Certifications

DAN CERTIFICATION: The United Martial Arts Black Belt Association (U.M.B.A.), through its Korean Martial Arts Society (K.M.A.S.) training programs, offers Advanced Dan (Black Belt Degree) Training and Certification for all martial artists who have successfully achieved the rank of U.M.B.A. Cho (1^st) Dan, or its authorized equivalent, via test-grading under the U.M.B.A. Basic Grid Requirements found elsewhere on this website. The U.M.B.A. Dan Grid Requirements have been developed in the traditional style of Moo Do Kwon, and uniquely blends in its requirements the martial arts skills and training methods of three popular Korean Martial Arts Systems—Taekwondo and/or Tang Soo Do; Yudo and/or Judo; and Hapkido and/or Hwarang Do. The History of the development of this unique U.M.B.A. training system, from its local inception in 1974 through its national recognition in 2002 and its continued influence in 2003 (via the United States Taekwondo Won—U.S.T.W. [see: Links]), is described more thoroughly in the Press Releases and Biography found elsewhere in this website.

Originally designed by the late Grandmaster Myung Hwan Kim (who was uniquely certified as a Master Instructor in all three Korean Martial Arts Systems, who was uniquely qualified as a Self Defense Instructor for the Korean Military, and who was uniquely experienced as an International Judo Player for the Korean National Team), the U.M.B.A. "blended" Dan Training Curriculum offers a superior knowledge and capacity of martial arts self defense skills—(1) kicking and punching from a distance (Taekwondo and/or Tang Soo Do); (2) throwing and falling from hand-to-hand (Yudo and/or Judo); and (3) redirecting the force of an attacker into the points of the attacker’s vulnerability (Hapkido and/or Hwarang Do); all in order to neutralize the attack and, if absolutely necessary, to terminate the attacker. The traditional Philosophy, through which our "blended" U.M.B.A. martial arts training is successfully achieved, is described more thoroughly elsewhere in this website. For further information, and/or a copy of the U.M.B.A. Advanced Requirement Grid and Dan Certification Requirements, interested persons should personally contact Master George N. Wukovich, Esq. without delay.

DAN CONVERSION: All Martial Artists who have already achieved successful and verifiable test-grading for Dan (Black Belt Degree) Certification in any martial arts training systems are welcomed and eligible, with personal evaluation via an approved and accelerated program of U.M.B.A. Advanced Dan Training, to "convert" their current Dan Certification into the U.M.B.A. ranking system. Qualified persons only should personally contact Master George N. Wukovich, Esq. for further detailed information.

2006 USTW INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION SCHOOL

 The above picture depicts Master Wukovich, as Chairman of the USTW Instructor Certification Committee, announcing the names of newly certified Instructors while 
Grand Master Sok Ho Kang, USTW President presents the Certificates at the end of the 2006 USTW National Instructor Certification course held in Cincinnati, Ohio.

2003 U.S.T.W. INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION  
2003 U.S.T.W. SEMINAR DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Master George N. Wukovich, Esq. (U.S.T.W. Cert. # 35-06-0000091)

In September (19^th-21^st) 2003, the United States Taekwondo Won hosted its First National Instructor Certification Seminar in Cincinnati, Ohio.  It is with great pleasure, pride and honor that the following Report regarding this historic and successful event is hereby submitted by your 2003 U.S.T.W. Seminar Director. This event could not have been fully realized without the kind and generous commitment and support of the following U.S.T.W. members, who all shared a passionate commitment to successfully work together in accomplishing the completion of this important and historic project: President Kyongwon Ahn; Secretary General Robert K. Fujimura; Legal Counsel Roger W. Healey; and, Mr. David A. Hamilton, Special Assistant to the President.

In December 2001, the U.S.T.W. Board of Directors formally adopted the proposed Operational & Committee Rules and Regulations for Instructor Education.  The final proposal was authored and submitted by Secretary General Robert K. Fujimura.  In April 2002, your 2003 Seminar Director was test-graded and certified as a Sixth (6^th) Dan at a Special National Dan Promotion Examination conducted by a three-member panel comprised of U.S.T.W. National Dan Promotion Examiners.  In October 2002, the U.S.T.W. Board of Directors formally approved President Kyongwon Ahn’s appointment of your 2003 Seminar Director to the U.S.T.W. Educational Seminars Development Committee, under Committee Chair Kyu Young Chai, Ph.D.  President Ahn then instructed the Committee to develop a Curriculum of Study and a Schedule of Presentation for the First U.S.T.W. National Instructor Certification Seminar, to be hosted by the U.S.T.W. in 2003.  In so doing, the Committee was required to fulfill the third goal of the U.S.T.W. Mission Statement, stated as: “...creating and applying a uniform and adequate standard for certification of taekwondo instructors in the United States...”; and was instructed to submit a format that could be reasonably and legitimately completed over the course of a weekend, rather than a week, thus providing for increased access and affordability to all interested participants. 

In November 2002, the U.S.T.W. Board of Directors formally approved President Kyongwon Ahn’s appointment of your 2003 Seminar Director to the position of U.S.T.W. Legal Counsel; and formally adopted the proposed Preliminary Curriculum of Study and Schedule of Presentation for the First U.S.T.W. National Instructor Certification Seminar, submitted to the Board by the U.S.T.W. Educational Seminars Development Committee, and to be hosted by the U.S.T.W. in 2003. The U.S.T.W. Board of Directors also formally adopted the proposed Modified Operational & Committee Rules and Regulations for Instructor Education, which were revised and supplemented to comport with the proposed Seminar Curriculum of Study and Schedule of Presentation.  The adopted proposals had been authored by your 2003 Seminar Director, who then presented the proposals to all those in attendance at the 2002 U.S.T.W. Annual Meeting, with an open call for comments and suggestions from the national membership.  Final drafting of each proposal was then undertaken by your 2003 Seminar Director and the U.S.T.W. Educational Seminars Development Committee.

In April 2003, the U.S.T.W. Board of Directors formally adopted the proposed Final Curriculum of Study and Schedule of Presentation for the First U.S.T.W. National Instructor Certification Seminar, submitted to the Board by the U.S.T.W. Educational Seminars Development Committee, and to be hosted by the U.S.T.W. in 2003. The Board also formally approved President Kyongwon Ahn’s appointment of George N. Wukovich, Esq. to be the 2003 U.S.T.W. Instructors Certification Seminar Director.   President Ahn then charged the 2003 Seminar Director with the duties of designing a plan to convert the Final Seminar Proposals from an idea into a reality, and to marshal all the necessary resources of the U.S.T.W., required to successfully achieve this important and historical organizational goal. The U.S.T.W. Educational Seminars Development Committee then voted to conduct the First U.S.T.W. National Instructor Certification Seminar on September 19^th – 21^st, 2003, in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Your U.S.T.W. Seminar Director then developed a Three-Staged Plan to accomplish his stated duties within the five-(5) month time frame allowed.  First: firm commitments had to be obtained, and reasonable cost projections had to be generated; all related to site, staff, materials, administration and marketing for the approved Seminar Curriculum of Study and Schedule of Presentation.  Second: qualified experts had to be engaged as Seminar Presenters, who were responsible to create and submit Seminar Curriculum materials, as specified by the Director, for compilation and distribution to all Seminar participants; a national marketing plan was developed and implemented; and a Seminar Registration protocol was designed and distributed.  Third:  final detailed planing and concerted action for presentation of the Seminar program had to be completed, including: compilation and reproduction of the Seminar Curriculum materials; designing a Certification protocol and  printing of approved Certificates; designing and implementing the Presenter’s Schedule and Seminar Itinerary; Seminar Registration closure and accounting, including Dan Conversions. 

On September 19, 2003, all final preparations and planing were completed; and  final programming meetings of the assembled Seminar Officials and Presenters were conducted by the Seminar Director, in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

On September 20, 2003, the approved Curriculum of Study and Schedule of Presentation for the First U.S.T.W. National Instructor Certification Seminar were presented to the three (3) grades of U.S.T.W. Instructors, now to be officially recognized and certified, to seventy-six (76) Seminar Participants, as follows: (1) 18 Assistant Instructors; (2) 35 Instructors; and (3) 23 Master Instructors, including Grand Masters. All Seminar Participants in attendance successfully passed the written examination requirement; and both planned and spontaneous networking opportunities for all Participants, Presenters and Officials were made readily available. 

On September 21, 2003, the appropriate Certifications of Participation, Instructor Certificates and converted Dan Certificates were awarded to the Participants, Presenters and Officials who had attended the First U.S.T.W. National Instructor Certification Seminar. The final closure and accounting for the First U.S.T.W. National Instructor Certification Seminar is still being prepared, as of this reporting, and is to be completed for presentation at the 2003 Annual Meeting of the U.S.T.W. in Las Vegas.  A detailed listing of the approved U.S.T.W. Instructor Titles is attached for your review.

U.S.T.W. INSTRUCTOR TITLES

ASSISTANT INSTRUCTOR (1^ST DAN):  
U.S.T.W. Cho (1^st) Dan; 18 years old; High School Enrollment (or equivalent)
 One (1) U.S.T.W. Assistant Instructor Seminar Credit

GRAND MASTER INSTRUCTOR (9^TH DAN):  
U.S.T.W. Ku (9^th) Dan; 53 years old and above
Five (5) U.S.T.W. Master Instructor Seminar

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