Quote:
Kelly Steveson wrote:
I have been training in Aikido for over 7 yrs and had a question. I started training in Japan with Sensei Muki 8th Don, and found out as I returned to the states that there is no way to prove that a Sensei is a Black belt in the style of Aikido they claim to train in. I have seen these Sensei's take a student from 6th Kyu to Nidon in 2 yrs. And have talked to some who claim to teach many styles of Aikido. IE.. sandon in one style, nidon in another style and 6don in another style. So my question is can a sensei move a student to nidon so fast and who do I contact to make sure that a Sensei has the black belts they claim to have? My Sensei in Japan just tells me to be careful because there are many of fakes around. I tried calling the Aki headquarters in Tokyo and they did not have any names I asked about. Thank you in advance for your help
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There are lots of different opinions on this, but I think the only real purpose a black belt serves is to certify that you have been training for a certain length of time, and to a particular level, within the context of a particular
organization.
So you can stick with one group for six years and get a shodan, but that doesn't mean some other group will respect it. Even if the two groups are reputable and know each other, there may be compatibility issues, e.g. you may be expected to take harder falls in one group, or perform a certain technique in a less safe way in another.
Smaller groups which have a definitive leader may regard the black belt as a personal confirmation of a transition between a "provisional" student and an "actual" student, which is a little bit different than in the larger Aikido organizations where there are open seminars, but it essentially means the same thing.
So basically, these things are awarded based on rules and requirements that are local to a particular group. There is no absolute meaning or status, and no organization has to recognize rank granted by somebody else.
Standards are widely different, too. And in non-competitive arts with small curricula like Aikido they might be awarded on a case-by-case basis.
As far as your concerns about how to verify a teacher's reputability, here are some thoughts:
- Who was this teacher's teacher? If they are not extremely comfortable answering that question publicly, there should be some very good story that they are comfortable sharing publicly.
- What organization is this teacher a part of? Who gave them their rank? This should either be extremely common and easily-accessible knowledge, or they should be very upfront about what organization they used to be with, and why they struck out on their own.
You can either confirm the rank with the former teacher, former training partners, or the organization's headquarters.
Not every teacher who has struck out on their own is disreputable. Not every organization enforces high quality among its ranked students, either.