What is your highest tested belt rank?

[Dave Leverich]

Hehehehe, Wade, Sir, you do rock

 

[Balrog]

So, I have to ask this highly charged question:
What is your current rank, and when was the last test you stepped on a floor and showed your metal to a senior or panel of peers?

I'm currently a 5th Degree Black Belt. I tested for rank in June of 2004. I will be eligible in terms of time in rank to test for 6th Degree in June of 2009.

 

[IWishToLearn]

My 2nd Degree in Yasashii Do and my 3rd in Kenpo.

 

[TheArtofDave]

Wow reading this thread really makes me wish that the chaos in my life fueled me to be right up there with most of you. But things didn't really go that way. Of course I don't really care about rank training is what I'm most interested in.

That being said I'm currently a white belt in Pasaryu. However I'll be working on going through the system to black belt, and if I can get to 6th of 7th degree I'll be doing good. My goal is 8th though. In that system once you hit 9th you're a "Korean Master" and officially at instructor level but with it taking so much time and dedication to get that I'm setting my goals high but 7th will be realistic although I'll try to get to 9th and I've got plenty of time to do it as I'm 28 and I'm in no rush. The more I work my butt off, and understand the reasons the training works should I ever need it means more to me than hey here is a colored belt to show off.

As far as rank goes though if I get to blue belt, and the instructor tells me I should be a black belt even though it may delay my time of getting there I'd still prefer to go from blue belt to the next, and then to the next. I want to get as much out of it as I can. Its more rewarding to work for something, and as equally as rewarding later when looking back. So my goal right now is 8th degree. So wish me luck.

I'll let you know how it goes as soon as I begin my journey once again. Good luck to all in their formal training, or continuing their training.

 

[KempoGuy06]

WOW forgot about this thread. I posted way back after receiving my orange belt. Now my last test was for my blue belt. Way for physically and mentally demanding than my orange or purple belt tests. Even more so since I had a nasty cold and was worried about my knee. The test was about 2 hours about long, 15 minutes into it I was drained of energy,the cold really had a hold of me, but I pushed through it and passed. Now I have a really long road ahead of me...good thing blue is my favorite color

B

 

[pad256]

1 dan in 2007 great test @6hrs long, hard physically and mentally but I enjoyed the punishment (the sick kempo mentality) almost like a right of passage, more like welcome to the family and now the fun really starts!

 

[dancingalone]

I hold a nidan in Okinawan Goju-ryu and an ee dan in taekwondo. Sankyu in aikido. Tested in front of a board for all of those ranks.

 

[Brian S]

Long have I seen the arguments concerning rank on numerous discussion sites. Long have I seen the arguments concerning earned vs awarded vs cross ranking.

Well, my opinion is simple. If you didn't sweat for it, it's not real.
Someone saying 'You've been a 4th for 2 years, good job, here's your 5th' seems cheap to me. Sending in your video tape some good-ole-boys sokeboard, moreso. I mean, has anyone ever sent their tape and cash in and NOT! gotten their promotion? Is someone with who has only sweat and bleed and felt the pain to 3 1st degree belts really suddenly qualified to buy themselves a grandmastership by mail order?

So, I have to ask this highly charged question:
What is your current rank, and when was the last test you stepped on a floor and showed your metal to a senior or panel of peers?

I agree with the ranking through mail and video's, it's laughable.

BUT, the part I have in bold just doesn't hold much water. Big deal if you have a formal test or not. The time spent in training between ranks IS the test IMO. The actual test is just a formality.

 

[diamondbar1971]

Mine was for 4th Black with a panel, but a little story that some of you may find interesting. Way back in the covered wagon days (well it seems so sometimes) I was testing for my 1st Black and I did my forms well, but during my match I switched styles and failed even though I won. When you are young and want to win, sometimes you do things that you don't think is wrong or bad, you just do it. At the time I was absolutely just devastated but things worked out as most things do.

 

[Guardian]

Tested and gained my Black Belt in 1985 and then my core group broke up (military duties) and I just trained from their on in and in 2002, I took a different direction into the Personal Protection ways. Which have taken most of my time up now, still train in my core art, but not as much as I use to.

It's neat seeing what everyone has done and how they have progressed throughout their time.

 

[Traditionalist]

I'll do my best to answer your question. If this was something honorary, personally, I wouldn't want it. Why would I want to accept a rank in something that I don't train in? Many arts, once you reach a certain rank, there is no physical test, per se, but instead its more of time in grade and what you've given back to the art. The person in this situation is actually doing something, giving something back, so in that case, I see nothing wrong with accepting the rank.

Mike

THis is similar in my school, which we have both Hapkido and TKD, the catch in our school is the highest student, besides the instructor in HKD is 2nd dan, I'm sure we'll have a physical test for 3rd dan but a lot of it is how your perform in class and all of the 2nd dans have classes of their own, so we are then essentially graded on our own classes and he is always grading us as students. It will be new territory for us and our instructor hasn't even talked about testing us for 3rd yet. I'm not sure how long our TKD tests before they no longer have to do a physical test. I could never take a honorary belt I would definitely have to privately give it back and explain why. I would rather fail a test and stay where I'm at then promote at some "Here's your belt" ceremony.

 

[MikeSlisher]

Third Dan in ITF-style TKD in 1994.
I've never felt the need to promote whenever I was able to, and one you know that I received my First Dan in 1978 and practiced continuously in the meantime, you'll see that is true.
Every testing I've ever had involved physically performing a variety of techniques before a Grandmaster Instructor.

 

[YoungMan]

Physically tested for Kukkiwon 5th Dan before a 3-man panel of two 7th Dans and one 9th Dan. Testing was a private affair: me and three other guys. Each of us tested separately. Even our Instructor did not stay in the room during testing.

 

[terryl965]

Well I really did not test for it but I did eat alot of Oreo's to get this Black belt which the tag says it is 44-46 inches. so that is now the highest BB or any other color of a belt I have ever recieved.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

I agree with the ranking through mail and video's, it's laughable.

BUT, the part I have in bold just doesn't hold much water. Big deal if you have a formal test or not. The time spent in training between ranks IS the test IMO. The actual test is just a formality.

I think the question here is, were you actively doing something, or "sitting home naked on a bean bag chair eating cheetos"* the whole time? 5 yrs != 5yrs in all cases.



*It's a Ron White quote. :lol:

 

[shihansmurf]

My highest rank is 4th Dan in Shotokan and 4th Dan in Kobudo, both under Kyoshi Everett Wills. I have also cross trained in EPAK (with Dave Coppock), Okinawan Kenpo(Dorian Fox), Han Foo Wa/Jeet Kune Do(Earl Lewallen and Bill Shaw), and Tae Kwan Do(Stan Martin), and I also boxed for two years in college.

I hold various ranks in the above systems. I like the eclectic approach. I find that as I I age I am less and less concerned about the ranks that other people claim. As my boxing coach said"The only belts that matter are gold, and you gotta jack someone up to get one." I don't know if it is his original wording but it does sum things up well.

Mark

 

[Shicomm]

I agree with the ranking through mail and video's, it's laughable.

BUT, the part I have in bold just doesn't hold much water. Big deal if you have a formal test or not. The time spent in training between ranks IS the test IMO. The actual test is just a formality.

I couldn't agree more with you!

Have had quite a lot of ppl picking on me because i've never had formal tests...
I just don't care , it's something between my teacher ( shihan @ 13th dan ) and me.
He doesn't test anybody in the dojo, if you're good for it you'll get there when the time is right.

I've noticed people flying thru the ranks, past shodan and even up but i just don't care.
A few months ago i had a nice talk with a guy that was truely amazed that i still was a kyu grade after over 6 years in training....

At the people that are easy at slandering on bujinkan rank ; if you didn't experience the thing going on in Japan then you just don't know...

 

[Balrog]

So, I have to ask this highly charged question:
What is your current rank, and when was the last test you stepped on a floor and showed your metal to a senior or panel of peers?

In the ATA, everyone tests, period. My current rank is 5th Degree and it took me three attempts to earn it. I'm getting ready to do my first midterm in February so I can test for 6th Degree.

 

[Henderson]

I don't believe all you fine people have been coerced into actually answering the rudest, and least informed question, in martial arts. "What rank are you?" Tsk...tsk...tsk.

 

[IWishToLearn]

All of my rank has been tested for. Not that I put much stock in rank.