i made the switch

[jctkd]

thanks, i know you guys will flame me, but my tkd school was not alot about high flashy kicks, of course we have our spinning heel kicks and such, but we spent alot of time with our hands and combos for real worls situations, also alot of hapkido, thanks for the replys im looking forward to training.

[Zaine]

what an eighth dan in any okinawan system like goju ryu would be a master...

[jctkd]

what an eighth dan in any okinawan system like goju ryu would be a master...

well im brand new here but what my understanding was 9-10 dan was "master"

[24fightingchickens]

well im brand new here but what my understanding was 9-10 dan was "master"

LOL!

Usually 10 dan = dead.

The dan ranks past the 5th dan mostly seem to be political appointments. Ranks are funny things. At first you get them for being obedient and passing tests with increasing physical ability to go fast, be flexible, remember routines, and use some principles. Then you start getting them because of physical ability plus whether or not you bring money into the organization, whether or not you are a teacher, what the ranks of your colleagues are, how active you are in volunteering to help, etc. The higher you go, the more physical ability, social status, politics, tenure, and other qualities get mixed into that one rank.

After I got my last dan rank, I decided I was through with trying to get more of them. It just seemed to be a grip for someone to use to get me to do stuff for them. "If you are a good boy for three years, you can be a 5th dan." Some of us keep training as long as the other folks who have higher ranks, but we stop testing because we no longer feel the need for validation from someone else of what we do. Some guys with high ranks have them mailed to them without even having filled out an application. They just get a certificate and a letter with an invoice attached for a registration fee. I know a couple of people who received very high dan ranks this way in very prestigious groups.

Some guys have high dan ranks even though they quit training years ago. It's like getting your college degree - they don't take it away just because you forget half of what they taught you. So, I just try to remember that the rank system is there to give me goals and objectives to help myself with mentally - not to compare to other people or figure out how good other people are.

[Shorin Ryuu]

It really does depend on your system. In my system, ideally, there is a huge distinction between 6th dan (renshi) and 7th dan (kyoshi). Of course, there are varying levels of skill among the kyoshi, but where there is correlation between grade and skill, there is a strong correlation indeed.