A Kyu "Challenges" A Dan!!

[Nidan Melbourne]

In my school at least we will spar who ever we want. Although an unwritten rule (at my school) we don't allow kyu grades to ask a Black Belt out of respect. As we follow the rule that they are your senpai and that you should wait for them to ask you, especially if they weren't doing kumite in the first place.

They have to wait to be asked if a black belt is about to do kumite.

Otherwise if our entire class is doing kumite then we don't worry about being asked

[ps1]

In my opinion, the rules about Kyu ranks not being allowed to request sparring from a Dan rank has nothing to do with respect. It has everything to do with not wanting to prove yourself. My version of the rule is this:

"Anyone can request to spar with anyone else. Everyone has the right to refuse randori with no questions asked."

It's that simple. Maybe I have a bad shoulder and it's acting up. Maybe I'm watching someone and evaluating. There's a million reasons to say no. But there's a million reasons to say yes, too.

[sensei8]

Why do you think that a Dan rank wouldn't want to spar with a Kyu rank?

[Nidan Melbourne]

Why do you think that a Dan rank wouldn't want to spar with a Kyu rank?

All I can think of is if that student (the Kyu Ranked student) is arrogant or dangerous when they spar and that they have no control over their technique or just have no respect for their partners when engaging in kumite

[CredoTe]

Why do you think that a Dan rank wouldn't want to spar with a Kyu rank?

All I can think of is if that student (the Kyu Ranked student) is arrogant or dangerous when they spar and that they have no control over their technique or just have no respect for their partners when engaging in kumite

We have a particular advanced kyu (1st kyu) who's exactly that: arrogant, brash, alpha-male type, no respect for partners. It's not that I don't want to spar him, but, every time I do, because he's out to prove he's better than everyone, I must "teach him a lesson" every time. I don't like doing that, and it teaches him nothing in regards to skill. It's becoming tiresome. If it were totally up to me (I'm not the CI), he would sit on 1st kyu / brown belt row until he learns better.

[mal103]

One of our Black belts has finally learnt not to punch like a hammer, or block like iron bars....

Sparring with a good partner shouldn't be painful, it should be a good learning experience where you work with each other, not try to get a killer punch in against a better oponent.

I once had a problem with a Purple belt as he ended up sparring with my son who had recently got his Shodan, the Purple belt went at him like crazy "because he is a Black belt" - I had to remind him that he is still only 14!

Luckily he held his own.

[Nidan Melbourne]

Why do you think that a Dan rank wouldn't want to spar with a Kyu rank?

All I can think of is if that student (the Kyu Ranked student) is arrogant or dangerous when they spar and that they have no control over their technique or just have no respect for their partners when engaging in kumite

We have a particular advanced kyu (1st kyu) who's exactly that: arrogant, brash, alpha-male type, no respect for partners. It's not that I don't want to spar him, but, every time I do, because he's out to prove he's better than everyone, I must "teach him a lesson" every time. I don't like doing that, and it teaches him nothing in regards to skill. It's becoming tiresome. If it were totally up to me (I'm not the CI), he would sit on 1st kyu / brown belt row until he learns better.

It makes things difficult doesn't it? The chief instructor at my school has tried to get him not to be like that but is failing miserably.

So we have had to revert to use the running of the gauntlet style format of kumite with him. Fight all the adult senior ranked students in a row, and my CI brings in a few guys who compete at nationals and are ranked highly to fight him. We all do the gauntlet at least once a month and for our troublemaker more

[bushido_man96]

Why do you think that a Dan rank wouldn't want to spar with a Kyu rank?

I think some dan ranks could be a bit prideful, and not want to have others see a kyu rank scoring points on them, or good hits, etc.

I expect to get tagged here and there in sparring, by no matter who I am sparring. Its all learning.

[CredoTe]

[shodan melbourne's and sensei8's nested quotes redacted by CredoTe to save scroll space]

We have a particular advanced kyu (1st kyu) who's exactly that: arrogant, brash, alpha-male type, no respect for partners. It's not that I don't want to spar him, but, every time I do, because he's out to prove he's better than everyone, I must "teach him a lesson" every time. I don't like doing that, and it teaches him nothing in regards to skill. It's becoming tiresome. If it were totally up to me (I'm not the CI), he would sit on 1st kyu / brown belt row until he learns better.

It makes things difficult doesn't it? The chief instructor at my school has tried to get him not to be like that but is failing miserably.

So we have had to revert to use the running of the gauntlet style format of kumite with him. Fight all the adult senior ranked students in a row, and my CI brings in a few guys who compete at nationals and are ranked highly to fight him. We all do the gauntlet at least once a month and for our troublemaker more

Totally... it does make things difficult... I think we're going to have to try something different to get our alpha-male 1st kyu to calm down a bit and get a modicum of respect for his partners. We might have to do something similar to what your CI does with your brash kyu-er.

[CredoTe]

Why do you think that a Dan rank wouldn't want to spar with a Kyu rank?

I think some dan ranks could be a bit prideful, and not want to have others see a kyu rank scoring points on them, or good hits, etc.

I expect to get tagged here and there in sparring, by no matter who I am sparring. Its all learning.

Yes...I agree. Except, I would only modify your statement a wee bit... I would say that there certainly are dan ranks that are prideful and can't stand the idea of a kyu scoring a hit on them.

As instructors, we expect to be hit and we are, quite often! Both, because we must fight at our students' levels (what do they learn if we "black belt up" on them and trounce them?), we throw stuff expecting to be blocked and hit, and because we're not perfect or Superman..! When a student gets a good hit on me, I tell them, "great job, you did well there". If not, and I continue to block them and get hits in on them, I tell them, "you need to work on this here or that there...there you go! Now you have it!"

As instructors, we always go home with more bumps and bruises than our students...