Thread: Dan grade age
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Old 02-07-2003, 01:44 PM   #6
rachmass
Dojo: Aikido of Cincinnati/Huron Valley Aikikai
Location: Somerset Michigan
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 794
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Most people I know take about 7 years to get to shodan, and then another couple to nidan, and then four to sandan, etc. Lots of folks start young, and I met a really nice girl at summer camp last year who was just 18 and a shodan; seems she started when she was 11 years old. Might be hard to progress (rank wise, not necessarily quality wise) as fast when you are older, particularly into the 40's. Don't know anybody in aikido who has received rank because of donating money (we all have to give money to Hombu dojo for our dan ranks if we are aikikai, but other than that...). I think rank is really arbitrary and doesn't necessarily reflect ability (although certainly it does sometimes, but not always).

just my $.02

but that was off topic.
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