Pragmatic!? Problem?!

[sensei8]

Pragmatic?! Problematic?!

Up?! Down?! Left?! Right?! To do?! Not to do?! Correct?! Wrong?! Yes?! No?!

The world of Shindokan can be just that; a consideration that's for some and not for others. I'm disturbed by recent events that took place at our Hombu's Annual Testing Cycle; it's not for the faint of spirit, yet more for the desirable of spirit.

For the first time in the history of the SKKA, our Annual Testing Cycle, held each year on the last week of June, and finishing on the first week of July, has failed 79% of its testing candidates! To me, that's more than alarming, it's catastrophic!

Why do I consider it to be catastrophic??

Sensei's don't submit, nor do they allow students to test if they believe that that student will fail a testing cycle; either the student is ready or the student isn't ready, per that Sensei.

All testing candidates MUST receive the approval of the Hombu to ANY testing cycle no matter where it is being administered. In that, there's only three ways to be approved/denied to attend any testing cycle:

1) Student petitions to test.

2) Sensei petitions for said student to test.

3) Sensei petitions for himself/herself to test.

The first two must be summarily signed off by the Sensei. If a petition arrives at the Hombu that's not been through the proper channels, that petition is rejected, and returned to that Sensei to be proper resubmitted to the Hombu.

In the third, the Sensei is allowed to sign his/her own petition to the Hombu. Then, once received at the Hombu, said petition is sent through the proper channels to the appropriate departments for consideration.

The requirement of the Sensei's signature is an affirmation that said student is qualified to test. Meaning that the Sensei believes that said student(s) is prepared and duly qualified to attend said testing cycle.

Then the appropriate departments verify certain parameters, and most of these parameters are located on each students Hard Card file, which is kept ONLY at the Hombu under lock and key.

No one can test unless all of the "t's" and the "i's" have been crossed and dotted...NO ONE!!

If a Sensei doesn't believe that that said student(s) are qualified to attend a testing cycle, that Sensei submits the petition to the Hombu, but writes across the petition..."Student Not Allowed", then submits the petition to the Hombu, which goes in that students file permanently; therefore, a petition is submitted regardless.

How can 79% of the approved testing candidates be qualified to test, yet they fail?? We're not a lenient governing body; we're the furthest thing from that. But, still, history shows that our failure ratio bears around 21% at each Annual Testing Cycle. Highest fail ratio was 36%, circa 1994.

I was there. In my honest opinion, I didn't see a 79% failure ratio at all!! What I saw was the normal fail ratio being true to its history; my own score cards can attest to this fact!! Unfortunately, I can't be in attendance to each and every testing table. Because of the number of testing candidates, each testing cycle has multiple areas/rings...like one might see at any given MA tournament.

Pass and Fail computations are completed, and finalized the last Friday night. No students are informed until the last Saturday morning. The only lists that are posted are those who passed. In that, if you don't see your name posted, that means that you've failed the testing cycle, and you'll have to wait one full calendar year before one can test again, no matter the rank, including Kyu rankings.

I've our Legal Team conducting an investigation as to the reason such a high failure ratio; ALL score cards have been handed over to our Legal Team, and interviews will be conducted as necessary.

"I no longer believe in styles or methods. Without styles or methods, what's there to teach."

~ Bruce Lee

He further states...

"To reach the masses, some sort of big organization (whether) domestic and foreign branch affiliation, is not necessary. To reach the growing number of students, some sort of pre-conformed set must be established as standards for the branch to follow. As a result all members will be conditioned according to the prescribed system. Many will probably end up as a prisoner of a systematized drill.

Styles tend to not only separate men - because they have their own doctrines and then the doctrine became the gospel truth that you cannot change. But if you do not have a style, if you just say: Well, here I am as a human being, how can I express myself totally and completely? Now, that way you won't create a style, because style is a crystallization. That way, it's a process of continuing growth.

To me totality is very important in sparring. Many styles claim this totality. They say that they can cope with all types of attacks; that their structures cover all the possible lines and angles, and are capable of retaliation from all angles and lines. If this is true, then how did all the different styles come about? If they are in totality, why do some use only the straight lines, others the round lines, some only kicks, and why do still others who want to be different just flap and flick their hands? To me a system that clings to one small aspect of combat is actually in bondage.

This statement expresses my feelings perfectly: 'In memory of a once fluid man, crammed and distorted by the classical mess.'"

~~Bruce Lee

Shindokan is a governing body, its been that way ever since 1950. I'm becoming quite disillusioned at what the SKKA has become; a stain on the fabric of the MA, but only because of the swerving politics that have tainted the ideology of Soke Saitou.

I believe in tradition, but I no longer believe in the bondage of tradition. Shindokan isn't about politics, and it certainly isn't about rank, and it certainly isn't about any governing body, and it certainly isn't about who is elected to what. It's about teaching an ideology that's quite effective as a MA.

Our student body deserves much more than politics and ranks; knowledge above all things is paramount!!

Time for me to tear off the blinders that I've worn for nearly 51 years.

Let me ask you all this, if I may...

Where would YOU be if your governing body wasn't there anymore??

What would YOUR style be if the governing body wasn't supportive anymore??

I told those within the Administration of the SKKA, that I want answers and I want some NOW!! Someone or some peoples have decided on their own to derail the SKKA, and I'm not having it; not on my watch. However, if dissolving the SKKA will serve the student body better by having students remain true to their immediate dojo and their CI's and begin their own governing body and/or the like, then so be it.

Sorry for the length of this OP, and forgive me for venting!!

[Wastelander]

8 out of every 10 students were failed?! That certainly seems like sabotage, to me! I hope you are able to work this out--you are definitely in a tough situation.

As for your questions, I think that I would still be learning from my Sensei, and developing as a martial artist, without our organization. The style, as a whole, would fragment and there would be a loss of consistency in curriculum, but people would still be teaching what they have learned.

To me, an organization provides a sense of normalcy across a large group of people, to make sure they are doing the same stuff. If you dissolve that organization, all of those people are still doing the same stuff they learned, but over time, it will change. Whether those changes are good or bad remains to be seen.

[JR 137]

If you can disclose this information...

How many were tested?

Was this dan testing or kyu testing?

High dan testing?

If 20 students were tested, you could chalk it up to a very poor performance. If 100 were, that's another story.

Were the fails and passes all from one dojo, both ways?

Were all the fails by the same grader(s)?

As far as disillusionment, that one can't be settled on an Internet forum. Way too much involved that we'll never know about.

Questioning what you know, what you've done, why you've done it, and what you'll do in the future is a healthy thing. No one should blindly follow anything without question.

[sensei8]

This year, our lowest attendance in quite a long, long time, was a mere 129 testing candidates approved to attend. On an average, it's closer from 250 to 300 to test at the Hombu. Many students don't want to test unless they're at the Hombu.

That's what I'm thinking...sabotage!!

I agree. I too would still train with my Sensei, Dai-Soke Takahashi, no matter what. But, with the loyalty that he had toward Soke Saitou, might make that impossible because I'm sure that both of them would've returned to Okinawa, and I don't want to live in Okinawa...nice place to visit, and all of that.

It would still be Shindokan WITHOUT the SKKA. Shindokan isn't the SKKA, and vise versa!! If the SKKA was dissolved, I'd still teach Shindokan, but minus a governing body.

You know, I only started to consider the actual embodiment of the SKKA within the Hombu when I became Godan, and was elected to the archaic Board of Regents. Other than that, I knew the existence of the SKKA, but that was from afar; I wasn't part of the SKKA Administration until after I was elected to the old Board of Regents. Once elected as a Godan, I only became more aware of just how huge and powerful it was as a governing body!

[JR 137]

A strong central governing body can be great. It provides stability and consistency to the organization. It provides help/consultation when needed. More heads in difficult times are better than one. You may not like or agree with the answer the central body provides every single time, but life is all about give and take. So long as you're better off overall with a central governing body, everything's all fine and good. So long as everyone agrees on the major issues and can be flexible and respectful on the issues they disagree with, it's a great thing. That is all in general, not to you specifically, sensei8.

When you don't have a strong central body, you get everyone and anyone teaching what they think the art is and what it should be. There can be a ton of inconsistency between dojos. Next thing you know, people have changed kata, kihon, and everything else they don't agree with. Pretty soon people start questioning why they're even associated with the rest of the dojos and start leaving. This has a contagous effect.

On the flip side, without a strong central body, you've got a lot more "academic freedom." You dictate what your students learn. You determine your mentors' true intent. You don't have to put up with anyone else's issues but your own. No one is telling you your students aren't performing to standards when you clearly know they are.

How many different Shotokan organizations are there? Kyokushin? Goju Ryu? There's pros and cons to everything.

[JR 137]

I have some thoughts related to my original post...

Do the graders grade their own students?

If not, do they grade most students from a single dojo?

Being a school teacher, I have experience in trading standardized tests. If you think about it, a belt test is a standardized test. How we grade standardized tests:

No one is allowed to grade their own students

You get a random mix of students from several schools, and not too many from a single school. This keeps people from conspiring with each other to pass each others' students or fail students from a particular school. Furthermore, the names of the schools are removed from testing materials. The administrators know which school's tests are being handed to whom, but the graders don't know.

If you have concerns about people being unethical in grading, you may want to look at who's grading who, and how many students are graded from any one particular school by a single grader. If different dojos have forms of identification on their gi, they should be removed.

If you have any authority of policy, you really should look at this stuff. Even if this wasn't the issue (not trying to imply it was), you should implement a policy before it becomes an issue. Better to be proactive than reactive.

Just my thoughts. Sorry if you have a policy in place. As martial artists, we're supposed to be on our honor. As long as egos exist, people can and will get lax.

[Spartacus Maximus]

From the time I began karate as an awkward teenager, I have always been held personal loyalty in high regard. This to me was much, much more important than politics. As long as the sensei was able to demonstrate, explain and teach me in a way that I understood, I was quite happy.

Afterall I trained under my teachers because of how and what they taught. I also followed them because I trusted them and valued their knowledge. My sensei is not the governing body. He may be at the top of it, but I follow him because he is wise and skilled and knows how to pass that on. An individual sensei is always more important than any governing body.

[JR 137]

From the time I began karate as an awkward teenager, I have always been held personal loyalty in high regard. This to me was much, much more important than politics. As long as the sensei was able to demonstrate, explain and teach me in a way that I understood, I was quite happy.

Afterall I trained under my teachers because of how and what they taught. I also followed them because I trusted them and valued their knowledge. My sensei is not the governing body. He may be at the top of it, but I follow him because he is wise and skilled and knows how to pass that on. An individual sensei is always more important than any governing body.

Excellent point. My original sensei left the organization he was under about a week before I tested for my shodan. He told me and the other student that was scheduled to test that he completely understands if we wanted to test under the old organization. He told the entire student body that he was leaving the organization and a generalized reason for it. He said he would not be offended if any of us left and went to another dojo in the organization.

I told him "You're my sensei. I came to your school and stuck with it because of you, not them." I had and still have respect for the old organization. Had my original sensei kept his dojo where it was (his current one is about an hour's drive each way), I'd have gone back when I returned to the area. I recently found a great dojo in a different organization and have no regrets about where I currently am. In some ways, I like it more.

[sensei8]

If you can disclose this information...

How many were tested?

 

Was this dan testing or kyu testing?

 

High dan testing?

If 20 students were tested, you could chalk it up to a very poor performance. If 100 were, that's another story.

Were the fails and passes all from one dojo, both ways?

 

Were all the fails by the same grader(s)?

As far as disillusionment, that one can't be settled on an Internet forum. Way too much involved that we'll never know about.

Questioning what you know, what you've done, why you've done it, and what you'll do in the future is a healthy thing. No one should blindly follow anything without question.

To the bold type above...

*129 were tested!

*All ranks; both Kyu and Dan! More Kyu's than Dan's.

*3 for Godan. 1 for Rokudan...all passed, btw. I was the center chair on each of those testing's!!

*No! Sprinkled from all dojo represented.

*No! Various graders.

Real quick. No one is allowed to sit on a testing panel that their student is in attendance. ONLY approved graders are allowed to sit on a testing panel, and even furthermore, ALL graders are from the Hombu, and each were awarded said credentials from our Soke and/or Dai-Soke after having attended a quite in-depth training course conducted by either Soke and/or Dai-Soke. In that, we've not any new testing cycle graders.

[sensei8]

A strong central governing body can be great. It provides stability and consistency to the organization. It provides help/consultation when needed. More heads in difficult times are better than one. You may not like or agree with the answer the central body provides every single time, but life is all about give and take. So long as you're better off overall with a central governing body, everything's all fine and good. So long as everyone agrees on the major issues and can be flexible and respectful on the issues they disagree with, it's a great thing. That is all in general, not to you specifically, sensei8.

When you don't have a strong central body, you get everyone and anyone teaching what they think the art is and what it should be. There can be a ton of inconsistency between dojos. Next thing you know, people have changed kata, kihon, and everything else they don't agree with. Pretty soon people start questioning why they're even associated with the rest of the dojos and start leaving. This has a contagous effect.

On the flip side, without a strong central body, you've got a lot more "academic freedom." You dictate what your students learn. You determine your mentors' true intent. You don't have to put up with anyone else's issues but your own. No one is telling you your students aren't performing to standards when you clearly know they are.

How many different Shotokan organizations are there? Kyokushin? Goju Ryu? There's pros and cons to everything.

Solid post!!

The Hombu sends Senior Ranks to visit each and every Shindokan dojo for a wide variety of reasons, but the primary reason is to make each CI and its instructors accountable for not what they teach, but how they teach it. These type of visits were started by Soke, when he and Dai-Soke, then Kaicho. Greg and I, and other Senior Ranks have continued to follow their examples; it's all about ACCOUNTABILITY all across the board!!

They hold 1-2 weeklong seminars, we students called these seminars, Dog seminars because Soke and/or Dai-Soke would constantly dog you until you got it right and you understood. Neither of them tolerated anything less than perfection from any student, especially from any CI and instructors. Do it right or go away until you do it right!!

We have a very strong Hombu/SKKA. Since the passing of Soke and then Dai-Soke, some drama has infected the viability as well as the tranquility of the Hombu/SKKA. We've had more than our share of hiccups and potholes since the passing of them both. When they were alive and in charge, we NEVER had hiccups and potholes, of our magnitude, because either of them would simple squash the snuff out the fire while it was a spark, as to not allow the fire to grow. They were fantastic firefighters, in that regards.

I try, and I'm still trying to honor them, but, with all of these bumps in the road, I question, past...present...future...my positive impact onto the student body; am I doing them justice, or am I harming them in the short and the long of it all?!?!?