Ranks

[wouldbemaster]

Point on preserving the path is vital. My club is called the Ashiato Institute, Ashiato being the foot print tht is left like on a beach. We believe it is vital that we study the footprints of our masters and not water them down, that we continue to ensure the footprints are not lost for future generations and even more importantly that we work to ensure the footprint/legecy we leave ourselves is a positive one on the world.

With regards criteria for ranks, whilst time is always a factors i.e. without the time and effort you will not progress this should not be set. For some people two or three months of training can make a huge difference and for others 20 years of practicing and never truly listening or being willing to open their minds just means theyu have done it wrong for 20 Years. I have trained with people who are mid to high grades ue to their time training who's technique and undesrstanding of technique is limited.

It is not what you are taught, it is what you have learnt that is vital. Good technique and good learning equals value in rank.

Brian

[Montana]

4th Dan Shorin Ryu Matsumura Kenpo (Formerly Matsumura Seito) Karate/Kobudo

3rd Dan TaeKwonDo---and interestingly enough, I've not taken so much as ONE TKD class! Honorary..certificate hangs on the wall as a conversation piece.

[bushido_man96]

That's cool, Montana. If you don't mind me asking, was it a larger organization school that gave you the honorary TKD certificate, or a smaller, independent school?

[sensei8]

3rd Dan TaeKwonDo---and interestingly enough, I've not taken so much as ONE TKD class! Honorary..certificate hangs on the wall as a conversation piece.

As cool as an Honorary certificate is, there meaningless outside ones organization, imho, Having earned a cert thru blood, sweat, and tears, imho, outweighs honorary certs any day of the week. I wouldn't, but this is me, hang the honorary cert anywhere...except....(fill in the blank here)!

[nrspook]

1st deg. Black in Christian Karate (TKD based) / Green Belt in Judo / White in Budoshin JuJitsu

[JusticeZero]

Karate (TKD based)

"It's a Ford made by Chevy!"

How did it get that particular bit of odd labeling?

[DWx]

Karate (TKD based)

"It's a Ford made by Chevy!"

How did it get that particular bit of odd labeling?

Its not uncommon. Most TKD schools originally went around using the name Karate to describe what they were doing. Before they knew what to call their style and when they went out to places like America and Europe, "Korean Karate" was a lot easier to tell people than having to explain what Taekwon-Do, Tang Soo Do etc. was.

[bushido_man96]

At one point in time, TKD was exactly that - "Korean Karate." Most of the first TKD masters were teaching a Korean derivative of the Karate they learned while the Japanese still occupied Korea.

[Montana]

That's cool, Montana. If you don't mind me asking, was it a larger organization school that gave you the honorary TKD certificate, or a smaller, independent school?

It was a relatifvely small TKD organization (International Korean Karate Association I believe) led by a man (now deceased) in Great Falls, MT. I don't know how many dojos were involved in the organization, but I believe the organization passed with his passing. I never put much stock in the certificate other than as a curiosity.

One thing though is that after he gave that certificate to me, he asked if I would, in turn, give him an honorary Dan ranking in my system (I'm not, nor ever have been, the head of that system.) I politly refused stating that I didn't believe in "honorary" rankings, but told him that if he wished to join my classes and work his way up through the ranks like everybody else has to do, then I'd be more than happy to issue him certificates of rank for whatever ranks he successfully could test at.

He declined.

[bushido_man96]

That's too bad. But, perhaps he did not have the time to dedicate, with the teaching of his own students? Or not...who knows?