The Rank

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[felipe_3]

the range is simple formality and it don`t represent the true skills of the aikidoka or is the most important??? we have to be 5to dan or 6to dan to be better than the others????? it represent our dedication and our pasion by the sport, the real meaning behind the range....?

[Mark Gibbons]

Ah, range = rank? Ranks in my limited experience don't compare well between dojos in the same style much less telling whether or not someone is better than someone else.

Regards,
Mark

[felipe_3]

yes rank excuse me for my bad english

[kokyu]

Ah, range = rank? Ranks in my limited experience don't compare well between dojos in the same style much less telling whether or not someone is better than someone else.

Completely agree... I think rank within a given dojo is an indication of the relative skill of the student compared to other students within the *same* dojo

However, comparing *across* dojos is more difficult... partially due to different syllabus and different intensities of practice

Perhaps a real test of rank is to visit different well-known dojos and see whether you perform as well as students of your "rank" :)

[danj]

I've been lucky enough to be able to cross train quite a bit and always felt I had two left feet when visiting other styles. I have seldom found my skills to quite match those of similar experience in those dojo. Whilst some of that is my personal ability a lot of it is information overload from the minutae of different footwork and hands that come about if you try to do what they are doing in their dojo.

FWIW my biggest compliment came from dinner with a visiting instructor to another dojo (of another style). The conversation came around to aikido experience and I asked him how long he thought I had been training? - he thought about 10yrs. I'd been going for 15yrs then and thought that wasn't too bad considering...

best,
dan

[felipe_3]

you are black belt