Looking for a Taekwondo mentor

[Earl Weiss]

Even if you have the "time-in-grade" necessary, you still have not been taught by someone. This is fraud.

Some are taught by one and some are taught by many. If taught by one are you getting years of experience or the same experience repeated many times? On the other hand there is a wealth of information out there via Seminars and workshops. You just habe to be willing to put in the time and effort.

 

[Earl Weiss]

It's unlikely that Chung Oh made up his own system. He would have had to "tow the line" to gain rank and be able to open a school at all. This is how he was taught. You'll find every former Chung Oh's student does it the same way, proving that it's not by accident. It's not just me doing it this way.

Your experience is not unique. Due to the many original Chung Do Kwan Black belts General Choi recruited to learn, demonstrate and teach, you will find their progeny do his system with a Chung Do Kwan Flavor. This includes prodigy of such Notables as He Il Cho and Jhoon Rhee as ell as those of Nam Tae Hi and Han Cha Kyo. I did not spot that flavor in your videos. Perhaps it was altered over time or perhaps there was another Kwan Lineage.

 

[BaehrTKD]

Your experience is not unique. Due to the many original Chung Do Kwan Black belts General Choi recruited to learn, demonstrate and teach, you will find their progeny do his system with a Chung Do Kwan Flavor. This includes prodigy of such Notables as He Il Cho and Jhoon Rhee as ell as those of Nam Tae Hi and Han Cha Kyo. I did not spot that flavor in your videos. Perhaps it was altered over time or perhaps there was another Kwan Lineage.

Here is a rare video of my instructor in case you are curious. I know it's only a snippet, but at least you can see and hear him teaching us.

 

[skribs]

Here is a rare video of my instructor in case you are curious. I know it's only a snippet, but at least you can see and hear him teaching us.

The video starts off with "My students can do X, not other students", which is something I've heard from multiple Taekwondo Masters that have taught me.

I'm not sure what you wanted to show here. I don't mean to speak ill of him, but since you posted it, I don't see anything special with what was presented. Lots of people have done sword, and done it better than displayed here. Simple little things like the way he pretends to put the sword back in it's sheath, that should be done without looking at his hand. It's also a different grip than I'm used to (and maybe there's a reason for it that I'm ignorant of), but I've always been taught to grip at the top and bottom of the grip so you have the most leverage and mobility when using the sword.

Even if those were fixed, I don't know what this clip would show, other than you had a teacher who taught in a very similar way to most teachers. It would be like saying your algebra teacher was special because they taught you the Pythagorean Theorem.

 

[BaehrTKD]

Sure they can. Anyone can.

So was mine. He's been here since 1969. Doesn't mean anything, really. MA knowledge isn't genetic.

So you say, but without anything other than your unsupported words. But even if true, really doesn't matter.

It's a nonsensical rank added to increase revenue.

Why would I be jealous?

So the other side of the story will never be known.

You misspelled "self-promoted". Hope this helps.

You didn't "test [yourself]". You just promoted yourself. Which I'm fine with. That's how the first head of pretty much every MA organization got their rank. Because, by definition, there is nobody higher than them to promote them.
People who know how rank in the TKD world works already know you're self-promoted. Because you haven't been around long enough to earn a 7th Dan the usual way.
I just think it's silly to try to mask the facts with silliness about "testing yourself". It's disingenuous.

I came here to exchange ideas, not to argue.

I have absolutely nothing to prove, and I didn't come here seeking approval by others. I've tested and earned every rank that I have. It wasn't a "self-promotion". It was a "self-test" where I put myself through everything that I ask of others and had my Dad supervise (until he passed away this year that is). It was the actual required test that I performed. I didn't just wake up and say "today I'm 7th Dan". I learned new material, spent time practicing and improving, and my Dad ultimately tested me on it.

The people you cling to as the "deciders" on all things rank related in Taekwondo are not. It's just their opinion, and you subscribe to their opinion at the exclusion of all others. That's your choice, but you can't act like it's the one and only "right" way to do things. There is no one "right" rank system. Every school makes their own. You know that.

Meanwhile, I have no idea who you are, what rank you claim to be, or whether any of your skills are legit. Nobody is digging into your past and trying to interrogate you.

There have been a long line of so-called ITF-certified masters who can't do half of what I can do and who don't know much of anything other than how to do the techniques. Sometimes not even that much. They just linger around the same school and keep going to ceremonial "tests" where they pay an exorbitant fee and get a rank just for showing up and having "seniority". The only thing changing is their age. All this nonsense about "time within rank" is just made up BS.

 

[BaehrTKD]

The video starts off with "My students can do X, not other students", which is something I've heard from multiple Taekwondo Masters that have taught me.

I'm not sure what you wanted to show here. I don't mean to speak ill of him, but since you posted it, I don't see anything special with what was presented. Lots of people have done sword, and done it better than displayed here. Simple little things like the way he pretends to put the sword back in it's sheath, that should be done without looking at his hand. It's also a different grip than I'm used to (and maybe there's a reason for it that I'm ignorant of), but I've always been taught to grip at the top and bottom of the grip so you have the most leverage and mobility when using the sword.

Even if those were fixed, I don't know what this clip would show, other than you had a teacher who taught in a very similar way to most teachers. It would be like saying your algebra teacher was special because they taught you the Pythagorean Theorem.

HIM. All I wanted to show was him teaching us. There is very little video of him out there.

I know you're expecting to see GOD levitating in place stopping bullets with his mind. You're not appreciating it the way his students did because you were not one of his students.

 

[skribs]

You're expecting to see GOD levitating in place stopping bullets with his mind.

You've been building him up to be that. I'm calling you out that he's not. You've been bragging about how he was #2 under Choi, how he can claim stuff nobody else can claim, that you have such a unique and special experience training under him.

So yes, if you're going to post a video, I expect you would want it to back up what you claim. I would expect it to be the best video you could possibly post, to back up your claims that you are as special as you claim to be. But this video makes you look worse.

He's in his 60's here. You're not appreciating it the way his students did because you were not one of his students.

I don't see what being in your 60s has to do with using the proper technique to put the sword away or to hold it.

This guy goes into the proper hand placement for a katana. It gives greater control over the sword. This would be better regardless of age. In fact, as you get older and are not as strong as when you were in your 20s and 30s, this would be even more important.

Check out the section starting at 1:33. His first example is how not to do it, which is what your video shows. Looking at the sheath and just sticking the sword straight in. That's how not to do it. How to do it is to place the back of the katana on the sheath, draw along the top of the sheath until the tip of the blade partially clears, and then sheath. You can do this without looking.

And yes, I'm not appreciating it in the way his students did. I'm not one of his students. I don't think any of us on this forum are, except for you. So again, what was your point in showing this? I assume it was to show him off. Because as I said above, you're making these grandiose claims.

• Post #73, "My instructor was Chung Oh (now deceased), who might have been as high as #2 (behind only General Choi)."
• Post #75, "He was either the 1st or 2nd instructor to open a Taekwondo school in Canada, and was the highest ranking in Canada. (We're talking early 1970's here.)
  He was taught BY General Choi. Not many instructors can say they learned TKD from General Choi himself.
  Chung Oh was also on the first ever Olympic team for Canada (as a coach) when TKD became an Olympic sport in 1988 in Seoul, Korea.
• Post #81, "Don't get me wrong, it's cool that you spent time with him in seminars. What I'm saying is that he taught my instructor from white belt to black belt back when he was in his prime. He would have been teaching every class over many years and demonstrating the techniques.
• Post #89, "I think my instructor was unique."
• Post #100, "Once here, there would have been General Choi, my instructor (Chung Oh), and the guy in Toronto (I forget the name) and that's it. A pretty exclusive club."
• Post #130, "Everyone wants to believe that they learned from the greatest TKD instructor. I get it. However, few people can claim what I can...My instructor was one of the original black belts in TKD...Whether you choose to believe me or not is your choice, but it's absolutely the truth." (I left out the irrelevant bits).
• Post #132, "You may have heard it multiple times, but in the case of my instructor it's actually true."

You set the expectations that are not being met. This is not me having high standards. This is you overselling.

 

[skribs]

I have absolutely nothing to prove, and I didn't come here seeking approval by others. I've tested and earned every rank that I have. It wasn't a "self-promotion". It was a "self-test" where I put myself through everything that I ask of others and had my Dad supervise (until he passed away this year that is). It was the actual required test that I performed. I didn't just wake up and say "today I'm 7th Dan". I learned new material, spent time practicing and improving, and my Dad ultimately tested me on it.

I'd prefer self-promotion over nepotism. Parents are often more biased than yourself.

My Master couldn't promote his wife or son directly, he had to send videos to Kukkiwon to verify.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Thread locked pending staff review