"Martial Arts" An in-depth look at rank

[Luther unleashed]

"Martial Arts"

An in-depth look at rank

Before I started teaching or believing that I was actually going to be teaching I careed nothing about rank, there was just something that I got that many other people didn't seem to get. when I learned how to do around house kick in 1994 as a white belt in Taekwondo, I did not care about getting to the next rank, I only cared about getting really good at that kick, and the next techniques that I learned the same was true, I wanted to be good at them and I didn't need somebody else to tell me because I could see it. In my later years I started to become aware of the fact that in order to teach, people only seemed to respect black belt and above and even though I could teach my roundhouse kick extremely well with very good technique, with proper pivoting and use of the hip in this Korean style, it would not be respected unless I wore a certain color belt.

If you never had aspirations of becoming a martial arts instructor, for what purpose do you chase belts? I have witnessed people who are studying for second degree when I was studying for my first degree black belt, they were not be able to perform their first degree material as well as I could, not even close and it was aparent they were not practicing and it because they were beyond that rank. This is an example of chasing belts or rank. If your rank is to carry its weight and people are to look at you as a second degree, does it make sense for me to be much better and more polished in first degree material, does 2nd degree black belt simply mean you've moved on to learn new things and not carry any weight pertaining to the first degree material? Of course not, at least that was not the intention when rank was created.

I once questioned a master prior to joining his program about where they trained and things of this nature. His response was simply "its not necessarily who gives the student the rank, but the abilities of the person who holds it"! While this easily sounds like a cop out, if you listen and discover the true meaning behind the words you should be led to understand that anybody can give anybody rank, but only those who truly dedicate themselves can become the true rank. I have witnessed this in places I have trained, I have witnessed people not being able to perform techniques let alone perform them well and yet they pass, what does this do to my rank? The answer is it does nothing to my rank because I have earned it and what makes me the rank that I am is not depending on who gave it to me, but more so it depends on me as an individual who makes the rank.

In the end I am hoping that I'm not offending people who are proud of their rank, because essentially their rank is also a measure of time dedicated to something and that speaks volumes about their dedication. However, I believe the most productive frame of mind is not to focus on belts /rank as a whole but simply to focus on wanting to learn and get better at techniques with a steady progression towards their mastery. Many people can claim a certain rank, but all do not truly carry the proper motivation to keep their rank carrying the intended weight. My students get excited for testing and enjoy earning their rank, this is why the most useful mind set behind rank/testings for me personally is to reward short term goals and pressure check students in training.

In my mind, it is better to be an exceptional yellow belt, then to simply be and average black belt. This is my mindset and again, it is not my intention at all to diminish anybody's accomplishments of rank in whatever system they may study.

I simply dream of a martial arts world where we focus on mastery of technique and not accomplishing rank. As an instructor I am thankful to have the ability to influence martial arts in this way, in a way I believe is positive and benefits martial arts/artists positively as a whole.

[sensei8]

An outstanding OP...thank you for it!!

I chased rank when I was a child, but, I grew out of that hunt, in time. At Sandan, the rank chase was the furthest thing from me. I chased rank as a child because I was just that, a child full of untold and unfounded expectations. What solidified my rank hunt was being a prisoner of the JBB rule and regulation that forbid me from obtaining Shodan until I became 18 years old.

But thank God that I was fortunate enough to have a Sensei with forward thinking sensibility that still trained me as though I was able to achieve rank. Therefore, when I turned 18, I tested and earned my Shodan. A year later, I tested and earned my Nidan. Then, a year later after receiving my Nidan, I tested and earned my Sandan. Why so fast? Was I still searching rank?

To answer my own questions, YES, I was still searching rank because I was quite unable to understand, at that age, as to why a JBB couldn't earn rank. I was a capable as a JBB as those adults who possessed a Shodan, Nidan, and yes, a Sandan, but over time.

My quick rise to Sandan from Shodan was because, and in the words of my Sensei..."You are more than ready; no reason to delay!!"

Rank is a measuring stick, but depending on whom is holding and interpreting the stick, the analysis will be different. That's OK because no instructor is the same, even though they might judge per what the governing body dictates pertaining to rank and the like. Even those instructors within the governing body will have different conclusions as to how rank should be treated, and lastly, awarded.

A Shodan in dojo 'A' will not be the same in dojo 'B' in different styles, in that, for example, the Shodan in dojo 'A' is equivalent to a 6th Kyu, at best. Why? Methodology and Ideology; they too differ from style to style, and from instructor to instructor. Therefore, I firmly believe that this happens because of this...

Not all black belts can teach, nor should they try. Quality of instructions will drastically differ from dojo 'A' to dojo 'B'. Quality control begins with the CI, and is made accountable by the governing body. That's why I visit every Shindokan dojo just prior to the Hombu's Annual Testing Cycle to see just how that particulars dojo is measuring up to two measuring sticks. One stick is the Hombu/SKKA accountability of the CI and the instructors under that CI. The second stick is my accountability of the CI and the instructors under that CI; both stick are in concert with each other.

We don't pass to keep students. They want to go to dojo 'A', go! Maybe dojo 'A' can get that student to grade at Shodan faster than dojo 'B' can. But you know what, I'm not in the business of awarding rank! I'm in the business of sharing my knowledge and experience; therefore, teaching Shindokan Saitou-ryu to what I understand it to be as taught to me by my Sensei. If it takes a student 10, 20 years to earn a Shodan, then so be it because I'm not interested in them achieving ANY rank, whether it be a Kyu rank or a Dan rank. BIG DEAL!!

Yes, it's easy for me to say that now, considering my rank history, and now look at the rank and title I posses currently. But, my rank hunt became my ignorance for me not properly prioritizing my MA training where rank should've been my LAST, and not my FIRST responsibility.

Yes, I still enforce the rules of the JBB, but with a more understanding as to why Soke was so adamant about it in the first place. I can help a student get through those years of abandonment feelings because I once was there too; I understand what it is like to feel moments of despair and how to get through those times of loneliness. The feeling of being punished for just being a kid, and not worth the value of an adult.

The depth of rank is not at the same level as the depth of knowledge and experience! The depth of rank is quite shallow! The depth of rank is secondary to EVERYTHING that's not about rank! The depth of rank is for others and not for true practitioners of the MA! The depth of rank is measured by the practitioner of the MA! The depth of rank isn't to only measure the abilities of where someone is, but where someone once was; more mature and not lost in the sea of "wanting"! The depth of rank is an illusion! The depth of rank fades faster than a whisper! The depth of rank needs to be put in its proper place, and the proper place isn't on top of some pedestal!

The want of rank must be replaced with the need for knowledge!!

The floor is sacred ground; worthy of us to train where others have treaded honorably!!

[bushido_man96]

You make some very good points. Its important for the instructor to set culture of the school to lead students along in achieving rank, and to continue to practice to be a good representative of that rank.

[JR 137]

I think most people who've achieved black belt and continued training realize how unfulfilling chasing a rank ultimately is. You work so hard and build up this idea of what a black belt is (insert any dan rank you wish) and everything that comes with it (performance and "privilege" wise), then after you achieve it you realize you're still the same person the day before that belt was tied around your waste.

I chased rank my first time around. I chase improvement this time around. I want to be better at 39 than I was when I left at 25. I'm testing again tomorrow; not sure if I'll promote to advanced blue belt, skip that and move to yellow, or skip that one too. I honestly don't care what rank I come out as. I'm exited for the test simply because it's an extra hard workout with about 20 or so black belts from shodan to rokudan who will push me hard, yet be supportive and offer constant encouragement and respect.

The ones who are chasing a high dan rank are almost always motivated by greed. They've got a notion that an 8th dan is more credible than anything below it and will ultimately get more students to pay more money. Apparently the higher the rank, the more DVDs and books are sold, and you can charge more. Nonsense.

With all that being said, rank is important. It's easy to say you don't care about it, but what if it were taken away? What about who's awarding it? Do you pay much attention to someone who was awarded any rank (high dan or kyu) by a person notorious for mail-order type ranking? Of course not. Would you pay more attention to a person awarded a master level rank by someone like Funakoshi, Oyama, or more recently Demura? Of course you would.

While rank and who awarded it isn't the be all, end all, it's still more important than we sometimes think it is. I know I said I don't care what color belt my CI ties around my waste tomorrow, but I kind of do. But I don't at the same time. Weird, huh?

[Nidan Melbourne]

For me years ago i chased to become a black belt and nothing else in karate. But after i had to stop due to my knee injury it made me realize that there was more to karate than just attaining a rank.

Yes now I now hold a dan grade, but I use the next rank as extra motivation to keep going. The Black Belt Gradings at my dojo are tough, and I enjoy the experience more than anything + receiving a promotion is a side bonus. Those 5-6+ Hours I have on the mat for me is all about the experience, the pressure and wanting to get that work in.

In relation to instructors at my dojo, 1 of them i very much am not a fan of although he doesn't teach all that often. That is due to him being an extremely unpleasant person. Otherwise all of the instructors are different with different personalities, methods of teaching etc.

For me at the end of the day rank is not important anymore. There will be a time where I am happy with the rank and everything that i have and won't grade anymore.

[Wastelander]

My first dojo encouraged everyone to set a goal for when they wanted to earn their black belt, as a motivational tool, so when I started training, that's what I did. The belts, themselves, were never really my motivation, though--I wanted to learn the stuff you weren't allowed to learn until that next belt rank, so it was really about the knowledge.

When I moved out of state, as a brown belt, I had to train and research karate on my own for about 2 years, so that really emphasized how unimportant rank was. That said, finally testing for my black belt, 8 years after I started training, was still a big deal. Even though I know that rank is subjective, and doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things, it was still a major milestone.

Now that I've reached it, I'm back to my brown belt mentality, I think. I'm not really stressed out about the possibility of testing for Nidan next year, like I was stressed out about testing for Shodan. I love teaching, and I would love to do it for a living, but I don't feel like I need to chase higher levels of black belt to do that. What I need for that is more knowledge, more experience, and the resources to get things started, not a higher number after my name.

[Kusotare]

I think we'd all be fibbing if black belt wasn't important to us.

I think that dan gradings (above shodan) are also good focus points, but any good martial artist will tell you that the acquisition of the skill is far more important than the qualification.

Sometimes we have just got to get over ourselves!

K.

[sensei8]

I think we'd all be fibbing if black belt wasn't important to us.

I think that dan gradings (above shodan) are also good focus points, but any good martial artist will tell you that the acquisition of the skill is far more important than the qualification.

Sometimes we have just got to get over ourselves!

K.

Solid post!!

[sensei8]

Yes, BB is important to me, except nowadays since Sandan, I no longer proactively search for it, and yes, I'm sure that I smile humbly outwardly whenever I earned another Dan degree; the measure stick of how I'm doing as a MAist, I suppose. That BB acceptance can't be denied, it's in us, as human beings!! Some cover it up better than others, but, it's there!!

[Luther unleashed]

Really some great posts guys. The thing that stands out the most is how many have said they chased belts in the beginning at a young age or at least early training days. I find it truly interesting because I never did, and only cared when I decided I wanted to teach and saw a different perspective on ranks importance. I'm not attempting to speak in a way that makes me sound judgmental about it, just saying that it wasn't an interest to me.

I was homeless in my late teens, I used to go into dojos and watch classes and act like I had money to join just becasue interested me that much. Crazy i know. I trained out of a lot of books, I studied with a friends uncle that boxed for the army, and was a black belt in The Kwon Do. I cared very little for the sport aspect and cared a great deal about what I got from it personally on the mental side, and from a combatitive side. The neighborhood i was in was rough and I faught a lot as well. I realise I'm being very personal but I'm feeling the urge to share so don't judge haha.

I guess where I'm going with this is that if there's something deeper in the meaning its easy for us to focus on more then the surface. It's OK to set a goal for a belt, I believe it's the greatest reason to have belts, to have something to reach for. There just needs to be a balance and the goal should be to be the best we can be, and hold ourselves to a high standard, that is what makes a belt hold its weight anyways.