Re: independent dojo/switching affiliations
I've been a member of an independent dojo for eight years. My aikido has always been just fine at every other dojo I've visited, and every seminar I've gone to. It all comes down to what you want that piece of paper to mean...
Being a part of an idependent dojo, your rank may not mean so much to other people, but it's not about what other people think, in my opinion. I've seen people who have no "recognized" rank do some amazing things, and I've seen people who haven't practiced for six years and have lost a lot of their edge that still have that piece of paper that says they're a shodan...
One of my sempai is looking at jumping through the requisite hoops to get ranking through Hombu. I've chosen to do so as well for the sake of my students. While I'm comfortable just having some skill, my future students may want recognition for their accomplishments, so I want any rank that I award them to be recognized.
How important is rank to you?
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