My Story part 4 (from a former Jungyae instructor) (of 4)

Originally posted on the Dragons Dungeon on 11-03-02
http://anyboard.net/rec/sports/Royal_Dragons_Dungeon/posts/361.html



My Story part 4

While changing the belt system did seems to increase retention (ever so slightly) the overall feel of JYMS changed drastically. In the past each level of rank was a true accomplishment, now it was so easy and didn’t seem to carry much weight. It used to be that once people got to the black belt level (if at all) they knew what they had done was not something that not just anyone could do. With the new system we began to see black belts with little confidence because they had never truly been tested. Those who had gone through the rigors became demoralized because people who had done far less where now catching and surpassing them in rank with much less effort. JYMS took a major blow to its moral and it was felt through out the entire organization.

As time passed with little noticeable difference on the business end of things, many of the school owners (and Master Kim) began to grow restless and impatient. We began to look at new ways of growing. As a result the climate became one of mostly business. The sessions with Master Kim that where once solely for training became long, arduous meetings. JYMS made a clear evolution from the “Martial Arts Business” to the “Business of Martial Arts”. What was once a blind loyalty and acceptance of what Master Kim taught became differences in philosophy of the martial arts and business. Perhaps this is because his “teaching” began to focus solely on business.

One of the biggest blows came when it became clear to everyone that in order to survive financially, major advertising and marketing would have to be done and that cost a lot of money. Once everyone looked closely at were we could generate that type of money, it became clear that it was already there. Unfortunately that source of money was the vast amount of testing fees collected by the JYMS Federation (again, AKA Master Kim). If he had only sacrificed the testing fees for 3 years to market and advertise he would have regained that money ten fold and JYMS would have exploded.

After a time tensions started to build and frustration mounted. Master Kim was not teaching his instructors but strictly forbid them to train or learn elsewhere. He kept telling us that in order for JYMS to succeed we all had to sacrifice countless time, money and resources, while not showing a willingness to do the same himself. Sooner or later something had to give.

In Early April of this year something did give… Me! My reasons were simple.
1. I believe a leader must practice what he preaches.
2. No man has the God given right to tell me that I am not allowed to learn anything or from anyone. Anyone who truly has your interest in heart would never do such a thing.
3. If you can’t (or won’t) teach the thing I want to learn, then I will find someone who will.
4. If I’m going to give a percentage of my income to someone it sure as hell is not going to be so that person can live selfishly while telling me to live humbly.
5. I was tired of signing up students and feeling like I was lying to them about what they were going to get. JYMS is advertised as a complete martial art. It is anything but. Just ask about their internal training. I was often discouraged by Master Kim from training internally.
6. There are many other reasons but these are their roots. All things stem from these, or a combination of these things.

I am now an independent school owner. I am still teaching the same theories and principles that where taught by JYMS, except rather than using the JYMS forms (actually TKD forms) as a base I am using the Bei Sil Lum (Northern Shaolin) forms created by Ku Yu Cheung as a base.

The quality, moral and spirit of the school have increased substantially. Personally, I prefer the small school, family feel. We are a very tight knit group. We have a lot of plans for the future (immediate and distant) and tons renewed enthusiasm.

Since the time I have left, two more of my brothers (in a personally spiritual sense) have also left JYMS and gone independent. I’m feel more are to follow.
This is my story in a nutshell. Truly I think I could write a rather in depth book on the matter but frankly it would be a waste of my time. If any other major points come to mind I will post follow-ups. Perhaps there are others out there who have experienced JYMS that will share their stories, good or bad.

I still feel as though the instructors of JYMS are my family and wish them nothing but the best. I hope that whichever path they follow is the right one for them. I also will always hold a place in my heart for Master Kim. While I may have many teachers I can only consider him as my martial arts master. He has done more for me as a person then I could ever express. I am truly saddened by the changes that took place over the years. JYMS could have been a wonderful thing.

If you have any further questions please post them and I will answer as frankly and openly as I can.

** This ends the original post.