Is There No Balm For Martial Arts Ranking?

[sensei8]

Balm refers to a medicine that's used for healing. A healing of a type that would certainly be of a benefit and/or for a concrete purpose: to soothe!

Jeremiah cried out loud..."Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there?" Of course, Jeremiah was referring to the punishment of Israel. Even now, so do I cry out, but I cry out for how ranking is suffering the punishment of its criticizers...Is there no balm for Martial Arts ranking; is there no hope there?

Each and every style of the Martial Arts that uses some type of ranking system is vehemently attacked repeatedly by those who don't use any type of ranking system. However, imho, those who are proponents of no ranking disguise its usage because any instructor, which is a type of a rank, has to evaluate, which is a type of a rank, their students progress, which is a type of ranking. Hhhhmmmm?!

Yet on the other hand, we that do use a ranking system might be just as guilty when it comes to pointing the accusing finger at those styles of the Martial Arts that don't use a ranking system. Even more so, we that use a ranking system will "attack our own" because we won't and/or don't recognize anybody who is not from our styles governing body.

Knowledge, imho, trumps rank. However, rank is being used as a barometer of knowledge; this is grossly wrong. Why? Knowledge can stand alone, whereas rank floats in a void without knowledge to lend its credibility, albeit, that credibility is attacked without reservation.

If rank only holds context and/or meaning within a styles own governing body, and I find this to be true/fact, then every Martial Artist that is outside of any said style doesn't and/or won't respect even the most noted practitioners of the Martial Arts' rank for their own reasoning(s).

Kanazawa Sensei and Higaonna Sensei, both prominent Masters of their particular style, and in that, they're both respected and well noted Masters in their own right; we can agree with this statement. Now, imagine, if for just a moment, they had contacted each others governing body to become a member, remember I said 'IMAGINE', yet, they were refused admission because either governing body refused to recognize and/or respect either one of them. Why? One reason was that they both possess rank and two, they're not already of "the others" style.

I can hear it already..."That's absurd!" "That's ridiculous!" That's preposterous!" Is it really? Is it possible?

Some might argue..."Kanazawa Sensei and Higaonna Sensei are not, well, you know, they're not...well...they're not you and I. They're beyond reproach!" Others might argue..."Kanazawa Sensei and Higaonna Sensei don't live for their rank because rank means nothing to them; it's the search for knowledge that drives them."

To the first argument I might say...we're ALL the same: Martial Artists and no ones beyond reproach. To the second argument I might say...if Kanazawa Sensei and/or Higaonna Sensei don't live for their rank because rank means nothing to them, then why wear their black belts at all?

Why? Why? Why? The summation of 'why' is to the summation of 'because'!!

Kanazawa Sensei and Higaonna Sensei, you, and I wear some type of a colored belt because it's of a type of ranking and we're proud, not in a vain way, of our accomplishment(s) achieved sometime ago while we were on our Martial Arts journey.

Why does anybody wear anything? Why does a judge wear a Judicial gown? Why does a Police Officer wear a badge and a gun? Why does the Doctor wear their Greens? Because it's part of the "Official Uniform"!! However, without their official garb, they're still a Judge, Police Officer, or Doctor without their outlying identifiers; their abilities aren't diminished when their out of "uniform".

Same for the Martial Artist. Our Martial Artist "uniform" doesn't define us, and it shouldn't. In or out of our "official uniform" we still possess the attributes of cause. When I teach, I wear a Gi and my Yudansha because it's my "official uniform". When I train, I wear some type of sweat and a t-shirt.

Attack Kanazawa Sensei or Higaonna Sensei or you or myself, belt on or not, it'll be on like donkey kong, our attacker(s) might have bitten off more than they can chew...or as I like to say sometimes...Lotty dotty I know Karate, if you mess with me I'll break your body.

It's true, not all styles of the Martial Arts aren't equal, and I'm glad for that. What is a black belt in one style might be a green belt in another...maybe!!

I don't ask for the world. Just for some respect for those of us who are of a style/organization that practices the wearing of some colored belt. In return, I will continue to respect those who don't practice any ranking system, and I'll offer my respect in loud clear words, both spoken as well as written.

In closing, please don't judge us less than. While I'm a proponent of rank within a certain context, it's possible that the balm for any Martial Arts ranking might still be that proof is on the floor!!

I don't know, you tell me!

[MasterPain]

At the core of what you're asking is "How do we get a large group people of differing values to respect each other?"

Of course the only answer is Mind Control Drugs. The human race is very egocentric, and that will never change.

I think all an instructor can do is make sure his own students ranks have value. Res ipsa loquitur, or if you'd prefer, proof is on the floor.

[sensei8]

How does an instructor make sure his own students ranks have value?

[bushido_man96]

I think MP sums it up well. There are those who will always point to the ranks given out willy-nilly to the undeserving, and those who promote by rank will always have to defend themselves as though they do the same thing. Its unfair, but it is what it is.

What we must do as instructors who do promote rank is to make sure we are allowing the floor show us the proof, as you say so often, Bob. If we do this, and continue to improve what and how we teach and promote rank, then we can be comfortable with the fact that we promote, and that we do the best job we can with our students.