Well my problems are solved...seeing as spine doc is now a 10th Dan in Ameri-Do-Te by Master Ken and any other training is pointless I thought about giving up. Then I saw it, right there in the back of Black Belt magazine in those ads nobody ever looks at. This Chief Iron Horse dude will give me a Kenpo black belt and school certificate for a grand!
So my journey took me to the hapkido school last night...
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I think Ameri-Do-Te ranks go up to 50th Dan, so he's really just a beginner.
There is no bels in Ameri-Do-Te.I mean, we had them, but Master Ken took our belts and demoted us. Hell, even he took my car's serpentine belt and I had to walk home. Worst 3 hours btw
It may be likely that they had a high dan rank, say a 5th dan in one art and then went to another art and their rank was recognized, then they were promoted to 6th dan and then told people they have a 6th dan in that art and so on.
Right. That's what I said. It's a BS rank.
We recognize rank from any other school. You earned it, by the standards of that system, and you're welcome to wear it. But it doesn't mean diddly as far as rank within our system.
I only have a 2nd Dan from the KKW. I'd be lying if I claimed it was higher, just because I have higher rank in other arts.
lklawson
Grandmaster
Unless one were invited as a Guest Instructor, why on earth would you wear your outside grade into some non-affiliated school or club? My experience is that the person doing that is either looking to have his ego stroked or looking for trouble.
Peace favor your sword,
Kirk
ballen0351
Sr. Grandmaster
We had open Dojo nights a few times a month where there was no set training schedule for the day. You showed up and worked on what you wanted on your own or as a small group and the instructor was present to answer questions. So if you dropped by on that day you might not see a very organized class and may look strange. We normally didn't allow visits from prospective students on these days for that reason. Did you prearrange your visit to this Hapkido School? If not you may want to try again on another day or not and move on but that would not have been a red flag to me
I have no idea. I've never asked, but my impression is that it's ego stroking and insecurity, for the most part.
Thus far, those who want to learn strap on a white belt and throw themselves into the curriculum. Those who want their ego stroked go elsewhere.
oftheherd1
Senior Master
Good grief! I must have studied the wrong art.
I really think I had 450 hours plus or minus, especially considering a bit of time teaching (normally required on the journey to a PhD) in the USA under the auspices of GM Yi, I only tested to 2nd Dan, but continued learning.
Sorry for all of you here who are belted in several arts. Maybe you can arrange to transfer in learning and teaching hours for a PhD, for a modest fee no doubt.
Wow, imagine, Dr Oftheherd1, Hapkido Practitioner Extraordinaire!
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Anyone that says this doesn't understand the focus of practicing it.
I get irritated when Hapkido starts spitting out Chinese references. There's nothing wrong with them doing it unless they have a background in a Chinese Martial art, hence the incorrect use of qi gong in a sentence. lol. gi gong isn't that exciting of a training and it's definitely not something I would lead off with to get someone's interest. lol.
oftheherd1
Senior Master
I am a Hapkidoist and I would get irritated if I heard that too,
shady diploma mill website said:
I've got probably over 10,000 hours of training martial arts in general and well over 5,000 hours just in BJJ. Can I get 6 PhDs (1 for each art that I have 450+ hours in) and some sort of Post-Doc credential as well?
No, wait ... I need to brush up on my psionics. Darn it! I wonder if you can get by with just telepathy and precognition. I've always been weak on telekinesis.
Of course mate! But let's focus less in whatever hours of "BJJ" and more on a thing called "Ph.D fee"
We allow students to wear their belts from other places, especially the children. They can go to quite a few martial arts places as well as schools and other clubs while they are growing up so it would be unfair to take them off them and make them start from scratch again, they would never get beyond their first belt if we did that. We try to incorporate what they've already learnt within what we do. It means our style isn't a 'pure' one and many people might not like it but it works for our students.
I had always assumed when I saw ph. D in martial arts that it meant something along the lines of "have learned the history of differing martial arts and how they relate" or "Have learned what application martial arts training has on your life" and just like 50 bogus classes all saying the same thing about that. Somehow, this is even worse.
lklawson
Grandmaster
Of course it's fair. If I earn a degree in Electrical Engineering, it doesn't give me any particular expertise in Literature. Of course you start from scratch again. If some of the skills from previous study are relevant to the current, then that just makes advancement quicker. My black belt in Aikido didn't make me a black belt in Judo. I had to earn those separately. Knowing ukemi made the second faster, but that's about it. It's perfectly fair.
Well, whether or not they "get beyond their first belt" should be based on whether or not they've learned the skills required for it.
Peace favor your sword,
Kirk
oftheherd1
Senior Master
I opted for Prescience and Body Language Analysis. Precognition has the unfortunate effect of showing many possible futures, then changing then anyway. I tried it but kept getting dizzy and falling down. Then I couldn't get up.
But if I were you, I would see if for an additional (no doubt modest) fee, it might be felt appropriate, based on your excess hours, to immediately promote you to 9th Dan in at least 3 MA of your choice.
So you'd suggest that our students start from scratch every time they start a new martial arts class? Many of our students start a new one every couple of years, many in even less time than that. It's not always possible to train in the same style so they'd end up as white belts or at least earn the first belt every couple of years. They simply don't stay long enough to go beyond first belt anywhere. It doesn't depend on whether they learn skills it depends on where the parent ( or themselves) are posted. This doesn't just happen to them in sports/leisure activities, it happens in the children's academic life too, my son went to three different schools before he was six. You may think it's fair not to allow them to keep their belts but we do, it's firmly understood these belts are indicative of their previous training and if possible they can learn and grade with us but if not they can at least be proud of what they have achieved in martial arts. they have a hard enough life as it is we don't believe it's our job to make it harder and therefore we welcome them as martial artists who earnt their belts and to wear them with pride. To strip them of that and make them wear a white belt would be unnecessarily cruel.
You've had the luxury of being able presumably to stay in the same place long enough to train through the belts, our students do not. Our adult students have six month deployments which interrupt their training, and the training beforehand so if they are figuratively with us for three years they may only train with us for a total time of weeks, not long enough to earn any belt so if they have one from a previous style/class they wear it with us.
lklawson
Grandmaster
Yes, yes I would. Because a yellow belt in Kendo isn't a yellow belt in Kali even if they do both "use sticks."
So what? Doesn't change the fact that a yellow belt in Shotokan isn't a yellow belt in Tae Kwon Do.
So what?
Sure it does. If they have the skills, then let them test at the same standards as anybody else. If they can prove the skills for a given belt grade then batsugun them or something.
So?
And so 1 year of learning Spanish is the same thing as 1 year of learning German?
They can be proud of their accomplishments anyway. They don't need mollycoddling to keep their positive self image. Certainly lying to them and telling them that a yellow belt in X is the equivalent in Y is not going to do them any favors in life.
Hell, well in that case, just hand out black belts as they enter the door. No need to hurt anyone's feelings or make them feel like someone else knows more about the system than they do. I'm sure that their expectation of natural equality of skill and aptitude regardless of time and training will serve them well in life.
Frankly, it boggles the mind that you have this attitude. If you're actually serious and not just having a go with me, then I really doubt we'll ever find any common ground on this subject.
Please tell me you're just having some fun at my expense.
