Continuing Education Program

First Weekend in March

Regular students at the school will know that I recently returned from my annual trip to the Houston, Texas area. Every year Kuk Sa Nim (our Grandmaster) invites all the school owners in the World Kuk Sool Association™ (WKSA) to the Headquarters school for a long weekend of training. This Continuing Education Program (CEP), while not unique to WKSA, is rare in the martial art world.
There are many reasons for this. Kuk Sa Nim likes to have contact with the school owners and masters. He is a very “hands-on” type of leader, not in the sense of interfering in the day-to-day operation of schools, but in the sense that he likes to know the people who are representing both him and his association.
Another reason for CEP is that WKSA is a franchised corporation. I’m not up on all the legal aspects of franchising, I do know that one requirement is a yearly meeting with franchisees. In this case, that includes me.

Franchise

Kuk Sool Won™ of Muncie (KSWoM) is a franchise of the WKSA. What this means is that the relationship between KSWoM and WKSA is legally formalized. They have responsibilities to us, and we have responsibilities to them. They provide training, both in martial art and in business. They provide the curriculum, textbooks, and videos. We send them student records, and pay appropriate fees.
Students at KSWoM should understand that they are members of both this local school as well as the World Kuk Sool Association™. Under-Blackbelt students are the responsibility of the head instructor. It’s my responsibility to get you ready to test for Blackbelt Testing. Once you achieve that first Blackbelt rank, you are considered students of the Association, not your school alone.

Resources

Everyone should read and print the Student Handbook provided by Headquarters. Blackbelt students should also have the Blackbelt Handbook. It’s all important stuff and answers a lot of questions that you might have about the association, etiquette, and history.

Transparency

To be perfectly honest, lots of schools have left the Association since they decided on the franchise model. Some of the instructors who left felt like the Association was trying to be too controlling, too involved in the day-to-day running of the schools. I don’t see things that way at all.

I tend not to talk about problems as a rule, but some of you know that I’ve had an issue or two that I’ve had to deal with Headquarters about in the past. Just like in a marriage, unpleasant situations will come up, but they are best dealt with openly and honestly. Any problems that I’ve had have been addressed and are over. Nobody at Headquarters is interfering with my school; if anything they are very lenient with my record keeping and reporting.

I truly feel honored and excited about being a member of the World Kuk Sool Association™. My opinion is that they are on the cutting edge of martial art associations.

Student Handbook

Blackbelt Handbook

What is a Frachise?