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I thought this forum would be the place to expose, discuss and take action regarding a government program designed exclusively for TKD dojo, where selected children would attend classes and the dojo would be paid by our tax dollars!

Gary: Please clarify the details. I related what I remember from our Pub discussion on Bermuda in "Whats New". Hopefully we can do something about expanding this program to include other styles. Anyone else interested in learning more about this?

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GEM

I just had lunch with Gary. We were discussing tournament rule clinics and other details involving the May 22nd event. I mentioned my "whatsnew" column and this thread. He hadn't seen them yet but promises to read them today and get involved with the discussion. My impression was that this was a National program, not simply a state law. Of course this happened 2 years ago and Gary, being a new dojo owner, assumed we all new about this exclusive club attitude.

I hope someone will be able to tell us more about the law/program so we can get involved!

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GEM

Sensei,

I don't know the details of the program, and have never heard of it. Of course I am very curious!

This may shed some light: A few years back, while in grad school, I did some digging to try to discover any decent research about the benefits of martial arts study for children. I found, to my surprise, that virtually nothing exists, and what does is seriously flawed, or anecdotal at best! I say to my surprise, because it is "common sense" to all of us that martial arts study benefits children in many ways, including reduction of violence, self-discipline, etc. Despite this (or perhaps because 'we all know that') virtually no studies have been done actually empirically demonstrating these benefits.

There were, however, a few studies which I found that were rigorous enough to be included in the paper I was writing at the time. Anyone want to guess what arts were studied in two out of the three studies that were usable? You bet - it was TKD. Now perhaps this is simply because of the prevalence of TKD dojang around - maybe it was just coincidence that the researcher knew of a TKD school nearby, or that the TKD school agreed to the researcher's work while others did not? Who knows. The point is that if I were the dojang owner in whose school a just published study had been conducted which concluded that 'the study of traditional martial arts can lead to an increase of self-control in children,' you can be sure I would publicize this fact to potential students' parents! My next step would be to contact the state and federal governments to try to start a program - after all, I am the instructor who was teaching the program proven to have these beneficial effects!

Now I obviously don't know that this study had anything to do with the discussion that Gary had with the gov't official. But in my opinion, if we want to get on the bandwagon, a good way to do it might be for someone who is interested, and who has a big dojo [hint, hint, Gary...] to contact some academics in the education or psych field and volunteer his or her services to be a part of a similar study.

I'll be curious to see how this all comes out

greg

Received the following from Kevin Mackie

George, How are you doing? Travelling a lot it seems.

I may be wrong, but a good guess where the TKD money comes from is from the following Senate Bill.

All it takes apparently is to be a national organization and some legwork.

I reckon this is where sticking together has its advantages.

Later, Kevin

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Title IV - Preventing Youth Crime Subtitle A - Grants to Youth Organizations

S.9 Safe Schools, Safe Streets, and Secure Borders Act of 1999 (Introduced in the Senate)

SEC. 4002. GRANTS TO NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS. (a) APPLICATIONS- (1) ELIGIBILITY- In order to be eligible to receive a grant under this section, the chief operating officer of a national or statewide community-based organization shall submit an application to the Attorney General in such form and containing such information as the Attorney General may reasonably require. (2) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS- Each application submitted in accordance with paragraph (1) shall include-- (A) a request for a grant to be used for the purposes described in this subtitle; (B) a description of the communities to be served by the grant, including the nature of juvenile crime, violence, and drug use in the communities; (C) written assurances that Federal funds received under this subtitle will be used to supplement and not supplant, non-Federal funds that would otherwise be available for activities funded under this subtitle; (D) written assurances that all activities will be supervised by an appropriate number of responsible adults; (E) a plan for assuring that program activities will take place in a secure environment that is free of crime and drugs; and (F) any additional statistical or financial information that the Attorney General may reasonably require. (b) GRANT AWARDS- In awarding grants under this section, the Attorney General shall consider-- (1) the ability of the applicant to provide the stated services; (2) the history and establishment of the applicant in providing youth activities on a national or statewide basis; and (3) the extent to which the organizations shall achieve an equitable geographic distribution of the grant awards.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

All,

I would sure like to know more about this. If the impetus to regulate martial arts gets strong footholds in a couple of states, it will eventually make it to the national level.

This is a prime example that shows that certain martial arts factions (TKD) have already laid the groundwork to where they (TKD) would become the defacto spokemen for all of martial arts! Do we want them speaking for the rest of us? I DON'T THINK SO!!

We have been complacent for too long and I am sure many of us have laughed at the Koreans for being the McDonalds of martial arts. But who's laughing now?

Come on, Gary, give us some details.

Moe Mensale