This little ditty is geared predominately towards the martial artists out there who read this blog... This being said, (hopefully), it may provide you non-marital artists with a little bit of insight into the overall workings of life and stuff…
 
Every now and then I am hit up by someone who has become very unhappy with the martial art organization they belong to. They have discovered some flaw in its hierarchy or in the way it does business. And yes, business is the name of the game, even for marital art organizations. Though, I believe, many believe that this fact is not the way it should be. But, that is the ultimate underlying truth of any martial art or other organized group: business and money.
 
I have mentioned this numerous times before, but I was there and was a witness to the formation of several of the overseeing martial arts organizations that rose out of the Korean martial arts in the 1960s, 1970s, and onwards. Some still exist; others have fallen away. But, the one thing I can say, and I have said this before, I witnessed many of the dirty-dealings and the less than ethical foundations that went on in the early years of these organizations. The stories I could tell… But, I will not. …So much so, that it caused me to turn my back on deep affiliation with some of these associations long ago.
 
This being said, there has arisen this seeming need, in the modern martial arts, to be part of that greater whole; to be certified by that seemingly all-knowing group that is the proclaimed ultimate authority of rank and rank advancement and all of that kind of stuff. I get it. That’s human nature. But then, when a member or some of the members get slapped in the face with the truth about the organization, then what?
 
I mean, think about this, Chuck Norris, one of the main pioneers of introducing the Korean martial arts to the U.S. left behind his Korean-based organization to form his own alliance decades ago. I could tell you about the reason for this via what I have read and have heard from the man himself, but you can find out all of that if you do your own research. So, I will let that speak for itself.
 
The fact being, no organization is without its flaws or its faults. Many people, never look for those and are hopefully never confronted with them or by them. Thus, they stay unwaveringly focused on that group. Good for them! But, the moment you, (the greater you), has the truth revealed to you, then the truth is all you know.
 
Look to Un Yong Kim, the first and the longtime president of the World Taekwondo Federation. He was convicted and went to jail in South Korea for dirty-dealings in association with the WTF. And, he was simply one of the most high-profile individuals who got caught. So many others got away with it.  
 
Like I have long said, it is my belief that the best and closest relationship is between an instructor and their students. Isn’t it they who can best judge a student’s progress and award them rank promotion and advancement? I am not saying that all instructors are impartial and/or the true representative of any art. But, isn’t it they who knows their students the best? Shouldn’t they be the judge of a student’s ability to be promoted or not? Who needs an organization that has no personal interaction with any practitioner?
 
Myself, in my younger years, I was very happy to be promoted by and work within an organization. I was proud to call out my association with them. Later in my career within the martial arts, I joined or was asked to join organizations and was happy to do so. …Asked to join mostly due to my one-time high-profile standing within the martial arts.  But then, Me Too… I, on a couple of occasions, was hit by the negative deeds of the hierarchy of the associations. Though time and truth proved me to be right and them to be wrong, I left behind those groups as they were no better than the larger organizational bodies.

I believe it was about fifteen years ago or so, I received a letter from the president of a major martial art organization offering to promoted me to 9th degree black belt in Hapkido. Though I kept the letter, I turned down the offering. By then, it all just seemed so unnecessary and even questionable, with all of the goings-on within these associations. I mean, what does a number on a piece of paper actually mean, no matter what organization has issues it, when there is so much false rank being bought and sold.
 
In terms of the me… Now, in these days, I have more than once tried to remove my instructors and/or organizational memberships from my personal bio. I did/do this because I believe that ultimately a true and advanced martial artist must move away from the definition and limitations of who taught them and/or what person or organization certified them and transcend into a space of realizing their own unique understanding of physical and mental movement. But, when I have done this, I get hit with so many questions and accusations that I decided that it is best to just leave that information up there. This, even though my martial art biography has been distributed by so many established publishing companies. But, as any of us who have been in the game for a time understand, a lot of the modern martial artists do not seem to be operating from the most enlightened of perspectives. But, that is an entirely different issue… In any case… Meaning, if we are a part of the game, if we play the game of the martial arts, then we are all defined by the rules of the game. But, who sets those rules?
 
The point being, organizations do not hold the truth. They are not the truth. Yes, they have the power to certify. But, who is at the top of that certification list. Like in the case of Un Yong Kim, he was not a Taekwondo black belt when he was given the role as the head of the World Taekwondo Federation and prior to that the Korea Taekwondo Association. He was a political appointee. Yet, he was the one who signed all of the diplomas. …I met the man. He was a very nice guy. I even sat next to him over dinner one night. But, what does any of that mean? What does any of that mean if he ends up in jail due to his dealing for or about the organization?
 
So, to all of you marital artists out there who seek to become certified by whatever organization it is that you hope to become certified by, study who is at the helm of that group and try to find out who and what they truly are. Find out who is running the show and who is part of the show. And, most importantly, why they are in the position they are in.
 
To all of you martial artists out there who have seen through the veil of illusion and have become disgruntled with whatever organization it is you are a part of, know that this is simply the name of the game. Know that organizations are simply defined by who is a member of that organization and whom they allow to become a member. From this, a vast plethora of good and bad people are congregate under one umbrella. And, from this, and because of this, good and bad deeds and actions are harbored and unleashed. Some of it, you may love. Some of it, you may hate. But, because each group is only as good or as bad as whom they allow to join that group, the course of that organization will forever be in flux. Just know, if you allow that group to be the defining factor of your life, you may become very disillusioned.