That ranking system color code is the same as karate
hskwarrior- Is the Ng Family Chinese Martial Arts Association a “KF mill”? Because Sifu Sam Ng has used colored ranking sashes off and on for years.
hskwarrior- Is the Ng Family Chinese Martial Arts Association a “KF mill”? Because Sifu Sam Ng has used colored ranking sashes off and on for years.
i don’t have an answer for you since i don’t know how your school operates.
SHAOLINDYNASTY : ok, so what if i said yes? IT would just be an opinion and not an insult. but if your school is ran like a Mc Dojo, then i’d HAVE to say yes.
but like i said. i never trained under your sifu or at your school, so i can’t answer that. however some schools are very appearant about this.
You’ve met us and know what we can do, right? So does using a colored sash take away anything from properly trained skills?
BTW, the school is ran like a traditional martial arts school. My sifu is the furthest thing from a mcdojo as you can get. He and his son simply organized a curriculum in an attempt to be organized and maintain a specific standard as the school and our extended family grows.
i’ve seen you fight and your classmate as well. my student took your sifu’s seminar as i watched. your sifu’s approach is similar to that of my sifu.
to answer your question…no a colored sash does not take away from skill. my only issue is we as gung fu people should have a very rigid ranking system so that we may produce the best we can. personally i didn’t even consider becoming a sifu until 20 years later.
Forms are outdated now in retrospect in light of MMA and the UFC. to me thats a good thing. my only issue is that i don’t feel a sash is a true indicator of skill as it may infer.
i respect that. as i once told your classmate…he had the Sow Choy from HELL. i loved it. i love seeing good fighters. hear what i’m saying. its others who talk more than show.
hskwarrior- it sounds like your issue isn’t with the colored sashes themselves but with the intent that they are used.
If done in the right way developing a structured ranking system can help organize and maintain our teachings for the next generation. Without some kind of structure it’s easy for some elements to become lost.
I have trained both ways, with and without a ranking structure. I see pros and cons to both. As an instructor I taught fairly rigid under the ranking to maintain my sifu’s standard. Then later I didn’t adhere as strickly to the ranking system he and his son set up. I found that when I didn’t follow it as an instructor it was more difficult to make sure all the student had the required skills to build upon for the next setof skills. So now i am back to the ranking structure. In my case it’s not so much for students but for me as their instructor.
I think I should clarify my position here.
I am not saying everyone should employ sash ranking systems and I am not saying that it is the only way to organize a ma system. There are other ways.
I just think we shouldn’t look down on someone for using it. Just like they shouldn’t look down on you for not using it.
ok. good reply.
i guess you can say i follow a structure as well. I am one of the few who continue to teach in the manner of my sifu, but in addition to my own understanding. i don’t like the sash thing, but i do promote a certificate idea. We have beginner, intermediate, and advanced structure…just not in a sense of commercial school style.
now, when i teach, i do structure it. First thing in my school is “let me see you punch and kick” if you can’t even punch correctly, then why should you advance? i’ve also restructured my teaching to having my students know how to use what’s in the form prior to learning it. some students just NEED to be spoon fed, while others take what you teach them and make it their own.
i’ve also had to rethink how to structure my lessons to deal with “thinkers and doers”…thinkers in my opinion slows down the class cause i have to stop and get into a deep explanation. my thing is just DO…then ask.
so i do believe in structure…just not the importance of a sash system.
and you might be right, even in japanese and korean systems, if the pass students easily, i have issue with that. thats why i feel a black belt, or black sash should never be given to a 12 year old. in my opinion thats just wrong.
In principle, the certificate and colored sash is the same. They both indicate progress through a schools chosen curriculum. It’s really no big deal.
I’ve found in the beginning you have to spoon feed everyone, until they have enough experience to tailor the system to themselves.
I once met a 5yr old Tang Soo Do black belt:eek: Those instances are of schools that use the belts as a reward system/money maker. In general those schools suck. What it comes down to is what the rank means in your school.
[SIZE=“5”]exxxxxackeree!!![/SIZE] 
I think people lose sight of the fact that getting a black belt means that you completed a required curriculum. It doesn’t mean you are a bad ass fighter, a sifu or even good as some attain black belts through attrition. I agree seeing a 12-year old black belt is odd but all it means is he paid the test fees and completed the required material.
I think we all tend to get too caught up in the whole idea of leveling but it is something needed in the confines of a commercial school but in general people know who is good and who isn’t within any given school.
exxxxxackeree!!!
belt ranking systems are a good tool within a school in my opinion.
in more informal study, they are definitely not part of it.
I agree with everything that’s been said in regards to how they are used and what they mean. fwiw. 
Belt ranks are a tool for motivation, ego, title, buys respect, and gives a school revenue. When a struggling school can tap in the immodesty of the students and get them to pay for a certificate and belt, it only makes good $ense. Let’s get real about it.
A good article everyone should read is:
The Chinese “kung fu” teachers here in the '70’s boom adopted the stupid ranking structure just like everyone else.