American Taekwondo Association

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The American Taekwondo Association (ATA) was founded in 1969 by Haeng Ung Lee of South Korea. It is one of the largest Taekwondo organizations in the United States, and in association with the Songahm Taekwondo Federation (STF) and World Traditional Taekwondo Union (WTTU), is one of the largest in the world. The ATA is currently headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The American Taekwondo Association authorizes thousands of instructors at over two thousand schools across the United States. ATA forms are protected under US and global copyright laws, and are the traditional basis of rank promotion in Taekwondo. The belts of Songahm ("Pine Tree and Rock") Taekwondo symbolize the steps of growth from a tiny seed to a mighty pine tree.

Contents 1 Songahm Taekwondo 2 Belt and rank system 2.1 Colored belt series 2.2 Black belt series 2.3 Philosophy 2.4 Mastership 3 Forms 3.1 Colored belts 3.2 Black belts 4 One-step sparring 5 Uniform 5.1 ATA patch 5.2 Black Belt Club patch 5.3 Instructor collars 5.4 Instructor dress uniform 6 Related organizations 6.1 Songahm Taekwondo Federation 6.2 World Traditional Taekwondo Union 6.3 Xtreme Martial Arts (ATA Xtreme) 6.4 Korean taekwondo Council 7 Criticisms 8 Songahm Grand Masters 9 Master's Council 10 See also 11 References 12 External links

[edit] Songahm Taekwondo

Songahm Taekwondo is a style of martial arts originating in Korean tradition. Songahm means "Pine Tree Temple/rock." Songahm itself represents "evergreen strength the year round, long life and a symbol of unchanging human loyalty"^{[citation needed]} as represented by the pine tree and the rock. Throughout a student's, training the student is compared to a growing pine tree, from a seed (white belt) to a massive tree (black belt).

Practitioners of Songahm Taekwondo study poome sae (forms, a preset combination of offensive and defensive technigues, designed to simulate sparring an imaginary opponent), gyeo-roo-gi (sparring), one-steps (scripted sparring segments), self defense, board breaking, weapons and leadership skills. Songahm taekwondo has a leadership program that allows students to work as leaders in junior classes and helps the leadership workers become qualified taekwondo instructors.

[edit] Belt and rank system

The American Taekwondo Association uses a rank system divided into two series: the colored belt series, and the black belt series. The purposes of a rank system include establishing a chain of command, and measurement of student progress. Each series has nine ranks within it due to the significance of the number nine as the highest attainable goal of a measurable endeavor in Oriental culture.

Each rank from orange belt to second degree black belt may be held either as a Recommended (R) or Decided (D) rank. The "decided" rank is a half step above the "recommended" rank. Some schools denote this rank with a piece of black tape around the end of the belt hanging on the student's right side. Other schools show the recommended rank with dual colored belts. Your higher rank would be worn as the top half of the belt and the lesser rank as the bottom half of the belt. Decided ranks wear the full color belt. At promotional rank testgings, students may receive a "Full Pass," "Half Pass," or "No Change." In rare cases where students have prior martial arts experience, they may be promoted by 1 1/2 ranks or "double test" and get a full two rank promotion. For example, a decided Camo Belt (6D) could go half a rank to recommended Green Belt (Half Green/Half Camo - 5R), a full rank to decided Green Belt (Solid Green - 5D), or stay the same. And in extreme cases, if they go 1 1/2 ranks, they would become recommended Purple Belt (Half Purple/Half Green - 4R) or "double Test" and achieve decided Purple Belt (Solid Purple - 4D).

However, if a closer look is taken at the philosophy behind the belt, then the colors chosen for each belt are clear. ATA uses a progressive symbology of a pine tree growing on a mountain, and each belt represents a stage of growth. The camouflage belt, as an example, has the meaning behind it of "The sapling is hidden among the taller pines and must now begin to fight its way upward". This is further reinforced by the fact that camouflage belt is the first level where the student begins to free spar, as opposed to formalized one step (scripted) sparring segments.

[edit] Colored belt series

• 9th Grade White Belt
• 8th Grade Orange Belt Recommended (8R)
• 8th Grade Orange Belt Decided (8D)
• 7th Grade Yellow Belt Recommended (7R)
• 7th Grade Yellow Belt Decided (7D)
• 6th Grade Camouflage Belt Recommended (6R)
• 6th Grade Camouflage Belt Decided (6D)
• 5th Grade Green Belt Recommended (5R)
• 5th Grade Green Belt Decided (5D)
• 4th Grade Purple Belt Recommended (4R)
• 4th Grade Purple Belt Decided (4D)
• 3rd Grade Blue Belt Recommended (3R)
• 3rd Grade Blue Belt Decided (3D)
• 2nd Grade Brown Belt Recommended (2R)
• 2nd Grade Brown Belt Decided (2D)
• 1st Grade Red Belt Recommended (1R)
• 1st Grade Red Belt Decided (1D)

[edit] Black belt series

• 1st Degree Black Belt Recommended (1BR, Red/Black Belt)
• 1st Degree Black Belt Decided (1BD)
• 2nd Degree Black Belt Recommended (2BR)
• 2nd Degree Black Belt Decided (2BD)
• 3rd Degree Black Belt (3BD, 3rd-9th degree are "Decided" ranks - there are no "Recommendeds")
• 4th Degree Black Belt (4BD)
• 5th Degree Black Belt (5BD)
• 6th Degree Black Belt (6BD) Eligible for the title Master
• 7th Degree Black Belt (7BD) Eligible for the title Senior Master
• 8th Degree Black Belt (8BD) Eligible for the title Chief Master
• 9th Degree Black Belt (9BD) Grand Master^[1]

For recommended Black Belt ranks, the student is required to successfully pass testing for their next decided rank within 6 months of achieving their current recommended rank. Failure to do so would result in the student being returned to their next lowest decided rank (i.e. a 2nd Degree recommended would be returned to 1st Degree decided).

The honorary rank of 10th Degree Black Belt, styled "Eternal Grand Master", was bestowed upon Grand Master Haeng Ung Lee following his death in 2000.^[2]

[edit] Philosophy

Each belt has a meaning that compares the students growth in Taekwondo to the growth of a pine tree.

• White belt compares the student to having a clean slate in Taekwondo (white is used to represent "clean")
• Orange belt compares a student's knowledge to the sun rise, the student sees the beauty of Taekwondo but not the power.
• Yellow belt states that the seed has seen the sun, the student is learning the basics and has "seen the sun"
• Camo belt states that the student has seen their place in the world of Taekwondo and must now fight their way up the ranks (students start sparring now).
• Green belt compares a student to a sapling that is growing in strength and entering a new level of training.
• Purple belt represents the student's reaching a "mountain" in their training as their forms become more difficult and curriculum moe challenging.
• Blue belt represents student's reaching towards new heights. The student is now considered an advanced belt (new heights being the sky for the pine tree and black belt for the student).
• Brown belt signifies that the student has firm roots in Taekwondo (brown is used to represent the earth).
• Red belt represents the first day (red is used to represent the sun set) of a student's training being over, and the student's beginning of work towards their black belt.
• Red/black belt signifies the sun's rising on the second day of training, as a student works toward their black belt.
• Black belt has special symbolism, as black is created when all colors of the spectrum are absorbed into an object, as the student has "absorbed" the knowledge of all previous belts.

[edit] Mastership

Upon attaining the rank of 6th Degree black belt, the next step is earning the mantle of "Master Instructor." This is not automatic. A 5th Degree may only test for 6th Degree at the Songahm Taekwondo World Championships, held in Little Rock, Arkansas each June. The new 6th Degree will have new criteria which must be met in order to apply for Mastership, and cannot be awarded until Worlds the following year. Similarly, there is a minimum period of a year between earning a 7th Degree and the Senior Master title, as well as 8th Degree and the Chief Master title. Mastership is only earned after many years of dedication to the ATA, which is why Masters are styled "Instructors of Instructors."

[edit] Forms

A form (poome sae) is a series of kicks, blocks and punches put together in a set pattern. The pattern becomes more complex as the student progresses through the ranks. For example, the 9th grade white belt form contains eighteen moves. The 5th grade green belt form has 34 moves and the 1st degree black belt form has 81 moves. If all of the forms (eighteen in all)are done in sequence, they form the pattern of a nine pointed star (eight outer points plus a center point) referred to as the Songahm Star. In general, forms create a contextual application for new material learned at each belt level.

[edit] Colored belts

• 9th Grade White Belt - Songahm Il-Jahng
• 8th Grade Orange Belt - Songahm Ee-Jahng
• 7th Grade Yellow Belt - Songahm Sahm-Jahng
• 6th Grade Camouflage Belt - Songahm Sah-Jahng
• 5th Grade Green Belt - Songahm Oh-Jahng
• 4th Grade Purple Belt - In Wha Il-Jahng
• 3rd Grade Blue Belt - In Wha Ee-Jahng
• 2nd Grade Brown Belt - Choong Jung Il-Jahng
• 1st Grade Red Belt - Choong Jung Ee-Jahng

[edit] Black belts

• 1st Degree Black Belt - Shim Jun
• 2nd Degree Black Belt - Jung Yul
• 3rd Degree Black Belt - Chung San
• 4th Degree Black Belt - Sok Bong
• 5th Degree Black Belt - Chung Hae
• 6th Degree Black Belt - Jhang Soo
• 7th Degree Black Belt - Bee Ho
• 8th Degree Black Belt - N/A
• 9th Degree Black Belt - N/A

[edit] One-step sparring

One steps are a short combination of blocks, strikes and kicks that serve as a precursor to free sparring. Through one steps, students learn to put moves into combinations, focus their techniques at a specific target, learn distancing and gain self control. There are three specific one steps for each belt level starting at white belt and ending with green. As with the forms, the one steps become more complex as a student progresses in rank.

[edit] Uniform

Students and instructors alike each wear a traditional white dobok with the appropriate belt to all classes, promotional rank testings, and tournaments. Each dobok has on the right breast an ATA shield patch with a school or club-specific patch on the left. On the back of the uniform, instructors and trainee instructors are required to have the word "TAEKWONDO" arching over a red and blue ATA patch. Underneath the patch is the instructor's name, either as "JOHN DOE" or "J. DOE." Non-instructor students may wear a uniform with "TAEKWONDO" and an ATA patch on the back, however, these students may not wear their names on their backs. Instead of a name, the student will have the location of the dojahng (dojo) he or she attends, e.g., "Lincoln, NE."

[edit] ATA patch

The ATA patch worn on the right breast. It is in the shape of a shield with three points at the top and one at the bottom. At the top-left of the patch is the American Flag. The flag of South Korea is next to it in the top-right corner. The lower two-thirds of the patch is a white field with a large "ATA," the consonant in blue and the vowels in red, tapering away from the center. The stitching around the flags and the whole of the patch is blue.

The ATA patch worn on the back of the uniform is made up of large block letters with the same color pattern as on the breast patch. The rear patch has a white silhouette of a jump side kick superimposed on it.

[edit] Black Belt Club patch

The BBC patch is worn on the top of the left sleeve. It is in the shape of an inverted triange overtop of a circle. This patch is worn by all members of the Black Belt Club. The black belt club is where students learn sparring and weapons, this program is capible of brining students from camo belt to black belt.

[edit] Instructor collars

Black Belt students not certified as instructors nor enrolled in a trainee instructor program wear a one inch black ribbon along the edge of the uniform jacket from the bottom of the jacket to the level of the belt. Instructors wear ribbon on the entire length of the collar with one half inch of white showing on the top/inside of the collar.

• 1 inch red/white/blue stripe: Worn by children in the Junior Trainee Instructor Program (JTIP)
• 1 inch red stripe: Worn by adults enrolled in the Trainee Instructor Program
• 1 inch half red & half black stripe: Worn by Level 1 Certified Trainee Instructors
• 1 inch black/red/black stripe: Worn by Level 2 Certified Specialty Instructors
• 1 inch black stripe: Worn by Level 3 Certified Instructors
• 1 1/2 inch black stripe: Worn by Level 3 Certified Instructors who own or operate their own school or who are the head instructor of the school they teach/manage. All certified instructors 4th Degree and above also wear this collar.

Colors may also be added to the collar to denote the number of students actively testing each testing cycle:

• • Black/blue/black: 200 - 499
  • Black/silver/black: 500 - 999
  • Black/gold/black: 1000 or more
• 1 1/2 inch gold stripe: Worn only by the Grand Master

In addition, a 1/2 inch black stripe is added down the sides of the pant legs after a student or instructor has reached 4th degree Black Belt. Any individual attaining 4th degree Black Belt wears this pant leg stripe regardless of instructor level or school ownership.

[edit] Instructor dress uniform

At promotional testings and ATA tournaments, Level 3 Certified Instructors have the option to wear navy blue suits in lieu of their doboks. Fifth Degree Black Belts and up wear matching blue pants, while 1st through 4th degrees wear grey pants. A special ATA patch is worn on the instructor's left breast. The patch is navy blue with all stitching being done in silver for 1st-4th Degrees or gold for 5th and up. Underneath the shield on the patch is a silver or gold banner (as appropriate) with the instructor's title and name stitched in navy blue, e.g., "Mr. J. Spitsen," "Master P. Saberzadeh," "Sr. Master R. Terrell," "Chief Master Clark," "Grand Master Lee." On the right breast, the instructor wears any medals or ribbons he or she has been awarded, giving the suit a militaristic, naval look.

On each collar just above the lapel, the instructor wears rank insignia. First through 4th Degrees wear navy patches with stitched silver borders. Silver bars are stitched on the patches relative to the instructor's rank. These patches are the same as the patches on their black belts, only the belt patches are gold on black rather than silver on blue. Fifth through 9th degrees wear metallic gold pentagonal stars which pin to the lapels.

• 1BD, 2BR: 1 silver bar (I)
• 2BD: 2 silver bars (II)
• 3BD: 3 silver bars (III)
• 4BD: 4 silver bars (IIII)
• 5BD: 1 gold star
• 6BD: 2 gold stars
• 7BD: 3 gold stars in a straight line parallel to the collar
• 8BD: 4 gold stars in a straight line parallel to the collar
• 9BD: 5 gold stars arranged in a pentagon

[edit] Related organizations

[edit] Songahm Taekwondo Federation

The Songahm Taekwondo Federation is a branch of ATA established for South America. It was founded in 1984 by Grand Master H. U. Lee and Senior Master Cesar Ozuna. This was the first international chapter for the Songham style of Taekwondo outside of the US and Canada and is rapidly gaining popularity.

[edit] World Traditional Taekwondo Union

Founded during the fall of 1990, The World Traditional Taekwondo Union (WTTU) is a division of Songahm Taekwondo. While the ATA consists of Taekwondo schools in the United States and the STF consists of schools in South America, the WTTU covers the remainder of the world.

[edit] Xtreme Martial Arts (ATA Xtreme)

ATA Xtreme is a hybrid of traditional taekwondo open-hand and weapons forms, acrobatics, and gymnastics. The goal of its participants is to impress both the audience and the judges with their skill and choreography. Common moves include the butterfly roundkick, backtuck, 540 Crescent kick, double jump front kick, L-kick, and Kip-up.

[edit] Korean taekwondo Council

The korean branch of the A.T.A run by Senior master Cezar Ozuna.

[edit] Criticisms

The ATA Taekwondo system recognizes nine color belts, and a black belt recommended rank in the progression from white belt (novice or newcomer) to Black Belt. Additionally there are nine degrees of black belt plus another "recommended" level prior to 2nd degree. With the large number of belts (including uncommon colors such as the camouflage belt), the fact that each test costs an additional fee, and the relatively rapid promotion through the belt ranks (it is not uncommon to achieve black belt within two years for excellent demonstration at each rank) have led some critics to label ATA schools with the derogatory phrase "belt factories" and "McDojos".^[3][4] This practice is similar to the stripe approach used by many other Taekwondo organizations, including the ITF and the WTF, whereby fewer belts are used, but the students periodically test for stripes to be added to their belts.

The use of nine levels in the colored belt and black belt systems, while attributed to a belt factory mentality, is in fact rooted in Korean numerology and has been explained by General Choi (nine is an important number in Korean culture). The increased number of smaller goals provided by nine levels of colored belt rank likely satisfies the need of many American students for immediate gratification.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Songahm Grand Masters

Within the Songahm system of Taekwondo, there is at most one 9th Degree Black Belt within the organization at a time. This individual holds the title of Grand Master and is considered to be the leader of Songahm Taekwondo. Past and present Grand Masters include:

• Haeng Ung Lee (1969-2000)
• Soon Ho Lee (2000-present)

[edit] Master's Council

Upon being diagnosed with cancer in 2000, Grand Master H.U. Lee realized the importance of ensuring that his vision for Songahm Taekwondo be kept alive after his death. In September 2000, Grand Master Lee formally created the Songahm Master's Council comprised of his most trusted advisors. Inaugural members of the Master's Council included:

• Soon Ho Lee (9th Degree Black Belt)
• Robert Allemier (8th Degree Black Belt)
• In Ho Lee (8th Degree Black Belt)
• William Clark (8th Degree Black Belt)
• G.K. Lee (8th Degree Black Belt)
• M.K. Lee (7th Degree Black Belt)

After being unanimously confirmed by the Master's Council as the next Grand Master Candidate, Soon Ho Lee removed himself from the Master's Council to focus on his training to become Songahm's second Grand Master. H.U. Lee holds an honorary position in the Master's Council.

[edit] See also

• List of Korea-related topics
• McDojo
• Bullshido

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• American Taekwondo Association