Cost question

[rthompson]

I have trained in a style called Adavisum for 3 years, a mix of goju kai karate and other arts. I have made Blue belt thus far. My teacher informed me that his master, a 9th degree in goju kai karate will come down and wants to flat out test his students for a blackbelt in goju kai karate. Charge is $150 for the test, is that Steep?

[rthompson]

To add detail, the teacher I train with now has been a good teacher with a lot of info, the cost per month has been about $40 per month and that included two lessons per week but he always did private lessons to help me along. When he got his black belt in goju kai karate he incoperated the Katas and moves into his art that I currently study. So the material he needed for a black belt there equaled a blue belt in this art I am doing now. So his master wants to come down ant test all of his blue belts and up to see if they can get a black belt in goju kai karate, if we pass we get a certified black belt. The cost of said test is $150 and that seem steep, but the info is good and the training is good, it's basiclly paying for a title is what it seems like to me. Any input?

[Harkon72]

Mmmm, I am usually cautious about styles that have mixed origins. I have never heard of Goju Kai Karate; Goju Ryu is one of the major Karate styles in the world. What's the name of this 9th Dan in Goju Kai? Has anyone heard of him? I find it strange that you can go from blue belt to black belt???? Should there be any belts in between? $150 doesn't sound too expensive for a Dan grading, are there anyone else on the grading panel? In our association there is at least 3 examiners. What association do you belong to? Have you a legitimate licence? Where does your grading fee go? I'm sorry, there are many variables here. Then again the grading might be just that, a test to validate your hard work, it's not a bad price to pay if you value the approval of a master. Good Luck, I hope you do well.

[rthompson]

Well I know his first name is Findley, I never asked his last name, but my teacher is a 7th dan in goju ryu, I was mistaken in the name it is goju ryu. And my blue belt in the art I am in now will remain a blue belt, but the blue belt level covers all the material needed for a black belt in goju ryu. So he wants to test us to see if we can, and the cost is $150. I don't know Master Findley personally but I have heard good things about him. And it will be my teacher, Master Findley, a 6th dan from a school in Flagstaff, and a 4th dan friend I personally asked to be there. The 4 of them will be grading me.

[Harkon72]

That sounds good; we have several Goju Ryu karateka here on the forum, I'm sure they can give you good input and maybe some tips. Good Luck with your grading test, I hope you do well. Osu!

[Wastelander]

I've never heard of "Adavisum" before, but Goju-Ryu I have--where do you train? I train in Scottsdale, if you want to stop in for some cross-training someday.

With regard to your question on the cost of the test, it sounds fine. I've heard of Shodan tests costing as little as nothing, and as much as $500, but the average range seems to be between $100 and $200.

[Nidan Melbourne]

Mmmm, I am usually cautious about styles that have mixed origins. I have never heard of Goju Kai Karate; Goju Ryu is one of the major Karate styles in the world. What's the name of this 9th Dan in Goju Kai? Has anyone heard of him? I find it strange that you can go from blue belt to black belt???? Should there be any belts in between? $150 doesn't sound too expensive for a Dan grading, are there anyone else on the grading panel? In our association there is at least 3 examiners. What association do you belong to? Have you a legitimate licence? Where does your grading fee go? I'm sorry, there are many variables here. Then again the grading might be just that, a test to validate your hard work, it's not a bad price to pay if you value the approval of a master. Good Luck, I hope you do well.

Goju-kai is basically an off-shoot of goju-ryu. From memory (don't qoute me me on this) it was gogen yamaguchi who created that organisation. Or it might have been another Yamaguchi

[mal103]

You can't buy a Black Belt - you become one....

Do you feel ready, do others (other than those getting money) feel you are ready?

Unless you can get it somewhere else for less then that seems to be the price you have to pay - if you are ready and if you want it.

[Lupin1]

I don't think $150 is overcharging to bring someone in to be on a grading panel. It sounds about right to me, especially if he has big travel expenses to get down there.

[Karate_John]

Goju-kai is basically an off-shoot of goju-ryu. From memory (don't qoute me me on this) it was gogen yamaguchi who created that organisation. Or it might have been another Yamaguchi

Here is how I understand it, also from the top of my head. Yamaguchi was given permission to teach and empowered by Miyagi to spreed Goju in main-land japan, and ultimately around the world. Gogen Yamaguchi founded the International Karate-do Goju-Kai Association (IKGA) among others for this reason. His son Gosei Norimi Yamaguchi Founded the Goju-Kai Karate-Do, U.S.A organization. N. Gosei Yamaguchi is now the head of both. Goju-Kai is synonymous with Japanese Goju-ryu, while Goju-ryu is more synonymous with Okinawan Goju-Ryu.

@rthompson

In any case Goju-Kai is one of the largest Goju Ryu organisations and is very well respected in the US and Japan. It is just one of the many different branches of the same tree.