New Martial Talk Belt ranks - need your input

[arnisador]

well everybody on this issue of ranking for how many times you post one has no bearing on your actual rank as an artist and secondly and i mean no disrespect but people with a very high number of posts well your doing a lot more talking and a lot less time on the mat and well the only work out ur getting is your fingers so personally the ranking for your posting numbers probably is not something to be proud of

I work at a computer. In fact, there are three working computers on my desk at work, two of which I constantly use (a Unix box and a laptop PC). I couldn't use that time to train but can take breaks to post. (I'm not paid by the hour.) I've also been here since 2001.

I'm (barely) the top poster on the board and don't feel it's hurt my training. I've learned useful drills, useful information, and new perspectives and gained the occasional seminar information and even the occasional real life training partner. But if you find posting here impedes your training, then I think your path is clear.

 

[shesulsa]

Some of us have a better mental understanding than physical talent of martial arts and perhaps health problems, injuries or just a lot of experience to share ... this medium could be keeping some people who either can't train anymore at all or can't train as they used to still active mentally, still interested. Could be keeping the fire going in some way.

I look forward to some of your more positive contributions to the board in the future.

 

[exile]

Some of us have a better mental understanding than physical talent of martial arts and perhaps health problems, injuries or just a lot of experience to share ... this medium could be keeping some people who either can't train anymore at all or can't train as they used to still active mentally, still interested. Could be keeping the fire going in some way.

Shesulsa's comment points to one of the reasons why comments such as Reaper's strike me as way wide of the mark. I'm someone who has to understand what it is I'm learning; I have to see what the connections are to things I already know, what the implicit premises are in the body of knowledge I'm trying to acquire, what the crucial issues are, what the logic is. Whatever it is I've studied, I have to be able to grasp, in just that way; once I see it, it doesn't take me long to get it, but I need to see it in that way first, and that often takes quite a while. So I have to think things through, and what I've found, over quite a bit of time, is that the most effective kind of thinking is thinking aloud—formulating impressions in a specific, sharply formulated kind of way, making various half-formed ideas as precise as possible, formalizing things that I'm hazy about, and so on. And it's all the better—way better—if the people you're thinking aloud to (or with) are themselves thinking about similar things, and have developed a point of view, along with some clear reasons supporting that point of view. A lot of people on MT are like that, and interacting with these people helps me think through the problems and issues that I take to my regular training sessions and work on. So reading, posting, thinking and doing aren't separate activities that are isolated from each other; they're all components of the same process. That is one big reason, alongside the ones Shesulsa mentioned, why there is absolutely no conflict between 'time on the mat' and 'time on the board', in my mind... it all goes into to the same pool, in the end.

 

[Reaper]

im not passing judgement to anyone believe when i say that im sure you are all fine people but to me it seemed as though ranking for how many times you have posted seemed to be trivial hey if ya wanna keep count i say go for it they asked for opinion i gave my opinion hey i love meeting new people interested in the same things thats why i love going to competitions i meet new people again i forgive myself i am new to this site so i dont know what is going on with its politics

 

[terryl965]

im not passing judgement to anyone believe when i say that im sure you are all fine people but to me it seemed as though ranking for how many times you have posted seemed to be trivial hey if ya wanna keep count i say go for it they asked for opinion i gave my opinion hey i love meeting new people interested in the same things thats why i love going to competitions i meet new people again i forgive myself i am new to this site so i dont know what is going on with its politics

Reaper you are right you gave your opinion and that is fine, just wanted to say it is people opinions that makes this site so great, This is one of the main reason I only sibscribe to Martial Talk, so many talented and knowledgeable folks. I hope in cyber life as well as real life we all can find what we are looking for, like me to become one with all things.

 

[Reaper]

believe the last thing i do is pass judgment on what i dont know. i love martial arts it has been a huge part of my life since i was young and it will be with me till i die. again im looking for ways to communicate to others like me it seems here i found it if i get valued info great if i make new training partners grand more the better. for me its a way of life not a hobby

 

[exile]

Reaper you are right you gave your opinion and that is fine, just wanted to say it is people opinions that makes this site so great, This is one of the main reason I only sibscribe to Martial Talk, so many talented and knowledgeable folks. I hope in cyber life as well as real life we all can find what we are looking for, like me to become one with all things.

Well said, Terry!

im not passing judgement to anyone believe when i say that im sure you are all fine people but to me it seemed as though ranking for how many times you have posted seemed to be trivial hey if ya wanna keep count i say go for it they asked for opinion i gave my opinion hey i love meeting new people interested in the same things thats why i love going to competitions i meet new people again i forgive myself i am new to this site so i dont know what is going on with its politics

Reaper, it's not really politics that's the issue. There are a lot of dynamite martial artists who post here a lot. Terry is a fourth dan TKD instructor who owns and operates a major dojang in Arlington, Texas; Shesulsa is a dan rank in Hwarangdo; Arnisador, Kacey and MJS are all expert practitioners in their respective arts, with decades of experience and a ton of hard-earned knowledge each—and the list goes on and on. These are proficient MAists who think about training and technique and put their ideas into practice. I've had a chance to train with some of them and they are very impressive, as MAists and as people. The thing is, this is a site where people put a lot of energy and care into articulating their ideas, anxieties and issues about their art. The people who interact here on a regular basis are people who I think have very much the same kind of orientation to their training as the one I expressed in my previous post: train, yes, but think about your training, and the technical issues and all the rest. When you have a lot of people who approach things from that point of view, you get a lot of posts!

This is a very different site from most other MA sites I've seen, Reaper; and the main difference I see is that kind of seriousness of purpose—along with a level of respect for each other which is very rare in the cyberworld, and which makes for some great, productive conversations.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

im not passing judgement to anyone believe when i say that im sure you are all fine people but to me it seemed as though ranking for how many times you have posted seemed to be trivial hey if ya wanna keep count i say go for it they asked for opinion i gave my opinion hey i love meeting new people interested in the same things thats why i love going to competitions i meet new people again i forgive myself i am new to this site so i dont know what is going on with its politics

It is a trivial thing. We've got a few bits that are there for the 'feel' or just to add some fun to the site. Different features for different folks. Some folks put in their actual ranks, disable it, or put something else in instead. Tis all good.

 

[exile]

Tis all good.

Yarrr, Cop'n, that she be! irate4:

 

[shesulsa]

I don't think anyone here with a lot of posts has any false ideas about their importance in real life. We don't kid ourselves just because we've posted a lot over the last four years (or more) into thinking we're more important nor higher ranking than we really are.

You'll find we are a group of varied talents, varied arts, varied experiences and varied endeavors.

Please find a way to post in proper English, please, with capitalization and punctuation - it makes your posts so much easier to read.

Thanks!

 

[Hand Sword]

I don't think anyone here with a lot of posts has any false ideas about their importance in real life. We don't kid ourselves just because we've posted a lot over the last four years (or more) into thinking we're more important nor higher ranking than we really are.

Reality Stinks!!!

Thanks Shesulsa!
(Now back to my boring existence. I was making such great strides too!)

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Reality Stinks!!!

Thanks Shesulsa!
(Now back to my boring existence. I was making such great strides too!)

It's just like comparing the internet to reality. Here, I'm a gawd, in reality, well, I'm still a gawd but with slightly diminished powers. I haven't been able to master the no-touch hard drive formatting technique yet for example.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I haven't been able to master the no-touch hard drive formatting technique yet for example.

aww that's easy... I do that all the time.

 

[Lisa]

I don't think anyone here with a lot of posts has any false ideas about their importance in real life. We don't kid ourselves just because we've posted a lot over the last four years (or more) into thinking we're more important nor higher ranking than we really are.

You'll find we are a group of varied talents, varied arts, varied experiences and varied endeavors.

Please find a way to post in proper English, please, with capitalization and punctuation - it makes your posts so much easier to read.

Thanks!

Good post, Geo!

Like she said, no one here has any false ideas. All of us realize that the "MT Grand Master" title or any other belt rank given here is only there cause we have typed a lot and contributed to this forum making it the great place that it is today. You will also notice that a lot of us have opted to a custom user title as opposed to the Belt ranks available. You too can have this option, if you so choose, by paying for a supporting membership. Simply click on the "UserCP" located on the blue bar at the top of the page. Go to "Paid Subscriptions" and choose a supporting membership. You can give it a trial for one month. It allows you some "extras" here on the site. A one year supporting membership is only $19.95!

 

[jks9199]

im not passing judgement to anyone believe when i say that im sure you are all fine people but to me it seemed as though ranking for how many times you have posted seemed to be trivial hey if ya wanna keep count i say go for it they asked for opinion i gave my opinion hey i love meeting new people interested in the same things thats why i love going to competitions i meet new people again i forgive myself i am new to this site so i dont know what is going on with its politics

It's not politics... it's courtesy. I appreciate that you're apparently willing to step up and admit maybe you didn't make a good impression. But let's look at what you did for a second.

You just essentially walked into the lobby of a bar, looked around, and told anyone with more than a napkin on their table that they've been there too long, they're a drunkard, and need to leave. Not exactly a good impression...

The Martial Talk belt rankings are just a gimmick to keep score and have a little fun. There are two ways to assess the qualities of a person's posts; first, read and judge for yourself. Second, the reputation indicator. As a general rule -- more rep means more good comments.

But, y'know what? Nothing here indicates skill. Some posters can't write a sentence in English that doesn't seem to be illiterate and fractured, at best. BUT ENGLISH ISN'T THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGE! They're writing in a second language! And that still says nothing about their martial skills. Some of the most skilled martial artists I've had the privilige to meet and train with speak very poor English...

 

[exile]

It's just like comparing the internet to reality. Here, I'm a gawd, in reality, well, I'm still a gawd but with slightly diminished powers. I haven't been able to master the no-touch hard drive formatting technique yet for example.

You're just not concentrating hard enough, Bob! Too many photo-shoots with models from NSFW periodicals... you need to get yourself into some desolate mountains and meditate intensely for a year or so on the Oneness of All and the Nothingness of Everything, and then come back try it... :lol:

 

[MJS]

im not passing judgement to anyone believe when i say that im sure you are all fine people but to me it seemed as though ranking for how many times you have posted seemed to be trivial hey if ya wanna keep count i say go for it they asked for opinion i gave my opinion hey i love meeting new people interested in the same things thats why i love going to competitions i meet new people again i forgive myself i am new to this site so i dont know what is going on with its politics

I think you may be looking a bit too deep into the "belt system" that we use here. Like the rep system, its simply a fun perk for the forum. I'll be the first to say that I'm in no competition with anyone. If I have 1,000 or 100,000 posts, it really doesnt matter to me. What matters most for me, is the quality of the posts I make.

Also as Bob said, staff tend to have higher post counts, as there are alot of posts that we make that are not seen by the regular members.

Anyways...enjoy the forum, check out the various sections, and please feel free to start a thread on a subject.

See you on the board!

Mike

 

[Xue Sheng]

Umm… I just read through all this and I know what I am about to say likely means little but it is an electronic representation of a belt for crying out loud.. get over it.

You want one in white or beige belt with black poke-a-dots, or possibly in chartreuse or mauve I am sure it can be supplied with a bit of programming. It is no big deal and means nothing, much like the casino cash I keep trying to figure out how to cash in but sadly I have relaized I can't. Now THAT is by far a MUCH more important issue to me than this silly belt thing :uhyeah:

In other words in the real live world it is basically meaningless and for entertainment purposes only. It does not mean you are a master of anything but possibly the ability to type… maybe.

 

[jks9199]

Umm… I just read through all this and I know what I am about to say likely means little but it is an electronic representation of a belt for crying out loud. You want one in white or beige belt with black poke-a-dots, or possibly in chartreuse or mauve I am sure it can be supplied with a bit of programming.

OOH!! How aboutg chartreuse and mauve PLAID!:jaw-dropping:

 

[shesulsa]

Puce. That works for me.