The WTF Giving Vladimir Putin An Honorary 9th Dan Black Belt Was A Mistake
*Authored by White Dragon
On November 3rd, 2013 the World Taekwondo Federation gave Russian Dictator President Vladimir Putin an honorary 9th dan black belt in Taekwondo. The WTF has a history of giving undeserving people high ranking black belts for various reasons which are excuses to get Taekwondo in the news or to serve some special purpose for the WTF. Many people are undeserving because they have zero physical skills in Taekwondo, and others are just people of low character like Putin who decided to invade the Ukraine and basically wants to take it over. The WTF did not see this coming did they? But then are they so blind as to forget that he already invaded Georgia during the 2012 Summer Olympics? Was the WTF so busy focusing on Olympic Taekwondo fighting that they did not see the news during the Olympics that Putin invaded Georgia and was having a war with them? He is now causing a war with Ukraine as well as any other countries from the global community that will get involved.
The WTF gave Putin an honorary 9th dan black belt (the highest level one can achieve in Taekwondo) because they believe he gas done much to promote the martial arts. They said he did a lot to promote Taekwondo competitions in Russia and he is also a black belt in Judo and a Sambo expert. He has actually done more about Judo and Sambo than anything related to Taekwondo, but I guess the WTF just wanted an excuse to get in the news and say he has worked to promote Taekwondo tournaments to a high degree in Russia. Maybe he has but still, I have never heard of Putin training in Taekwondo ever, not even 1 day in his life that I know of. If he has then I would love someone to let me know. Is receiving a 9th dan black belt, which is Grandmaster status, proper for what Putin has done apparently for Taekwondo? I don’t think so.
For your information, the WTF is not the world ranking body for black belt ranks, but is simply a tournament organization for Taekwondo sport competitions. The true world ranking organization for Taekwondo is the Kukkiwon, which is the World Taekwondo Headquarters. But the WTF and Kukkiwon are both linked and support each other fully. Kukkiwon rank is the only rank allowed in Taekwondo competitions and the Kukkiwon currently only recognizes WTF events as true Taekwondo competitions, all though the Kukkiwon is the self defense and martial art of Taekwondo and WTF is the sport aspect.
Since the WTF is only a sport organization, and not a certification body, the ranks that they give out are simply symbolic and honorary. But in some cases they have honored world leaders who actually have a Taekwondo training history such as President Porfirio Lobo of Honduras; who earned a 3rd dan black belt level on his own prior to being honored with a Taekwondo uniform (what do no extra dan rank?!). The WTF has given multiple U.S. presidents black belt ranks as well as world leaders in various countries. It seems to be just something they do to further relations between Korea and other countries. It is pretty much a given that if you are a president or important person that influences the world in some way you will automatically be given a WTF honorary black belt. In some cases it seems like this might be just for fun and a nice gesture for diplomatic relations, but often in reality sometimes the people given these honorary ranks do not deserve it. Especially Vladimir Putin.
Taekwondo is a martial art that teaches all kinds of physical abilities and physical health, yet it is a style that also focuses on the spirit or mind of the practitioner with a moral code of conduct called the 5 Tenets of Taekwondo. They are: Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self Control, and Indomitable Spirit. With the recent controversy of Russia invading the Ukraine and Putin leading this take over it is obvious that Putin is not a man that follows the 5 Tenets of Taekwondo, well at least all of them. He seems to have perseverance (to get what he wants and will keep working to get it), self control (to wait for the right moment to get what he wants because he is disciplined to use strategy to seize power and control), and indomitable spirit (an unconquerable attitude that no one will defeat him as he takes what he wants through dictator-like behavior); but he most certainly does not have courtesy (taking over land and manipulating countries for power is not courteous), and he does not have integrity (he does not talk honestly or behave honestly and he is a self praising president with his shirtless hero poses in photos and pride like he is the most badass president in the world *but he actually might be because the USA has this girly man called Obama who wears mom jeans and wears a stupid bike helmet while guys like Putin are hunting, fishing, flying jets, kicking ass in Judo, riding horses across the land etc.* and his lack of integrity was shown when he was accused of stealing a super bowl ring from NFL player Robert Kraft of the Patriots in St. Petersburg on a visit in 2005 with other world business leaders). So no, Putin does not deserve a black belt in Taekwondo let alone a freaking 9th degree black belt making him an honorary Grandmaster of Taekwondo. I am sorry but in no way would I ever acknowledge his rank or ever bow to him on a dojang floor.
The WTF has got to stop giving out meaningless “honorary” ranks to everyone, especially people of low character like Putin. It makes the WTF, Kukkiwon, and Korea look bad and lowers the standard of what a black belt in Taekwondo means. Putin’s 9th dan black belt means just as much as a toy in the bottom of a Crackerjacks box in my opinion. Knowing the history of communism in Korea and the Korean war it is interesting to know the WTF would give the highest rank possible in Taekwondo to a former Soviet KGB agent and total jerk.
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White Dragon is a 3rd dan Taekwondo Black Belt with over 19 years experience in the Martial Arts and head instructor of the White Dragon Dojang Martial Arts Training Program.
I think the thing about honorary ranks from the WTF is that they ARE meaningless. They have nothing to do with the martial arts and are simply a “kind gesture”, as I believe you mention. (kind gesture being my own words) The fact that the WTF isn’t a governing body for rank isn’t lost on very many people, lol.
When Putin was given this he is recorded for saying, “I don’t think I deserve such a rank.” I.E. He “gets it” more than the WTF guys do! He’s a certifiable 6th dan in Judo and holds other another honorary rank, mainly his 6th dan in Kyokushin karate. He knows what it’s like to earn your stripes, both as a martial artist and as a military man. I think he appreciated the kind gesture and understood it for what it was, simply a political maneuver.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Putin
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/13/putin-black-belt_n_4269536.html
yes he is a true Judoka and also I think he is a Sambo guy too but not sure. But yes he does not deserve Kyokushin rank or Taekwondo rank. I was unaware he recieved honorary kyokushin rank. Pretty stupid Karate is doing it too.
What I’ve read said he started with Sambo when he was 14 but then switched his studies to Judo. Either way Sambo has many similarities with Judo, so improving in one means you’d improve in the other.
If you go to the Wikipedia link I gave, it gives more detailed information about his martial arts training and his honorary rank in Kyokushin. I also find it odd that Kyokushin (a full contact, no messing around art) gave him an honorary rank, but again I’m sure it was just another political maneuver.
Ahh ok thanks for the info. At least TKD isnt the only one who does it which would look even worse.
He already had a second dan (or possibly 3rd) in Kyokushin karate before 2000, hence his latter honorific distinction.
While the WTF awards are frankly a joke at this point, I would bow to Putin any day on the mat, for there is no doubt he’s a master of the discipline(s) he actually practice, neither the Budokan nor the Kyokushin hand over distinctions like candies and he got into the high ranks at the regular before getting the honorific ones. (Which also explain why he said he didn’t though he deserved it, since AFAIK he’s never practiced the discipline).
White Dragon, Sensei Putin would kick your ass !
No he wouldn’t. He is old. But that is irrelevant since the issue is that Putin is an evil man and the WTF has no business handing out honorary ranks to dictators. And your email says usmcmailman13@yahoo.com which is interesting. If you were a real patriot you would not support Putin, hence you are a troll.
Low character like Putin .?
Did You thinnk before typin!?
You bloody Morphin!!
He is evil. He ain’t no good guy. He is no real friend of the USA. He is wanting to be a dictator. He is a dangerous guy. There is evidence he set up he election and also used an acid attack on a competitor politician.
[…] belt by the Kukkiwon in 2016. Russian President Putin was given an honorary 9th dan black belt as I mentioned before on this blog. But he at least is a martial artist and promotes martial arts in his country (even if I do not […]