Who Keeps Moving Your Goalpost?!

[sensei8]

Measuring up to another's expectations can be quite daunting and impossible. I suppose this is normal, but it can be vexing, and at times, no matter what one does, it's never good enough.

For MAists alike, this might hold true, but should it?

From the first day on the floor, our mettle is tested over and over until one succeeds, or, God forbid, one fails at the task at hand. Not all of us are born naturally gifted, and for those who aren't, it's hard work.

The goalpost stands before you!

As you slowly climb up the knowledge ladder one rung at a time, something delays the climb, somehow and someway. "No...not that way...this way!!"...over and over and over.

One testing cycle after another!! Today you're, for example, a 10th Kyu, then tomorrow you're a 9th Kyu. Then so on and so forth. Ones mettle is tested once again.

The goalpost is moved!

So, because you're not a quitter, you strive forward, enduring to the end of the world. Years have melted away...you're no longer a beginner, and you're no longer a intermediate, and now, finally, you're advanced...just over the hill and around the next corner, you'll be a black belt; the new beginner.

New beginner?

Yes, a new beginner!! Everything that you overcame triumphantly is quickly replace with even more expectations; more challenges!! Kyu ranks were just the warm-ups for what the Dan ranks have in store.

The goalpost is moved...again!

Years go by...now you're Sandan...WOW; feels great! More years go by...now you're Godan...INTENCE; feels rewarding! Even more years go by...now you're Hachidan...MIRACLE; feels awesome!

The goalpost keeps moving, but by whom?!

Over ones MA life, fails and succeeds happen often; that's just part of the life of a MAist. Not all achieve the aforementioned time frame, and in that, anything that has been earned on the floor should be celebrated because the MA isn't that easy, and it shouldn't be!!

Each and everyone's MA journey is THEIRS, and it should be celebrated. No matter what's been achieved or not, they've earned that acknowledgement from fellow MAist, as well as from their immediate family members.

A MAists journey is a celebration of knowledge; one that shouldn't be trifled with!! Whether it's comprised within the Kyu ranks or into the Dan ranks; it's still important to the practitioner.

During the aforementioned time frame, as one muddled through the many unforgiving years, the most coveted awards slowly crawl in...first...Renshi...unknown years later...Kyoshi...more untold years later...Hanshi. The felling is overwhelming because no one can earn them through a testing cycle!!

The goalpost keeps moving!

Accolades from near and afar from over the unforetold years adorns ones bedroom...study...living room...office...dojo/dojang/school of MA...work places. They hang/stand as testaments of what a MAist has achieved. Some, have few, or one, while others could dress an entire wall or two; it's all good...it's the journey, the journey that has come to roost.

The goalpost keeps moving!

Appointments are noticed. Sempai...Sensei...CI...Shihan...Director...Counsel of Regents...President...Vice-President...Grand Master...Supreme Grand Master...Eternal Grand Master.

I believe that most anyone would feel fortunate to have had a tile or two or more throughout their MA journey, all would be surely surprised should it became reality. To serve ones students, as well as the entire student body is an honor, and an extreme privilege to have done so. Highs and lows abound, but in time, the ones that ever matter in this regard would be ones own immediate students, as well as the entire student body of your governing body.

The goalpost keeps moving!

Again, the goalpost has been moving all of the time! We might wonder just who keeps moving it!! The Sensei...fellow MAists...family members...haters...friends...governing body...so on and so forth!

Isn't it enough that whatever one might've achieved, no matter how small or large it might be, it's a celebration. Seems to me that some might not think so, therefore, they keep moving the goalpost. Pushing one to appease whomever is might be wanting to live through your accomplishments.

That last above sentence was directed to my fellow Hombu hierarchy members. They weren't satisfied that I was the new Kaicho [President] of the Hombu/SKKA that only possessed a Hachidan. Per our By-Laws, the current Kaicho is to be promoted to Kudan. I barked against it for many years, and I even had the support of Dai-Soke on my reasons, thusly, my decision. But, it's possible that they're more stubborn than I am because they pushed and pushed and pushed and pushed...until I finally gave in, but they had to test me for Kudan, and the test better have warranted our Dai-Soke's stamp of approval...It did!

I didn't meet their approval until I was Kudan! My Hachidan was just fine! So, they pushed to move my goalpost!!

[mazzybear]

Interesting post! In my humble opinion, any martial artist worth his/her salt should also be moving the goalposts on their own violition. After all if you're not moving forwards then you're moving backwards. On my own very short journey so far I've been constantly moving my goalposts, for example, I couldn't do a roundkick to save my life when I started, so practiced till I got it, what then? Try kicking a little higher, OK got that, what now? Try putting some power behind it! And it goes on. To many these achievements may have seemed insignificant in comparison to acheiving 1st/5th/8th Dan, to me they were huge!! It's the little acheivements that make the big ones all the more sweeter. So while our Sempai or Sensei or indeed anyone within our federations are moving our goalposts, we should all be moving them on our own too.

Mo.

[cheesefrysamurai]

Great topic!

I have been thinking about this a lot lately. With each progression, the wrinkles to explore get bigger. And then you test, you hopefully pass, and that kata you have done thousands of times is now different. With your new rank, comes a total different set of complexity. It seems like the pool gets deeper and becomes an ocean eventually.

My point is this.

Your sensei DOES NOT move the goalpost.

Your students DO NOT move the goalpost.

WE CHOOSE the goalpost.

Its our own passion that drives us to look beyond the current goalpost to the next.

[IcemanSK]

The goalpost gets moved. Sometimes I move it, and sometimes others move it. Students, instructors, Seniors, juniors, jobs, spouses, people we feel we're in competition with (whether they know it or not), etc. Like outside the training hall, the world changes around us. And if we ourselves don't change as others have different expectations for us, we'll constantly be at odds with those around us. Like an adult student who refuses to test for BB because they don't want to have greater responsibilty, but who rather "just train."

There's always a learning curve and/or growing pains with goalpost movement. The hard to remember is that there is always something positive we can learn or we can contribute to in the new place.

[bushido_man96]

The goalpost gets moved. Sometimes I move it, and sometimes others move it. Students, instructors, Seniors, juniors, jobs, spouses, people we feel we're in competition with (whether they know it or not), etc. Like outside the training hall, the world changes around us. And if we ourselves don't change as others have different expectations for us, we'll constantly be at odds with those around us. Like an adult student who refuses to test for BB because they don't want to have greater responsibilty, but who rather "just train."

There's always a learning curve and/or growing pains with goalpost movement. The hard to remember is that there is always something positive we can learn or we can contribute to in the new place.

Very well put.

I feel that the goalposts tend to move just a bit further out of reach the closer we appear to get to them. This is good, because it means we are continuing to push ourselves to that next level, no matter how small a step up it might be.

It remains the mirage on the horizon, just within reach, as we strive to quench our Martial Arts thirst....

[Kusotare]

For me, the acquisition and improvement of skills, is my only goal within martial arts.

I'm a senior Dan grade within the England karate association, but grades (and shogo titles) mean very little to me (but I can see how others are excited by them).

I seek out and train with people that, in my view, are extraordinary individuals (within their field).

Some of which have no formal grades to speak of so they are not even Shodan.

K.

[sensei8]

Please understand, everyone, the purpose of me starting this topic was to discuss how those you know, whomever they are, seem unsatisfied with what you've achieved, no matter the profession, and no matter the personal goals might or might not be.

I, for many, many untold years, am not driven by rank; rank doesn't impress me, nor does it mean that much to me. Yeah, it did once, but that quickly died in me once I earned my Sandan...the reasons for that are personal, however, I've spoken about it from time to time here, at KF.

Shogo titles, well, they're special to me because they can't be earned through a testing cycle, at least not through Shindokan. They're bestowed upon us, and they're not politically driven, and only Soke and/or Dai-Soke can bestow them...and they were very, very stingy in bestowing them...as they should be.

Shogo titles and the like seem to be free from the moving goalpost syndrome because the manner of which they are bestowed. BUT...I do see that they're not completely immune from the moving goalpost syndrome!!