RANKled

First question I get asked when people find out I do MA, "What rank are you?"

Seems simple enough right?  Most martial arts in the west have adopted some form of ranking to help your result oriented western brains function in martial arts.  So what's the big deal?  Well for starters, every system has it's own ranking system, from Tae Kwon Do with it's multitude of belts and stripes to Taijiquan which has yet to adopt any formal ranking system, all of these styles run the gambit and who knows how you would even begin to draw parallels with them.  I sure don't.

"Well", you may say, "A black belt is a black belt, right?"  Well what if I told you that there is a system of Kung Fu out there that starts you at black and over the course of like 20 years, slowly advances through only two other belt colors?  Well it's true.  What I hear most CMA (Chinese martial arts) folks tell other people is, "I'm *insert rank* and it's equivalent to say a 2nd Degree in Karate."  ORLY?  Well I've been doing Kung Fu for years so I really have no idea what a 2nd Degree in Karate can do.  So even within our own circles, we're kind of just making this stuff up, spreading confusion, etc.  What I wish we would all say is, "In my style I'm a *yada yada*, but I don't know how to quantify that for you because it took me 10 years to get here, but my pal Bob did it in 7."

Rank in and of itself is a tricky thing to quantify even within your own system.  Take for example my older martial brother, we'll call him "Master Ninja Face Puncher"; we're roughly same rank with the same experience, however, we both excel at different aspects within our own art.  So the best teacher for this certain set of forms or techniques may be "Master Ninja Face Puncher" (okay I'm just going to type MNFP from now on and not come up with such long pet names from here on out), but the best teacher for this other set of forms and techniques may be "Sifu Fulish".  Right?  While we all know the same stuff, there is just so much of it that you have to specialize to be superb at any of it.

Rank can be important especially for kids who need a sort of reward system, but what I really want you 2.5 people reading this (wtf blogger stats) to take away from it don't get wrapped up in rank.  Especially those of you actually in martial arts.  When you start wearing your belt as a badge, you begin to allow your ego to determine your growth.  Simply respect those you know who know more than you, put on a white belt every now and again and stand at the end of the line if your teacher will allow it, or better yet at a new school, and be a beginner all over again.  And for those of you with kids in MA or just casual readers, remember that rank is more of a sign of a persons willingness to stick with something and work hard than it is of actual skill.  To be really good at martial arts doesn't require a colored belt or sash, but the willingness to work harder than you ever have at anything in your life (see previous blog entry).

Kung Fulish - out.