MatsuShinshii

You know what they are like and they all stink. Love the analogy. Agree 100%. I train with all of my students no matter grade. I teach them but they also teach me. In this we are equal. The only thing that separates us is time and knowledge. Agreed 100%. You are right. Just because you show up for every class and put in your 2 hours of training does not grant you anything. If you are not ready or should I say worthy of the grade, I don't care how much time or money you invest, you do not get promoted. I could not agree more. I have said this since I was a young man, it was easier having one color belt until Shodan. You loose focus of the next grade and concentrate on your improvement. I have threatened many times to remove all Obi's except for the white until they reach Shodan. All I hear is why it would be a bad idea but the reasons are due to vanity and ego not based on improvement of the training. Wow you got me fired up enough that I just might come through with those threats. Maybe I'll try it out for a few months and see if I see improvement or decline. I already know the answer. Mabye I shouldn't be saying this as my students might high jack my computer or send a nasty virus to shut it down. Not at all Sensei8. I have just learned through the years that if you allow someone to prove what they say, they are either confident which in itself speaks volumes, or they will give away their lies. The old saying goes that if you give someone enough rope they will hang themselves. I have found that the ones that talk really big know little and the ones that humble and down play their abilities know much. The bully talks big until you stand up to them and their curtain drops and you see them for what they truly are, weak and frightened. In this case the bully is the lie they have told. If you are truly what you say you are, you have no issue with proving it. You also do not have an issue training with a more advanced grade because you benefit and even if you loose, any instructor worth their salt would not expect you to be able to tear apart a higher grade. It's about showing that you are what you are. Knowledge of oneself and your capabilities is tantamount to not knowing fear when asked to prove it. Funny thing is if my student was not able to stick around he would have been training with me. I wonder what he would have said then? But as you said I am just a student of the art when I'm on the floor and I will train with anyone no matter of grade, title, gender, etc. etc. My Shinshii always said he would always be a student of the art and never a master because there is always something to learn and to master would take more than a life time. If the man I admire and look up to has this mentality, I could do no less as I am not half the instructor he is.

Excellent points. First I will address the rank. Yes I would most certainly promote him even with his ailments. Not because he is in splendid shape and can execute the techniques and applications better than most but because he was already on the verge of being promoted or your instructor would not have given the grade. There is also a lot to be said for knowledge. I can tell within five minute of talking to someone about the arts if they know anything or are talking out of the back side of their face. I am sure this is the same with all of you here. I was injured about five years ago while testing my second most senior student. He was going through the motions and I yelled at him and told him to act like he was on the street and this was for real. We were going through applications. I did the dumbest thing I have ever done and planted one of my feet, pow there went my knee and a reconstructive surgery later and I'm still not 80% of what I was five years ago. I can still hold my own but if tested I may not be placed in my current grade based on technique alone. However once I talk to someone they would know my grade based on knowledge. Which brings me to your second statement about this man coming into our dojo and being assessed. To clarify the man I was assessing was within our lineage line but not the same exact art. If he were not I would have started him at Hachikyu irregardless of skill and knowledge because he would have been a beginner in my art. To answer your question about your Yondan, it would depend on a few things; 1. his knowledge of the art. 2. if he could prove that he held that grade (certifications, documents, references). The problem I had with the man that asked to join as his current grade (big indicator right off the bat as I would never ask this of a new instructor and no one I know would) was he did not exhibit the skills of the grade, did not exhibit the knowledge of the grade and could not produce any proof that anyone whatsoever awarded him the grade. I have no issue in producing credentials if I needed to start with a new instructor in the same art or sister art if I were to, say, move to a new state. Most Yudansha understand this and would have no issue with it and would understand as your Yondan or anyone within your ranks would. I agree perception could go both ways but to me what you know and what you show tells me everything I need to know whether you show up with a white belt around your waste or a black belt. Cloth and paper can be faked. Skill and knowledge can't. You either have it or you do not. In the Yondan's case his tell would be the knowledge that he contains. A simple explanation of his accidents would reveal why the body does not match the mind. My Shinshii retired at the age of 85 and could no longer stand toe to toe with his senior students on the floor in full contact. His mind and the knowledge contained within was the treasure that gave no doubts of his grade. Yes there is more than perception but lets be honest... in today's high tech world were you can produce a passable grade certificate and buy a belt off of google, actually talking with and assessing is a must. Heck you can even start a website and claim to be a Judan of twelve different arts. Don't believe me just do a search for Soke. There are an absolute ton of self proclaimed Soke of arts you have never heard of before. No for me, prove it. If not get off my floor and out of my Dojo. Be someone else's problem.

First and foremost welcome to KF Andy. We do not have schools in Arizona or I would send you to one of them. Finding a school that is traditional "Old School" that concentrates on Kata, Bunkai, Tuidi, Tegumi, Kyusho, Ti'gwa and the like is hard to do but not impossible. Google search the local schools and go and visit them. A lot of times you can just look at website and get a really good feel for the school and what it holds important. Nothing however replaces in person visits to local schools. You are able to ask direct questions and see for yourself what the school is all about. If you do visit schools make sure to be direct and ask questions of the instructor. Watch more than one class and of different grades. You will get a pretty good feel and will be able to make a good decision before joining. Another, albeit harder, route is to talk to locals. You may end up finding an instructor that teaches out of his house or church and only has a few students. I don't envy you but I do wish you luck.

It was fun but I can not accept the honor of coming up with this. My Shinshii would often times enter the Dojo wearing his white belt, or what was left of it as it wasn't much more than a tattered old rag after 40+ years, and tell us all to remove our belts. He would tell us that he was a life long beginner and that he always returned to the basics because they were the foundation. He did this about once a month with his Mudansha classes and twice a month with his Yudansha classes because he always felt they would forget this and stop training their basics. This was just a fun exercise but you're right, it did have a lesson attached to it. It shows that it's not the belt but the person we should see. I have made this point to my Yudansha students many times in judging thier students. It is too easy to judge based on appearances rather than on substance. I remember years ago when I was first starting in the arts as a child (different teacher and different art that placed emphasis on trophies) I went to a tournament and watched as a very non-skilled kid with a brown belt around his waste beat one kid after another. My friend (a green belt at the time, can't remember if that was Yonkyu or Sankyu) was terrified of this kid. I remember one of the instructors from another school over hearing us talking about this and told him to stop looking at his belt and start looking at his lack of skill. It worked. He won in short order. Perception is the down fall of us all as we are human and it is human to look and judge appearances. I had a man walk in off the street years ago and request to join our school. I talked to him a bit and he told me that he was a Sandan. I asked for references and he said that they were lost but requested to join our Yudansha classes. I told him that this would not be an issue as long as he was willing to stick around until the current class was over. He said he had his gear so I showed him the locker room. I was in my office finishing some paperwork and watching the ongoing class. I noticed that many of the students were not paying attention to the instructor but instead were watching this man stretch out. He had worn his belt. After class had ended (last class of the night) I asked the instructor teaching the previous class to stay. I then told the man that I would be assessing his skills. He seemed very nervous at first but told me that he would like to show me his Kata. I agreed. He had pretty good form and power but there was something off in the way he performed the Kata, almost beginner like in nature. His style was a sister art within our lineage so I thought maybe they just performed them differently. After he had finished showing me the Kata that he knew, not up to Sandan level but again could be different schools different rules, I told him that he would be going a few rounds with my student (some of you might know him as Devil Dog here on the forums). He immediately protested stating that since he was a Sandan and my student was a Yondan, it was not fair. I smirked a little but told him that he would take it easy on him. The man all but ran around the floor trying to keep away from my student. When I told him that he would have to engage or I could not properly assess him, I could see the look of fear in his eyes. He stood on the line while I talked to my student. I told him to rush him to see what he would do. The man covered up and coward down almost in a ball. Needless to say the man was not what he purported to be. I asked him after he changed and came out of the locker room who his teachers name was and where his old Dojo was located. He him-hauled around and said that I wouldn't know him and his school was closed years ago. I told him that he would start as a Hachikyu grading. He did not know what this was. I said white belt and he walked out without so much as another word. My students immediately thought this man was something special due to him wearing a black belt, so much so that they stopped watching their own instructor during class. The perception was due to the belt, not the man.

Whose turn is it to post it next year? I was quite hesitant to post this because of other similar posts. I thought that this was in a different line as this concerned a full Yondan grading but I agree the feelings and comments are along the same lines as other posts.

We have somewhat similar yet very strict guidelines as well. Since we/I do not teach children I can't speak to the Ikkyu/JBB statements above but I would have to say that if I did teach kids this would be my philosophy as well, albeit the age for JJB might be a tad higher. Shodan is the same for us although pretty much impossible since we do not accept students younger than 16 and it takes a minimum of 5 yrs to Shodan. However one of my Shinshii's teachers did accomplish this. I absolutely agree with your fourth rule. And please do not get me wrong, this is not an age per-say issue. As I have stated before, one of my students surpassed me in grade/rank and I never had an issue showing him my utmost respect. My issue is showing respect to paper tigers as one of my friends call them. Grade without substance and warrant. I could never respect this. As far as the person I have no issue extending respect. I extend respect to everyone until they prove that they are not worthy of my respect. Seeing an 11 yr old wearing a Yondan grading looses my respect instantly for her teacher and her school. It's not about respect for her. Showing that is easy. However I could never respect the teacher that promoted her, the school that she trains in nor the organization that would allow this. And because of that I would just simply do an about face and walk out the door. Hopefully you can understand that it is not showing disrespect to the person but rather not showing respect for an unworthy grade, teacher, organization. I have a real issue with those that would issue or put on a grade that they are not worthy of or did not EARN. It's a lack of respect for the grade not the person in this case. However in the case of someone portraying themselves to be a grade they have not EARNED, unfortunately I would in fact loose your respect, because I could not extend my respect for that person.

No respect lost at all. We all have our values and live by our own standards. I absolutely agree with you on the manners and how we should always maintain them. But for me, my manners would be not telling this child's teacher what I thought about this as politely as I could muster. To the child, I would say nothing except to say "please excuse me but I have to leave". I do not place blame or fault on any child for an adults decisions. I absolutely get where you are coming from and due to my fathers up bringing I can absolutely see your point of view. I just could not bring myself to bow to her or the Dojo because my feeling on it is fairly straight forward; if this is going on in this school it is to me not a Dojo (sacred place). For me it would be like walking into a Dojo of a person that read a book and sent off and paid for a high grade without ever stepping foot into a real Dojo and passing themselves off as the real deal. I extend no respect for this type thing. My manners would be to walk out as I would do with this 11 yr old. I get your point but for an old set in his ways kind of guy like me this is practicing manners. In my younger days or after I left the Marine Corps my reaction would be far less diplomatic and measured. Age has softened me and calmed me down. Believe me when I say, walking out for me is good manners.

I'm big on the sea food diet. I see food and I eat it. Seriously, I don't really have to watch my diet as my wife worries about our eating habits for both of us. Fast food was taken out of our diets about the time our first child was born and she started worrying about us being around for grand-kid's. LOL! I do eat more than my fair share of red meat but there are just some things you can't go without. Some can't go without chocolate and others can't go without coffee. My Achilles heal is steak. I figure it's ok since the rest of my diet is planned out to the nth degree.

No one trains in this or can give insight? I was under the impression that most Chinese arts had components of both Qin Na (Chin Na) and Shuai Jiao in them.

I had one as a kid but have not seen one since then. We'll maybe on old Dennis the Menace re-runs.

So last week I was talking with a few of my Yudansha students and they were asking me how training had changed since I started. I happened to mention the fact that we all wore a white belt until we reached Shodan. One of my senior students (George) that teaches my beginner and intermediate Mudansha classes had heard this before from other instructors but could not wrap his mind around it and asked how did we know what level our students were at. This got me to thinking and I devised a plan. I contacted 12 of my Yudansha students and asked them to show up to the Mudansha class dressed in their white Gi's and wearing their white belts. I also had the intermediate and senior Mudansha students show up for this class. We have two new students (less than a month of training) who had not met the Yudansha students yet nor any of the intermediate or senior Mudansha students. I showed up to class wearing a white Gi and a white belt and carrying a tote filled with white belts. Before George and the two new students showed up I had all of the Mudansha students (Shechikyu through Gokyu) take off their Obi and put on the white belts. Note: Yudansha wear a black Gi top and white bottoms. When George entered the Dojo I could see that he was puzzled but said nothing. I pulled him aside and said we would have a little experiment and friendly bet. I told him to pull the two new students out of line and have them site with him. I told him to have everyone perform Pinan Shodan (our first Kata) and then ask the students what grade they thought each group of students were. If they could pick out the different levels on performance alone then he had to fill in for my other senior student and teach the senior Mudansha classes for a month. If they could not I would teach his class for a month. He had the senior Mudansha students (Sankyu to Ikkyu) perform first, then the beginner Mudansha students (Hachikyu to Rokkyu), then the 12 Yudansha students and finally the intermediate students (Gokyu to Yonkyu). He then asked the two new students what grade they thought each group was and if he thought they were white belts or a higher grade. They pretty much hit the nail on the head. Without visual indicators (Obi) to go by they had to pay attention to their performance only. After class George came up to me and asked why I chose to change my Gi and wear a white belt. I asked him if the students guessed grade based on the belt or their ability. He said their ability. I said that the belt does not make the man, the man makes the belt. What difference does it make what color you have around your waste when you know your ability and everyone around you knows your ability based on your performance. Goes to show that no matter what belt you have tied around your waste your abilities will let others know what you know and what you don't, how skilled you are or how lacking in skill you are. You can say anything and show me any certificate but until you get on the Dojo floor and prove it, it's just words and paper. Anyone can claim anything and any one can give grade without warrant. The proof as Sensei8 always says "is on the floor". I thought it was a fun experiment and Steve (my other senior student) is loving the fact that he has a month of free time. He's taking an early vacation with his family and the best part is I don't have to cover for him.

When I started you had to earn your Hachikyu (white belt) grade. However as with all things, this tradition was changed.

Comes with years of practice. It's somewhat letting go and allowing your training to take over. We call this Mushin (no mind). If you tense up it's due to you anticipating the attack. When your muscles tense your reaction is reduced significantly. If you think about it you get tense. React to each situation when it happens not before. If you anticipate you start to tense and your speed is cut in half. Take your mind out of it and stop thinking about what to do before you know what attack will be thrown. It's kind of like throwing a proper strike. You are totally relaxed as your arm extends to the target which translates to speed. It's not until the moment of impact that you tighten your fist and drive from your toes through your body to your fist. The same is true when sparring. You do not react until the attack is thrown.

If you are practicing Bunkai drills then switch if he is ready and waiting. I assume that you have several applications that fit a given scenario like we do. If not use a distraction technique or wait until he is no longer rooted and apply the technique. Having said this, and like Sensei8, I feel that the more resistance the better. If you think in terms of a real conflict, the opponent is resisting even more so than in the Dojo because the stakes are higher. The closer you can get to real world, the better. Its great to apply a technique several times to a willing opponent (uke) so you can get the feel of the techniques involved and understand how to properly apply them but after this is accomplished the only way you will ever know how it really works is to do it against a none compliant opponent. Small, big, short or tall doesn't matter. Think the taller man has an advantage? Get lower and his own body weight will topple him. Do not look at this as a problem but an opportunity to see what really works for you. Through this you will also learn to execute techniques in your way to benefit your size. Not every student is the same and as such their technique will differ. This is an opportunity to find your way. On the other hand you do your friend no favors by being a compliant uke. It gives an unrealistic sense of ability when it's not him but you making things work. Resistance in these drills teaches more than compliance ever will. You'll be hard pressed to find a compliant thug on the streets so why train that way? I understand what your saying. I'm just giving you another way to approach the situation.

That's exactly what people has to understand & that's I guess is the main reason for frustration ! Frustration for the CI or for the student/parent/whomever else?? As a CI, I've no illusions as to the owner of frustration because I've no frustration whatsoever. The ownership of frustration belongs solely to the student/parent/whomever else!! However, they can take their frustration out of my dojo because I will not permit it to permeate the inside of my dojo. You want to be unreasonable with all of that whining and complaining and whatever else?? Take it outside where it belongs!! Leave your cares and woes anywhere else beside in my dojo!! I JUST DON'T CARE WHAT A STUDENT/PARENT/WHOMEVER ELSE THINKS THAT THEY THINK THEY DESERVE!! EARN IT!! As the CI, I, and only I decide who has earned it and whom hasn't!! Whether it be harsh or crude or rude or whatever, is of no concern of mine, now or ever!!!!! Proof is on the floor!!!! Always has been, always will be!! I could not agree more.

That's exactly what people has to understand & that's I guess is the main reason for frustration ! Frustration for the CI or for the student/parent/whomever else?? Frustration for Instructors ! Imho, I sincerely believe that frustrated instructors are those that are still unseasoned on the floor in their role as an instructor. In time, and with proper guidance, that which is unseasoned turns into a well seasoned instructor. I, too, once was that unseasoned and frustrated instructor until time and proper guidance seasoned me. Time tempers everything and anything, if it's allowed!! Quite true. Spot on.

I would tell them to have fun. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Treat it as such. Life gets in the way sometimes, don't beat yourself up. Learn to love the art, and above all, have fun. Love it! Solid suggestion and probably most over looked. I tend to over look this because I had an instant love for the art and because of this I always had fun and can say I do to this day. Great advice.

I am nothing if not traditional and having said this I understand the pecking order of instructor to student. Even so, as I stated there is no way I would respect or bow to an 11 yr old as an adult. I get your point and respect what you are saying because of the back ground we come from and the traditions and requirements we follow. However I would walk out and find another school before ever extending respect or bowing to the belt (notice I do not say person) that an 11 yr old wears. A person must earn respect, the belt is a symbol and as such has a degree of respect attached to it. Just like military rank. I like to think I have a degree of humility but this far and exceeds my ability to humble myself. I give the utmost respect to all of my students and instructors without question until they prove that they do not deserve it. I have had students pass me in grade and never have I had an issue with this as it was my decision to pass on grading and have extended all respect to their grades and have absolutely no problem bowing to them. This situation however is something I would never kowtow down to. For me, I could never bow to a grade not earned or to a person not worthy of the grade given. To use your words, "proof is on the floor", and I would be thoroughly amazed in ANY 11 yr old no matter how big could stand toe to toe with me on the floor and earn my respect. To me a grade such as this had better be able to win the respect of his/her students not only through knowledge but also ability. Ability also implies being able to stand with any of your students. Can you or anyone else here say that an 11 yr old can do that? If so I would love to meet them. I have given great thought to the whole JBB issue. Having read many opinions and explanations of it, I have come to understand it's use and also what it means. I have come to understand their meaning and accept the reason for having them. But a full grading at 11 is for me just crazy. I would love to use other slang to describe this but I don't want Patrick to yell at me. In this case I would just walk out and find a school without comment to this young lady. It's not her fault she wears what I feel she does not deserve. I guess in my mind the real issue is less with the 11 yr old and more so with the person that granted this grade to an 11 yr old. To the point, I would have an even harder time bowing to or having any respect for the instructor (no matter what grade he/she was) that promoted this young lady than I would bowing to her. And I would have an even harder time not questioning their grading. I would definitely walk and never look back at minimum. I guess the underlying reason I get so passionate about this type of subject is that it's another reason that the art has declined. Belt factories, McDojo's, feel good everybody is a winner mentalities. The respect for the art is what suffers when this type of thing happens. I don't think anyone would really consider an 11 yr old to be worthy of a Yondan grading. It's a joke and most instructors understand this. It's the general public that does not understand what it takes to achieve said grades. It's the utter lack of respect for the traditions and the art itself. Yes instructors can do as they please, but to what end? If I promote every student to Shodan after the first month of training what message does that send to them? Yes I look at Shodan and all the other Yudansha grades differently than most of the others here on KF. To me it is not just another belt. I was definitely brought up differently in the arts than most and besides some here I'm older than most. But if the standards of Yudansha grading's are degraded and anyone walking in the door can get one with minimal effort what does your grade, position, title mean to them? Not much. Its the "everyone gets a trophy" mentality that makes winning, hard effort, and working to EARN something worth nothing at all. So if they don't respect and value the belt, because it was given not earned, how do you expect them to respect you or the art you teach? [And lets be honest she did not study for 11 yrs because her parents are not in the art and until around the age of 6 her attention span was smaller than a flea in my experience, so how many years/hours could she have put in? How many hours could she have devoted to training? Oh and I might mention that he also had a picture of her in a ballet uniform so she's not strictly devoted but even if she were, it's impossible to devote that many hours in such a short time frame unless the belt was given. It's semantics. It's ridiculous and in my humble opinion down right impossible. Bow to the grade? Nope. Not me not ever.

Rank is earned would be at the top of my list as well. How about - The belt does not make the man, the man makes the belt. Do not look down at the white belt as it's the first step and without it you can not start your journey. A black belt starts with a white belt. Always maintain a beginners mind. If you are always concerned with how others are doing you fail to concentrate on your own progress and improvement and get left behind. Quality over speed. Its not a race to the finish line. We all learn at different paces. Humility, integrity and compassion is not a weakness. Never give up. Seven times down, Eight times up. Do not underestimate anyone. Real MA is not found in the movies. Don't blame others for your failures. Look in the mirror and accept it and then do something about it. It's a personal journey that only you can find success or failure in. If you do not get to test because you did not practice outside of class or you did not pay attention while in class and all of the other students did, you can only blame one person, YOU! Take responsibility for yourself and your actions.

Luther Unleashed, I respect your explanation. My art does not give kids BB's or junior BB's so this idea had escaped me until joining here and reading the difference. I do not dispute what you have said and respect how you feel. However the original topic was an 11 yr old with a full Yondan grading. I could accept this if it were as you pointed out a kids grading and not the actual grading. I guess I fail to see how anyone this age could be worthy of a Shodan (full grading) much less a Yondan. I have grown a little since I joined KF and have somewhat opened my mind to other ways of doing things and can accept, albeit not always agree, with these ways. But to be totally honest, there will never be a time in my life when I can accept this type of lunacy. Yes I can agree with you that in starting this topic I kind of knew some of the answers I would get and yes I'm one of those it took me 5 years to achieve my Shodan guys. Having said that I have realized that not all arts are my art and we all have different experiences and I can accept that. But accepting an 11 year old Yondan in my world is just never going to happen. Can you imagine walking into a Dojo for the first time as an adult and being told to bow to an 11 year old teaching you? Better yet can you imagine dropping your 16 yr old kid off to this same class? Maybe I'm just an old porch hound that doesn't like change but I can not imagine a world where I would respect this grade much less bow to it with an 11 yr old wearing it. In my opinion most agree with me, albeit in this age of political correctness they might not admit to this openly. Just imagine an 11 yr old teaching you how to fight. I'm cracking up just thinking about it. Kinda like a fly teaching the fly swatter.

I am guessing that you are referring to body conditioning versus weapon (hand, foot, elbow, knee, etc.) conditioning. If you are engaging in this type of practice I would think that you have been taught how to breath and how to tighten your body. The best example of this would be Sanchin training. Although there are many others utilized in other arts this is the most common example. Depends on what you mean by uncomfortable. If this means its a little unpleasant, then no. You are going to be put into unpleasant situations throughout your training. This is how you grow and learn. If you mean painful but you can handle it, again no. If you mean painful as in your getting damaged more so than the occasional bruise, then yes. It is possible that the student your Sensei has put you with does not understand limitations for the training and as such should be talked to so as to avoid serious injury. We all experience pain and sometimes worse injuries due to training. However this is not a typical thing as most students of the arts have been taught a degree of control and most understand that it is to benefit both the attacker in learning how to strike effectively and the defender in learning how to deflect/absorb/dodge/receive the strike. If your being struck as hard as the attacker can strike this teaches you nothing and does not give you the chance to learn from the exchange. I would imagine that you have been taught how to absorb/deflect/dodge and receive the strike before engaging in active body conditioning drills?

If you could give advice to someone thinking about joining the MA's what common misconceptions would you correct before they join?

It can go either way. If you leave everything up to the student body things can degrade very quickly. I used to sit on our board and some of the suggestions that we received were crazy to be polite. On the other hand if too much power is given to the wrong person this can go down hill very fast as well in terms of a governing body. A balance must be maintained for things to work out for all involved. If you have an elected governing body vs an acting head (Soke), the responsibility of electing good people is solely on the student bodies shoulders when casting their votes. That is if the student body has a say or if it is left up to the instructors of the organization. Either way you get what you vote for. I go back and forth on the subject. On one hand I really liked it when my Shinshii was the sole decision maker but he was also a good man that cared about his students. On the other hand we now have a board made up of like minded people that also care about the student body and the art itself. It really comes down to who is in power and whether that power is used to elevate the art and it's students or if it is used for personal gain. The catch is the student body has a choice. To stay or to leave. Power is a subjective thing and you need subordinates to retain power. No one to rule, no power. My old organization just went through this. The vast majority of instructors and students decided to leave and form a new organization and our power hungry ex president now has power over 12 instead of 500+. Rumor is he will not be able to retain the 12. You only give power to those in charge if you choose to put up with their rules/ sometimes craziness. If you don't, power is lost. If those in power utilize that power to elevate those around them and to improve their art they will retain their position. If it is used to push their own agenda's and to gain control over their student body one of two things will happen; they will eventually be voted out and replaced or their students will find another organization. Either way power is lost. The truth is if rules were thrown out the door and the student body was to rule itself, it would be absolute anarchy. 10 board members are never fully in agreement on 10% of the issues. I could not imagine if 500+, or in terms of large organizations, 10,000+ were put in charge. What would the end result be of that? An organization that fractures and goes it's separate ways. Even though most governing bodies are sometimes bone heads and make silly decisions they are a necessary evil because without them you couldn't maintain the integrity of the art and up hold the standards. If students ran the show you would quickly find that one student would want to test after two weeks of training for Shodan and another would think it takes 20 years. We put governing bodies in place to maintain standards and enforce the rules that maintain integrity in the art. Of course this does not apply to McDojo's that have no integrity passed the all mighty dollar. Traditions and standards are second place to student retention and money flow.

Congratulations. Well deserved.

Engineer full time.