dbell
Blue Belt
So, I am a 2nd degree in Isshinryu Okinawan Karate. I am currently not associated with any groups of Federations, etc. I am looking to start teaching on a small level.
As a 2nd Dan, what does your license authorize you to teach? I know in most "traditional" Japanese and Okinawan systems, in order to open your own school, in your name, instead of your teachers name, you need to be 3rd Dan. 3rd Dan being the equivalent of the older Menkyo Kaiden, meaning you had full transmission and you had the ability to modify and teach the art your way instead of the way it was taught to you. (Some systems have changed that concept to 4th or 5th Dan with the expansion of the Dan ranks to 10 from 5.)
If your credentials give you the authority in your system to open your own school, in your name instead of your instructors, then the school should be taught as you see fit. If it deviates from the requirements of your original system, such as X "specific" Katas to reach 1st Dan, 2nd Dan, etc., it is no longer the same system, as that person can not go to another school of the "same system name" and have a comparable rank. You would need to rename your system, and maybe state that it is based on X system with changes as you felt were merited in your understanding of the arts you have studied and your understanding of human development and needs.