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cathal
Black Belt
Joined: 20 Nov 2003
Posts: 2237
Location: Atlantic Canada
Styles: Shotokan (Ryukyu Kobujutsu, Iaido)
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 Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2009 5:45 pm Post subject: |
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| sensei8 wrote: |
This is one of the reasons as to why I've authorized the removal of ALL Yudansha RANK indentifiers in Shindokan, no matter the rank.
Titles are, in Shindokan, a trillion times harder to earn than rank; titles are rare. That's why title indentifiers are the ONLY things that's allowed on any Yudansha.
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The black belts in my system do not have any strips etc. Just the text on the ends of the belt. Nothing else. No stripes, ticks, alternating colours, et al. Just black.
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The best victory is when the opponent surrenders
of its own accord before there are any actual
hostilities...It is best to win without fighting.
- Sun-tzu |
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Wa-No-Michi
Brown Belt
Joined: 29 Sep 2008
Posts: 643
Styles: JKF Wado-Kai
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| Posted: Sat Sep 05, 2009 1:43 am Post subject: |
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| sensei8 wrote: |
| Titles are, in Shindokan, a trillion times harder to earn than rank; titles are rare. That's why title indentifiers are the ONLY things that's allowed on any Yudansha. |
Why do you feel that titles have to be idntified any more than dan grades? Granted they may be rarer to obtain, but isn't the honour of being awarded one enough?
WNM
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"A lot of people never use their initiative.... because no-one told them to" - Banksy
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Wa-No-Michi
Brown Belt
Joined: 29 Sep 2008
Posts: 643
Styles: JKF Wado-Kai
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| Posted: Sat Sep 05, 2009 12:58 pm Post subject: |
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Also, in my experience many senior Karate-ka within a lot of groups, seek to offset the natural "depreciation" in terms of their physical ability (within grade) with positions of bureaucratic office.
I suppose this is human nature really but again, not really within the Karate ethos of things IMO.
WNM
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"A lot of people never use their initiative.... because no-one told them to" - Banksy
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sensei8
KF Sensei
Joined: 23 Feb 2008
Posts: 16427
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Styles: Shindokan Saitou-ryu [Shuri-te/Okinawa-te based]
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| Posted: Sat Sep 05, 2009 9:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Wa-No-Michi wrote: |
| sensei8 wrote: |
| Titles are, in Shindokan, a trillion times harder to earn than rank; titles are rare. That's why title indentifiers are the ONLY things that's allowed on any Yudansha. |
Why do you feel that titles have to be idntified any more than dan grades? Granted they may be rarer to obtain, but isn't the honour of being awarded one enough?
WNM |
| Quote: |
| Why do you feel that titles have to be idntified any more than dan grades? |
As the title of this topic states..."Returning To The Ways Of Old", this is what the Shindokan has done in this regard.
For example, most Okinawan senior karate-ka's will agree that originally, there was no ranking system or uniform used in the art of karate in Okinawa. Most Okinawan styles of karate, Shindokan is an Okinawan style, make use of a separate type of stripe system than does the Japanese karate styles. In most Okinawan styles there are no stripes worn to denote the ranks of Shodan thru Godan, but, I've gone one step further by not denoting any rank stripes, Shodan thru Judan.
These titles don't speak about rank, but, these teaching titles speak about knowledge. Which is more important; rank or knowledge? KNOWLEDGE! Teaching titles are MORE than dan grades, imho, and this is enough.
| Quote: |
| Granted they may be rarer to obtain, but isn't the honour of being awarded one enough? |
Yes! Still, Shindokan will identify Renshi, Kyoshi, and Hanshi as previously described. Shindokan isn't the only Okinawan style that does this, Uechi-ryu, to name just one!
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**Proof is on the floor!!!
Last edited by sensei8 on Sat Sep 05, 2009 9:49 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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sensei8
KF Sensei
Joined: 23 Feb 2008
Posts: 16427
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Styles: Shindokan Saitou-ryu [Shuri-te/Okinawa-te based]
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| Posted: Sat Sep 05, 2009 9:46 pm Post subject: |
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| Wa-No-Michi wrote: |
Also, in my experience many senior Karate-ka within a lot of groups, seek to offset the natural "depreciation" in terms of their physical ability (within grade) with positions of bureaucratic office.
I suppose this is human nature really but again, not really within the Karate ethos of things IMO.
WNM |
This doesn't describe any Shindokan karate-ka's! It's not a sin against the karate ethos, imho, because we're recognizing the Do and not the individual!
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**Proof is on the floor!!! |
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sensei8
KF Sensei
Joined: 23 Feb 2008
Posts: 16427
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Styles: Shindokan Saitou-ryu [Shuri-te/Okinawa-te based]
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| Posted: Sat Sep 05, 2009 10:17 pm Post subject: |
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For those styles of the martial arts that use dan stripes, or, for those styles of the martial arts that don't use dan stripes on their Yudansha's, I say this to you...
Your way is your way, and in that, I find no fault whatsoever!
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bushido_man96
KF Sensei
Joined: 31 Mar 2006
Posts: 30188
Location: Hays, KS
Styles: Taekwondo, Combat Hapkido, Aikido, GRACIE, Police Krav Maga, SPEAR
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| Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2009 11:31 am Post subject: |
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| sensei8 wrote: |
| Wa-No-Michi wrote: |
| Why do you feel that titles have to be idntified any more than dan grades? |
These titles don't speak about rank, but, these teaching titles speak about knowledge. Which is more important; rank or knowledge? KNOWLEDGE! Teaching titles are MORE than dan grades, imho, and this is enough. |
I hadn't thought of it that way, but it makes a little more sense.
Ideally, though, I would think that rank should denote a level of knowledge, as well. But, I understand the route that you have taken here, as well.
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sensei8
KF Sensei
Joined: 23 Feb 2008
Posts: 16427
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Styles: Shindokan Saitou-ryu [Shuri-te/Okinawa-te based]
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| Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2009 11:54 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Ideally, though, I would think that rank should denote a level of knowledge, as well. |
Rank denotes a certain level of knowledge, granted, just as long as rank isn't more important than the knowledge achieved. A Shindokan karateka must have a certain rank first before one's even considered for any teaching title(s), but, it's then not the rank that decides the qualifications for the teaching titles. No, it's what the Shindokan practitioner has done while in that rank. What has the Shindokan practitioner done for the betterment of the martial arts before the betterment of themselves. Again, teaching titles are extremely difficult to achieve, therefore, teaching titles in Shindokan are rare. There's no test for teaching titles, like there is for rank!
Shoot, time in grade allows acquisition of knowledge because if you're in something long enough and you're truly seeking earnestly/honestly, knowledge avails itself.
I just want every karateka of Shindokan, to think of rank in its proper context and to stop thinking about rank as though it's only a stepping stone to higher rank. That vanity has no place in Shindokan! Shindokan wasn't founded for the sake of rank, but, for the sake of effective knowledge obtained within/without the rank.
Removing every possible distraction, i.e. rank indentifiers, allows the Shindokan karateka to seek the doors of knowledge with a sincere heart, not a vain heart.
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bushido_man96
KF Sensei
Joined: 31 Mar 2006
Posts: 30188
Location: Hays, KS
Styles: Taekwondo, Combat Hapkido, Aikido, GRACIE, Police Krav Maga, SPEAR
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wouldbemaster
Yellow Belt
Joined: 09 May 2009
Posts: 70
Styles: Wado Ryu Karate Jitsu
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| Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 1:15 pm Post subject: Old ways |
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If you are moving truly to the old wys then no belts and no marketing i.e. teaching in secret and to select people only.
I personally don't have a problem with as many titles and different coloured belts that anyone wants towear the bottom line is that we are all only as good as the person inside of us both in terms of technique and principles/morals.
Ego in any walk of life is not good looking and we should all try to become the best we can be, we are not tye keepers of others only ouselves and those who value our thoughts. |
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on the post.
