You know, if we think about it, any place that provides a service has the right to refuse service. How many times have we seen the "We reserve the right to....." signs? If we refuse to pay our light bill, the power co. reserves the right to shut you off. If we refuse to pay for an item and proceed to walk out of the store, the police reserve the right to arrest us. A martial arts school is no different. A friend of mine who runs one kicked out a student because of his actions in the school.
I also find it amazing, how people can engage in a discussion, be presented with opposing views, and get so upset, that they leave. And this is a forum. Do those people do the same thing in real life?
IMHO, a BB respresents a certain level of mastery in an area, just like a college degree. I'd rather be known for quality than a quantity of crappy BBs running around. "Yeah look at me. I have 100 BB students! This goes to show what a good school I run!" Actually I'd rather have 3 quality BBs, than 100 poor ones. People seem more concerned with keeping everyone happy, instead of standing up for whats right. Do these same parents who get upset little Joey didn't pass, also complain to the school system when Joey is held back? Do they complain because he isn't good enough for the baseball, basketball or whatever other sports team doesn't pick him? Most likely the answer is yes, because they have their blinders and rose colored glasses on. They may, deep down, see that Joey sucks, but just can't bring themselves to admit it, because they'd rather live in denial.
This is just another reason why I would rather see people wait until their kid is 10 or 12 before enrolling, so to avoid the Mcdojo appearance by having a 10yr old 3rd degree BB running around, because the kid started when he was 3.
I also find it odd that we can have 2 clips....1 showing a poor quality student, the other showing quality students. Its obvious by those clips, that theres a big difference, yet people continue to justify giving rank, a JR BB rank no less to the first kid.
Woe, woe, woe, woe! Well, I was going to leave the discussion, because I personally didn't want to get into the whole dyslexia thing with doc. However, now my pride has been wounded. LOL!
1st and foremost, my position ain't changed. If your giving a black belt test regardless of adult or junior, and they earn it, they have the chops, they should be considered a black belt. That's my opinion. If as an example, I'm drilling for a company for 6 months I do not expect for them to then on the 7th hire somebody new and make me a helper, and tell me I've been nothing but a helper the whole time I been drilling holes in the ground for the last 6 months. Either you are or you are not. If a jr. bb is not a bb, then it is not, and it is something else. When a child here's you say, "Now your a jr blackbelt", he don't hear that. He hears "BLACK BELT". It's only natural. And if your going to give that designation of "Black Belt" behind JR. but it not be considered a real black belt, then you shouldn't give one period, in my opinion. You can do whatever you want, I just don't feel that decieving people is one of those things that I like to do, or have done to me. I just feel that there is a shady area when you start doing that.
Now, martial arts instructors absolutely have the right to teach whoever they want, and do it anyway that they want. It does not benefit the student to be given the magical "black belt", if he doesn't have the skills and maturity to handle the responsiblities of the title. If I'm not ready to be driller, I shouldn't be drilling, period. If I'm not ready to be black belt I shouldn't be one, not even a jr, cause I ain't ready for it. My opinion and you can do with it what you will.
Now as far as Doc's dyslexic comment, he did say when asked how he would handle having a student like that, that he would refuse them training. Period, no if and or but's about it, they may not train with doc. However, then a few posts later he tries to defend himself with the fact that his nephew is dyslexic. Which, in that case in my mind you can't have it both ways. Either you do or you do not. Or you just have double standards for the rest of the world but your nephew is ok. The same with the question about a returning vet, who lost his arm. doc says, "OH yeah, I'd accept him right back into the classes." But two posts ago, you said that, you have standards and they don't include teaching the disabled. I guy who lost his arm is now technically disabled. You have standards that can't change, they are set in stone. You want to keep the quality of your style up, and guy with one arm definitely isn't going to be able to do all of the kata's, is he? So there goes your quality of excellence right out the window.
And no the kid in the first clip should not be a black belt. I've seen in my own classes that I attend 5 year old kids that have more heart, and skills than that little guy. They are just white belts still. So my opinion if I was making the decision, no he shouldn't have got it, he didn't earn it. He's not up to snuff. Period. That's my position on that. However, I'm not making that decision.:asian:
There are always exceptions!
