My 4th Dan Black Belt Test In Korea For The Kukkiwon

[@UnicornCentaur]

That was amazing, thanks for sharing! (you made Keumgang look easy!)

[@MaharlikaAWA]

Wow, I appreciate the compliment. It truly means a lot. I just practiced it a ton and my instructor told me how many seconds for the slow breathing parts etc.

[@brettstarks3511]

Congrats, sir! Hoping to get to my 4th dan soon. I came from an area where Kukkiwon wasn't prevalent, so I'm a 3rd dan but only 2nd Kukkiwon Certified (Certified in 2011) and have been trying to play catch up ever since. It is hard finding a master with the ability and desire to train me.

[@MaharlikaAWA]

Where do you live? Did you know you can skip your dan to 4th because you have trained the allotted time? Also you have a 3rd dan in another organization or school so you have a legitimate reason to skip to 4th since you technically are a 3rd dan now. You can only do it with a good reason such as yours and can only do it once in your life. You just have to pay both fees for certification, but you will only get the 4th dan paper and card. But you will be registered in the Kukkiwon. Good luck! And thank you!

[@brettstarks3511]

Thanks for the response, sir! I live in Rexburg, ID at the moment... not many Kukkiwon officiated schools around here. Unfortunately I DID already do a skip dan to my 2nd dan, since I was told at the time that I could only skip up one dan. I have come to find from the Kukkiwon that you can skip test up to three levels, not that the information does me good now if they still only let you skip test once in a lifetime. So I may be stuck and have to test to 3rd, wait another 3-4 years and then test to 4th. I'd love to contact the Kukkiwon directly and ask if there can be any exception made, but I have yet to find a good contact source. When you tested in Korea, did you have to still be affiliated and recommended by another master? Do you know if it is possible to go alone and do it?

[@MaharlikaAWA]

Kukkiwon never makes exceptions on stuff. Where did you hear you can skip up to 3 levels? I have NEVER heard that. There was some corruption going on for awhile but those board members from my understanding were fired. Just practice a lot and tighten up your technique and get to be the best you can be. Who cares about levels. It is better to wait longer to be 4th dan than just get it fast anyway. I took over 20 years to get 4th dan.

[@brettstarks3511]

Maybe they allowed the skipping up to three levels as a one time thing for their Kukkiwon promotional testing here in America back in June of this year. Supposedly it is the first (?) time they have tested people up to 9th dan outside of Korea. The President of Kukkiwon, Hyun Deuk Oh, and some other high ranking officers were there, so I'm assuming it was legitimate. Had I known about it sooner I would've gone to that. My hope is that because they allowed it once, they'll allow it again, but it's not sounding like it. It is most likely as you say--I will just have to wait. I'm pushing just about 15 years in Taekwondo myself. There is definitely a desire to be a 4th dan and officially a master, but the biggest reason I want to get this streamlined is so that I can promote my students through Kukkiwon so that they don't have to be stuck in the way I have been. Thanks for your responses, sir. Most appreciated.

[@MaharlikaAWA]

Yeah it is nice to not get stuck in such situations. I was also in that situation. I want to give the ability for my students to get official world ranks. But even after you get 4th dan and do the masters course it is difficult to figure out how to apply your students and how it works anyway. I think Kukkiwon did do that but a lot of people complained. I do not agree with special testing unless people are really good, can prove they trained for so many years and know everything. The Kukkiwon was making tons of money off of dan promotions and many people in Korea and around the world protested it and got the board of members to resign. I do not like how they pass so many people. Anyway just get good man. I hope you find a really good teacher who can teach you the official Kukkiwon standards for your training and make your forms way tight and strong. Just work on that. Go to the official Kukkiwon videos and practice. Yeah you cannot test for 8th and 9th dan outside of Korea. You have to go there. Other ranks you can only test in your country of residency and nowhere else. I could test in Korea because I became a resident. You have to be a resident of a nation for 6 months at least to test there.

[@wallyllaw]

It's impressive how close those "kihon", basic techniques are to shotokan karate in Kukkiwon taekwondo at least. Most of the movements you did in the beginning are almost exactly the same. First three would be called "gedan barai" (low block), "shoto uke" (block from side) & "age uke" (high block), respectively. Also there seemed to be "koukutsu shotou uke", open hand block/strike with back hand palm up protecting solar plexus "oizuki" front hand strike with step in etc. Hip movement seems to be less emphasized and stances are slightly different from that in our JKA shotokan karate, but surprisingly similar stuff otherwise. I did know that taekwondo & karate have common roots, but somehow this taekwondo seemed to be closer to shotokan karate style than some very upright and different karate styles are.

[@MaharlikaAWA]

Yeah, good observation. Taekwondo is very much like shotokan in the bare bones techniques. They do have their own forms and their own sport for sparring. They narrowed the stances over the decades as well and made that an official change from super wide stances.

[@randombiketrips3296]

Congratulations for all of your accomplishments, man. Really inspirational. I remember watching your Philippine culture videos many years ago when I worked graveyard shift. Haha! I always used to confuse you with Travis Kraft, and that guy blew up as a KZbinr! Pretty awesome to run into your videos again.

[@MaharlikaAWA]

+Random Bike Trips Wow that is really cool!! Thanks for watching since then! are you filipino? Yeah my channel is what it is. I don't care about popularity or blowing up. If it happens ok. But it is not my goal. I just do this for fun to make fun videos for people and exchange information. I have nothing but love for the Philippines and FIlipinos. ONe day I want to go back there. Right now I am in Korea for awhile. We will see what happens. I am just glad I am not stuck in Alabama like I was for awhile. There was not much to do in Alabama. Just made a lot of martial arts videos. Thanks for watching and keep subbing! Thanks!

[@randombiketrips3296]

MaharlikaAWA yeah dude, I'm Filipino. It's crazy cuz I was just watching martial arts videos and one of yours was on the thumbnails and you looked familiar. Then I remembered you from a long time ago talking about hanging out with a guy and his sister was cute and you guys kinda dated or something haha. I'm pretty sure that was you. Yeah man you live an interesting life. You're traveling and seeing things from different perspectives and it's pretty cool to see the different cultures most of us don't get to experience. From Philippines to Oregon to Alabama to South Korea. Hopefully you get to travel more and accomplish more of your goals.

[@MaharlikaAWA]

Random Bike Trips Ya that was me! Thank you so much! I honestly feel like I live an incredibly boring and lonely life. It's why I made a youtube channel when I was in college in California. I just stuck with it.

[@randombiketrips3296]

Lol trust me man, plenty of people would love to be living out in Korea or somewhere or even just be blessed enough to be able to travel to different places doing what they love to do. You're doing that so I think you're good haha

[@MaharlikaAWA]

Random Bike Trips Thanks but my time in Alabama was soooo boring.

[@Corvus___]

You did a good job dude! keep with the REAL TaeKwonDo.

[@MaharlikaAWA]

+yogh sototh Awww yeah! Thanks!!!

[@verlyncraig]

OMG. your screen name. hahahahahahah

[@shawnscorpion3589]

I watched this video on silent and listen to your other video in the back ground came out real nice. Try that and maybe make a video like that :D grats on your test sir!

[@MaharlikaAWA]

haha cool thanks! Like a narration? Funny. Well who knows. Thanks for watching and enjoying!

[@shawnscorpion3589]

Yeah give it a try just for fun. I learned a few good things from watching and listening. I have never been to Korea but would love to! I had no idea you had to live there for 6 months to get your 4th dan from there and you did not get to test in the Kukkiwon.

[@MaharlikaAWA]

Yeah the Kukkiwon hardly holds tests in their location. They are spaced out in regions all over Korea and tests happen every month. So according to your location you can go to whichever ones are in the region. We had to drive a ways for an hour or so to go to this place. And yes, nobody can test for any black belt rank in Korea unless you are an official residence who has lived there for 6 months. So you must have an immigration card. Not a tourist VISA. The only ranks you are going to probably test at the Kukkiwon for are 8th and 9th degree black belts. Foreigners can do that because the rule is you must test in Korea for those high ranks.

[@shawnscorpion3589]

You I think that its a good rule for them to have. I started TKD in jan of 2002 at a really good school. Only because I found out you could get cert from the Kukkiwon out of that school so I knew they were for real. But over the years i have meet people with a Kukkiwon cert black belt and they could barely lift their leg above their belt let alone ever do a hook kick at all! So I lost respect for black belts coming from there.

[@MaharlikaAWA]

Yeah I hear you. That is a problem overseas (outside of Korea). People who cannot really fight well or perform good techniques. It is not a good thing. I will admit that Kukkiwon certification does not always mean the person is legit in skills. But I will say Kukkiwon is the top lineage of Korean Taekwondo and the legit style.

[@BadangLang-jx3ht]

Tip Top 4th Dan Black Belt TAEKWONDO Exam ❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉❤

[@MaharlikaAWA]

Wow, thank you!

[@thesweetestfruitonearth]

I shall not fail

[@tantsuya3274]

Nice job

[@MaharlikaAWA]

Thanks a lot!!

[@MagicianEomSeJoon]

.......umm

[@Mkmartailarts]

Gbj

[@charlesfarrell6309]

Just like that are why people don't take taekwondo seriously anymore when I tested in 2000 here in the United States my instructor made sure that it was difficult and it was not going to be a cakewalk especially the endurance portion of it

[@MaharlikaAWA]

Ya well good for you. I bet it wasn't as difficult as you think it was.

[@charlesfarrell6309]

@@MaharlikaAWA I think you summed it up best when you were in the car talking to yourself and him and you asked him am I a fourth degree so you question it yourself it was ridiculous it's so watered down that's why I no longer participate in taekwondo I met manywe're going to Korea to get black belts and simply just do not deserve to be a 4-3 black belt just because they put paid the money and traveled overseas does not make you a forth degree unfortunately this is the problem with the world take one of the federation they have become nothing more than a black belt Mill very greedy people

[@MaharlikaAWA]

@@charlesfarrell6309 you are so full of it. You can't just go to Korea and get a black belt. You have to be a resident of Korea and live there to get a black belt by the Kukkiwon. You can only get a black belt from your own country and the member Association for the world Taekwondo. It's easy for a keyboard Warrior like yourself to question my technique. My technique is solid. Me asking if I'm a fourth-degree does not mean I'm doubting my skills. I did not get the results back yet at that moment. But I knew I most likely passed. I worked hard for my ranks. Seems you are jealous. The test is only about displaying the technique and affirming someone having the ability. It doesn't matter if you make something extra seriously hard. You don't know my training before this or what I've done. Best thing you can do is put your money where your mouth is and come find me and see what happens if we spar. Obviously that's not going to happen. But it's clear you know nothing about Taekwondo or martial arts.

[@wertheim949]

@@MaharlikaAWA wow so it mean I should be a korean resident to continue study black belt next dan level at kukkiwon for foreigners ?

[@MaharlikaAWA]

@@wertheim949 In any country only a resident of that country can test for Kukkiwon black belt under their national member association group. In Korea you must be a legal resident for at least 6 months to test for black belt ranks in Korea. Otherwise you have to do it in your own country.