Up through 2nd degree, there are specific skills, techniques, forms, etc that you have to demonstrate proficiency in. It's a different skill set for 3rd degree -- how good a teacher are you?
Starting at 4th and going up from there (there are 10 degrees of black belt in our system), it is less tangible -- it's more a matter of, "What have you done to 'give back'?" Typically either someone of higher rank puts in a recommendation for you to be promoted, or else the grandmaster recognizes something you've done/are doing and initiates the process himself.
If you are ever up this way, give a yell, I'd LOVE to take you on a tour of the supposed "dojos" who claim to teach "Traditional Aikido" in this area. You'd either laugh yourself sick, or find it necessary to do the old "Wandering Student" shtick and challenge the head instructor. Of course, most of those schools have lost interest in Aikido over the last few years, and gone to teaching "UFC style" MMA and BJJ...and while most of them claim some sort of lineage back to a Gracie there never seems to be much documentation....
Actually, Aikido isn't my primary art -- Kempo is. I've done some Aikido, used to have a brown belt in it, but it's been over a decade since I've done any serious training in it.
Of course, that doesn't mean we can't go for a Dojo Tour, just for laughs! ;-)
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I'm curious.
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Up through 2nd degree, there are specific skills, techniques, forms, etc that you have to demonstrate proficiency in. It's a different skill set for 3rd degree -- how good a teacher are you?
Starting at 4th and going up from there (there are 10 degrees of black belt in our system), it is less tangible -- it's more a matter of, "What have you done to 'give back'?" Typically either someone of higher rank puts in a recommendation for you to be promoted, or else the grandmaster recognizes something you've done/are doing and initiates the process himself.
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Congratulations!
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If you are ever up this way, give a yell, I'd LOVE to take you on a tour of the supposed "dojos" who claim to teach "Traditional Aikido" in this area. You'd either laugh yourself sick, or find it necessary to do the old "Wandering Student" shtick and challenge the head instructor. Of course, most of those schools have lost interest in Aikido over the last few years, and gone to teaching "UFC style" MMA and BJJ...and while most of them claim some sort of lineage back to a Gracie there never seems to be much documentation....
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Actually, Aikido isn't my primary art -- Kempo is. I've done some Aikido, used to have a brown belt in it, but it's been over a decade since I've done any serious training in it.
Of course, that doesn't mean we can't go for a Dojo Tour, just for laughs! ;-)