idea for Shodans

[chiliphil1]

This is a great post! I certainly see the idea of someone quitting as soon as they reach the peak as a harsh reality, it happened to me.

I am not sure how other schools do it, but within the system that I came up in since the day you walked in the door it was always " black belt, black belt, black belt" I mean you joined the "black belt club" our study guide was called the "black belt manual" in my location we had black belts hanging on the wall representing each member of the "black belt club" they even had our names on them hanging on the wall! This of course is great motivation but once that belt came off the wall it was kind of like, what now?

After 1st dan there is a year before you can move up again and you are only required to learn one additional kata in that time. For me there just wasn't enough there to keep interest, I did my year and I tested and failed, I blame myself but at the same time I had no motivation to take the classes and to keep on because there was nothing new coming in, I think being young at the time did have something to do with it because it was harder to see the long term goals.

I stopped shortly after the failed test, not because I did not pass but because it made me realize that my heart was no longer in it. Now I wish that I had kept going, no doubt I would be a much better person by now and most likely a 4th dan with my own school but at the time I just couldn't see that far ahead.

I would have loved some sort of advanced training, someone to explain to me what I was supposed to be learning and how to go about it but I did not get that. Once the black belt goes on the learning seemed to stop, you became an assistant instructor and that's pretty much it. I now know what I was supposed to be doing after making dan and I have achieved more to that end at home than I did in a dojo, and I think that is the failure of my school as was stated above.

From my own personal experience almost everyone quit at black belt, some went to 2nd or maybe even 3rd dan but then quit, the only long timers in my school, the ones that are still there are the ones who were already at least a 2nd dan when I started way back when. I think one significant event that really washed me out was the changing of my instructor. The new guy was amazing at martial arts he was a 4th dan who was a former national champion, just amazing to watch but I feel he lacked the skill to teach and inspire. The instructor before him was the one who really got me to black belt in the first place, he would push you way beyond what you thought you could do and was absolutely swimming in advanced techniques that he would gladly pass on to me but once he left, that was about it..

In closing I think my impression is that my school taught you to black belt, it was always the primary goal and in fact the only goal, once you were there you were on your own. That is why no one stayed beyond that point.

[sensei8]

This is a great post! I certainly see the idea of someone quitting as soon as they reach the peak as a harsh reality, it happened to me.

I am not sure how other schools do it, but within the system that I came up in since the day you walked in the door it was always " black belt, black belt, black belt" I mean you joined the "black belt club" our study guide was called the "black belt manual" in my location we had black belts hanging on the wall representing each member of the "black belt club" they even had our names on them hanging on the wall! This of course is great motivation but once that belt came off the wall it was kind of like, what now?

After 1st dan there is a year before you can move up again and you are only required to learn one additional kata in that time. For me there just wasn't enough there to keep interest, I did my year and I tested and failed, I blame myself but at the same time I had no motivation to take the classes and to keep on because there was nothing new coming in, I think being young at the time did have something to do with it because it was harder to see the long term goals.

I stopped shortly after the failed test, not because I did not pass but because it made me realize that my heart was no longer in it. Now I wish that I had kept going, no doubt I would be a much better person by now and most likely a 4th dan with my own school but at the time I just couldn't see that far ahead.

I would have loved some sort of advanced training, someone to explain to me what I was supposed to be learning and how to go about it but I did not get that. Once the black belt goes on the learning seemed to stop, you became an assistant instructor and that's pretty much it. I now know what I was supposed to be doing after making dan and I have achieved more to that end at home than I did in a dojo, and I think that is the failure of my school as was stated above.

From my own personal experience almost everyone quit at black belt, some went to 2nd or maybe even 3rd dan but then quit, the only long timers in my school, the ones that are still there are the ones who were already at least a 2nd dan when I started way back when. I think one significant event that really washed me out was the changing of my instructor. The new guy was amazing at martial arts he was a 4th dan who was a former national champion, just amazing to watch but I feel he lacked the skill to teach and inspire. The instructor before him was the one who really got me to black belt in the first place, he would push you way beyond what you thought you could do and was absolutely swimming in advanced techniques that he would gladly pass on to me but once he left, that was about it..

In closing I think my impression is that my school taught you to black belt, it was always the primary goal and in fact the only goal, once you were there you were on your own. That is why no one stayed beyond that point.

Solid post!!

[jaypo]

I find that the ones that usually quit right after obtaining their black belts are not truly martial artists. They're not full invested in all that their art offers. They believe that once they get that belt, they've achieved what they wanted. And if the belt is all they wanted, that proves my point. I had a goal to obtain my black belt. I set that goal in my teens. But it wasn't a goal to reach and stop. I see it as another rung on a very long ladder. Once I hit that rung, I would be better equipped to continue climbing!

I viewed my Shodan ranking as the beginning. I realize that the work will continue to get harder and harder, and I'm okay with that. Too many people view it as the ultimate goal. They believe that it should be smooth sailing from there, and that creates an incorrect expectation. When they realize that it isn't, they lose interest.

That's my theory, anyway!

[Wastelander]

Almost all of the people that my Sensei has promoted to shodan have quit, or took a long hiatus. This has nothing to do with his teaching style, an emphasis on attaining a black belt, or not having material to teach them. It was simply because they personally set "get a black belt" as their end goal--at that point, they had "finished what they started."

While I do consider passing my shodan exam to be an important milestone in my journey, I really saw the shodan rank as more of an obstacle than a goal. My long-term goal is to one day be a skilled, knowledgeable, open-minded instructor. Not having a black belt was a roadblock preventing me from reaching that goal. I still haven't reached my goal, and each dan rank above mine is pretty much just another obstacle between me and that goal. Of course, I suspect will never really feel like I've totally achieved that goal, regardless.

[jaypo]

Almost all of the people that my Sensei has promoted to shodan have quit, or took a long hiatus. This has nothing to do with his teaching style, an emphasis on attaining a black belt, or not having material to teach them. It was simply because they personally set "get a black belt" as their end goal--at that point, they had "finished what they started."

While I do consider passing my shodan exam to be an important milestone in my journey, I really saw the shodan rank as more of an obstacle than a goal. My long-term goal is to one day be a skilled, knowledgeable, open-minded instructor. Not having a black belt was a roadblock preventing me from reaching that goal. I still haven't reached my goal, and each dan rank above mine is pretty much just another obstacle between me and that goal. Of course, I suspect will never really feel like I've totally achieved that goal, regardless.

And THAT is what makes you a true martial artist!