Black belts welcome at your school?

singularity6 · Pre-Black Belt

We have a student who has a few black belts. Judo, Uechi Ryu, Naganata and I think Iaido. He brings his grandson to class, who's 10, and the same rank as I am.

Our instructors treat him as a black belt (even though his knowledge of our style is somewhere around green.)
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5th Geup Jidokwan Tae Kwon Do/Hap Ki Do

(Never officially tested in aikido, iaido or kendo)

JazzKicker · Orange Belt

Once again my experience was confirmed.

Last week I visited a school that was part of my old organization, I talked briefly with the master instructor before a class. I just asked if he had a schedule for adult classes, and he asked about my experience. I told him, and we chatted about the people we knew, etc. He said he'd have to talk to his master (the owner of the chain), took my name & information- and I never heard back.

Then I went to my old JKD/MMA coaches new facility. He was happy to see me, showed me around, said I was welcome to come in and use the place after work if I just wanted to work out, told me he'd reinstituted JKD and CQC classes now that he had more space- so yeah, I'll go where I'm welcome and leave the politics and belts behind.

OneKickWonder · Purple Belt

Spartacus Maximus · Black Belt

Whether or not anyone is welcomed anywhere depends largely on the attitude with which the guest comes calling. An experienced guest is no different from a complete neophyte.

Be polite, respectful and modest with an open mind. This is a universal concept and it is understood everywhere by all martial arts practitioners. In a few cases it is preferable to downplay one’s experience.

TJ-Jitsu · Blue Belt

I can’t speak for anyone other than myself and the places I’ve been. By the same token, I’ve seen bjj guys go to judo with their blue belts on.... in quite certain there aren’t blue belts in judo....

I wear a white belt in judo because that’s my rank- in judo. I hope that the belt you were wearing would be whichever tank you’ve acquired in THAT style would be implied....

MatsuShinshii · Black Belt

sensei8 · KF Sensei

Has anyone here ever had a visiting BB question your decision of not upholding their BB in an unprofessional manner?? How'd you deal with it??

I just politely ask them to leave; opinions vary, his/hers and/or mine. However, this is MY dojo, end of story!! I've had them get in my face, but I'm not that easily concerned. Put your hands on me, well, time to do what I do the best...give free karate lessons.

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**Proof is on the floor!!!

vantheman · Blue Belt

At my (kempo) school, we had a nidan in Aikido start training with us. Given that we don't rigorously divide classes by rank anymore, we allowed him to train with the black belts/upper level adults. He'd been doing martial arts for longer than most of us, so it didn't make sense to send him to the beginners' classes. Seeing that Kempo is not much of a "purebred" martial art anyway, it's not uncommon for black belts from across the country to have limited overlap in technique anyway. I believe he technically is considered a Shodan in our school, but he's more interested in training than moving up the ranks, so it doesn't make much of a difference anyhow.
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Van

JazzKicker · Orange Belt

I think Van's school has a good way of handling it, not making a big deal about rank and giving people a chance to fit in and train. Last fall I visited a club that had JKD classes, no problem for me to walk on and train. No belts, no problem.

The times it was a problem, it never got past the "Hey, can I come and train here? question." Certainly not a confrontation like the previous question. But it does remind me of a story from about 10 years ago.

The club I was training at was folding up, so I visited a TKD school that also offered, they said, Hapkido, with Korean masters. I talked to the GM, he told me it was $1300/yr, but we could "work something out", that he had a Hapkido master coming in a few weeks and I was welcome to come train.

So I came back in a few weeks, when they had a class scheduled, and a young black belt and the new Korean Hapkido guy were there, though not the GM. The young one said, sure, you can train, so I put on my uniform. Then they had me come in the office. They wanted me to pay 6 months in advance, plus $20 for the night, and $75 for the month. This, they said, was to "prove my commitment" . I said, well, I'm already committed, I've been doing this for years. And most schools offer a trial, and certainly don't ask you to pay for 6 months before you've even seen a class.

I was ready to leave, but they caved, and said, since you're already here and dressed, the master would like to train with you a bit. So we worked out, and I realized (and they admitted later) they were testing me. Needless to say I never went back.

bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

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