10/27/2024
DAN Ranking in Karate:
Nowadays, we can see young people having 8th, 10th, and even 15th Degree Black Belt.
That is why karate has long been discredited in the US. Any self-respected martial arts practitioner would not go higher than 8th dan with 10th only given to style founders. But again, not being regulated in the US, anyone can create their own style and give themselves 10th or whatever Dan. I met someone who had 10th Dan. I asked who gave it to them, and the answer was "My sister and I both have karate schools, so both award each other dans." Who suffers in the end? All the clueless students who pay money to these karate gurus to train them BS.
In traditional karate schools, it would take 5 to 8 years to become a First Degree Black Belt, but now I can see schools offering Black Belt in one year by contract.
Those Schools that I call Mc Dojos normally are run by an overweight instructor or 'Master' as they call themselves, with some 'newly invented techniques,' but in reality, all the martial arts techniques are already invented by the pioneers of the martial arts, and the only thing that can be different is the way how these techniques are taught and the name combination of how a Sensei named his School.
We can put emphasis on kicking, hand techniques, or blockings but Goju Ryu always will be Goju Ryu, Kiokushin will always be kiokushin or Taekwondo always will be Taekwondo.
MMA comes to the scene as a Combat Sport, but it's not really a New Martial Art but only a combination of badly executed martial arts techniques with a full mastering of those and just used as a sort of street fight without basic rules and with great emphasis to
create physical damage to the adversary. This excessive violence for paid entertainment simulating a Roman Circus has become very popular among certain groups of people who do not care about the traditional respect and discipline found in traditional martial arts.
Without exceptions, karate, King Fu, Taekwondo, and other traditional martial arts systems focus on moral values first and second on fighting skills. Even the fact that all are self-defense methods the principal goal of Karate Kaido Goju for example is to develop better children and role model adults that embrace the traditional values of respect, discipline, honor, love, and loyalty to their country, parents, and neighbors.
We live in a world where those basic values are forged, and we can see in the news how crime, abuse, corruption, and disrespect have become common.
I invite all Senseis, Instructor of any style of traditional martial arts, to maintain the values and philosophy of the original martial arts and not to worry about Dans, ranking, or other egocentric things that do not reflect the true spirit of the martial arts and embrace the traditional training and values that any sensei, instructor or student should practice in a daily basis to create not only a warrior but a good citizen, a good son, daughter or father.
Let's build a better human being.
Respectfully,
Hanshi, Adolfo Rivera
8th Degree Black Belt
Founder and Head Director of
Kaido Goju International Karate Organization
