Promotions: Ceremony, or No?

[bushido_man96]

How does your school handle promotions? Do you have a ceremony in which you present each student with their new rank? Do you do something special in which you tie on each student's new belt? Or do you merely hand out belts and go on with the next class?

When I was in the ATA, we typically had a promotional ceremony, where each student was called up and it was announced what rank they were and what rank they were promoted to, and then they were presented their belt and certificate. At the end of the ceremony, everyone put on their new belt, we lined up, and dismissed. Sometimes there was a reception or pot luck afterwards.

In my current organization, their is no ceremony. When we receive the testing results, they are posted on the door, belts and certificates are picked up before class, and class goes on as usual.

How does your school do it?

[Lupin1]

We don't test, we just promote students when they're ready and we try our best to keep it a surprise. I know I've almost always been surprised by my promotions. I'd feel ready for weeks but it wouldn't happen. Then finally after I'd given up expecting it every class and committed myself to continue at the rank I was, boom- I'd be promoted.

We always promote at the end of class when we line up to bow out. We line up and do any end of class announcements like normal and then just before the "kiyotsuke rei", the main instructor of the class will suddenly announce "sam's going to purple" or whatever the promotion is. Everyone claps, the promotee comes up, shakes hands with all instructors present, then goes back to his spot. Usually while this is happening the main instructor talks about how hard the person has been working or how it's still only the beginning or what not. Just a short speech.

We finish out class as normal. Sometimes if the promotion was planned we'll have a belt ready for them after class. Sometimes they have to go down to the office for their belt. Adults usually have to go online to buy their own belts and sometimes kids have to wait a little for their new belt to come in. If they have to wait they get a stripe of electrical tape on the ends of their old belt until their new one comes in (that's really the only time we use tape stripes).

There's very little pomp and circumstance.

[bushido_man96]

Thanks for sharing that. So, you don't have a formal testing, either? Just a promotion when ready? I know Montana has mentioned a similar process.

[JR 137]

My former organization:

Kyu: We were tested by the head of the organization or the second in line (due to their proximity). We were given our belts at the start of the next class. We would be called up to the front of the class one at a time, and our Sensei would tie our belts on us. We'd pick up our certificates on the way out of the building. It only took a few minutes before warmups.

Dan: Called up individually at the end of the test, and he belt is tied on by the head of the organization. Certificate comes 6 months later, after consistent training.

My current organization:

My CI calls us up one at a time after the test and ties on the new belt. Certificates come later on, after class.

We had a student promote from a junior advanced brown belt to adult brown belt without a test. Our CI called her up before warmups and tied it on her.

Dan: Not sure, but I think it's tied on by the head of the organization at the end of the test. Shodans get a plain black belt without embroidery. After 6 months of consistent training, an embroidered belt and certificate is issued.

In Seido, people testing for Dan ranks wear a white belt for several weeks beforehand and during the test. People testing for nidan and above send their belt to honbu while wearing their white belt to have another stripe embroidered on; they keep the same belt, but a new stripe is added rather than a new belt with every promotion. So I'm estimating that my CI's 7th dan belt is the same one he wore since 1st dan.

5th Dan and up also get a "ceremonial" belt that's worn on special occasions, such as a black belt with a red stripe along it, red with white, etc. They wear their solid black belt during regular training.

[Lupin1]

Thanks for sharing that. So, you don't have a formal testing, either? Just a promotion when ready? I know Montana has mentioned a similar process.

That's right. Our only "official" test is for Shodan, but even that varies (for example-- I didn't have a formal test, but I had to go through all the test material multiple times in the weeks leading up to my promotion, so in an essence, that was my test).

We like to tell people every class is a test. People know when they're getting close, and the instructors keep a much closer eye on you when you're getting close.

When we do think someone's ready, on the day we plan on promoting them we generally run through the material needed for the promotion a few times as a whole class and sometimes also have the entire class do individual/small group kata demonstrations- again keeping a closer eye on the student(s) we're considering for promotion.

Usually the person does just fine with this and ends up getting their promotion that night, but if we see anything glaringly wrong or the person shows a lack of motivation while we're "testing" them, we'll hold off until the problem remedied.

[Lupin1]

Seido, people testing for Dan ranks wear a white belt for several weeks beforehand and during the test.

I love this idea. I was actually thinking about doing something like this if I ever start my own program, but I've never heard of anyone actually doing it.

[jaypo]

We do a formal testing, and when it's complete, our CI calls the student up, gives a talk, awards the belt and trophy, and they get their certificate on the way out.

He too says that they're being tested in every class, but he likes to do the formal testing as a way to have them "show off" to their parents. He knows they're ready, but he gives them a chance to shine in front of their family.

Black Belts go thru the entire kyu testing cycle, then start the BB portion. It usually consists of more kihon, more katas, and kumite with all BB's and multiple BB's at a time (I had to spar 1 on 1, 2 on 1, and 4 on 1 for my Sandan test- only way to finish was to dispatch each one)

[Spartacus Maximus]

The best kind of ceremony is very short and simple. There really is no need for it to be a big event with all sorts of elaborate or overly solemn decorum. Currently, all promotions are announced after an official evaluation before peers.

This is just a formal recognition of skill level because the students tested have already been evaluated by the instructor and informed that they are to demonstrate before the senior levels and the instructor. Belts and recognition certificates are handed down and announced officially at the end. The entire ceremony is about 15 minutes long, more or less depending on how many are going through it.

[sensei8]

Our Testing Cycles are formally held, in that, our promotions are also formally held; once every quarter, as well as the Hombu's Annual Testing Cycle.

Our Soke was big on formality, and even bigger on ceremony!! Ceremonially, to him, Soke, this was him personally recognizing each students accomplishments. All of the bells and whistles with all of the pomp and circumstances, and then some!!

Testing Cycles were literally, for us students, HELL ON EARTH!! Soke was the devil incarnate when it came to him being that taskmaster...tolerance, he had none. The apple didn't fall from the tree...Dai-Soke was even more intolerant, and an equal taskmaster. Kind of like they were competing to see who can be more intolerant and more the taskmaster than the other, and we're the product of that...I'd have it no other way.

[Nidan Melbourne]

At my dojo we would grade and at the following class we would receive our results.

We put our new belts on and have either sensei or one of the sempai's tie our old belts (unless your brown belt up for juniors, or yellow belt up for seniors where you tie your own up).

We also receive our certificates at the same time.

The exception is for our Black Belt Gradings where you attempt for your black belt or any dan grading. where it takes 2-3 weeks (sometimes longer timeframe or less) for sensei to review footage and to have belts made if ordered with embroidery.