiced a single form since and forgot all 16 of them. Last year I received an email saying it had been 2 years since my 1 Dan test and if I wanted to that I could now test for 2 Dan. I just had to send a video performing Koryo, some older version of Koryo and some weird Chinte form. Needless to say, I declined. I just wanted to see if I could get my blackbelt. I now box for fitness/recreation but at least that blackbelt did get me back into some sort of self defense, just not Taekwondo.
Click to expand...
Soooo, you paid a belt mill for a MEANINGLESS black belt? I highly doubt this is a genuine Kukkiwon certificate and you are Not a registered KKW belt. Did your register with TCON? Can you lookup your BB number?

And, what it the point of your post? Just wanted to bash?
 
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