Everything Comes To An End!!

[Bulltahr]

With your depth of experience, I am sure you can do it and be very successful in protecting your students current and future with a formal body!!

[sensei8]

With your depth of experience, I am sure you can do it and be very successful in protecting your students current and future with a formal body!!

You're correct, but with my experience and knowledge, and the more I toy with the idea, the more I don't want/need to create a governing body. Perhaps I'll discuss it more with my Student Body, and put it to a vote.

Anyone know of any CI's personally that have splintered away and have NOT gone the path of forming their own governing body??? If so, have they regretted not doing so?? I mean, who is the heck needs a governing body??

Governing Bodies birth the air of politics, and politics can destroy whatever it touches and bring contempt on its heels.

My advantage is that can conduct a Testing Cycle up to the rank of Nanadan on my own, and I've enough Senior Dan students of mine to sit on the panel as well. After all, proof is on the floor, anyway!!

[JR 137]

My former teacher left his organization while I was training there. There wasn’t any difference on the floor to the students. I was an assistant instructor, and there wasn’t any difference there either.

I don’t think you need any sort of governing body whatsoever. Do what you do, how you do, and when you do. You’ve got enough experience and real-word credentials to run your dojo the way you see fit without needing anything from anyone overseeing anything.

A governing body only becomes an issue if you want it to be. Or if your senior students decide to open their own schools under your guidance. If they’re going to use your name and branding, then they’ve got to conform to reasonable regulations.

As far as testing cycles go, do you really need a panel? You’ve run enough of them for long enough to know who’s deserving of promotion to whatever rank and who isn’t. Of course more sets of eyes would be great, and I’m sure your senior students wouldn’t mind helping you out. But having been at this for 50 years now (give or take?), you know what you’re looking for. If your senior students aren’t confident in your testing and assessment skills, then they know where the door is.

Run your dojo, do what you’ve been doing all along, minus the nonsense. If people want to join you, great. If they want to make up a bunch of rules and by-laws about off the floor stuff, keep an eye on it but don’t get in too deep IMO. Just make sure you own the name so they can’t take away and do as they wish with what’s yours.

[sensei8]

My former teacher left his organization while I was training there. There wasn’t any difference on the floor to the students. I was an assistant instructor, and there wasn’t any difference there either.

I don’t think you need any sort of governing body whatsoever. Do what you do, how you do, and when you do. You’ve got enough experience and real-word credentials to run your dojo the way you see fit without needing anything from anyone overseeing anything.

A governing body only becomes an issue if you want it to be. Or if your senior students decide to open their own schools under your guidance. If they’re going to use your name and branding, then they’ve got to conform to reasonable regulations.

As far as testing cycles go, do you really need a panel? You’ve run enough of them for long enough to know who’s deserving of promotion to whatever rank and who isn’t. Of course more sets of eyes would be great, and I’m sure your senior students wouldn’t mind helping you out. But having been at this for 50 years now (give or take?), you know what you’re looking for. If your senior students aren’t confident in your testing and assessment skills, then they know where the door is.

Run your dojo, do what you’ve been doing all along, minus the nonsense. If people want to join you, great. If they want to make up a bunch of rules and by-laws about off the floor stuff, keep an eye on it but don’t get in too deep IMO. Just make sure you own the name so they can’t take away and do as they wish with what’s yours.

Solid post!!

Again, like your Sensei, I don't want nor need a governing body; proof is on the floor, and not what's around ones waist or what shingle one hangs outside their dojo doors.

My dojo hasn't been affected with the SKKA closing at all. Yes, the affiliation decal and certificates have been removed, and it didn't gain any attention from my student bod that they were missing...and the decal couldn't ever be missed...it's of a good size...the certificate of affiliation could be missed among all of the other things that are hanging in the lobby, dojo floor, and my office.

Having a panel is what I've been doing at my dojo for as long as I can remember, and the few Seniors I have are always seconding beside me. I suppose it's become more of a habit having a small panel because that's what our Hombu under Soke and Dai-Soke always did; habits are hard to do otherwise. The really weird thing will be not going to the Hombu for any Testing Cycle for Godan and up; which was a strict requirement of the SKKA. So, whenever I finally have a Godan or above Testing Cycle at my dojo, it will be a first for me.