Spartacus Maximus

What about self-demoting? Or accepting a lower rank based of a new instructor's judgment? This is probably much more difficult than demoting another person.

The issue is far from unique to Chinese martial arts. The same could be said of karate in general. The answer to the problem is most likely in the way the majority of people are taught and the purpose for which they train. To be ready for the ring, one must train for the ring. Most Chinese martial arts do not, especially the "wushu" styles which are little more than "martial" gymnastics devised by the communist authorities to push their version of what they think is good for China. This is not to say that Chinese martial arts are all ineffective for the ring or even in self-defense. It just means that those who might be effective in either case are absent from the media for one reason or another. Perhaps they are simply not interested.

Dan or no dan, visitors ought to be treated like any other visitor or guest with the same expectations and rules that apply. When the person becomes a student, then it must be done with the willingness to learn what the instructor offers. This means that one must be able to set aside or even forget everything that was done before. That is what is meant by "emptying one's cup". Even if the style or lineage is similar, one must make the necessary effort to take a beginner's mindset. Ego, pride and overeating one's skills can often be the greatest obstacles to improving or learning something new.

Whether or not to display belts or certificates is a matter of personality and choice. Instructors usually have at least their present rank somewhere in their teaching space. My past achievements in karate have their designated place but it is not anywhere regular house guests can see. The display is for not to show others. It is a personal reminder of how much effort I have put into learning karate and how much more there is to learn. A self-motivation tool of sorts

When people exaggerate about ranks, abilities or status is always because they hope to get something by doing it. The agenda varies but it is always the motivation. Exaggerating have always been a part of martial arts and is not always something wrong. What makes exaggeration objectionable is when it is done knowingly and willfully for reasons that are ethically or morally wrong. Those are the kinds of exaggerations that bother and annoy me. In the end it is a waste of time to think or dwell on such things, but they certainly make genuine martial artist angry when said exaggerations start to directly affect training.

Famous and rich or average and anonymous everyone is a same when it comes to the a value of achievements. Being an expert at one thing is more worthy of consideration than being just good at 10. To stay on the subject of martial arts and famous people, Seagal's 8th dan(or is it 7th) is more valuable than the multiple blackbelts in half a dozen systems others might have. Collecting is collecting and it is different than dedicating the time necessary to learn skills and become an expert at something.

Mike Tyson, if we take the image of him as an example, is intimidating because he is Mike Tyson. Whatever ink drawings he has on have nothing to do with it. It is highly unlikely he would be intimidating to anyone if he had the same tattoos, but weighed 100lbs for 5ft tall, had a shy, meek attitude and carried himself without a hint of assurance and had never raised a fist in his life. Criminals and thugs know how to select a safe victim easily subdued and unlikely to fight back. The way the potential target walks and their attitude is everything. What the target is or is not wearing means nothing and thugs will see through what will probably be taken as a bluff or a dare to attack or mess with the person. The face would be the last place anybody would want to get a tattoo. Unless one is a member of a specific cultural group living in a traditional lifestyle, such markings would be a disadvantage. Take the Polynesian cultures such as the Maori. Facial tattoos used to be a custom, but very view modern Maori have them because they live in the modern society that is New Zealand. In most modern societies the only people who have face tattoos are marginal in the first place and/or belong to criminal classes. Even for a petty thug a face tattoo is a stupid idea. It makes it impossible to hide and easy to be recognized.

Tattoos mean different things to different people and there are as many reasons for getting them as there are kinds of tattoos. Getting any tattoo should be a well thought out decision, and definitely not something to do on a whim. Nowadays there are effective ways to completely remove tattoos, but unsurprisingly removing a tattoo is much more costly than having one put on. Especially the ones with colour variations. Tattoos are not intimidating themselves, it is all about the person wearing them. Some people have a presence about them that makes them intimidating no matter what. If intimidation is the goal, there are many more ways of doing it without any tattoos. Tattoos that are visible when one is wearing ordinary daily clothing might give a negative impression or unwanted attention. This is something to think about before getting one.

A general rule is find something interesting and enjoyable and do it as often as possible. Whether it is a martial art or a sport; if it requires regular practise to be good, there will be results. The rest depends on making the necessary changes in lifestyle and eating habits.

Maybe this is similar to what some people get in their knees. My knees click and crackle with every squat or bend. The sound it make is loud and easily heard but there has never been any pain or discomfort. Despite this it is a good idea to have it examined by a specialized doctor, to make sure there is no damage. This type of issue is likely more commonly experienced by people over 30 and usually can be improved with daily stretching and regular strength exercises for the body part concerned.

Besides the impairment factor of alcohol, another effect martial artist and anyone planning to do intense physical activity should be concerned about is dehydration. Alcohol can cause excessive loss of moisture which combined with physical effort can increase the chances of overheating, especially in the warmer times of year. If inebriation is not reason enough to avoid drinking before training, the risk of heat stroke and dehydration should be considered because anyone can be affected and even mild cases require immediate medical treatment. At worst a stay in the hospital and no training for a long time.

Self defense is always enough if whatever one does is done with the sole purpose of getting away from immediate danger with as little harm as possible. This includes anything from wits to fists. In self defense discussions, it is too easy to overlook the fact that "self defense" begins with much, much more than physical techniques and usually starts before any kind of physical attack.

In most cases of demotion I have heard of, it was a political issue because the person being demoted did something morally, ethically or legally wrong. In all cases demotion is only symbolic when one considers acquired skills. With or without rank, with or without recognition by a governing body; one either has or doesn't have skills. An instructor may demote someone or strip them of rank or even renounce a student but it is impossible to erase that student's ability whatever it might be at the point said student is demoted or renounced.

Although it is a fact that karate and perhaps martial arts in general have mostly been taught by men to other men, women have also been training and teaching throughout the ages up to now. There are a few notable women experts in the history of karate. One such woman was the one who became the wife of Matsumura Sokon, the founder of Shorin ryu karate and personal chief bodyguard of the last three kings of Okinawa. This woman was an expert martial artist from a noble family. She had the best training and education her rank could get and would only marry a man who was equal or better than her at martial arts. Many experts challenged her, but she beat them all easily. There are many accounts of how Matsumura got to marry her. Some say he bested her, but others claim the neither could win and that they married after realizing they were of equal skill. A woman will usually have a very different way of teaching and thinking about martial arts than a man. For this reason alone, if one has the opportunity to learn from a female sensei one should take it without a moments hesitation. Personally the chance never arose, but I must admit some of the most competent karateka I have ever met have been women.

One reason why learning or teaching the use of kobudo weapons has been limited is that the weapons have not been relevant for a long time. Most of the martial artist training with traditional weapons do it purely for cultural interest because few of the weapons taught in kobudo are commonly applicable or even practical in the modern world. What is more important than the weapons themselves is the principles and strategies. If one understands these thoroughly, it becomes possible to use them with whatever is at hand.

Well then if that is the case, it would seem that everything depends on personal preference for wherever it is you train. Personally, I suspect that this type of thing tends to be more common in relatively recent karate styles such as those derived from kyokushin and shotokan; as well as eclectic mixes. This is not a judgment on the value of these, merely a general observation. Obviously the are certainly exceptions, but the traditional Japanese styles and their much older Okinawan predecessors that existed before 1945, tend to have a more conservative approach. In these styles dojo's colourful gis, belt embroidery would be seen as extravagant and showy. Something that goes against the ideals of modest and humility as conceived by Eastern thought and bushido.

Italian_guy has the right answer. There are no universal traditions with embroidery for belts. However, the most commonly used colours of embroidery used on black belts is gold. Red is also used but less common. As for embroidery on red belts or red/white belts used by 7th to 10th dan in some styles or dojos, the thread is usually gold or black. The final answer to the original question is whatever the chief instructor decides or what your association and dojo use. Look at other people of equal or higher grade check their belts and see what they have.

@MatsuShinshii Not sure to whom your question is addressed, but here is an answer: My karate is of Chibana's lineage and my teachers were taught by Miyahira as well as other direct students of Chibana's. It is the "kobayashi" style of shorin ryu. The total number of kata in the system is 20. 5 kihon kata, 3 naihanchi, 5 pinan, Passai sho/dai, kusanku sho/dai, chinto, gojushiho and teisho. By shodan one must know all the kata up to Pinan godan and be able to demonstrate bunkai(function and use of techniques) and oyo kumite (practical application in a partnered drill). In addition one must demonstrate Passai sho without any major errors such as forgetting part of the kata. This takes an average of 3.5 years, IF one trains and practices daily. Longer if the person only trains at the dojo when it is open. The last kata introduced is teisho or gojushiho at around 5th dan. Each dan level requires everything learned before plus one new kata to demonstrate and the oyo kumite and bunkai for previously learned kata. In other words dan gradings from shodan onwards focus mostly on technical refinement and oyo kumite and being bunkai.

First, it should be said that when training one should focus on quality of skills and depth of understanding rather than quantity. The very concept of "dan kata" or "black belt kata" is flawed because the time when kata are taught or the order in which each one is learned depends on whoever is teaching. In addition to this, even a short kata with few techniques takes a considerable effort and time to understand to the point of being able to apply effectively. This is why the experts and masters of old would spend years training a single kata. Tte level of each kata is something that was determined around the same time the system of ranks and belts was introduced to karate. Before that, a student would spend a couple of years on fundamentals and basic techniques before being taught whatever kata the teacher knew. Taking Shorin ryu as an example, as a general rule the kata introduced from shodan and afterwards are usually the oldest and those with the heavier Chinese martial arts influence such as passai, kusanku, chinto and gojushiho. Each dojo is different and each one introduces these kata at a different dan depending on the the teacher, the association and the branch. Personally passai sho (itosu's kata) was introduced at shodan and kusanku sho is required to nidan. This is in addition to being able to demonstrate a basic understanding and application of all other kata and satisfactory improvement in basic techniques.

Self-defense is only enough if and only if it is done with the goal of escaping as fast as possible and with the least degree of force needed to get away. This speaks for itself. It is very, very difficult for anyone to claim that a a person obviously struggling to get away is at fault or see that person as the attacker. If a person breaks away and runs at the first opportunity and hits/injures one's attacker in the process of escaping, potential witnesses will see or report just that. Hit hard and run like the bejeezus is always the best thing to do. No need to stick around or fret about what might happen if one isn't there. Who is foolish enough to wait around? Either the attackers supporters get there or the law gets there first. One way or another, if one is still there it will be both costly and painful.

Are you still able and willing to teach and pass on your skills? If the answer is yes it matters little if you are 60, 70 or 80. Most of the best and most competent karate instructors I have had the privilege to know or train under in Japan, Okinawa or elsewhere have been at least 60 years old or more. These instructors could all easily surpass anyone younger than themselves in skills, knowledge and overall physical fitness. My present instructor is nearly 70 and founded his most recent dojo less than 15 years ago. Out of the 30 or so regular students, at least a dozen are shodan or above. if you think you have the energy and dedication, then teach and train as much as you can. Many, if not most of the memorable teachers in martial arts history have trained, taught and practiced until their last breath. To cite an example from Okinawa, Chosin Chibana( taught my sensei's sensei) trained and taught his students up to the eve of his death in 1968 or 9. He was over 80 years old and started many dojos in his life from the time his own teacher, Itosu died.

The makiwara used is not the typical one found in most places. It is a much simpler and cheaper design made of a regular piece of pine board of the same type used for breaking. That board is stuck or placed on an equal sized slice of foam puzzle mat as used on floors. When punching it, the knuckles are meant to strike straight without twisting into the target. When doing this on a nearly daily basis, I had gradually worked up to hitting 100 times for each hand. Following the correct methods and examples, hitting with just enough force to feel a sting. Callouses, bruises and the like are not the goal, but just a "side-effect"

To give a very simplistic answer, one could say that "standards" do not get along with "mass teaching and profiting". Standards will inevitably be brought down when something which is meant to be hard is re-structured to be made accessible and palatable to the average person who cannot invest into more than causal commitment. To limit examples to karate alone, if it were taught the same way it was just 50 years ago with the same standards, one can be certain that the number of people involved would not be nearly as high as it is now.

Hitting a makiwara or other types of striking post will leave obvious visible marks if done on a regular basis, even under the best circumstances where one does it correctly. The dilemma is not about using the makiwara, but whether or not getting back to doing it is the right decision. Nowadays it is just once in a while at the dojo, but until a year or so ago it was every other day. It was never to the point of making a gnarly nasty pulp, but it did result in regulary skinned, spots and prominent callouses. Now those are gone, but there is still some faint marks. I suppose those who do not teach martial arts for a living and have the sort of occupation that involves working with people might have a different perspective. On a personal note, karate is something I keep private precisely because discussing or explaining it to people would bring nothing good in my experience. This is not to say it never happens, just that I refuse to talk about it unless whoever it is has explicitly expressed an interest. Normally what others think is irrelevant, but in this case it could have unwanted negative consequences on making a living if people in the working environment are intimidated or repelled by my appearance. Imagine a school teacher, a public servant or other "people work' person with hands like Morio Higaonna. Do you think it might give such an individual a hard time?

Find an instructor who values effort and personal skill development over and above anything else. If that instructor's opinion can be trusted, follow what is taught and forget about rank or other superficial rewards. Knowledge and skills are in one's head, not around the hips or in a coloured strip of cloth. Shodan, godan or no dan everything falls into three categories: what one doesn't know, what is learning and what needs to improve.