Pragmatic!? Problem?!

[bushido_man96]

Perhaps after your legal team looks into matters, it might be necessary to get all the testing judges together to collaborate as to what they saw and why they made the decisions that they did. If they are comfortable with their decisions, then they should be comfortable discussing them and backing them up. Perhaps there are some that shouldn't be on the testing panel, who knows?

[sensei8]

Perhaps after your legal team looks into matters, it might be necessary to get all the testing judges together to collaborate as to what they saw and why they made the decisions that they did. If they are comfortable with their decisions, then they should be comfortable discussing them and backing them up. Perhaps there are some that shouldn't be on the testing panel, who knows?

Perhaps!! Perhaps!!

You know, Brian, I'm sick and tired of running into potholes; there's got to be an end to all of this drama.

[bushido_man96]

Maybe there will be; but who knows? With people, always comes drama and politics.

[sensei8]

Maybe there will be; but who knows? With people, always comes drama and politics.

So true...so true!!

[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.

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?!?!?

The last paragraph is truly what you need to ponder. Everything else is minor, relatively speaking. It shows that you have your organization's best interests at heart. The most difficult times require the strongest leaders. But even the best leaders are only as good as those they're leading.

[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?!?!?

The last paragraph is truly what you need to ponder. Everything else is minor, relatively speaking. It shows that you have your organization's best interests at heart. The most difficult times require the strongest leaders. But even the best leaders are only as good as those they're leading.

Solid post!!

Not all BB, that can teach, and teach very, very well, can run a governing body!! My election as the current Kaicho of the Hombu/SKKA was unanimous. With that being said, I'm reminded of a John Lydgate quote..."You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time." I've made unpopular decisions, but I made them with the student bodies best interest in mind, and I didn't waffle in my decisions.

[JR 137]

I like what you said about not all BBs are good teachers, admins, etc. Definitely true. Higher rank doesn't make a better teacher or admin. There's a reason why Michael Jordan isn't a head coach and Phil Jackson is arguably the best head coach of all time in the NBA. Being a great athlete, a great coach, and a great admin are all different things. Same thing with BBs. I've met some excellent practicioners who aren't very good teachers, and some relatively decent practicioners who are great teachers. It's all about conveying the knowledge and being able to correct/improve students. I think the best practicioners and athletes have a difficult time with teaching/coaching because things come so easy to them that they have a hard time with not saying "how can you not do this? It's easy!"

CIs can have the tendency to think just because they can run a very successful dojo means they can run an entire organization. They've been successful at the small picture and think the big picture is more of the same. I see this all the time with my colleagues (school teachers). They think that because they can run a great classroom means they can run an entire school. Running a school means dealing with teachers and other employees, parents, higher admin, and a school board. Running a classroom of even 30 kids is a cakewalk compared to angry adults. Running one or even two dojos is probably a cakewalk compared to dealing with the problems of an organization as a whole. I'd imagine you have to put out a lot of fires. It's far easier to ask a student or two to leave your dojo vs asking a CI and subsequently all of their students to leave.

Sorry if I'm rambling.

[sensei8]

I like what you said about not all BBs are good teachers, admins, etc. Definitely true. Higher rank doesn't make a better teacher or admin. There's a reason why Michael Jordan isn't a head coach and Phil Jackson is arguably the best head coach of all time in the NBA. Being a great athlete, a great coach, and a great admin are all different things. Same thing with BBs. I've met some excellent practicioners who aren't very good teachers, and some relatively decent practicioners who are great teachers. It's all about conveying the knowledge and being able to correct/improve students. I think the best practicioners and athletes have a difficult time with teaching/coaching because things come so easy to them that they have a hard time with not saying "how can you not do this? It's easy!"

CIs can have the tendency to think just because they can run a very successful dojo means they can run an entire organization. They've been successful at the small picture and think the big picture is more of the same. I see this all the time with my colleagues (school teachers). They think that because they can run a great classroom means they can run an entire school. Running a school means dealing with teachers and other employees, parents, higher admin, and a school board. Running a classroom of even 30 kids is a cakewalk compared to angry adults. Running one or even two dojos is probably a cakewalk compared to dealing with the problems of an organization as a whole. I'd imagine you have to put out a lot of fires. It's far easier to ask a student or two to leave your dojo vs asking a CI and subsequently all of their students to leave.

Sorry if I'm rambling.

No, you're not rambling, at all; SOLID POST!!

I've been fortunate enough to have been blessed with the formidable ability to teach, operate my dojo/retail shop, and to also run a governing body with just over 10K students. I give the thanks and praise to both Saitou Sensei and Takahashi Sensei; great men, great MAists, great Sensei's, great mentors, great administrators, and great friends!!

[hansenator]

.

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 was kind of my thought. When you want to maintain integrity in a certain style, you need some way to define what is that style. Whether that's a governing body or a grandmaster or some type of authority that can say "This is how it's done in this particular style."

[IcemanSK]

I'm sorry you're going through this. You seem like the kind of person that much more enjoys being on the mat than having to deal with the drama in the office. I think Bushidoman has some great advice for you.

When I read your OP I thought politics, sabotage, powerplay...something along those lines as well. There's simply no value in holding a test in which 87% fail. Not for the students, not for the judges, not for the instructors. In fact, it's determental to the students.

Hopefully, you can regroup after the legal team looks at it.

I pray for quick resolution & peace prevails.