Difference Between WTF and ATA TKD Organizations

**krazy kaju** · Posted On: 3/18/2008 4:19pm

Are all WTF schools in the US a part of the ATA?

If not, do WTF schools have the same quality issues (easy to get black belts and crappy instructors)?

***DerAuslander*** · Posted On: 3/18/2008 9:23pm

The ATA & WTF are completely separate organizations.

**krazy kaju** · Posted On: 3/19/2008 1:01pm

Originally Posted by Errant108

The ATA & WTF are completely separate organizations.

So do WTF TKD schools still suffer from incredibly low standards, easy to get black belts, and bad instructors?

***DerAuslander*** · Posted On: 3/19/2008 1:07pm

If it's not a competition oriented school, yes. WTF schools are feeders for Olympic orgs.

**krazy kaju** · Posted On: 3/19/2008 2:34pm

Originally Posted by Errant108

If it's not a competition oriented school, yes. WTF schools are feeders for Olympic orgs.

Thanks.

**saman** · Posted On: 3/20/2008 6:11am

Originally Posted by krazy kaju

Are all WTF schools in the US a part of the ATA?

If not, do WTF schools have the same quality issues (easy to get black belts and crappy instructors)?

:qleft1: On what planet did you train in ma??? The ATA does NOT teach tkd - some yahoo in thier leadership invented some bunch of movements that he took from ITF style & gave it a new name. The ATA is the ATA and the WTF is the WTF and of course NONE of the WTF schools are ATA. Every professional martial arts school, possibly even your school, struggles with quality issues but the WTF instructors, by and large, are very good and have high expectations of their student's performance.

**TKDfan** · Posted On: 3/20/2008 10:29am

Originally Posted by Errant108

If it's not a competition oriented school, yes. WTF schools are feeders for Olympic orgs.

Well said. I am with my third school since starting TKD. The first 2 did very little sparring and were heavy on the forms. The second actually taught both WTF and ITF forms. Although they claimed to be "Olympic style", I could have been beaten with a feather. My current master is truly a WTF style with a heavy emphasis on stamina and sparring techniques. It is interesting to note that the second school found it necessary to affiliate with ITA and USBBA to give some sense of credibility. It didn't work. That said, I still feel the sport fighting aspect at those first 2 schools was superior to that output by most ATA afiliated organization. My opinion, sorrry if it offends!

***Omega Supreme*** · Posted On: 3/20/2008 10:36am

Originally Posted by saman

:qleft1: On what planet did you train in ma??? The ATA does NOT teach tkd.

Who you calling a moron?

ATA
American Taekwondo Association.
TKD=Taekwondo.

It's in there name.

You may not consider it taekwondo but they do. If they called themselves AKA for American Karate Association (not to be fooled with the American Kickboxing Academy) we would be in the karate section having equally as much fun making fun of krotty.

I'd take a good look in the mirror before calling anybody a moron.

***Omega Supreme*** · Posted On: 3/20/2008 10:44am

Originally Posted by saman

:qleft1: Every professional martial arts school, possibly even your school, struggles with quality issues but the WTF instructors, by and large, are very good and have high expectations of their student's performance.

You need to come to my town.

One WTF club, never goes to tournaments and teaches part time, instructor and students out of shape.

Second WTF school, instructor is a letch pretends to teach mma, and can't remember basic forms.

Third WTF school, good instructor turned to kickboxing hasn't looked back since, closed his school 4 years ago due to bad management.

Fourth WTF school, actually one of the originals up and packed away his school after 2 years in business without informing his student forcing them to pay a long term contract because he decided to move his school 45 miles away when the contract says they have to be more than 50 miles away to cancel.

Fifth WTF school, Guy basically pawned himself up as a blackbelt fat out of shape, managed to find a position on the state board of directors. Just recently took everbody's money and closed shop without warning. Want to guess who his original instructor was?

I know it's not like that all around but that's my history with the WTF and I have 2nd degree blackbelt with an offer to get a third that I really don't want.

**retrograde** · Posted On: 3/21/2008 6:20am

Just to be a pedant, the WTF is an organisation that runs sparring competitions (and now one poomsae one). It's more correct to think of these schools as Kukkiwon-style schools, many of which have absolutely nothing to do with the WTF and the style of sparring you see in the Olympics.

Schools that are heavily involved in WTF competitions (or those run under WTF rules by WTF sanctioned organisations. The WTF itself is only involved in really big tournaments) often have very high standards of fitness and conditioning, but may do the bare minimum necessary for forms, one-step techniques, etc (generally, you have to do SOME, because to fight in a WTF competition, you need a Kukkiwon black-belt certification, but those are easy to get). On the other hand, I know some Kukkiwon schools who produce elite level WTF fighters, and also cross-train seriously in BJJ, judo or kickboxing. Clubs who tend to be heavily involved in competitions at least are having their club scrutinised by others, though, and TKD instructors can get pretty bitchy. At least when I was involved, clubs that were seen to have poor technique and lower standards (you know, by TKD standards. Obviously most had terrible skills for ACTUAL fighting) got whispers behind their backs.

To generalise: schools heavily involved in WTF competitions (ie a reasonable amount of their students compete and achieve good results) generally have good levels of fitness and conditioning.

But with Kukkiwon clubs who have nothing to do with competition, you can't really generalise. Compared to what the ATA instructor said, there is far less regulation amongst Kukkiwon clubs. To get a Kukkiwon black-belt certificate, you need to be graded by someone with a Kukkiwon 4th Dan or higher and send the Kukkiwon vast sums of money. That's it. There is no instructor training or specific certification for instructors or head instructors. The Kukkiwon has a basic outline for black-belt grades, but there's no one policing it, and you can theoretically set anything you want for your colour belt tests. The only commonality between any Kukkiwon-style schools are that they practise the Taeguk form-set.

Anyway, that was all far too long and off-topic, but hopefully rests that debate.