Being able to award rank?

[bushido_man96]

Its too bad that it can really be that easy.

[JusticeZero]

imagine someone just stripped you of your rank. Should that mean anything to you if the sole goal of your training was simply gaining useful knowledge and experience? How about if someone took away your high school diploma or college degree? Why do we compete or grade students on anything but a pass/fail scale or put little gold stars on elementary school students' tests?

I don't seek rank or a diploma for my own sake. I know what I know. That said, if I want my information to be able to be taken seriously by others, I have to have that piece of paper on it; the world is full of people who know their stuff back and forth, who don't get a chance because they don't have a sheet of paper to prove that they studied it.

[sensei8]

Its too bad that it can really be that easy.

It really is beyond disheartening to say the least. Thank God that the truth is discovered on the floor..quickly!

What drives a person to want to become involved in self-promotions? Why? I guess I'm just a dinosaur from a time that's been long gone!

[tallgeese]

Yeah, the truth is on the floor.

If you notice in my ealier post that you quoted about going on your own nowhere did I suggest that one add ranks to his credit or give himself a larger than life title. Just start teaching out of your own loosely affiliated group and discount buy certificates. That about sums up my postion on it.

Yes, self promotion is a bit silly. You'll attract and keeps students that are worth having based on ability and teaching skills.

[sensei8]

Yeah, the truth is on the floor.

If you notice in my ealier post that you quoted about going on your own nowhere did I suggest that one add ranks to his credit or give himself a larger than life title. Just start teaching out of your own loosely affiliated group and discount buy certificates. That about sums up my postion on it.

Yes, self promotion is a bit silly. You'll attract and keeps students that are worth having based on ability and teaching skills.

But the tone of which I received your post then is why I mentioned the happenings of today. Larry Tatum, for one, Ed Parker dies...Tatum starts an Kempo organization...and in that, he's now a 10th Degree Black Belt. What was wrong with the rank he earned under Parker? Nothing that I can tell...but...Tatum wasn't satisfied with that...ego became his new sensei.

Or...

Fumio Demura is expelled by his Shito-ryu organization and then he starts his own Shito-ryu organization. Now he's students have to be graded under his newly founded Shito-ryu organization because any ranking certs under the original Shito-ryu are voided, therefore, no longer accepted by the original Shito-ryu.

One's not cool and the other is, imho.

If I've offended you, I'm sorry for that wasn't my intent!

[sensei8]

"Being Able To Award Rank?" as this topic is titled. Within my style one must be a Sandan to award a Shodan, therefore, the awarding rank must be 2 ranks above the testee, and in that the chief instructor of said Dojo must be a minumim rank of Sandan to award rank! A Shodan/Nidan might or might not be allowed to sit at the testing table, and in that, no Shodan/Nidan's name ever appear on the official ranking certs per my Hombu's By-Laws. My style awards certs from 5th Kyu (Green Belt) and up.

[tallgeese]

No offense taken, sensei8

[masterphoenix]

I have a simple question. I have a 2nd dan in TKD with the WTF (with kukkiwon, obviously). I no longer officially train at a school and don't really intend on opening a school.

My wife has expressed interest in beginning to learn TKD. I told her that, since I have experience teaching TKD in the past, that I feel comfortable training her. However, if she is going to put the time and effort into training, I would like to be able to test and award her ranks / belts, as appropriate. I know I can just go buy them at the store and give them to her, but that isn't what I want to do. Does anyone know how I would be able to go about making it more "official"? Is this something that I can even do?

Thanks in advance!

It is legitimate for a black belt to award rank up to and including one rank below himself in his style. This is particularly so because you are independent now, and no longer affiliated.

Any rank exists only because of the endorsement of a party who has previously qualified for rank themselves. As a previous poster alluded, rank is only as good as the standards and only as respectable as the source.

You do not need an organization for this. Sangmoosa.com carries olympic style rank certificates, and you can get them from Century and other places as well, or make them on your computer, or have them made at a print shop.

Having said that, it is never a bad idea to be affiliated with someone, even if you are doing this on a small scale, and to have backing from higher ranked sources. You can become a member of a legitimate organization and have your rank and hers certified by parties who are recognized globally for very little cost. If you need help, feel free to PM me for suggestions.

[sensei8]

The Kukkiwon is only interested in dan ranks:

http://www.kukkiwon.or.kr/english/examination/examination08.jsp?div=01

So much for my little saying...

"White belt is the most important rank because without white belt, there's can be no other colored belts; no black belt."

So, I guess that the Kukkiwon has no regards whatsoever for any Gup ranks? That's so sad!

[DWx]

The Kukkiwon is only interested in dan ranks:

http://www.kukkiwon.or.kr/english/examination/examination08.jsp?div=01

So much for my little saying...

"White belt is the most important rank because without white belt, there's can be no other colored belts; no black belt."

So, I guess that the Kukkiwon has no regards whatsoever for any Gup ranks? That's so sad!

I don't think that's so bad. The ITF doesn't keep track of kup ranks either. If you think about it, both of these orgs have tens of thousands of people and to keep track of everyone's coloured belt grade would be such an immense task. Especially given how you can be expected to grade every 3 - 6 months. Just keeping a full record of dan members and what courses they've attended, what umpire/examiner class they have etc. is probably really difficult given the numbers of people again. If they work the same way we do, the national governing body will record who has what colour belt and then when they grade to 1st dan the information can get passed on to the continental org and the international one. TBH the international org doesn't need to know about coloured belts really anyway as at this level the training is fairly personal, usually under one instructor and you don't necessarily attend the bigger seminars and courses.