Changing style and rank

[Valn]

If you move from one style of karate to another, should you be able to keep your current belt or must you restart from scratch.

[karateronin]

The real answer to the question is can we remove the knowledge already aquired from our brains?

 

So why must a person be demoted in rank if the style changes.

 

When I get a student from another style join my McDojo I leave them at their present rank until they are ready to move to an higher rank in Shotokan Karate.

 

To remove their present rank would be political and I do not believe in the politics of martial arts.

 

Our martial art is what we make it as individuels not as clones of our instructors.

 

 

[Karateka_latino]

Well,

 

I think if you move from a karate style to another karate style, you may keep you rank and learn the new stuff because all karate styles have very very similar basics and techniques.

 

But if you move from to a totally diferent style, you should start from the beginning because the basics aren't the same

 

if you are a black belt karate stylist and want to take Brazilian jiu jitsu, obviously you must start from white belt.

[karateronin]

What you say is true submissionfighter.

 

change the type of art studied then revert to white belt.

 

But from karate to karate keep it until you are ready to progress further in your new style

 

 

[Valn]

I guess your rank doesn't transfer from one karate style to another.

 

The shotokan sensei said if you want to keep your current rank leave the dojo or start as a beginner.

 

Now, one thing that I find a bit ridiculous is that you can beat a black belt and yet you start as a beginner. I think belt should be based on skills rather than the time that you stay at a dojo.

 

In the end, it is all about the money.

[Valn]

I know that in my previous post I was a little upset because it seems that I have wasted my time since I will have to start from zero in karate for the third time.

 

However, I once heard a chinese saying that in order to learn a new art you must empty your cup and start clean and empty.

 

What is done is done.

 

 

[karateronin]

Hi Valn.

 

Just let you know its not all about money what style`s have you studied? What grades do you hold.

 

My association will recognise them and not charge a penny

 

 

[angiewinter]

Hey sensei,

 

I think if you change style, you should strart over because you are learning new stuff, like different things, like in wadaru there are shadowed stances and in shotokan there are deep stances, the gradings would be alot different, say a green belt in wadaru, kept their green belt and graded purple in shotokan, you may fail them because of their different techniques and shorter stances, also the katas which are more or less new to them, they would learn different ones in different orders, which may confuse them.

 

thats why we(me + krystina) think they should start from white.

 

Ang + Krys .

 

 

[Valn]

I started karate with the Kyokushin style which is based on shotokan and goju ryu and my sensei was Zbigniew Pikula from 8-27-1999 to 12-07-1999.

 

There was no belt test which I found unfortunate.

 

Afterwards, I moved to a different city and I couldn't find any kyokushin dojo so I ended up in goju ryu. I'm started practicing goju ryu 9-02-2000 under sensei David Overstreet 7th dan, and I'm still in it. I'm currently a blue belt or 6 kyu.

 

Now, I have started shotokan on 8-27-2001 under Eric Holden a 2 degree black belt.

 

All the blocks are done in a circular motion in goju ryu, but I also know how to the standard blocks because I have learned them in Kyokushin.

 

However, I do have a problem. In my goju dojo the japanese terms were not used unlike the shotokan dojo. In goju we didn't do the 5 steps sparring drills. I know they are not complicated but the fact is that we didn't do any of those drills.

 

This is my situation as it is. I do not plan on continuing goju for my personal reasons. Now, when I look at things it seems that I have been wasting time since I would have much higher in ranks if I had been in only one style of karate.

 

Anyway, thanks for listening.

[karateronin]

Ahh Angie + Krystina

 

You didnt read what I said so here it is again

 

If a person comes to our dojo being say a 3rd kyu in wado ryu then they shall reamain a third kyu until they are proficiant in Shotokan to take 2nd kyu this could take a few months or a few years depending on the student. As wado evolved from shotokan then the time would only be short.

 

As you are aware we are a non political organisation and to remove someones grade would be a political act.