Anyone heard of this?

[Deleted member 39746]

This is why you always have a white bit of fabric and a sewing kit handy. (but then pretty sure it would be pointed out anyway)


According to uniform instructions i have seen they say it needs to be cleaned, cant eat in it etc. It does seem like a petty issue especially if you paid for the grading before they refused a promotion based on it.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Honestly it sounds like it might be political. If he should have tested a while ago and has the skills, then they choose that as the reason to cancel his test (I'm assuming last minute enough he couldn't patch it), sounds like he pissed off the wrong person for whatever reason, and this was the way they found to deny it.

I can think of at least one instructor I believe would refuse to test someone with a hole in his gi. But he'd be more likely to do so with someone he was looking for a reason to refuse, which leads us back to the notion that it might be political.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I'm not sure I get how he doesn't know. He's testing for black belt. I presume he's been there for a while. He just have known the standards,

If not, sure. That's crappy. But I'm not buying it. I sense there's more to this story.

I could see it never having come up. I wouldn't go to a test with a hole in my gi, and probably a lot of others wouldn't either, so it might have never have been discussed.

Or there might be another side to this.

 

[JR 137]

I could see it never having come up. I wouldn't go to a test with a hole in my gi, and probably a lot of others wouldn't either, so it might have never have been discussed.

Or there might be another side to this.

But what if it’s your only gi and you’ve been training in it like that for a little while, and no one’s said anything about it? Wouldn’t it be easy to assume it’s acceptable?

 

[Gerry Seymour]

But what if it’s your only gi and you’ve been training in it like that for a little while, and no one’s said anything about it? Wouldn’t it be easy to assume it’s acceptable?

That was kind of my point, JR. If the question never came up from prior testing (nobody ever showed up in one), and it never came up in training (either nobody showed up in one, or it was never an issue if they did), then there'd be no reason to expect it'd be an issue.

I've had gi's wear out and get holes. I've patched them up and gone on using them (often, my backup gi was one of these. I know at least one instructor who probably wouldn't have found some of my patched up elbows and knees acceptable (they weren't always pretty after patching). I can't see a good reason to have different standards for testing and training in that area, so if it was acceptable (without comment) for training, then it should be acceptable for testing.

 

[dvcochran]

It's not a rule at all. I trained there for years and never once was anything like that said. Hell I've seen people grading just wearing street clothes and still get given the belt

Are you saying you have trained at the same school/organization are the person testing in the OP's post and have not seen the same behavior from the people grading the test? If this is correct, do you have an opinion for why this may have happened? Just trying to flesh out the w(hole) story.

 

[dvcochran]

That was kind of my point, JR. If the question never came up from prior testing (nobody ever showed up in one), and it never came up in training (either nobody showed up in one, or it was never an issue if they did), then there'd be no reason to expect it'd be an issue.

I've had gi's wear out and get holes. I've patched them up and gone on using them (often, my backup gi was one of these. I know at least one instructor who probably wouldn't have found some of my patched up elbows and knees acceptable (they weren't always pretty after patching). I can't see a good reason to have different standards for testing and training in that area, so if it was acceptable (without comment) for training, then it should be acceptable for testing.

Are there written standards or rules that each student is given when they start training (or access to such)? I agree it sounds like nitpicking but if there is a standard an organization is working to uphold, your friend may have been caught in the crosshairs.

 

[JR 137]

That was kind of my point, JR. If the question never came up from prior testing (nobody ever showed up in one), and it never came up in training (either nobody showed up in one, or it was never an issue if they did), then there'd be no reason to expect it'd be an issue.

I've had gi's wear out and get holes. I've patched them up and gone on using them (often, my backup gi was one of these. I know at least one instructor who probably wouldn't have found some of my patched up elbows and knees acceptable (they weren't always pretty after patching). I can't see a good reason to have different standards for testing and training in that area, so if it was acceptable (without comment) for training, then it should be acceptable for testing.

Yes. I mean, if you’re going to allow me to train like that without saying anything nor telling me you’re ok with it during class but not during a test, then you shouldn’t hold it against me when it comes time to test.

If it’s been addressed, hold it against me. If not, you really can’t.

I could see if it’s something major that’s never happened in class and comes up the day a test is scheduled. But a hole in the knee? How big is said hole?

Let’s say I’m on my way in to test for shodan and something happens and my knee rips. I don’t think Nakamura is going to not let me on the floor. He’ll probably say “someone get this guy a pair of pants.” If I line up acting like it never happened, he may get frustrated and ask why I didn’t speak up beforehand, but again, it would most likely be “someone get this guy a pair of pants.”

He’s reportedly gotten frustrated with people trying to hide stupid mistakes previously. My teacher told me before every test he tells students to check their equipment and make sure everything’s there and they haven’t forgotten anything - mouthpiece, gloves, etc. He says if you’ve forgotten or lost something, tell us now and we’ll get you one. Once in a while someone will be too afraid to say they don’t have something. Then it’ll come time to put it on and they'll realize they should’ve spoken up. He rightfully gets upset because A. the person should’ve spoken up and not tried to hide the mistake, and B. it’s taking time away from the test for something that should’ve been done a while ago. But he gets them what they need and he moves on; he doesn’t fail them.

 

[Headhunter]

I think I know what it was about tbh. They wanted him to buy one of their new gis....which costs 120 pounds so far to expensive for him as a guy with a wife and 3 kids.

Also there has never been any dress code discussions before. In fact the instructors gi jacket is full of rips and tears and his belt is damm near falling to bits.

It's dumb things like this that took me away from kenpo.

 

[Steve]

My experience is that stories like this are never 100% one side's fault and 0% the other. 90-10, 80-20, maybe... But often it's more like 60-40, and you never really know until you've heard all sides.