The value of rank in the martial arts economy
If a dollar is a dollar you won't mind me paying in Zimbabwean dollars
My last article on the martial arts titles, 錬士 (Renshi), 教士 (Kyoushi), and 範士 (Hanshi) received a lot of attention. It was pointed out to me on more than one occasion that ranks/titles don’t matter. I did actually state in the article that, “These kinds of titles are important to people who care about them but not really anyone beyond that.” But I just want to clarify my position and what I think about martial arts ranks and how I liken the situation to an economy.
A quick tutorial on Japanese grades
Generally in Japanese martial arts (and even in some systems outside of martial arts) there are two systems that indicate levels; 級 (kyuu/kyū) grades and 段 (dan) grades. 級 is written phonetically as きゅう (kyuu) but I’ve seen multiple transliterations of this (kyu/kyū/kyuu). In martial arts, they are generally considered junior ranks, and more often than not go in descending order (with 10 being a lower grade than 1). People who possess kyū grades being called 有級者 (yū kyū sha: person with a kyū). Kyū is a word that is used to mean ‘class’ in Japanese in a similar way to English. The word 高級 (kō kyū) for example, literally means high class.
段 (dan) grades (which thankfully are simply written as dan), are what many consider to be senior grades in martial arts. The kanji for dan (段) is actually the same word used in ascending/descending steps, with the word for ‘staircase’ in Japanese being 階段 (kaidan: Literally, floor (of a building) step). As one might expect, dan grades go in ascending order (like a staircase) with 初段 (shodan) being the first step. (Note that I don’t think I’ve ever seen a first dan referred to as an 壱段/一段 (Ichi dan). 初 (sho) is the kanji meaning beginning which makes shodan the first or beginning step). People who possess a dan grade are referred to as 有段者 (yū dan sha: person with a dan).
Different styles have different numbers of kyū grades and dan grades, but in general the image is that when you are a kyū grade you are seen as a junior in that style but when you are a dan grade you are seen as someone who is a true practitioner (or at least someone who has grasped the basics and has taken the “first step”).
Generally in martial arts (punchy kicky ones anyway) the kyū grades are indicated by colored belts (different styles use different orders for colors), and dan grades are usually indicated by a black belt with stripes or bars on them to show the number of dan grades someone has. In some martial arts there is no change in appearance with the uniform (kyū grades and dan grades in iaido tend to dress exactly the same).
I am aware that there are some exceptions to this. Like with red or red/white belts for high grades in some systems. I haven’t trained in styles which use these so please check the comment section for experts on those arts.
Simple numbers?
As I mentioned, kyū grades go down and dan grades go up. A 1st kyū is a higher grade than a 5th kyū in that system and a 5th dan is a higher grade than a 1st (shodan) in that system. Note that I said, in that system.
I mentioned in one of my previous articles (Beginner's mindset (初心) as a tool for growth) that I moved around a lot and changed dojo/styles several times. The grades that I’ve earned in Japan (since 2006) are as follows:
初段 (shodan) - 和道流空手道柔術拳法 (Wadō Ryū Karate Dō Jujutsu Kenpō)
初段 (shodan) - 全空連 (Zenkūren - Japan Karate Federation)
初段 (shodan) - 統合格闘技勇真会 (International Martial Arts Yūshinkai)
初段 (shodan) - 芦原空手 (Ashihara Kaikan)
四段 (yondan/4th dan) - 夢想神伝流居合道 - 全日本剣道連盟居合道 (Musō Shinden Ryū Iaidō - All Japan Kendo Federation Iaidō)
Numerically, the highest grade I have is my 4th dan in iaidō. I have shodan in a lot of karate styles, but the level of each shodan in the context of each style is different. So what does this mean? Does this mean that my 4th dan in iaidō is a higher grade than my Ashihara shodan? Is my Yūshinkai shodan the exact same grade as my Wadō Ryū shodan?
Although these grades are all referred to as dan grades I don’t think they are directly comparable. I tend to think that martial arts grades work like economies.
The value of a dollar
I’m interested in currency. I’ve traveled to a lot of places and I’ve met people from even more. As a result I’ve acquired bank notes from different countries and I used to keep them in my wallet as conversation starters. Most people I’ve met have never seen Mongolian Tugrik before.
As interesting as they are, if I’m in the United States and I want to buy something that costs 17 dollars, I can’t dump out my wallet, hand over the currency with dollar in the name and expect to walk out with my purchase.
If I attempted to hand over my 17 dollars, it wouldn’t be accepted because it’s a mix of currencies that happen to have the name ‘dollar.’ Based on today’s exchange rate the 10 British pounds plus the 5 US dollars would cover the 17 dollar purchase, but if the store doesn’t do currency exchange then my equivalent currency wouldn’t be accepted. What about the other currencies? Do you know off the top of your head which of the bank notes is worth the most? (Like my 4th dan in iaidō, is the Mongolian note worth the most just because it has the highest number on it?).
How much blood, sweat, and tears is a dan grade worth?
Everyone who does martial arts will appreciate the dedication it takes to get to a certain level. It takes a lot of time and effort to achieve a black belt in a martial art, and when we hit that level it is natural for us to associate that level with everything that we sacrificed to get there. As I mentioned, I’ve got to shodan in multiple martial arts so shodan means different things to me depending on the system I’m thinking about. The grading requirements (on the day) for my shodan in different styles were as follows:
Yūshinkai
Bench press my body weight plus 30 kg, perform a self defense demonstration against three armed opponents, then do a 10 man kumite (10 people, 2 mins per round, no rest). I could barely walk for a week after that and was covered in bruises. (The grading was done with Kaichō yelling at me the whole time).
Ashihara Kaikan
Perform all the basic techniques, demonstrate a personalized combination, demonstrate kumite no kata 5, do 5 matches of sabaki sparring against lower grades, then do full contact plus sabaki sparring against other black belts. I nearly got knocked out and my ribs broken during this grading. (This was judged by Kanchō (Hidenori Ashihara)).
Wadō Ryu
Perform basics, kihon gumite (paired kumite kata), two kata (decided on the day) and kumite. This was judged by Otsuka Sensei and I failed my first attempt (passing on the second).
Zenkūren
For my Zenkuren shodan I performed two kata and did two kumite matches in front of a panel. I failed my first attempt and passed on my second.
It should be obvious that each organization has different requirements for each grade. For some organizations getting your shodan is like a gang initiation where you get the absolute hell kicked out of you for the duration of a grading. For other organizations you get one chance to show you are able to perform your techniques to the standard required, and if your techniques aren’t good enough you fail the grading. In fact, for my iaidō 4th dan the practical part of the grading only lasted 6 minutes. You get one chance to show your technique and get given a pass or a fail. No other feedback. After failing that grading two times I was wondering if it was possible to just receive a good kicking and get to the next level, but getting a good kicking is easier to recover from than just being told, “No. Come back in 6 months and try again.”
You might look at the requirements for some of my gradings and think that your shodan grading was much more hardcore, therefore your shodan is worth more. You may also think that some of my gradings were more hardcore than yours and therefore your shodan is worth less. I don’t think it’s a useful exercise to compare them. I don’t go around with a chip on my shoulder thinking that people who didn’t need to bench press 110 kg (242 lbs) to get their shodan are lesser black belts than me, and you shouldn’t either. My grade is a representation of where I am in an organization and is mainly of concern to me, and my instructor/organization.
But also, there are some other factors that impact grades.
Inflation and hyperinflation in martial arts
When inflation occurs you end up with numbers getting higher and higher with the actual value going down.
All of the highest grade Japanese martial arts practitioners I’ve spoken to seem to be outside of Japan. I’ve been training in Japan since 2006 and right now my highest karate grade is shodan. Some of that is my fault for moving around and changing styles so often. However, what I will say is that there are some people in the UK who are quite high grades in their respective styles that would not have so many dan bars on their belt if they only trained in Japan. In general, it seems that grades in Japan are just generally lower numerically than they are in other places. (In my experience anyway).
Just like inflation of currency, market forces are sometimes responsible for grades being worth less and less. When you get 10th dan instructors in the UK giving out black belts to kids that can barely tie their belts, then the value of a black belt goes down and subsequently instructors that have a grade that a 7 year old can achieve are generally not as “well respected” as ones that have the higher grades therefore they need to get higher grades to compete with the other dojo in the area. For better or worse, a rising tide raises all ships.
The karate “economy” I currently operate in is Ashihara Karate with the NIKO group. The highest grade in NIKO is 5th dan and there are not many people with 5th dan around. A while ago I spoke to a guy who was younger than me and was an 8th dan in some kind of XMA nonsense in the US that focuses on baton twirling, screaming, breaking boards with spacers between, and giving grades out along with hugs and high-fives. This dude is 無級 (mukyū : without a kyū grade) in my organization so his “bo staff” getting stuck in the rafters is nothing to do with me.
Your grade is not representative of your ability
I don’t like to get involved with politics in martial arts, and I especially don’t like to get involved with actual politics…but still, did you know that Donald Trump is a 9th dan in Tae Kwon Do according to Kukkiwon (World Taekwondo Headquarters)? The picture below isn’t fake. It’s from the official Kukkiwon Facebook page (Link here).
Do you think Donald Trump has any actual ability in Tae Kwon Do? I’m going to say no. The highest grade in Ashihara Karate is 5th dan. Do I think Donald Trump deserves to be 4 grades higher than the highest grade in my style? Also no.
I have the same attitude when I see people who can barely tie their belt being promoted to black belt. Not my monkeys, not my circus.
My attitude towards martial arts grades can be summed up as follows:
A martial arts grade shows your position in that organization.
A grade is not a numerical representation of how good a fighter you are.
If someone in your organization is a higher grade than you, that shows where they stand in the organization. Nothing more.
Different organizations have different standards and these things are not equally comparable.
People who value rank above all else don’t understand martial arts.
Final thoughts
When I was training in the UK I met some martial artists that were kind of ridiculous. One of the reasons I wanted to come to Japan was to get graded in a legitimate organization. Many people get graded in legitimate organizations and then say, “Grades don’t really matter anyway.” I partially agree.
Rich people: “Money doesn’t matter.”
Attractive people: “Looks don’t matter.”
People with martial arts ranks: “Ranks don’t matter.”
When I trained at the Yūshinkai I kept getting the hell kicked out of me. I wanted a black belt at first but eventually I decided that I didn’t want the belt. I only wanted the ability that my senior had. And if getting a black belt was the way to reach that level then so be it. I’d keep fighting until I hit that level.
Now that I have my legitimate grades, I can say that ability matters more than the grade. But I do think that grades are important in figuring out how far you’ve come since you started training with that organization.
If I see an organization giving black belts out to children that tells me a lot about that organization. I wouldn’t train anywhere that gives out black belts like that, but that’s my standard. What you do is up to you.
Of course I’d prefer it if the public image of a black belt was someone who is a capable fighter and not a child that has gone to a social club for enough months. But that image is something that is going to be difficult to repair in places that have had their martial arts economies inflated by bad actors. Ultimately, I’d say the best thing to do is just go with that, “Not my monkeys, not my circus,” attitude. Worry about what you and your organization are doing and no one else. And if you need to fight one of those 7 year old black belts because you are in the same grade category…
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Anthony
Good article. I see ranks, up to a point, as simply another stamp showing basic general (on the average) competency in certain things, the same as X degree for Y institution...and beyond that, money making schemes. Much like much of education. No difference, really.
I know a Kugb 2nd Dan who has been training 40 years, and just hates grading. This person is vastly superior in skill etc than his Dan Grade. I know another man, 7th Dan, who was in Kugb. Post passing of Enoeda Sensei, this man, then a credible 3rd dan, stayed in JKA-Eng. He and another man, a decent 5th Dan, created a small number of clubs in their local area under JKAE. A further "split" occurred and they left JKAE. The 5th Dan, his wife and son, set up a new association, and all became 6th Dans. As did the other man and his son. A further split occurred. And the father and son set up their own local association and are now 7th Dan. Without wishing to ve judgemental i do wonder if they all had stayed in KUGB or JKAE what grade they would be?