Thread: Rank
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Old 05-24-2003, 10:12 AM   #28
John Boswell
 
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Dojo: Aikido of Midland
Location: Midland, Texas
Join Date: Jan 2003
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To put it simply: Rank is a matter of perception.

When a person new to martial arts walks into a dojo, any dojo of any art, and sees various belts of color, etc., that person realizes he has a WHITE belt and that he is a beginner. He can then deduce that White = Beginners and others with similar belts are very much like him... just starting off.

Now, the instructor has a black belt. The instructor is teaching the class so therefore must know something about what is going on, therefore Black Belt = teacher or one capable of teaching.

Everyone else with a colored belt is in between, some better than others but we can leave it with the point that : They are not beginners nor are the teachers. They are students.

WHERE ALL OF THIS GOES BAD... is when rank itself becomes the goal with total disregard for the skill expected.

What does that mean? It means that should someone attain 4th, 5th, 6th + Dan ranking when in fact their skill is lacking, their time in training is equivilant to another of 1st or 2nd degree Dan ranking... then rank loses meaning and becomes a cookie to be fought over.

I believe many international organizations are looking more and more into the issue of Rank and are trying to better define the issue so that when you see someone is 1st Kyu or that they are a Sandan, you know exactly what it means and what that person is capable of.

First and foremost, Rank is Perception. Whether one choses to accept the "meaning" of some rank is a personal choice and it is the organization's responsiblity to define rank and enforce/uphold the adherance of set standards.

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