View Single Post
Old 04-01-2013, 12:06 PM   #29
lbb
Location: Massachusetts
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,202
United_States
Offline
Re: Ranking systems in different countries

Quote:
Dan Richards wrote: View Post
OK, flexibility. I'll give some, but only to a degree. Because the requirements, worldwide, are not that far apart in "most cases." There are "standards." I didn't make them up. AIkido has them. They're in place. I'm totally up for flexibility, and anything anyone wants to add to this topic. Seriously, I'm all ears.
Well, I'm not sure how we're going to proceed at all, because you seem to me to be firmly stuck on a couple of points that basically preclude a useful discussion. The first is your insistence that the "requirement" are "not that far apart" in "most cases". As long as you avoid defining what you mean by "requirements", "not that far apart" and "most cases", there's really no basis for discussion: sure, Mr. Humpty Dumpty, "requirements" means "hours of attendance", and "not that far apart" means "within two orders of magnitude", and "most cases" means "in two examples that I can think of, and let's ignore the two counter-examples staring me in the face", you're absolutely right. As, indeed, you will be in any argument where you define the terms. I don't recommend it as a method of arriving at consensus, much less truth, but to each his own.

The second point is your insistence that aikido ranks and academic degrees are analogous. They are not, and as long as you insist on using this analogy, the conversation will simply run on the rocks.

Quote:
Dan Richards wrote: View Post
Let's start with what it almost universally required for a shodan degree: It's around 300+ days of training - give or take a few.
No, let's not. Let's start by having you substantiate your assertion that this is "almost universally required". If your assertion is correct, this should be trivial. Well, not trivial - "almost universally required" is a very, very big assertion, but then, you made it, not me. So I think it's on you to show that this 300 hours you claim is, in fact, "almost universally required".

By the way, before you disappear completely down this rabbit hole -- remember, I'm not the one who claims that all of this matters. You are. So, since the entire basis of this argument about which you are so passionate rests on these premises, you must first establish your givens before you can advance your proof.

As an alternative, perhaps you could explain just why you care. Because some organizations require far more than 300 hours for this thing called "shodan", which you have not defined? Go train with a different organization, then - one that will give you a "shodan" in 300 hours. Or go online and buy yourself a black belt and award yourself a "shodan", and you can have it tomorrow with next-day delivery from Amazon. Why even spend the 300 hours?
  Reply With Quote