You people were right, I should've clarified.

[PhotonGuy]

I've talked about, in the past, on this board how at my dojo some of the students, including myself, erroneously believed that to take the black belt test the sensei had to tell you that you could take it. Now, I know there are some people here who have said that at their dojo that for all the belts the sensei tells you when you can test, not just the black belt but all the belts. At my dojo you sign up for your belt tests yourself if you want to test for your next belt, every three or four months they run belt tests and if you want to test for your next belt you sign up, pay the fee, and take the test. This does not, of course, mean you will pass and whether you pass or fail you don't get the money back that you paid to take the test. This is how my sensei does it, if you want to test for your next belt its up to you to sign up and take the test, Im not saying its the best way or the only way its just how my sensei does it.
Now, as I said before, me and some of the other students wrongly believed that you had to be told you could take the black belt test even though you aren't told when you can test for any of the other belts. I've been thinking this over and I've been thinking about what some of the other people on this board have said that I should've clarified that with my sensei and I must say that they were right. If you want to get the right information you've got to get it straight from the horse's mouth, or in this case sensei's mouth. Communication is key for both teaching and learning. So I just wanted to point it out that I've realized that the people who said I should've clarified this with my sensei himself were right.

 

[donald1]

That's the way my school would do it too, pay for the test, maybe most schools (not quite certain on that one) would be a shame to pay for a test just to fail. But regardless the people administering the test are still taking time from their day to make sure it's done right.

 

[Balrog]

I tell my students that the hardest part of testing is getting my permission to test. I won't let them test if I don't think they are ready. If I give them permission, that is a big shot in the arm for them, because I'm basically saying I think they have what it takes to promote; now all they have to do is go do it.

 

[Buka]

I don't test anymore, but when I did I had open tests once or twice a year (everything except Black). Anyone could take the test even if they didn't have the required hours in dojo - a practice test for them. I have never charged for a test and I never will. If you pass, which over the years was a thirty percent pass rate, you paid the six bucks for your next belt, except green, brown and black, which were free. There was a rule in the dojo that everyone had to flunk at least one test on their way to black....just because. Sometimes I'd just promote someone without a test because they had earned it and there weren't any tests in the near future.

All my testing was two part, a written test on the dojo floor with printed questions and everyone on the floor writing with the test papers on a magazine, and then the physical test. One of the printed question on every test was "how many push ups can you do?" At some point during the physical part of the test, when they were dog tired and almost crawling, the paper would come out and they had to be able do the amount of push ups they had written down, and do them with proper technique for that exercise. If not, they were immediately dismissed. It wasn't just to be a hard ***, it was so they knew they couldn't bullsheet themselves. You just had to know what you can do, and what you were ultimately capable of. Some people quit, but, hey, that's what some people do.

My students who now teach do not do any of these things, (except for hard contact sparring, which is a given) I'm disappointed, I believe they are making a mistake, but, hey, they're their own men and have earned the right to teach Martial Arts the way they want. (but they're still wrong)

I have never paid to test, I never will. If I were to start as a student in a school that had testing fees, I wouldn't get involved in that process, I'd just train. I like the way BJJ does it's belts. It's why I haven't tested anyone in fifteen years.

 

[Cirdan]

I've been thinking this over and I've been thinking about what some of the other people on this board have said that I should've clarified that with my sensei and I must say that they were right.

Took you long enough. Now maybe you can let go of your gigantic ego some more and start to understand other excellent advice you have been given here over and over.
Do or don`t.

 

[Xue Sheng]

if you want to test for your next belt you sign up, pay the fee, and take the test. This does not, of course, mean you will pass and whether you pass or fail you don't get the money back that you paid to take the test.

No offense. and maybe it is because I'm old.. .but that seems, to me, to be wrong on so many levels.

Like I said, I'm old, and it has been over 40 years since I started this stuff and close to 30 years since I trained a style that had belts, but I remember in Jujutsu the sensei scheduling tests when he thought someone was ready, it did not cost extra and only the person or people he said were going to test, would test. And it was pretty much the same in TKD (pre-Olympic) with my TKD teacher.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I've talked about, in the past, on this board how at my dojo some of the students, including myself, erroneously believed that to take the black belt test the sensei had to tell you that you could take it. Now, I know there are some people here who have said that at their dojo that for all the belts the sensei tells you when you can test, not just the black belt but all the belts. At my dojo you sign up for your belt tests yourself if you want to test for your next belt, every three or four months they run belt tests and if you want to test for your next belt you sign up, pay the fee, and take the test. This does not, of course, mean you will pass and whether you pass or fail you don't get the money back that you paid to take the test. This is how my sensei does it, if you want to test for your next belt its up to you to sign up and take the test, Im not saying its the best way or the only way its just how my sensei does it.

And as has been said each of the 14 bazillion times you've brought this up... what a wonderful way to generate some extra cash!

 

[tshadowchaser]

First it takes some degree of courage to say you are wrong. For that congratulations to PhotonGuy for correcting himself.

testing fees and testing times along with sign ups or being told to or even just being told you had just tested are always going to be debated. It is a good debate with logical arguments on all sides and interesting to see the different sides of it.

 

[PhotonGuy]

That's the way my school would do it too, pay for the test, maybe most schools (not quite certain on that one) would be a shame to pay for a test just to fail. But regardless the people administering the test are still taking time from their day to make sure it's done right.

Exactly. You are not paying for the rank you are paying for the test and you're paying for the instructors. You're paying for their time and skill that's necessary for administering a test.

 

[PhotonGuy]

There was a rule in the dojo that everyone had to flunk at least one test on their way to black....just because.

If that's the case than a student might do bad on purpose on a test just so they can fulfill the requirement of flunking.

 

[PhotonGuy]

No offense. and maybe it is because I'm old.. .but that seems, to me, to be wrong on so many levels.

Like I said, I'm old, and it has been over 40 years since I started this stuff and close to 30 years since I trained a style that had belts, but I remember in Jujutsu the sensei scheduling tests when he thought someone was ready, it did not cost extra and only the person or people he said were going to test, would test. And it was pretty much the same in TKD (pre-Olympic) with my TKD teacher.

As you said, you're old and your dojo was, no doubt, very traditional. Such places are run differently than the more modern places. My sensei just isn't super traditional although he has been teaching for a long time, he started teaching in the early 60s.

 

[PhotonGuy]

And as has been said each of the 14 bazillion times you've brought this up... what a wonderful way to generate some extra cash!

Its not that much. A higher belt test will of course cost more than a lower belt test because of the more material that has to be covered. When I took the yellow belt test (level two belt) ages ago it cost $5. The last time I checked the black belt test cost $55. As I said, you're paying for the instructors and their time and skill so that's why you have to pay for promotion tests.

 

[Xue Sheng]

As you said, you're old and your dojo was, no doubt, very traditional. Such places are run differently than the more modern places. My sensei just isn't super traditional although he has been teaching for a long time, he started teaching in the early 60s.

Oh callin' me are ye you young whipper snapper... why otta...wait right there til I git me cane...I'l show you old.... you young pup.........wait..what was I just sayin :uhyeah:

 

[PhotonGuy]

Uh oh, cane fu.

 

[Paul_D]

To my mind there of only one reason that you would allow people to sign up for a test whether they are ready or not, and could therefore fail, and that is so you can take their cash off them.

At my previous club as well as my current one, you grade only when you were invited to do so, once and only once the Instructors feel you were ready.

 

[PhotonGuy]

To my mind there of only one reason that you would allow people to sign up for a test whether they are ready or not, and could therefore fail, and that is so you can take their cash off them.

At my previous club as well as my current one, you grade only when you were invited to do so, once and only once the Instructors feel you were ready.

If you go to sign up for a test and my sensei knows you're not ready he will tell you that you're not ready.

 

[Dirty Dog]

If you go to sign up for a test and my sensei knows you're not ready he will tell you that you're not ready.

This directly contradicts your many comments in the past. Make up your mind. Either you can sign up for testing when you think you're ready, or you can ask if the instructor thinks you're ready.

The two are completely and totally different.

 

[Touch Of Death]

Couldn't it just be something he said as a joke?

 

[PhotonGuy]

This directly contradicts your many comments in the past. Make up your mind. Either you can sign up for testing when you think you're ready, or you can ask if the instructor thinks you're ready.

The two are completely and totally different.

OK I will try to explain this as best I can. Every three or four months they run tests at my dojo. When the run a test it is up to the student to ask for the form, fill it out and sign up. You don't wait for the sensei to tell you that you can test because he doesn't do it that way, instead you ask for the form. If a student goes to sign up and the sensei feels he is not ready he might tell the student that he's not ready but it is up to the student to ask about signing up, the sensei does not take the initiative on telling the student he can test.

 

[Xue Sheng]

OK I will try to explain this as best I can. Every three or four months they run tests at my dojo. When the run a test it is up to the student to ask for the form, fill it out and sign up. You don't wait for the sensei to tell you that you can test because he doesn't do it that way, instead you ask for the form. If a student goes to sign up and the sensei feels he is not ready he might tell the student that he's not ready but it is up to the student to ask about signing up, the sensei does not take the initiative on telling the student he can test.

Is the form free or do you have to pay for it?