What amount of experience makes it onto your bio/resume?

skribs

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This post is mainly aimed at higher-level practitioners; those who would need a bio for their school's website, or who would need a resume when applying for a job as an instructor. But also at less experienced folk who would be reading those bios when picking a school. How much experience or rank do you need in an art where it helps your resume instead of hurts it?

This thought came up with my recent transition from TKD to BJJ, and the thought of maybe eventually going back to TKD and opening my own school. Unfortunately, I was a belt test and a seminar away from being qualified to open a school in my organization, but I could always take advantage of the fact there are no requirements if you're unaffiliated. At that point, it would be my resume doing the talking.

A broad experience would certainly help. TKD, HKD, wrestling, and BJJ make for a well-rounded approach to martial arts, which includes Korean traditional style and American (continents) sport styles. But too broad, and you end up like Master Ken. "I have studied at over 3 dozen martial arts facilities in the past 17 years; not one of them was able to contain me." That's less than 6 months on average per school. Going back to me, I don't think a stripe on my white belt in BJJ is much for a resume.

How many years is it for you? Or what rank? Before it goes from "this might hurt my resume" to "this would help".

And also, how would you handle arts which have different ranking systems? For example, if several years down the road I am:
  • 3rd Dan Taekwondo
  • 1st Dan Hapkido
  • Purple Belt BJJ
  • 3 Years Wrestling
I would categorize 2nd Dan TKD, 1st Dan HKD, and Purple in BJJ all in the same tier (based on time it takes to get there). Yet they look vastly different.
 

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This post is mainly aimed at higher-level practitioners; those who would need a bio for their school's website, or who would need a resume when applying for a job as an instructor. But also at less experienced folk who would be reading those bios when picking a school. How much experience or rank do you need in an art where it helps your resume instead of hurts it?

This thought came up with my recent transition from TKD to BJJ, and the thought of maybe eventually going back to TKD and opening my own school. Unfortunately, I was a belt test and a seminar away from being qualified to open a school in my organization, but I could always take advantage of the fact there are no requirements if you're unaffiliated. At that point, it would be my resume doing the talking.

A broad experience would certainly help. TKD, HKD, wrestling, and BJJ make for a well-rounded approach to martial arts, which includes Korean traditional style and American (continents) sport styles. But too broad, and you end up like Master Ken. "I have studied at over 3 dozen martial arts facilities in the past 17 years; not one of them was able to contain me." That's less than 6 months on average per school. Going back to me, I don't think a stripe on my white belt in BJJ is much for a resume.

How many years is it for you? Or what rank? Before it goes from "this might hurt my resume" to "this would help".

And also, how would you handle arts which have different ranking systems? For example, if several years down the road I am:
  • 3rd Dan Taekwondo
  • 1st Dan Hapkido
  • Purple Belt BJJ
  • 3 Years Wrestling
I would categorize 2nd Dan TKD, 1st Dan HKD, and Purple in BJJ all in the same tier (based on time it takes to get there). Yet they look vastly different.

one thing that puzzles me is if you are all of this then why didn´t you know why a fist was held at the hips?
I am not saying you are not a 3rd dan ..etc but why do you not know a very basic thing?
The way I'm reading this is Skribs is saying For example, if several years down the road I am:
 

Jimmythebull

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The way I'm reading this is Skribs is saying For example, if several years down the road I am:
OK so he´s not a 3rd Dan ?
bit confused here..lol as his profile picture shows a 3rd dan ?
Screenshot (95).png
 
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skribs

skribs

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The way I'm reading this is Skribs is saying For example, if several years down the road I am:
He's just trying to pick a fight with me. It's what he does. I'd rather focus on the thread being about the question I asked than about his need to create drama.
 

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OK so he´s not a 3rd Dan ?
bit confused here..lol as his profile picture shows a 3rd dan ?
Sensei for what ever reason hold back true meaning or intent of many techniques totally at their discretion...
 

Jimmythebull

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He's just trying to pick a fight with me. It's what he does. I'd rather focus on the thread being about the question I asked than about his need to create drama.
I can assure you i am just asking a question. Are you or are you not a 3rd dan? if so why did you not understand the basic concepts of a retracting fist to the hips? are you teaching?
 
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I can assure you i am just asking a question. Are you or are you not a 3rd dan? if so why did you not understand the basic concepts of a retracting fist to the hips? are you teaching?
Your entire question is based on a lie. Therefore I cannot take it as a legitimate question. You are saying I don't know the basic concepts. Yet, in the original post of that thread, I included several reasons why we retract the fist.
 

Jimmythebull

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Your entire question is based on a lie. Therefore I cannot take it as a legitimate question. You are saying I don't know the basic concepts. Yet, in the original post of that thread, I included several reasons why we retract the fist.
you cannot be serious? i told you why it was. you wrote something about so the rear hand cannot be grabbed.. c´mon man . It´s infact to unbalance an attacker & simultaneously strike.
 

Tony Dismukes

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if so why did you not understand the basic concepts of a retracting fist to the hips?
I believe skribs made it quite clear in the other thread that he is aware of the multiple, sometimes contradictory, justifications which are given for retracting the fist to the hips in arts which teach that practice. He expressed his opinions, based on his experience, regarding the validity and usefulness of those various justifications and was seeking input from others regarding their opinions of those various justifications.

Knowing the variety of explanations given for a technique, having experience-based opinions on those explanations, and seeking additional insights from others regarding said explanations is what I would expect from a mid-level practitioner like a TKD 3rd dan.

If you think there is only one obviously correct justification for the practice of retracting the fist to the hips and that isn't one which skribs has already addressed in the other thread, then I suggest you go add that insight over there, rather than derailing this discussion.
 

Jared Traveler

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I think each time you give your resume you have to contextualize it to your audience. Sometimes not mentioning rank is best, but a simple statement like, "experience in other systems including...." Can be the simplest approach to communicating the totality of your experience.
 

Jimmythebull

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If you think there is only one obviously correct justification for the practice of retracting the fist to the hips and that isn't one which skribs has already addressed in the other thread, then I suggest you go add that insight over there, rather than derailing this discussion.
OK no problem & i´ll believe what Funakoshi wrote in his book ;)
 

Monkey Turned Wolf

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Ignoring the derail...

Even if you consider just one art, the rank is not the best measurement. If one school is stricter than the other, a black belt could mean 5 years of training vs. 2 in the same karate style. And as you get to higher rank, it often has little to do with your proficiency. And some schools don't have ranks in a normally-understood format (as an example, my rank is lakan something in PTK..I don't even remember the full title if I don't look it up, and I doubt anyone I tell it to would have any reference point for it).

Hell, even in the same school I've seen much more proficient 'high ranking' (low-kyu) colored belts be more proficient than their 1st dan peers. So personally I put more stock in time training than I do in rank.

That said, to newcomers they're not going to know that, so they might be impressed with rank, and if you have a high-enough rank that can be stated as a X dan or a master, it's probably worth putting it in. My personal recommendation, from a marketing standpoint, is to either put the rank with number of years in parenthesis (ie: 3rd Dan TKD (10 years), Purple Belt BJJ (3 years), etc.), or do whichever one seems more impressive, but stay consistent.

So with your example, if BJJ was a focus of my school, if I was writing a bio it would be something like "I have 10 years training in Tae-Kwon-Do. I also trained for 5 years in it's korean grappling counter-part, Hapkido and have spent the last 3 years devoting myself to brazilian jiujitsu." This lets people see your training, gives you the option to expand on lesser-known arts rather than just a listing someone might not understand, and gives you the chance to specify what training is recent (I've seen people list 2nd dan in judo when they haven't done judo in 20 years, and no context that their main current art is their 2nd dan in karate).
 
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That said, to newcomers they're not going to know that, so they might be impressed with rank, and if you have a high-enough rank that can be stated as a X dan or a master, it's probably worth putting it in. My personal recommendation, from a marketing standpoint, is to either put the rank with number of years in parenthesis (ie: 3rd Dan TKD (10 years), Purple Belt BJJ (3 years), etc.), or do whichever one seems more impressive, but stay consistent.
To play devil's advocate, the issue I have with this approach is, let's say I do the following:
  • 3rd Dan Taekwondo (13 years)
  • 1st Dan Hapkido (8 years)
  • Purple Belt BJJ (7 years)
Someone who isn't familiar with BJJ might see that and think I suck at BJJ, because purple belt is a very beginner belt in TKD, and it took me 7 years to get there!

Hmm...maybe rank in the one the school teaches, and years in everything else? For example, if I were to use the above:
  • 3rd Dan Taekwondo
  • 8 years Hapkido
  • 7 years BJJ
Or some combination thereof.

(Edit: this is obviously a hypothetical if I do 6.8 more years of BJJ and get a purple belt during that time)
 

Jimmythebull

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My personal recommendation, from a marketing standpoint,
thread related this is & always has been my point. It´s only marketing & money.
Hell, even in the same school I've seen much more proficient 'high ranking' (low-kyu) colored belts be more proficient than their 1st dan peers. So personally I put more stock in time training than I do in rank.
so should a kyu grade know more than a 3rd dan? who writes a resume that he is a teacher & given the OP wants to open a school?
"this might hurt my resume"
At that point, it would be my resume doing the talking.
actions speak more than words. If you can do it OK but if you can´t then people will soon know.
 

Monkey Turned Wolf

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To play devil's advocate, the issue I have with this approach is, let's say I do the following:
  • 3rd Dan Taekwondo (13 years)
  • 1st Dan Hapkido (8 years)
  • Purple Belt BJJ (7 years)
Someone who isn't familiar with BJJ might see that and think I suck at BJJ, because purple belt is a very beginner belt in TKD, and it took me 7 years to get there!

Hmm...maybe rank in the one the school teaches, and years in everything else? For example, if I were to use the above:
  • 3rd Dan Taekwondo
  • 8 years Hapkido
  • 7 years BJJ
Or some combination thereof.

(Edit: this is obviously a hypothetical if I do 6.8 more years of BJJ and get a purple belt during that time)
I've seen that last one a few times. Where people list a combo of rank and experience. I personally am fine with it, and understand it, I just worry personally that it reads as me being inconsistent to prospective students. In their minds, if you can't remember to keep something like that consistent, how organized can you be about everything else?
 
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I've seen that last one a few times. Where people list a combo of rank and experience. I personally am fine with it, and understand it, I just worry personally that it reads as me being inconsistent to prospective students. In their minds, if you can't remember to keep something like that consistent, how organized can you be about everything else?
There just doesn't seem to be a good answer, does there? (If all of the arts got together and said "We will all have black belts and it will take this many years in all of our arts it would be different).
 

Monkey Turned Wolf

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so should a kyu grade know more than a 3rd dan? who writes a resume that he is a teacher & given the OP wants to open a school?
Not sure what your question is here. I referenced a kyu grade knowing more than a 1st dan, as an example of disparity. I would be concerned if a kyu knew more than a 3rd dan of the same school, unless that kyu had experience in other similar martial arts that make up for the difference in rank.
 

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