Well, the point of grades is to give a measure of your progress in an art. So if you're going to trust someone enough to hand over money to them to teach you, it's nice to have some kind of certification that they're good at what they're teaching or that they actually possess the knowledge that you want them to pass on to you. Surely a more pertinent question is why an instructor would not want you to know their grade. I'm happy to tell you what grade I am and I'm not asking you for money, so surely an instructor has even more motivation to tell you their rank in order to reassure you of their credentials?
Totally agree. My Shihan will not only tell you his grades, he displays all his diplomas and certifications on the back wall of the dojo so you can see them yourself. :hat:
Oh no, I feel myself being sucked into another GKR debate:cry: No offence intended to you at all Noomi. It would, however, be an understatement to say that I've been down this path a number of times already. I personally believe that teaching a martial art is a great responsibility. If a teacher purports to teach self-defence then they must understand that they are teaching a life skill that the student may have to rely on at times of great need. The teacher must also ensure that the training is safe (or at least that the risks are clearly understood). That means safe in terms of the immediate danger in the training session here and now. But it also means safe in terms of long term practice - will a particular training regime cause harm to an individual over time? I believe that to teach effectively a teacher needs to have a deep understanding of their subject matter. If their teaching incorporates self-defence then their understanding needs to go beyond technique and incorporate aspects of the law, human instinct, body language etc. There's so much more involved than how hard you can kick and punch. To teach different people safely you need to have some understanding of human anatomy and physiology, limitations imposed by injuries and health issues, and the aging process. Teaching martial arts safely is emphatically NOT a one-size-fits-all process. So there are a lot of things that a teacher needs some insight into in order to teach effectively and safely. Many black belts don't possess the requisite knowledge and skills. I would say that 1st dan is generally an appropriate point at which to start assisting as a teacher, with a view to being able to run your own classes by about 3rd dan. So if most 1st dan's are not properly qualified, where does that leave the green and brown belt instructors? I don't believe that any organisation has kyu grade 'instructors' teaching in their own right for benevolent reasons. Its always about money. I can't understand this at all. I have no problem whatsoever with anyone asking me about my qualifications or experience. The only reason I can think that an instructor would have a problem with this is if they had something to hide. For me personally I don't care what anyone's rank is. I've seen great 3rd kyus (as practitioners not teachers) and rubbish 3rd dans. I judge every martial artist or student I meet by what they can do (and how they conduct themselves) not by the colour around their waist. But then I'm not Jo Public, who knows nothing about martial arts but is looking for suitably qualified instruction. For their sake, ranks and instructors qualifications should be as transparent as possible. Mike
