Little back story... I trained for ten years when the studio started going downhill. I left and took several years off. I stayed proficient on my own just reviewing when I could. I started back up two years ago when I found out someone I used to train with opened up his own studio. It was a joint ownership between him and a higher ranking instructor. I was supposed to be testing this year When they got in a fight and split ways. So no one high enough to test me. My instructor joined up with another itf studio (who has amazing high ranking black belts) but he's in a different state. I found out that I'm expected to travel frequently there to train and eventually test (who knows when...). Which I can't travel. So guess I'm stuck at second dan indefinitely.
Frustrated
- Thread starter Tiger-eye
- Start date
Is there a reason why the number matters all that much?
RTKDCMB
Senior Master
Try being on 1st Dan for 23 years and then tell me how stuck you are. An extra Dan is just another piece of material on another piece of material, it's the training and the skills/knowledge you learn that is important.
Earl Weiss
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1. How frequent is "frequent"?
2. Is your school so small that you cannot ever invite a senior to do a testing?
3. At some point certain ranks in most any art can have an issue with required travel for advancement if they are the highest around. In some cases the candidate travels, in others the examiner travels.
- Thread Starter
- #5
It's not so much the number, but I keep getting dates to test, then something happens, which leads to another date. Now there's not much info at all on how this will work.
Of course id love a belt that actually matches the rest of the studio (my old studio did red writing for senior, white for junior- current studio does gold for senior, red for junior). I am very attached to my second dan (still proud of that testing).
- Thread Starter
- #6
I don't even know. Nothing is set in stone. Yes we can invite a senior instructor to test us, but from my understanding the studio were workig with does black belt sponserships. So 1:1 training with a senior bb to get you ready. Hard to do that in a different state. I understand that higher ranks end up traveling but I never thought I would have issues getting my third.
Manny
Senior Master
It took me 23 years to go from 1st dan to 2nd dan. Sometimes the journey is this way, now I am a third dan and my sabonim went back to Mexico City so I have to stay in dojang with the new bodd a third dan black belt woman. Something deep in my hart tells me I will not go higger in the dan ladder but what the heck! If I wonn't go to 4th it does not matter to me, I am a blck belt and tht's what counts to me.
El Manny
El Manny
skribs
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My name is Dan and I am not just a piece of material!
Here's my question - why do you have to go with THIS SCHOOL? Are there other schools in a different art in your area? Maybe you'll find an instructor in one of those. I know if my Master moved away to another state I would much rather learn Karate or BJJ than stagnate in TKD.
RTKDCMB
Senior Master
Insert witty reply 'here'.
I live in the Perth metropolitan area in Western Australia there are dozens of schools in different arts within an hours drive from me.There are no schools with the quality of instruction, effectiveness, amount of locations both near and far, 5-6 days a week training and dedicated instructors with up to 30+ years of experience that is Australia wide, teaches the art for self defense and not sport, is under the direction of an original master of the art who visits every three months for gradings There are schools with some of those elements but not all. For example, if I wanted to learn Kenpo then the closest one is a 30 minute drive and only trains twice a week whereas my school has a class in m the suburb I live in and there are three more within a 30 minute drive.
Who says I am stagnating?
Earl Weiss
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Many may consider some or all of those elements unimportant.
For instance, with regard to most beginners, .. instructors with 3 years or 13 years of experience (accounting for varying qualities of the experience) may make little difference.
skribs
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This is why I assumed stagnation; the complaint that you were expected to travel and can't, that your instructor that you really like is in a different state (and you can't travel), and that you're stuck at your current rank. Your complaint seemed to be largely about this - that your instructor is gone and you aren't going to be able to test ever again.
Of those items listed, personally I would only worry about the days they are open, the experience of the instructors, and what they teach. "An original master of the art" is good for some arts (good luck finding one for Kali or Kung Fu), and I'd prefer a solid instructor who is always there over a master that visits for gradings, that I otherwise don't get to train under. I'm not saying they are mutually exclusive. Whether or not it is Australia wide shouldn't be a huge concern - you can have schools registered with worldwide foundations that are utter garbage and schools not affiliated with anyone else that are top notch (and vice versa). As long as the instructors are well informed, the art teaches what you want, and they are open the days you want, I wouldn't worry about all of that other stuff.
RTKDCMB
Senior Master
The post you are referring to was not written by me, it was the op's, I am not the op.
