very dissapointed with a dan grading

[Shotokan-kez]

Hey guys this is just my usual moan. Just recently our club held a dan grading. I wasn't grading this time but i watched. Four people took part. Two kids under the age of 10, an 80yr man (which i mentioned in another post) and a 14 year old lad. The thing is i thought the grading was too easy. They all passed but i remember taking mine and it wasnt half that easy, and it took so much longer too. I was sitting there thinking 'man i could take my dan grading again at this rate!'

I'm not dissing my club or sensei's i just think it had dropped a little, standard wise. One of the people's basics were dreadful, his arms were all over the place when doing combinations and never bringing his fists back to his hips ect...im sorry but if your taking your black belt this should be the stage when that becomes natural!

i just feel like they should have been worked much harder (except the 80yr old) i thought it was way too easy. Just my two cents!

[dineshm]

The standard you are using to compare them, your standard, is a bit off.

Makes no sence comparing the rates of growth of an apple and an orange tree.

Each tree is different, grows at different rates, and the fruit at the end looks, smells and tastes different.

[bushido_man96]

The standard you are using to compare them, your standard, is a bit off.

Makes no sence comparing the rates of growth of an apple and an orange tree.

Each tree is different, grows at different rates, and the fruit at the end looks, smells and tastes different.

This is true, but there are some things that should be technically consistent, like the hands to the hips, etc.

If you feel this way, Kez, you may want to approach your sensei about it, and tell him your thoughts, and ask him if there are reasons for the changes.

[setboy]

did I read this right? 10 years old kids are getting Dan rankings?

[Shotokan-kez]

It's not off at all when they can't do what is expected of them, i mean come on we are talking about a black belt, it's not something that should be taken leniently. Yes there is a little leniency with the younger ones but.

Also the grading only took around 30 minutes! I mean this could be due to having a normal lesson in the morning, then an hours course before the grading.

Yes setboy 10 year olds, there is nothing wrong with that, they will be shodan for a few years now before they can go any further,.

[setboy]

Yes setboy 10 year olds, there is nothing wrong with that

so many things I could say to that....................................

[bushido_man96]

Yes setboy 10 year olds, there is nothing wrong with that

so many things I could say to that....................................

There are a lot of different feelings on this scenario. I know of schools that have been like this, and of some that are opposite. In the end, a lot of it comes down to what the instructor's philosophies are, and what kind of roles they expect the children to play that hold such ranks.

[kkennedy219]

Yeah, I sometimes wonder about the criteria used for grading and rank advancement. I am only 8th kyu right now, but I have noticed that the sensei's expectations seem to be different for different people, and he seems to make his decisions on who passes the test and who doesn't based on what he expects of the individual. For example, during the two gradings I have taken part in, a lot of people got really nervous and screwed up their kata a whole bunch of times and had to do them over and over again just to get through it, but they still passed the test because they put out effort. This is fine with me in the sense that I am friendly with all of these people and want them to succeed, but it's not fine with me in the sense that I seemed to take the test so much more seriously than they did, practiced till I turned blue, and didn't goof up my kata. I guess we just have to be satisfied with our own efforts and feel we have pushed ourselves as hard as we can as individuals.

OK, getting down off my soapbox now!

[bushido_man96]

You have a great attitude, kkennedy. You also bring out some good points in your post. It is tough to compare all students together, and hold them all to exactly the same levels of ability; people are just too different to do that. Everyone has different abilities and weaknesses, and it is important to judge them on 1) how well they use their talents, and 2) how well they try to overcome their shortcomings. Therefore, earlier gradings may tend to look how you described, but as they move up and up, then it should begin to change a bit, and level out more.

[Shotokan-kez]

See thats the problem i had kkennedy, not the fact that we had some kids pass their dan grading that wasnt my issue. My issue was that when i took mine i put in 110% i worked so hard i thought i was going to faint on a few occasions. I'm just thinking that these people didnt do that and i thought the standard may have dropped, i was just a little dissapointed. I'm hoping that the people who did pass realise what they have actually gained!