Should any black belt be able to open a dojo

[smegedinashed]

im a blackbelt and im only 12 so i can't realy open a club.

 

 

[SaiFightsMS]

Smeg be on your guard in here. And if a might give you a word of advice? Check your spelling of karate in your profile.

 

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KarateForums Sempai

 

Shotokan Karate, Bojitsu, Saijitsu

 

[ This Message was edited by: SaiFightsMS on 2002-02-19 17:26 ]

[omnifinite]

In my system you have to have sensei title to teach, and usually sensei title isn't given until 3rd dan or so (sometimes at 2nd dan, but you have to really know your stuff). Of course no one could really stop you from opening a school on your own outside an organization. I guess schools under organizations might be more reliable?

[Karateka_latino]

This will also depends on what styles and Schools we are training in.

 

In BJJ it takes 10 and even 15 years go get a black belt. They usually allow Purple belts, 5 to 7 years of training, to open Schools.

 

Also i saw a Traditional Karate and Judo School in which you needed to have at least 6 years of training to get a shodan.

[monkeygirl]

In my school, we don't really have a "instructor training course" per se.

 

In order to begin teaching, you have to be a member of our BlackBelt Club of elite students, and you have to have been in this Club for at least a month or two. Generally, we don't promote people to teaching until about blue belt (about a year of training). When (and if) they get promoted, they are not directly promoted to Instructor. They go to one of our Leadership Teams. Generally, kids class students go directly to STORM (super team of role models). Adults class students will go to either SWAT (super winning attitude team) or STRIKE (super team responsible for instructing karate excellence). It's rare that anyone is promoted directly to STRIKE.

 

From these teams there is room for promotion within the teams. STORM is lowest, SWAT is next, and STRIKE is the highest of the "teams". The teams basically represent the amount of responsibility and teaching time that the members are given.

 

The teams provide a training ground for future instructors. The instructors/asst. instructors and members who have been on the teams for awhile, nurture and bring up the new team members, show them the ropes, etc.

 

From STRIKE, you can be promoted up to Assistant Instructor. I've never seen anyone lower than 1st brown achieve this rank.

 

From Asst. Instructor, the next step is Instructor. However, you must be a blackbelt and over the age of 16.

 

In short, adults will end up going through anywhere from a year to two years of leadership training before they become instructors.

 

Because the team members are hand-picked, this cuts down on some of the "crappy instructing". The intensive, experience-based training has made amazing changes in some people. However, sometimes it still happens. Some people just weren't meant to teach!

[taebot]

I practice in America. America is, for all intents and purposes, a mercantile society. I have been called upon at times by my peer group and at times by the public at large to do something about school or instructor. My reply is this...

 

I ain't the black belt police. The marketplace will decide. Either you deliver an acceptable product or you go out of business. There may be a sucker born every minute, but you can't fool most of the people most of the time.

 

One of my instructors got his start by questioning...

 

RM walks into the gym where TM is practicing.

 

RM: You a black belt?

 

TM: Yes.

 

RM: Can you prove it?

 

TM: Here (takes certificate from briefcase).

 

RM: Can you prove it?

 

This is where TM kicks RM's posterior.

 

btw... I ain't the spelling or grammar police either...

[isshinryu kid]

You Havta,Be certified before you can go out on your on & teach.This Might be one of the reasons,Why Some styles are being waters down so much.The White,Green,& Brown belts are introductory,& It is ,Whenyou become, A Blb\k blt That you become,A Student,Not a sensei.

[KickChick]

The subject of this thread is not "teaching" but opening up your own dojo/school. Quite a different scenario.

 

Teaching is one thing ... but opening your own school based primarily on your own qualifications is another.

 

I am not alone in the way of thinking that 5th - 10th dan dojo owner qualifications to be impressive. Does that mean they are more "qualified" and better teachers? Possibly. Better business/school owners? Possibly.

 

There are a number of variables. The general public (IMO) seems to gravitate to way of thinking that a TKD school "owned" by an 8th dan Korean master is far more superior to that of a school owned by non-Korean black belt..... go figure .... are they right?

 

There are a number of threads here in this Instructor forum re: opening your own dojo and at what rank etc. etc. .... http://www.karateforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=3617

 

In this thread I pointed out an article that is :up:

 

http://winstonstableford.com/YourOwnDojo.html

[monkeygirl]

I think it would be interesting to see a CEO-type person (gone to college for business, etc.) open up a dojo; whether the CEO is a black belt themself, or they hire an instructor to teach classes, etc. Provided that both the CEO and instructor are well-versed in their own fields, work well with each other, and put forth good programs, I think it would be an awesome school. Too many times, people have some incredible instructing going on, but the school management is terrible.

 

With that in mind, I don't think you have to be a black belt to OPEN and OWN a school, but you definitely need one as the Chief Instructor. I would say the absolute least should be 3rd dan. I'm saying this for strictly psychological reasons: if any prospective member comes to the school, and has any previous experience with martial arts, they know that 1st dan is the "baby" of the blackbelts. It's like being a white belt but in a different sense. 2nd dan is still a little "young", but 3rd dan is a pretty good point.

[ninjanurse]

My thoughts on this: It takes more than a piece of black cloth around your waist to make you an instructor. I have met many fine martial artists with exemplary technique that couldn't teach a class to save themselves-on the otherhand, I have met ,and have had as students, many colored belts who although their technique was not great, were able to impart to a young student a love for the arts and a desire to be the best they can be. Isn't this what it is all about?