I began studying karate in March, 1994 and was promoted to Shodan in August 2000. During that time, I also completed 4 years of college, Basic training and AIT in the Army one summer, Jump School another summer, ROTC Advanced camp the summer after that and Air Assault School just prior to testing that August. If I had not gone to college so far away or joined the army, I probably could have tested almost two years earlier. I had not stopped training, practicing or studying for the entire time (and still haven't). Would I have been ready (was I ready in 2000?) I must have been, since I tested. There was a "suggested minimum" time, but it was based on preparedness, maturity, skill, etc. During the eight hour test for Shodan, I lost 10 lbs.
After moving to Alabama, my ATA instructor knew that I had already studied martial arts for 8 years when I joined his school and waived my minimum time requirement for promotion, and in about a year or so, after completing the curriculum up to 1st Degree, I tested for that rank in front of a board of examiners in a formal manner and passed. The test included forms, breaking and sparring. I was physically acvtive for about 25-35 minutes during that 3 hour test.
When I came to Tennessee, I began studying Jujika Jujutsu (which is more a sub-style of Shotokan than jujutsu) and, having now a decade in the martial arts, my instructor again waived the minimum time for testing and after a year of teaching, training (since his style is very close to my own), and completing the 4 day formal test (including a written exam, verbal, aikijitsu and pressure-point based self-defense, kata, bunkai, sparring and observation over time), I was promoted to Sandan and presented my Menkyo (teaching certificate) in this system.
In each of the three schools, the standards for testing, the time between tests and the material provided all varied tremendously, even if the requirement had not been waived at the latter two schools.
Is testing important? It's as important as the student lets it be, the teacher makes it and the intra-school culture requires it to be.
Are belt/ranks important? To those who feel like they have truly earned it, yes...at least important enough for those who have earned it to be upset when someone who hasn't earned it claims to have it. To those who feel that it is worth lying about, it must be worth it, too. To those who don't need the incumberance of ranks, it must not be, since they don't see the sense in it.
Is it important to me? Based on my earlier thought, it must be. I get greatly irritated when I see an overweight, lazy 7 year old walking around Wal-mart with a 3rd degree black belt on his waist and a Snickers in his pie-hole (don't get me wrong, I love Snickers!). It's important enough to me to ensure that my students are ready, beyond a shadow of a doubt, for their next level of training before I even consider testing them for the next higher rank. I will NOT be the teacher that is represented by that little fat kid in a karategi.
Are belts and rank what it's all about? If it is to you, then you probably won't last long enough to get it, any way. If you are studying for the sake of learning, improving and discovering, then the ranks will come.
Those martial artists and teachers that maintain what some would consider a high standard for promotion must be careful, however, to avoid the "Guardian of the Belt" mentality. The feeling that "I got mine, I'll keep you from getting yours" is a problem in military schools (airborne, ranger, etc) as well as in some types of dojos/dojangs/kwoons/gyms/etc. It is our duty to our students to teach them, evaluate them and, if applicable, promote them to the next higher level of training when they have put in the required effort and/or time without making it nearly impossible to attain...whether it be a yellow belt, black belt or some other level of certification. It has to be challenging, since what we gain too easily we esteem too lightly, but it has to be do-able.
Our responsibility is easy...don't drop the standards to the student, bring the students up to the standard.
I think thats all I have to say about that. Cheers!
