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in most martial arts, Aikido has a variety of ranks for adult students
of Aikido. As the adults progress, they move through the ranks from
5th kyu to 4th kyu and so on to 1st
kyu.
Belts
After 1st
kyu comes shodan, also known as 1st
degree black belt. After shodan the numbers go up again, to 2nd
degree black belt (or nidan), then 3rd
degree black belt (sandan), and so on.
In our dojo adults don't wear colored belts prior to black belt, except
that 2nd kyu and 1st kyu students do wear brown
belts.
For the children's program, we extend the kyu ranks down to 11th
kyu, (yellow stripe), through 10th kyu junior (yellow
belt), then 10th kyu senior (yellow belt with orange
stripe), and so on. The actual colors and ranks can be seen in the
addendum that contains the various test requirements.
Rank Testing Procedures
We
test for rank promotion twice yearly, in the spring and the fall.
We encourage every student to test if possible, largely because it
offers them a variety of opportunities which they might otherwise
miss. Preparing for a test tends to shift many students from passive
participants attending a regular class to a more active learning style,
where there are specific techniques that they wish to master. We treasure
the times when a student comes up to an instructor before or after
class and asks to be taught or corrected on a particular technique
for a test. Testing also places the student under a different kind
of stress from a regular class, and part of the goal of Aikido is
to be able to remain in control of him- or herself (as well as to
control an attacker) under situations of exceptional stress.
Ultimately, preparing for the twice-yearly tests focuses all of
us, students and instructors alike, on the fundamentals, the core
of our practice, the techniques of Aikido.
When test time comes around, one of the instructors will give the
student a sheet containing the specific techniques, questions, and
in some cases written essays that constitute the test they will
be asked to take. The instructors will decide which test a student
will take based on some combination of their overall level of skill,
their attitude, and their attendance.
A student should always ensure that they know the moves required
for their upcoming test, and a wise student will also ensure that
they are current on the moves of their previous tests. Students
are free to prepare for tests beyond the level for which they have
been asked to test. If a student does particularly well on a test,
they may be asked as well to take the next test (probably for an
additional stripe beyond their assigned test). This is not the rule,
but it sometimes happens with one or two students per test.
We do not skip students over levels, even those students who show
unusual promise. We may, however, ask a student to test for more
than one level in one testing period. The ranks are based not only
on raw ability to perform the techniques correctly, but also on
attitude and attendance as well as a variety of intangible factors.
Students of similar ability frequently end up in the same rank,
but this is not always the case since visible ability to execute
the techniques is not the only determiner of rank.
In any case, there is no hurry in moving through the ranks and
belts. Each test provides an opportunity to learn, and more importantly,
to learn how to learn. There will always be another test for which
the student can prepare, and another one after that.
Transition into
the Adult Program
At the level of 5th kyu,
the Children's program tests overlap with the adult program tests.
The children at that point are being tested on the same techniques
as the adults of the same level, though typically not to quite the
same standards. The requirements to master the traditional Aikido
weapons are also slightly less complex for the Children's program
than that of the adult program. There are three tests in the Children's
program that parallel the adult program tests: brown belt (5th
kyu), brown belt with white stripe (4th kyu), and brown
belt with two white stripes (3rd kyu).
Students from the children's program can transition into the adult
program at any time that they are physically and emotionally ready
to do so. There is no fixed formula for the transition into the
adult program, for each student is an individual with his or her
own strengths and weaknesses. This transition frequently comes at
a difficult time in a student's life, often during adolescence,
when there are many other demands on their time and concerns in
their life, all of which complicates something that would seem straightforward.
The instructors of the children's program will consult with the
student, student's parents, as well as senior members of the dojo
adult teaching staff to try and make this transition as smooth as
possible for each student who reaches this point.
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