Student For Life Posted September 19, 2002 Posted September 19, 2002 I'm a third Degree Black Belt School Owner in Taekwondo/Jujitsu. This answer is a simple one for me...... YES. Here is why..... In today's world, you see adds in magazines and newspapers all the time that sollicits "Be a Black Belt in 9 months". The rank behind the black belt only holds value to a few...... Example: I know many, many, many 4th and 5th and some 6th degree black belts who are Great Black Belts- Technique-wise, but they can not teach worth a flip!!! Some of them can't even speak good english! My point is this...... a student is only as good as his or her instructor's abliltiy to articulate his/her knowledge to the student. How many times have you heard martial arts students make comments about how their instructor can do this or their instructor can do that? Thats all fine and dandy but, what can your instructor teach YOU? One of my competitors went from a black belt 2nd degree to a 4th degree in 1 and 1/2 years. I was a 2nd degree with twice as many students with the same amount of years in the arts as my competitor and same amount of years teaching experience. Go Figure! My advice to you is this: When you get to the point in training where you are allowed to open your own school..... be honest and proud of your rank. Tell your students that what makes a good instructor is not the level of black belt..... its the instructor's ablility to communicate his knowledge to the student. Good luck!
hobbitbob Posted September 19, 2002 Posted September 19, 2002 I think that thequestion itself, "would you take lessons from a 1,2, or 3d Dan" is dependent on the style, and system as well. In may of teh Japanese and Okinawan systems, students do not progress as rapidly as they seem to in Korean styles. Therefore a 20 year studetn in a Korean style is likely to hold a higher numbered grade than a 20 year studetn of Shot, or Shito, or Wado, or Goju, etc... As has been stated above, the true test is the person's teaching ability, not the grade. Often the teaching responsibilites increase as grade increases, but not neccesarily. One of the best "traditional" karate Dojo I've ever known has as its cheif instructor a 2d Dan, who has trained for 25 years. there are higher Dan ranks training there, but he is the Sensei, adn teh one designated by his senior to run that particular Dojo. he has also undergone training ar USA-NKF instructors and referres courses, adn therefore is probably better qualified to teach than a 4th Dan who trains three nights/week, and hasn't had that much time and experience teaching. The other comment on this thread that struck me, adn perhaps it should be a seperate thread, is the concept that a certain Dan grade is a "master." I think personally think that the adoption of the title "master" as a designation for 4th Dan and up by many Korean and eclectic systems has been a major mistake and a source of great discredit to the arts in general. To my way of thinking, only after most of a lifetime's worth of study may one truly "master" a martial art. Arbitrarily deciding that the 25 year old with 10 years of training is a "master" is ludicrous and reflects poorly on teh one who uses the title , as well as those who gave him the title. There have always been Starkadders at Cold Comfort Farm!
ramymensa Posted October 1, 2002 Posted October 1, 2002 As hobbitbob observed in Shotkan we don't progress that fast. Here in Romania, at our federation which is affiliated to JKA you are not alowed to become a black belt until you are 18 years old. The gradings take place twice a year for lower kyus and once a year for the advanced ones. Joining a school run by a shodan or a nidan is OK. In order to come there they've been working for 7-8 years ... so they've got experience and they are adults. In my club we've got a young woman shodan. She is very proficient and helps our sensei, who is 5 Dan. He achieved this rank at 40 years after 27 years of karate. World Shotokan Karate
kenpo4life Posted January 17, 2003 Posted January 17, 2003 For those who say that they wouldnt get into a school run by a second dan: Dont let the belt fool you. I am a nidan, and I have been practicing for 25 years this Sunday. That is WAY more experience than most commercial schools these days. I am not bragging, but in my family rank is hard to come by. There was a 7 year gap betwen shodan and nidan. It is all about the teachers skills. If my survival means your total destruction, then so be it.
CheekyMusician Posted January 20, 2003 Posted January 20, 2003 My karate instructors are a 3rd dan and a 2nd dan. The 3rd dan is really intense, really focused and quite tactical. The 2nd dan is down-to-earth, funny and encouraging. I don't think I could ask for any two better people to teach me because of their attitudes to teaching and their personalities, never mind how high graded they are. Anyway, I'm just starting out at the club and have just passed my 9th Kyu (so I've still got an awful lot to learn before I have to worry about my instructors being too "low ranked" to teach me), and by the time I've been in the club a few more years those two instructors might have moved up another dan grade. They way I see it, I've got something to learn off everyone in my club, not just the two head instructors, and not just the black belts. I would be hesitant to join a club run by a first dan though. Sometimes 1st dans take my class and can teach well, but I would be wary that it might be a McDojo if a club was owned and controlled completely by a first dan. Smile. It makes people wonder what you've been up to.
NidanWarrior Posted January 24, 2003 Posted January 24, 2003 Absolutely! Remember, that black belt instructor know more about what he/she is teaching than the person coming through the door to sign up (you'd hope). If you are a good instructor and are confident in what you know you'll do great and retain students. Rank doesn't have much to do with getting people in the door to sign up for classes. It's the advertising and promotions that get them in the door. The rest is up to how well you can sell your product. Good luck! NidanWarrior
Light Ng Posted February 15, 2003 Posted February 15, 2003 I agree with most of you. Belt is not important - the person who wears it is. See what they have to offer. Standards vary greatly. Sadly, dan grades have become a marketing tool to fool the gullible. There are of course some that DO deserve their grade but how do you tell if your a novice?
zweistein Posted February 15, 2003 Posted February 15, 2003 I just joined a school which is ran by a 1st Dan instructor... I must say I'm pretty pleased, because he's an OK instructor and I think that the degree doesn't have to do anything with it, experience does.
ramymensa Posted February 17, 2003 Posted February 17, 2003 I just joined a school which is ran by a 1st Dan instructor... I must say I'm pretty pleased, because he's an OK instructor and I think that the degree doesn't have to do anything with it, experience does. Well the degree MATTERS. Your instructor is OK, I uess and it should be In some Karate schools a shodan (first degree BB) isn't alowed to grade students from 5 kyu to shodan (because the person itself is just a shodan). If it's the case, your instrcutor would grade you until 6 kyu, afterwards having to get a bigger BB Till then ... there's a lot of work to be done and you'll have many things to learn. Good luck and enjoy World Shotokan Karate
yellowsnow Posted February 20, 2003 Posted February 20, 2003 Our head instructor JUST got his 3rd degree in kickboxin...he never runs our classes though which pisses me off...somtimes we even have an orange belt run our class, which she is only 1 belt above me!!! another month or two and I will be in her class..this makes me really upset when she teaches. I think I have only been taught by our head instructor maybe 2 times which sucks. I will be starting a new BJJ class next week which the instructor is a 6th degree black under the gracies, and he runs every single class of his. I am really excited about that. my school confuses me somtimes... YS
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