All this sport vs. martial arts stuff came around during the 1970's, when taekwondo instructors were flooding into the US by the hundreds every year, forever changing the landscape of the martial arts in America. These instructors had that asian face and name, pretty certificates from korea with large numbers on them, in addition to citations, plaques, international master instructor titles, and it was very difficult to compete with that. One of the ways was to focus on the sport vs. martial art thing, because many korean born instructors were fully supportive of the directive and push to get taekwondo into the Olympics. I think these anti sport campaigns back then were at least a little successful, because there was that large group of teenaged or early 20's males that was focused on self defense.
This is your opinion and you of course are entitled to have it. I think people in general were enamored with the, as you put it 'Asian faces'. As time continued however, this was seen to be more of a stereotype than anything else. Not all Asian looking people are kung fu/karate masters as was once the stereotype. Yes, many did have wonderful certificates as well. And many were legitimate.
In the past, there may have been some validity in the qualifications of some who came over.
Agreed, it would be fair to say that not all were legitimate. Some were 'airport' promotions. As the internet became available it became easier to differentiate between qualified instructors and ones that weren't. That is a good thing.
With respect, you focus so much of your time hating on SD for a TKD school. Like it is the enemy of KKW TKD. It isn't at all. SD has a place in TKD just as does sport and this allows a person to take TKD regardless of their interest and allows them to focus on whatever their personal goal(s) are. The only problem that will surface is when a school for one teaching methodology claims to cover the other. Then there is an issue that needs to be addressed for the safety of the student(s).
Today, the market for taekwondo is focused mainly on children and/or families who can train together. So while some people still try to focus on the anti sport angle as a means of market differentiation, for the most part it does not affect taekwondo schools, especially those located in neighborhoods with middle class or higher demographics. The parents who live in these neighborhoods are not interested so much in self defense, at least not at the level of intensity that the teenagers and young 20s types were in the 70s. Self defense training? They say "yeah sure", why not, but that isn't the primary or even the secondary reason why they signed up their kids or themselves.
I think it is fantastic for a family to turn off the T.V. and take up any activity that brings them together. But again, the anti-SD sentiment is there on your part. Maybe they want sport, that's great. Maybe they want SD, that's great. Maybe they don't care either way and just want to get off the couch, that's also great. But you seem to want to speak for everyone. You can't.
Perhaps another way to look at it, apart from your perspective is that sport schools are more abundant and therefore may be the only option available in a particular area. So it is either a sport school or Dancing with the Stars as a choice. That is a viable consideration.
One famous senior told me recently, my first son went to harvard law school and makes $250k/year, my second son got a Ph.D from Stanford and makes $150k per year. My third son went to a college on the east coast and makes $1 million per year teaching taekwondo. The third son is not even 30 yet.
I (and I think others as well based on their comments) see a trend where you keep equating $ with quality instruction. Although it
can be an indicator, it isn't the best one. Indeed, one can operate a pure '
McDojang/belt mill' with no regard for the student and make a lot of money. That doesn't mean they offer a quality product or have quality instruction. It could merely pander to the lower base by tickling their ego-fancy i.e. here's another belt for you and this one has stripes.
The measure of an instructor is the quality of his/her students. Can they successfully compete if it is a sport school? Can they successfully defend themselves if it is a SD school? This is by far more important that the type of car the instructor drives in my opinion.
Quality is not dependent on quantity or $.
Those who teach other martial arts in a commercial setting have no doubt felt the impact of the continuing flood of korean born instructors who saturate and dominate the market with their impeccable credentials, large brand new beautiful schools and a work ethic that is difficult to overcome. I would be seriously afraid if I were not a part of this network, especially in these lean economic times.
I cannot expound on other areas, but within my own area I've seen a half dozen TKD schools close in the last few years. The ones here that have been around for decades, other than my own are an Aikido school, three Ueichi Ryu schools, one Bushido school and several BJJ and/or MMA schools. There are some TKD schools with staying power in the area to be sure, some large and well known. But I just haven't seen them adversely affect the other schools or my own. And I wish all of them the very best success.
Soon the only place where you will hear anything about "sport vs. self defense" will be in internet message boards such as these. Learning kukki taekwondo from one of these types of instructors is like going to walmart or target, with all of the mom and pop stores closing left and right. You get the same high quality goods, with a better selection, and they atmosphere is nicer and cleaner and, well, just better.
Actually it remains beyond just the internet. Which is why I have a waiting list. I would not consider the schools I mentioned above as mom & pop stores, and they've been around for decades here.
I understand you're KKW TKD and want to put it in the best light possible. But perhaps putting it on a pedestal while simultaneously trying to bad mouth or put down other arts isn't the best approach. Is there not room for everyone? Can we not offer the student choices in their martial education. Not everyone wants, needs or desires sport methodology. It is there if they want it, and other options are available if they desire it.
Celebrate TKD for ALL it can offer. Don't elevate one aspect by putting the rest down.
