Rank: should I get one? (sorry, no Brook Burke)

[Gakusei]

Ranks help to communicate skill. You don't necessarily have to use belts, though. Someone in here said that Bruce Lee had an Instructor rank in Wing Chun. The Wing Chun schools I've encountered (which is like, what, 2?) use a student/instructor system, rather than a rainbow of belts.
People know who knows their stuff. Let people know what they know and ask questions. Provide a forum for physical and intellectual stimulation and experimentation in the martial arts, because it sounds like that's what you're looking for yourself. "If you build it, they will come," kinda ****. Hell, where are you? I'd go in on this with you (though I have no fight experience and much less experience in the arts).

[Omega Supreme]

That's it Chamers, I'm going out and creating my own system, you do the same and we'll compare notes.

Go away I'm talking to myself

[PizDoff]

what Gakusei said applies to my Wing Chun school....

though the Wushu losers have belts and the Tai Chi dudes don't......



Omega-you don't have your own style yet?
I've had mine for several months......oficially

--
Hard work, Patience, Dedication.
(And my two creaky knees...)

[9chambers]

omega, cool

[Punisher]

One think people sometimes forget about rank, they not only give a source of pride and all that jazz for the student, but they can really help out the teacher.

Obvious rankings help instructor tailor the material to the audience. If the student has a belt, sash, hat, T-shirt, placard, or some other thing that somehow says "I can be reasonable expect to know X amount of material and have Y amount of skill doing it" the instructor can better consentrate on teaching instead of memorizing the complete life history and skill level of every single student.

Have a baseline level of info immediately and viusally available also allows the teacher to better remember and focus on the individual strengths and weakness outside of the info the rank gives. My rank allows my instructor to remember that I have an interest in developing my relatively weak kicks and takedown defense, because he doesn't have to remind himself how good I am at everything else.

At my school group class material is highly dependent on the ranking of the people attending. If there is no beginner students there, guess what, no beginning material except maybe for review. No advanced, no advanced material. Having an external symbol of rank allows an instructor to make these decisions quickly and easily.

I'm not saying your instructor shouldn't be expected to know your name, or have a good idea about your personal progress, buy come'on they're people too and busy ones at that. Often times they need all the help they can get.

[Sparti]

If you're serious about teaching one day you should start by teaching a small group part-time. Most people can't train until after work anyways. If you're good, word will get around that you're teaching quality material... Your group will grow, and when you're big enough you can open up your own school. There's no point just opening up a school and hope people show up, belt or no belt...

That's just my two cents...

[9chambers]

Are you from Sparti?

[Sparti]

From Canada... :)