What is the entire process of belt promotions like, in your school/country?

[Olethros]

Hello people!
I'm a new member and this is my first post. I would very much like to know what the entire process of belt promotions is like in your school or local organization you belong to. By "process", I mean everything that one may have to present to his personal teacher before the exams and ofcourse all that one has to demostrate during the exams to the board of examiners. My question goes primarily to Ed Parker's Kenpo practitioners but other Kenpoists may respond as well.

 

[Nick Ellerton]

hey there.

well recently i gained the rank of arange and what a nerve wracking experience. Anyway what i had to do was the 16 techniques on the sylabis & the fomr and set that was required i no that each system varies in their requirements for the next belt but for this one i had to do long form 1 and kicking set one. as well as the 16 techniques that varies alot.

 

[Mark Weiser]

Here is my experience in Kenpo and testing.

• Black Belts have the experience and training to recongize the neccessary skill needed for the next belt level a student will advance too.
• The Instructor should and often encourages the student to test telling the student he or she is ready for testing when the student is ready then he or she will set up a time to do the testing.

A good instructor knows when a student is ready for testing. When a student ask the Instructor to test and he or she is not ready then the Instructor should encourage more practice and test at a later date.

In my school there are no Rank Testing fees.

Sincerely,
Mark E. Weiser

 

[Olethros]

Let me tell you how it goes around in my country, Hellas (=Greece), to see what I mean.
First of all, one has to be ready which is naturally an instructor's call. After that, one will take the exams prior to which nothing else has to be done. The exams are conducted under the supervision of a board of examiners that usually consists of all instructors whose students are being examed and the country representative (who was a direct student of Mr. Parker). That results to 5 or more black belts. The whole class will have to endure an exhaustive physical test (something like a VERY VERY VERY hard training day). Then all students will be asked to perform all or almost all of the techniques, forms, sets from yellow belt up to the belt they are to take, several times each. Advanced belts may also have to answer some theoretical questions.
Brown and black belts have other requirements as well but I'm primarily interested in the rest.
So this is pretty much about it and the questions are:

• Do you for example have to take a written test prior to the exams?
• Do you have to perform other stuff like the freestyle techniques?
• Do you only have to perform some of the techniques, forms or perhaps only the ones corresponding to the belt you are to take?
• Do you have to thoroughly explain kenpo principles and theories as well as how they are apllied into techniques?
• etc.

 

[michaeledward]

At my school, there are physical requirements that must be performed prior to testing. The physical requirements get progressively more difficult as the belt level increases. As an example, for my second degree brown belt test, the physical requirements were:

200 Pushups * 750 Situps * 750 Kicks each leg * 15 minute (deep) training horse stance * 7 three minute freestyle rounds

Again, this was all competed in the week or two prior to the test.

The test was for brown belts only; this test had 3 students testing from Green to 3rd degree brown; 1 student performing a 'Review' on his 1st degree brown promotion; and myself, testing for 2nd degree brown. The 'review' takes place at each brown belt level in our school. After being promoted, no new material is introduced during the next testing cycle. The student then repeats the test after an 8 week period of reviewing the entire curriculum to that point (no additional fees - no penalty if performance is poor - just a review).

The 5 students ran through most of the self-defense techniques in the lower belts (but not all of them), we ran all of the self defense techniques for Green and our current level of brown, all of the forms, and all of the sets in our curriculum. The test also included some light sparring and some theory questions.

The testing was performed in front of, and with 5 of our studio's blackbelts, and the studio owner.

There was a written test to be submitted, although it wasn't graded. It was just a 'sanity check' to measure how the students are beginning to understand the system of American Kenpo.

Hope that helps. - Mike