a question on promotion

[Dusty]

i have a question. i am a 5th dahn in tkd doing the itf version but no longer affiliated with the itf. i am a member of nkmaa and a student of gm timmerman. i have a school in southern ontario.here is my question. i have a couple of junior students who have been with me for quite some time. they are getting close to where they should be testing for black belt, however, they have mental and/or physical restrictions where they cannot do some of the requirements at an acceptable level or in some cases at all. i have always believed that for the gup level belts, if they try their hardest, have the right attitude and put the work in, i will pass them. for dahn levels, should i still look at this the same way? i guess my question is, if someone is mentally or physically challenged, do i change the requirements for them or should they be denied a black belt because of it. what would you do in this situation. please dont turn this into a debate about children receiving their black belts.
thanks,
Dusty kwanjang

 

[terryl965]

If they have physical or emotional limitation, I see nothing wrong in adapting a test just for them. I commend you for training them.
Master Stoker

 

[rziriak]

I train in a Jeff Speakman AKKS school and we have a younger student who is also challenged. He is now wearing a Blue belt and will be testing for his Green next year. I've noticed the time and attention he is getting from other adults as they try to help him with the art. They make allowances but not exceptions. This young man is required to show he at least knows patterns and base level concepts. He is sloppy, uncoordinated, uncontrolled but incredibly enthusiastic. Everyone encourages "Marty" to do his best and he does just that. If his best doesn't look like someone else's who has no physical or mental challenges it does not matter. "Marty" does his best. Therefore he continues to be promoted and honestly, he is an inspiration to me. You are to be highly commended for working with those who may require some extra tlc.

 

[Brad Dunne]

It should be all about the journey within the disciple, not the level of application. Every one has their strong and weak elements, regardless of mental or physical stature. To me the main goal(s) of the arts are in random order; self fulfillment, self preservation, self enlightenment and self awareness. If all these are being accomplished, then the belt/rank is nothing more than an acknowledgement of being on the correct path.

To share knowledge and care for those who are challenged in life, deserves respect and may blessings be abundent in their lives. :asian:

 

[Fluffy]

:uhyeah: Man, I hope to have some special needs kids/adults in my new club.....there are no more loyal students then them. I have no problem adjusting my curriculem for them. Not at all. Just talking about this......pumps me up for my new club!

 

[Martial Tucker]

I agree with those who have responded thus far, but I think the obvious question is, since your school's affiliation is with the NKMAA, and GM Timmerman, how does he feel about it? It is his association that will ultimately be represented by your student.

Having said that, I have met GM Timmerman a few times, and I was extremely impressed with him as both a martial artist and as a person. I would be very surprised, and a bit disappointed if he had a problem with the promotions you are considering. But I am curious if you have consulted him about it....

 

[shesulsa]

I agree with the sentiments here so far. It should be about the journey and a certain level of ability and effort.

Congratulations on having them for students. :asian:

 

[boricuatkd]

From a school teacher's point of view-we make make academic accommodations and modifications for students in school.Students with special needs or learning diabilities have the right to have curriculum adjusted to help make them successful.In fact, by law we are required to accomodate learning disabled individuals. I don't see why it should be any different with martial arts. We all have different learning styles and not everyone learns at the same pace nor masters material at the same level. So with that in mind, I see no probloem making adjustments for your students. If they have put their time in and are dedicated to their art then they deserve the right to move on with their training in respect to belt rank.

 

[Rich Parsons]

i have a question. i am a 5th dahn in tkd doing the itf version but no longer affiliated with the itf. i am a member of nkmaa and a student of gm timmerman. i have a school in southern ontario.here is my question. i have a couple of junior students who have been with me for quite some time. they are getting close to where they should be testing for black belt, however, they have mental and/or physical restrictions where they cannot do some of the requirements at an acceptable level or in some cases at all. i have always believed that for the gup level belts, if they try their hardest, have the right attitude and put the work in, i will pass them. for dahn levels, should i still look at this the same way? i guess my question is, if someone is mentally or physically challenged, do i change the requirements for them or should they be denied a black belt because of it. what would you do in this situation. please dont turn this into a debate about children receiving their black belts.
thanks,
Dusty kwanjang

What will this rank mean?

In your school?

In any organization?

Does any of the limitations lead you to believe they will take the rank and go stand in front of a gun/bullet?

I support going with the flow and adjusting for the person. MS student has a problme kicking above the knees, then you make sure they kick good at the knee level. I think each one should be reviewed individually, and it is your final decision.

A few last questions to consider like the above, not meant to be answered here, but to ponder:

Will they be required to teach?

Will they want to teach?

Will they want to open their own school?

Just things to think about.

Good Luck and best wishes in yours and theirs training.

 

[bluemtn]

I think it's awesome. My old instructor had a blind girl he was teaching privately. It was amazing watching her do her forms and self defense. She's almost a purple belt now.

 

[Dusty]

thank you all who have responded to this. we all seem to be on the same page. i have always felt that it is the journey, not the destination that makes a good martial artist.
What will this rank mean?

In your school?

In any organization?

Does any of the limitations lead you to believe they will take the rank and go stand in front of a gun/bullet?

to be truthful, the rank only means what you want it to mean. each person has different ideals as to what a black belt means. some people believe that it is someone who can kick major butt, to others, an understanding of the basics, and to some people, its just to help keep your dobok closed (or pants from falling down). in my school and organization (nkmaa) it is someone who has persevered, someone who has put in the blood sweat and tears, someone who strives to push themselves each and every day.

Will they be required to teach?

Will they want to teach?

Will they want to open their own school?

they will not be rtequired to teach, they assist at the higher ranks. assisting will be anything from holding a pad for someone to kick right up to running the warm up if they are capable. this is definately a case by case basis. do they want to teach? i would have to say no, just because of the communication problems they encounter.

Having said that, I have met GM Timmerman a few times, and I was extremely impressed with him as both a martial artist and as a person. I would be very surprised, and a bit disappointed if he had a problem with the promotions you are considering. But I am curious if you have consulted him about it....

i have talked to him about it at our last training session. he is on board with me promoting them. we both seem to have the same beliefs for what a black belt is.
once again, thank you to all who responded and thank you for the compliments. teaching martial arts is a passion and seeing someone who cant take three steps without falling over complete a board break with a sidekick and then the look on their face afterwards is what makes it all worthwhile.
Dusty, Kwanjang

 

[DArnold]

i have a question. i am a 5th dahn in tkd doing the itf version but no longer affiliated with the itf. i am a member of nkmaa and a student of gm timmerman. i have a school in southern ontario.here is my question. i have a couple of junior students who have been with me for quite some time. they are getting close to where they should be testing for black belt, however, they have mental and/or physical restrictions where they cannot do some of the requirements at an acceptable level or in some cases at all. i have always believed that for the gup level belts, if they try their hardest, have the right attitude and put the work in, i will pass them. for dahn levels, should i still look at this the same way? i guess my question is, if someone is mentally or physically challenged, do i change the requirements for them or should they be denied a black belt because of it. what would you do in this situation. please dont turn this into a debate about children receiving their black belts.
thanks,
Dusty kwanjang

I will not try and assuage your burden, or ease your conscious by agreeing that they should test, but remind you that at some point in time you are going to have to take the hard road with these students. The only way I can help you is by playing the devils advocate, as an answer is not found by others opinions but dependent on more facts than you have given. And as you are the only one who knows all the facts, as you well know, the burden is yours. I and many of my students who are now instructors have had to face this. This may make me sound mean but let me ask some questions.

Have you talked to the students? Relatives? About their career in the MA?

Are you just afraid of looseing students? Because if you are then you are not teaching up to your ability, just fear, and you will always bend the rules to keep students, and even more will go.

Have you talked to the students and let them know that they may top out in rank? This has nothing to do with wether you can challange them or give them new things to work on. Students can be challenged without giving them rank.

Can they truly not do some things or is it just that it may take 5-10 years?

What does a black belt mean to a regular member of your organization?
(This is what it will mean for these students - and have they acheived that?) That's why they are called requirements!

What do you mean by, "they are getting close to where they should be testing for black belt"? Is this just time or is it ability, knowladge, attitude... back to what rank means in your organization)

Is it you wanting them to test or is it them wanting to test?

How will you feel if they quit?

"they have mental and/or physical restrictions where they cannot do some of the requirements at an acceptable level or in some cases at all." How will other students in your class, your organization... look at this? Even though they have no say in this, reguardless of wether you like it or not, if your GM sanctions it or not, it will affect them.

Should excuses/changing the rules be allowed for other students shortcommings? (Some may think this harsh but some will use the word "excuse") Once you start changing the rules you trod on a slippery sloap. Where does it end?

Because of your bad feelings, how far will you change the rules? Will you allow them to test for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th? You are now deciding where you have to draw the line. You must be careful not to lead them on!

Not everyone is destined to be a black belt, just like not everyone can be a 2nd, 3rd, 4th (unless these are only dependent on time in your organization), doctor, lawyer, fireman... How do you keep some sembalance of standards. I believe in TKD it is called indomidable spirit.

Amongst the wise more respect is given to indomidable spirit than the high rank.

Saying "No"" is not being mean, if for the proper reasons, it is just being factual.
Being honest is not being mean as long as you are up front and factual.
Leading someone on because of guilt or your fealings would be twice as bad.

I do not envy you as this is a trying test of an instructor.
I hope this helps more than a yes or no, as that seems more like you trying to ease your pain.

Good luck and God Bless

 

[Jonathan Randall]

There is a local Kenpo instructor in Sacramento (Larry Reid) who had a student with Down's Syndrome. He was able to bring the student up to Shodan level - although it took 8 + years instead of the average 4 years to do so. My respect for the instructor went up dramatically when I read the article about his training of special students.

 

[Jonathan Randall]

I would also add that a TKD instructor that I had who had a student with SEVERE Multiple Sclerosis promoted her to an honorary (recommended) black belt. While this was a very commercialized sports school, this instructor did not do this for the money. Would he have promoted her to instructor or full dan ranking? No, she did not and could not meet the requirements. She received an "indomitable spirit" award and an honorary black belt (she had a legitimate, hard earned red belt from before she became seriously ill).

Given the course of her illness, I am sure that she has longed since passed away, but I remember her and the instructor as well for his kindness. He did NOT compromise his personal or professional integrity in any way. Although I have mixed feelings about the commercial association he belongs to, I was gratified when I heard that he received "Master" rating. He EARNED it. She earned her "honorary" black belt as well. This was twenty years ago.

 

[bcbernam777]

if someone is mentally or physically challenged,g

What are the challenges, I recently read through an article of a black belt who was disabled (ie. Wheel chair bound) pass his grading for black belt. He was given a black belt pior to the grading by the Grandmaster himself (and when I say Grand master I mean grandmaster) who obviously recognized hs dedication, and hard work. Take from that what you will.

 

[tshadowchaser]

It is a hard discission to make and one the ultimitly onl you can make.. Not knowing the students and haveing never seen how they preformed when they first came in compared to what they now can do, I can't say one way or another.
Now if you feel they are ready for that test (be it modified or not) then test them. If your other students don't understand then they need to have a good long look at themsleves and find in their harts and minds what they think they would do under the circumstances. Sometimes students do not see what an instructor sees and can not understand what it is to be an instructor and teacher

 

[Kacey]

This is always a hard question, and very individual to the student, the instructor, and the organization. I have had students with various disabilities for years; being a special education teacher when I'm not in white pajamas, I seem to attract them. The level of disability has varied from recovering from back surgery to diabetes to cerebral palsy to developmental delay to a genetic problem leading to the use of an oxygen tank and deafness. I have known students who were deaf, had the long-term effect of a head injury, a recovering alcholic, and so on. Every one I have known has gotten something from the art they were in (pretty much all TKD, as that's the art I practice).

Currently, I have two students who are disabled - one has cerebral palsy and a development delay, and the other has Downs' Syndrome. They are both adults. The first student has been in my class for over 4 years; he is currently a partial high yellow belt; because of what it takes him to learn new patterns, he tests for half a pattern at a time. The latter has been in class for about a year, and is a high white belt. Do I expect that these students to reach black belt? Not really. But they both do the best they can, work hard, and learn as much as they are able. The first one started with a green belt (6th gup) from a contract gym (pay X amount of money for X length of time, show up at least X times, and you are guaranteed X rank - which is how he got it). Because of his behavior, he was demoted to yellow belt last year, and is currently working his way back up - an advantage for the class, as his current rank more closely approaches his actual knowledge. I, and my other students, have learned more from these two men about perseverance and indomitable spirit than they are likely to ever learn from me about TaeKwon-Do. Does that mean I will stop teaching them? Never. I know of a student with Downs' who has earned a II Dan, without any relaxation of the requirements - because his instructor never gave up; it took considerably longer than other students, and he worked his way up in smaller increments than other people, but he earned it according to the requirements of his organization.

I have heard some people on other forums state that any student who comes to class long enough and works hard enough should earn their black belt; after that, the criteria become more stringent. I'm not sure I agree with that; I think it cheapens the rank.

As far as your two students, without more information it's impossible to say. Have they ever been able to complete the requirements they are unable to complete now? Do they have the experience and ability to teach and demonstrate? I knew a man years ago for whom I had a great deal of respect - he had 2 artificial knees, was missing a lung, had back problems, and was generally in poor health. He continued to come to class despite his doctor's preferences, with limitations imposed by his instructor, and was constantly seeking out visiting students to teach him things the rest of us knew he wasn't supposed to do, because he wanted to know the things everyone else knew at that rank (III Dan). However, he had never been able to physically perform many of the requirements past I Dan. Should he have been promoted? Not having been privy to the details of how and why he was promoted (as he outranked me considerably) I can't say. However, as a III Dan, he could not teach I Dans because he had never done the things he was trying to teach. Does that mean that no one should be promoted if they can no longer do things? Not at all - certainly, at 39, there are things I can't do nearly as well now as when I started at 20, or when I was an I Dan when I was 25 - but the fact remains that I could do them then, and when I teach them to other people, I am teaching from experience rather than theory.

Only you can decide whether it is in these students' best interest to promote them if they cannot perform some of the requirements - you need to look at how they will feel if they are promoted knowing that they have been given a modified test, how it will affect other students, how it will affect future promotions, and so on. Maybe if you could provide some more information we could provide some more specific advice. I would suggest you consider whether the criteria you are relaxing are quantitative or qualitative (e.g. less physical testing as opposed to lower physical expectations) - if the student has low stamina, and can perform all the required techniques but with more rest breaks or at lower power levels, I see that differently from a student who cannot perform the techniques all.

An example from education: students who are disabled and cannot complete the actual requirements for high school graduation, but who have done the best they can (whether developmentally delayed or learning disabled) are given a certificate of completion (showing that they have completed high school) but not a high school diploma (showing that they supposedly have a certain level of knowledge - education reform being a MUCH different discussion). You need to decide if your students have actually demonstrated competence, or if they have done the best they can with what they have, and then decide what they have truly earned - a certificate of completion, or a diploma. If you decide on the former, perhaps it could be a special rank - honorary, or a color that doesn't otherwise exist (maybe a combination of other colors in a unique fashion), or something similar.

I hope this helped - given some of the students I teach, and have taught, I've given this a great deal of thought. I also wrote my IV Dan thesis on the topic of teaching students with different needs (from injury to illness to permanent disability), and would be happy to send you a copy if you think it would help, although it centers on instruction and does not mention testing.

Good luck to you and your students - an instructor who treats individuals individually, as you are doing, is always better than one who treats everyone the same. From a poster in the middle school where I work:

"What is right is not always popular; what is popular is not always right".

Good luck determining what is right - whether it is popular or not.

 

[TigerWoman]

Great post Kacey!

I agree with you. I think black belt has to have minimum standards otherwise it loses its meaning. I know of orange belts who were developmentally disabled who fought to get there and pretty much stayed at that rank but continued to learn what they could, maybe even test further. We have older 50's blind woman in our school system who probably won't get to black belt.

At 56, I know I won't be able to test for 3rd dan. Actually I'm due up in April approximately. My knees are in bad shape and I can't take much scooting let alone jumping now. The breaks which I would have to do involve jumping and practice jumping. So, I really don't want a modified test just to get a belt stripe. It loses its meaning for me and others. Although there are others who smoke heavily or just physically don't have endurance and will take an easier test without much compunction and the master will gladly make it easier to keep them as a student. TW