Sustained Plateau

[sensei8]

Godan is universally the Dan rank that signifies "Master" of it's given style of Karate.

Yudansha [Dan] isn't the end of learning, no, it's only the real beginning. Dan ranks Shodan to Godan are measured through testing cycles. Where does one go after reaching the Master level, aka, Godan? The curriculum is stuffed full of many techniques and the like to learn, leading a karateka to Godan.

What about Rokudan or Nanadan or Hachidan? Do these Dan ranks have a plethora within those curriculum's? Shindokan speaking, yes! There are curriculum's for those Dan ranks, and these ranks are tested for.

Having said that, looking beyond the curriculum of Rokudan to Hachidan is dutifully observed by how their betterment is maturing across the board. Potential candidate(s), of those types of testing cycles, are both meticulously, as well as scrupulously, chosen for consideration for any upcoming testing cycle for those said Dan ranks by various departments within our Hombu. Tenure means very little to our Hombu, and I mean very little.

Every practitioner experiences sustained plateau moments within their training from time to time. Some plateau's are quickly dealt with successfully, while other plateau's take time to nurture through the painstaking requirements before reaching their "aha" moment. Within any difficulty that one's experiencing; time heals all wounds. This is true of overcoming any sustained plateau in one's MA training.

One of the things that I need for me to break out of any sustained plateau is to first respect it, it's happening, even if it's just for a short duration. Therefore, I can't pretend that it's not happening. I'm struggling, and I recognize it, and the sooner I do, the sooner I can escape from it with marked improvements.

Talking with the other Hachidan's within the Shindokan circle, we agree that the other thing that we needed was to take any already mastered technique and find a way to execute it in more exacting ways, therefore, a more effective way for one to execute that/any said technique; spending time with technique(s) goes beyond executing motions and movements. Intimately tearing it down and rebuilding it, therefore, making that said technique(s) better, yes, more effectively for that practitioner.

What "improvements" I make might only fit for me, and not for another Shindokan karateka, especially for another Hachidan. The MA isn't really suppose to be out of a cookie cutter or hammered into some granite stone. No! We're individuals who learnt and then we evolved beyond what we were taught by our Dai-Soke. His way was his, and not mine; vice versa!

Effectiveness discovered is effectiveness achieved, but it must be nurtured and respected for it to evolve within my betterment. For those times whenever I find myself stuck on another sustained plateau.

I must be more effective across the board, and that effectiveness must never become a prisoner of what a technique is suppose to look like, yet, more of what a technique shouldn't look like. A child recognizes its mother, and vice versa; this is what a Hachidan does, that's what I do as a Hachidan, no, as a proponent and practitioner of the MA, when I find myself on a sustained plateau.

Sustained plateau's should be a welcomed part of a MAists journey, not as an enemy because we're human, and in that, we learn from experiencing. Viewing a sustained plateau as an enemy will only prolong it, and I need to break away from the chains that bind me.

As of late I find myself saying this a lot to those within the Shindokan circle as well as here at KF...my training now is akin to having a quiet conversation with myself.

Hopefully this might help you, no matter rank, when you find yourself struggling with your own sustained plateau; knowing that I struggle as well from time to time, and I am right now, and I'm a Hachidan, but I'm human first!!

I'll defeat this, but only after I allow time to heal.

**NOTE: I've placed this topic in the "Karate" forum and not any other forum, which I'm sure it could fit into several KF forums, but, because I'm a karateka, I'm speaking from a karate point of view because that's my background and that's my experience, one that I can most relate and compare to!!

[Zaine]

I like the approach here. Overcoming obstacles in training is as much a looking back as it is a looking forward moment. Moreover, you recognize the need for knowledge and contemplation within the process and finally add the importance of patience when you say:

I'll defeat this, but only after I allow time to heal

I feel that a lot of Martial Artists, myself included, have failed at the patience role. We won't so much to ascend to the next level that we (1) don't allow ourselves the enjoyment of the level that we're at and (2) we don't allow ourselves time to heal.

Inspirational post.

[bushido_man96]

Hehe, I'm at a point now that it seems all I have is patience. I can't train as much as I used to, so I just have to accept that patience is going to be a built-in part of my training now.

And I've never been a terribly patient person...

At any rate, this is a good post. When we are young practitioners, in both senses of age and experience, it is easy to see progress, because we really only think about the physical progress. Its easy as white belts to see how much better our side kick looks when we become yellow belts. But, as we become higher dan ranks, and get older as a result, we don't see those steps we are making as readily, and that is when many don't see improvement. At this stage, its important to actively seek improvement through very minute nuances, breaking down every little thing, over-evaluating at times, just to simplify something. That's when improvement comes at those high ranks.

At least, I think so, anyway. I'll let you know for sure when I get there.

[Harkon72]

My Sensei is going for his Godan next year, good luck to him. He's told us never to call him Master though.

[bushido_man96]

My Sensei is going for his Godan next year, good luck to him. He's told us never to call him Master though.

I can relate to him. When I test for my next rank, 4th dan, in our organization, it is the Jr. Master rank. I'm excited to test for it, but don't really know that I would be worthy to be called Jr. Master.

Good luck to your instructor, as well!

[Lupin1]

A lot of good points. I've been doing a lot of reflecting lately and I actually wrote about something similar to this last night (only from the point of view of someone in the kyu ranks, so probably a little different mentality from an advanced dan rank).

As we're going through the kyu ranks, we can see each step clearly before us and we sort of get tunnel vision-- we're looking at this tiny bit of growth and trying to work our way through the basics. Then when we stop having those small, short term goals, the whole mentality changes. It's one of the reasons I'm looking forward to brown belt-- it's a much longer process with the three levels and a nice transition to the wide open space I'm picturing right now for black belt training. The big goal of "black belt" isn't really as much of a short jump as, say, green belt to brown belt. There's more time to grow into the rank and explore within it. I'm looking forward to it a lot.

I actually drew a picture of one of my concerns a few weeks ago where I was picturing the journey a lot like a pueblo ladder going up a mesa. At first you're just concerned with climbing the ladder-- just a quick jump to the next step-- and you're so concentrated on each step that when you come to the top of the mesa and look around and it's just this huge, wide-open space, you kinda don't know what to do. I mean, there's now a TON of potential ways to go and ways to grow, which is freeing and exhilarating, but it's also a little scary because it's not as nicely laid out for you as the kyu ladder was. I'm not sure if that's what it's like because I'm not there yet, but that's how I'm picturing it now.

I'm not sure a "plateau" is always a bad thing. I mean, we can't always be growing. Sometimes we need to rest and sort of settle into the level we're at now. It's a chance to look around and get comfortable. Like I said earlier-- I see a lot of potential when you get to a plateau-- so many ways you can go-- so much wide open area. Yes, you're still on the same level for awhile, but there's so much to explore while you're stuck on that level. Sometimes it's good to stop and explore and make a home at the level you're on before rushing to get to the next level.

Being a 4th kyu, of course, my reflections don't have much, if any, martial arts experience behind them and so they're mostly based off of similar experiences I've had in other facets of life. Take 'em how you will.

[bushido_man96]

I actually drew a picture of one of my concerns a few weeks ago where I was picturing the journey a lot like a pueblo ladder going up a mesa. At first you're just concerned with climbing the ladder-- just a quick jump to the next step-- and you're so concentrated on each step that when you come to the top of the mesa and look around and it's just this huge, wide-open space, you kinda don't know what to do. I mean, there's now a TON of potential ways to go and ways to grow, which is freeing and exhilarating, but it's also a little scary because it's not as nicely laid out for you as the kyu ladder was. I'm not sure if that's what it's like because I'm not there yet, but that's how I'm picturing it now.

This is a great analogy. Thanks for sharing it. Dead on, in my opinion.

I'm not sure a "plateau" is always a bad thing. I mean, we can't always be growing. Sometimes we need to rest and sort of settle into the level we're at now. It's a chance to look around and get comfortable. Like I said earlier-- I see a lot of potential when you get to a plateau-- so many ways you can go-- so much wide open area. Yes, you're still on the same level for awhile, but there's so much to explore while you're stuck on that level. Sometimes it's good to stop and explore and make a home at the level you're on before rushing to get to the next level.

Being a 4th kyu, of course, my reflections don't have much, if any, martial arts experience behind them and so they're mostly based off of similar experiences I've had in other facets of life. Take 'em how you will.

Wise words, to be sure. Don't discount yourself because you are a 4th kyu. You have a great attitude and outlook here, much broader than mine was at that time in my training. Its true that high ranks can learn from lower ranks.

[ninjanurse]

Its true that high ranks can learn from lower ranks.

I agree! Any "master" who cannot learn from his students is not worth learning from-his cup and his head are way too full.

[ShoriKid]

A plateau is where you find the chance to delve deep. A plateau has a limitation, it hedges you in. As you're progressing your skill, making the obvious gains, on the climb, there is no need for exploring the depth of a skill. Digging down during those long quiet times though, it either makes or breaks a martial artist. Many see black belt as the final goal, it's where you quit picking up tons of techniques and it's where many people quit. They aren't seeking new things and think they either don't have anything else to learn or don't think they are learning anything any more because the progress slows. The beginning of the Dan grades is the first serious plateau most students encounter and many just aren't ready for it having made speedy progress through the kyu grades.

It takes a long time to progress once you reach the Dan grades. And, as said above it is where the personalization of the art should begin. I think that a lot of instructors would serve their students well to be up front about the slower progress, not just in grading, but in acquiring new and different techniques as well. Being up front and willing to guide that exploration without smothering it with a forced, wrote, adherence would encourage a lot more people to see shodan not as the end game, but as a step in the process.

[sensei8]

Great follow up posts all and I thank you all for them.

I just don't want any MAist to think that I don't have problems from time to time just because of my rank. No! I'm human and I struggle in reaching the next level of betterment as anyone else.

My betterment suffers one thing constantly...no Dai-Soke to guide me because I know, from reading our scrolls, there's so much more that our Dai-Soke hadn't taught to us within the Nanadan/Hachidan ranks.