Warning: Long post!
I checked out the link and copied this from their homepage; my comments are below the quote.
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"Independent Martial Arts Association (I.M.A.A.) was founded by Mr Kevin Summers 6th Dan & Mr Graham Lambert 4th Dan in 2006. The aim of Independent Martial Arts is to provide a service to ITF and WTF Tae Kwon-Do practitioners and martial arts instructors in the UK that unifies and represents itself at the highest possible standards achievable.
With years of experience behind them both Mr Summers and Mr Lambert are able to promote and deliver the martial arts experience with innovative and challenging methods. The system is based on the ITF and WTF from which capsulate's the root of there knowledge. The methods of training today are crucial to the representation in the future of a martial art that has sadly been continually eroded and diluted over the past 10 years. We hope that you will join us in our quest for perfection, above all enabling excellence within ourselves"
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I would like to know precisely what they've culled from the ITF and what they think they've culled from the WTF: the only thing that the WTF has to offer in terms of system is sparring rules. If they mean the WTF's actual taekwondo system, then that's a problem because the WTF doesn't have one. It is the Kukkiwon that developes a system. The WTF is merely a sports organizing body. People calling the Kukkiwon system a WTF system isn't uncommon, but its usually people outside of the WTF who would not be familiar with the distinction between the KKW and the WTF. If these men are building a system based upon both the WTF and the ITF, given the ranks that they hold, they'd really have to know the difference. If they're using the term, 'WTF' for the purposes of their website but really mean the KKW system, then I can see what they're doing but frown upon the incorrect usage of the term, WTF. If they don't know the difference, then they certainly don't have the depth of knowledge to build a system from the KKW curriculum.
Now that I've gotten my nomenclature stickles out of the way, here are the questions I would have.
1) From what organization did these gentlemen earn their 6th dan and 4th dan ranks?
2) What qualifies them to create a hybrid of two systems?
3) Exactly what are they blending and why? And most importantly, what benefit is gained from this melding of systems?
4) What does this organization do for you as a school owner?
5) And this relates to you specifically: why not just go KKW? Given that the system you came from (YHR) used KKW forms up to and including Koryo at least and used WTF sparring rules from what I saw of the Master Shaw video, and given that you were fourth dan (?) in that system, it would seem that if all you want organizational credentials that you would probably be one of the people that USAT is looking to benefit with the "Historic KKW Testing" (see threads elswhere in the TKD section). That would get you credentialed in a style that you're already familiar with. Since the KKW doesn't limit what you can teach over and above their curriculum, it would seem that the KKW would actually make more sense for you.
6) And most importantly, what will joining this association do for your students? This is the most important question to answer. Joining a new org is not going to radically change what you're teaching (or shouldn't, given that you seem to have a system already in place), so how does it benefit them? Does you being an associate member of this organization based in the UK benefit your students in the US in any meaningful way? If the answer is no, then you're better off remaining independent.
Aside from reading the home page, I didn't dig through the website. The six questions I listed above would be things for you to look into and then take whatever course of action you feel is best for your school and students. I hope that my post is helpful to you.
Best wishes,
Daniel
