That might all be true, except for the fact that in the 45 year history of the ITF in the US, there are about 10,000 1st dan members. No way of getting around that.
Im not trying to - Numbers are numbers. Whilst 10,000 sounds a bit low (Id be aiming around 25,000), Ill take it.
And a lot of those ITF members in the US have converted to kukkiwon certification. I don't see it being that large outside of the US, perhaps canada, maybe. But China is catching up. Taekwondo schools are sprouting up all over the place there, and someday there may be more kukkiwon poom and dan holders in china that the whole world combined. That place is booming.
*nods
Trying checking your own martial arts supply houses. Every once in a while Barnes and Noble here sells an australian taekwondo magazine, so it must be bigger than just a couple few very large clubs.
Youd be surprised. Most MA Supply Stores I know dont sell anything more than Hogu [As far as TKD goes. I cant really phrase that more clearly without turning it into a paragraph though]. And as for Magazines, the ITF, GTF, RITA and various other Orgs here dont do Magazines. At all. Ever. In fact, we dont advertise any more than a sign outside the Dojang. Most MA Supply Houses around here sell Boxing and Karate gear. Mostly Karate gear.
It amuses Me often that We use Boxing Focus Mitts and Kickboxing Labeled Shields.
