American Masters

[ShawnJ]

Well, personally I think that some people take rank a little too seriously.

If you remember Mr. Miagi in the Karate Kid.

Points to head "Karate here.."

Points to heart "Karate here.."

Points to belt "Karate never here.."

There are quite a few people, unfortunately, who train in Karate until they reach Sho-Dan, and then they drop out. This is sad. It seems that all they really want is a piece of cloth and a diploma to put in a frame.

At my dojo, it takes 6-7 years to get a shodan. I go to tournaments where I am being judged by a TKD black belt that has been practicing for 1.5 years. I have been in for 4 but I am not allowed to judge because I am only 4th Kyu.

I know what you mean here. I think this goes back to the McDojo syndrome.

If it really takes a student only 1.5 years to earn a black belt..how much are they really learning? It's one thing to wear a black belt. It's another thing all together to be able to perform as a black belt.

At my dojo, the time it takes to get to black belt is 3 to 6 years, with the "average" being 3.5 years. I got my black belt in 3 years. But still, as a Sho-dan, I'm still only a beginner in the grand scheme of things. We are never done learning. As Shoshin Nagamine said "Karate is a lifelong marathon".

[mudansha]

We have minimum times. For 10-7 kyu, it's 4 months; for 6-1st kyu its 6 months....

This puts the minimum time for black belt at around 5 years; it ranges from 5-7 years for shodan...

Then the minimums for above that are:

1 year as a shodan for nidan (but more like 3 years)

2 years as a nidan for Sandan (but more like 4 years)

3 years as a sandan for Yondan (but more like 5-6 years)

This puts the minimum time for a SanDan at 10 years or so... there are some that have been training for 10 years and are only Nidan... there have only been 3 or so Sandans, ever.

[Chitsu]

That is deplorable. I don't know if this is true, but my sensei told me that Dans above the 4th are mostly ceremonial in nature because all have similar skill levels by then. There are very very very few 8th and 10 dans in Japan.

when I hear "self-proclaimed/appointed", I don't know if I should pity these people or be angry.

Many groups do award on merit - 4th dan and above based on "contribution" to the art.

Many also allow you to grade for it.

The JKF Wadokai in Japan has "physical" gradings, up to and including 8th dan - although you could probably count on one hand, the number of successful candidates there has ever been at Hachidan.

I think what is interesting though is the fact that some groups like JKF have instructors exams (in addition to dan gradings).

If you want to run a JKF Wado-kai branch for example, you are encouraged to enter and hopefully pass the 1st Kyu instructors exam (which licenses you to teach students up to and including 1st kyu)

A friend of mine who is a 4th Dan with the JKF Wadokai and recently completed this test, said it was one of the toughest he had ever done – technically and physically a lot more demanding than any Dan grade.

Chitsu