📚 Continuing Education is the Key to Success 🔑
By Grand Master Ronald Stone
Someone trains with an instructor in the martial arts until reaching 4th dan then goes off and opens their own school. If they are very determined to improve, maybe they talk on the phone with their instructor once a month, but seldom travel to continue personal education and real physical training.
Does this sound familiar? Well it should because it represents a far greater majority of black belts than anyone would care to admit out loud. Not only that but it represents a real cause of stagnation in the martial arts here in the West.
🌏 The Global Standard vs. The Western Stagnation 😬
In most country’s of origin (Korea, China, (Japan, etc.) Continued education is the norm and in some organizations a requirement to maintain rank.
Admittedly even the sports training in Asia has caused the traditional military arts to diminish somewhat due primarily to cost since universities offer Martial Arts training free while most dojos have to charge to stay open. The higher ranking grandmasters will be the first to admit that the martial aspect is rapidly decreasing due to this cause and effect.
When we talk about stagnation I would point out that if all you know is what you were previously shown you will never improve past your current level of knowledge and ability. Meeting new people with the same interests but other experiences and points of view is an education in and of itself.
The martial arts were never supposed to be about a “monkey see monkey do” method of learning. When I started training in the 1970’s schools very often would visit other schools and share classes to promote both camaraderie and to increasing new learning. Sadly by the 80’s I was surprised to learn that this idea had become a “you are not welcome here unless you join our school and are a part of our style.”
🛡️ Turf Wars vs. Sharing Knowledge 💡
After the second world war sadly a great percentage of grandmasters in the martial arts had been killed by the Japanese for one reason or another, and so to avoid a total loss of knowledge organizations like the Korean Martial Arts Instructor’s Association and the World Martial Arts Congress in China were developed to encourage sharing and cross training.
This is in direct contrast to the West’s self centered proprietary mentality of protection of the individual’s own private “turf.”
🚨 Rank Reality Check: School vs. International 🌍
Well guess what? For those unaware of this following fact the international community recognizes several level of rank.
- One is school rank,
- Another is national rank
- And another is international rank.
You can be a 12th degree supreme grandmaster in your own school but forget trying to impress anyone outside its walls with that honor. By the same token with merely National rank you can wave your black or red belt all around town but travel to the country of origin and you will be quietly ignored or worse yet ridiculed.
The author was present about 20 years ago when an international panel of officials gave a master and grandmaster level test. One gentleman I saw there was testing for seventh Dan and proudly wore his striped belt not realizing at the time that true Korean grandmasters don’t stripe their belts.
Needless to say this individual tried his best and was told that his skills were worthy of a second degree international Dan rank at best. He was both shocked and angered and as I understand it later went and paid a US based organization (of course not recognized in Korea) for a seventh Dan and later went on to crate his won style based on this illegitimate rank.
One might wonder why he was so shocked and angered about being forced to face facts, Well, the truth is if he never went and took advanced level instructional coursed he would never have learned any standards beyond what he already knew and obviously that wasn’t enough.
🎓 What Real Advanced Study Looks Like ✨
When we mention instructors courses I don’t mean a one day seminar demonstrating a few cute techniques, but rather a master /grandmaster level course with a training and instructional curriculum.
The author has personally met more than one grandmaster who hasn’t a clue as to application of certain movements in forms, or knows and understands the basic principles of the art they profess to have mastered. How could they if they never attended an advanced level instructional course or interacted with others of an equal or high level. (International rank)
So when we suggest joining an organization like the USA Hapkido Union that is sanctioned by the international parent organization or the Korean Martial Arts Instructors Association it is not to promote dues or to collect likes by clicking on You Tube, but rather to improve instruction and learning for the participants in their individual arts.
If you in the Korean arts think that the Taekwondo scoop movement in Koryo is a knee break (it isn’t) or are in Hapkido and aren’t familiar with the 36 principles of Hapkido or if you don’t know the five ways of manipulating Ki then I would strongly suggest a course of further study.
🧑🏫 About the author: Grand Master R.W. Stone 🐴
R.W. Stone is currently a practicing veterinarian in Central Florida. He is an avid horseman, a master ranked martial artist, a best-selling western author, and a firearms enthusiast.
After joining a martial arts school in 1970 Stone started studying Yudo with a Korean grandmaster. He eventually became a member of the Judo team of the University of Illinois. It was at the University that a Korean classmate and friend introduced him to Tae Kwon do.
After graduating veterinary college, he found the martial arts becoming too sports oriented and eventually after moving from Miami to Central Florida he sought out a Hapkido grandmaster.
Currently Stone is ranked:
- 8th dan in Haemukwan Hapkido,
- a 4th dan in Daehan Yudo
- and a second dan in Kukki Taekwondo.
He is the Hapkido instructor at the American Dragon Martial Arts Academies.
🔗 Connect and Learn More:
You can learn more about the Korean Martial Arts Instructors Association at https://www.kmaia.org
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