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The ranking in any
martial art should never be taken as the measure of a person's
worth. Grandmaster Woo taught us to seek to be our best!
So often
students lose the goal of personal best and become blinded
by what a friend of mine calls the "paper chase". Just getting
the next rank to fulfill ones need will never lead to the
goal. Promoting students with one rank after another to keep
the tuition coming will not suffice either.
As instructors
our position is to transmit the art faithfully to our students.
When this is done the art becomes self perpetuating. The students
become anxious for each new class because they are hungry
for the art, not some icon around the waist, or paper for
the wall. That is not to say one should despise these things
either. The point is, no matter what stage of training a student
has attained, their personal best is the immediate goal. Rank
should only come when the goal is consistently met as a direct
result of the pursuit of excellence, rather than excellence
from the pursuit of rank.
Originally
there were only a few distinctions of rank, the first was
student, then disciple and then master. A master that became
old would become grand master. In some styles the distinction
of grand master is claimed by only one leader. Our grand master
set down new ranking structures to allow for the American
need for self aggrandizement.
When Jimmy
H. Woo first began teaching San Soo under the title Karate-Kung-Fu
he did not use a belt structure. As time passed his students
desired one. Being a prudent man he gave them what they wanted.
When the belt structure was added it went from white belt
to yellow belt after nine months of hard work. Yellow belts
advanced to green belt after one and a half years. From green
belt to brown belt was after two and a half years. Black belt
was achieved after a minimum time of three and a half years
of hard work.
Jimmy
was the only one allowed to wear black when this structure
was first introduced. Later when students had earned that
right he added a degree system. Starting with black belt to
1st degree through 8th degree (8th is the master's degree).
In most Chinese styles it takes at least eleven and a half
to twelve years to become a full fledged master. This again
is subject to a students level of personal commitment and
dedication.
There
is also a rank structure with sashes when the traditional
uniform is worn. White sash represents white belt to brown
belt. Black sash represents black belts and degreed black
belts. Gold sash is for black belts that are instructors.
Red sash for masters.
In most
San Soo schools the belt structure is followed the way Jimmy
gave it out of respect to him. The average time frames for
promotion can be lengthened if a student is unable to attend
class consistently enough to grow. Like eating for a child's
development, regular training is the key to growth and development
in martial arts. If you always strive for your personal best,
you will be respected no matter what rank you hold, for you
skill and confidence will show through.
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