It's backwards! Revisited

There was a comment posted on my article about students promoting teachers and I followed it back to the author's blog. I believe I know who it is, the name is Ironmonkey, and I read his blog, which had comments about my statements. We agree that the situation is deplorable for a variety of reasons.
This is not something new. I've seen this same thing happen time and again, both in our system and others. I've met many an instructor who doesn't know the forms past Short Three, and I mean doesn't know how to do the form. I know high ranks who can't run the forms, can't seem to remember them. I have met those who claim to do the Parker system yet are not familiar with the techniques. And guys who claimed to train at Pasadena who couldn't run the techniques on a body and said that's how they were taught at the headquarters school. Then there are the ones who were IKKA members and wore the patch and all but didn't know the system. And didn't really want to know the system. Some even looked at learning the systema as being an obstacle instead of an advantage. I guess that's the yin and yang of the situation.
This will not go away. I am convinced it's a human thing. After all, what do they call the person who graduates last in their class at medical school? That's right; Doctor. But at least they went to school. Some of these people are just putting on a rank that's not earned or deserved. And Ironmonkey says sometimes the rank is not worth the paper it's printed on. I agree.
My first real Kenpo teacher, Mike Sanders, made a point of saying that the black belt was just a piece of cloth, then he'd take his off and drop it on the floor with the statement "See? It's can't even stand up by itself". He said "Let your ability be your certificate."
There is a place for the rank system and it's value is much less due to people like those who do the things we're discussing. I see it throughout our culture, and that's why I say it's a human thing. People will take the easy route whenever possible. So, what to do?
Stick to your guns. Work hard. Earn what you take. Let your ability be your certificate. Apply the higher standard. Avoid "good 'ol boy" promotions. We're never going to get the Ed Parker IKKA back and umbrella associations aren't working at this time.
There's a bunch of reasons things are the way they are and I'm not going to point fingers. All I can do is work on myself and my people and try to keep a reputation for integrity and quality. I want their diplomas to be worth the paper they're printed on and I want to the people to be priceless.

O Hee O

When I was in Australia with Ed Parker many years ago, we had just finished a demo at a grade school. The kids were coming up to us and wanting autographs and all that. One of them told me he had a pen pal in O Hee O. I just couldn't understand and asked him a few times what he said, to the point we were both getting frustrated. Then it dawned on me - OHIO!
I'll be going to O Hee O this weekend to teach at Steve Hatfield's studio in Mt. Vernon, just outside of Columbus. It seems that going through the weapons techniques is popular, so that's what we're doing.
There's a big deal happening up there this weekend as well in the Columbus area called "A Gathering of Mustangs and Legends". It's a "round-up" of many of the remaining flying P-51 Mustang fighters and their aces from World War Two.I've been in love with the P-51 since I was a kid and even flew one in New Zealand in 2000.
I'm looking forward to seeing the airplanes and my friends in Ohio.

Cromwell Martial Arts

I taught a seminar in Middletown, CT, just SE of Hartford, this weekend. Frank and Debbie Shekosky own a nice studio there. This was my second visit and they and their students always make me feel welcome.
Frank actually comes to us downline of Steve White. Steve taught Paul Zaniewski and Paul taught Frank. So Frank is doing the system very close to the way we do it. Frank is also certified in Modern Arnis through Prof. Remy Presas and Arnis is always a nice complement to kenpo.
The Shekoskys have two beautiful daughters, Kimberly and Kelly. Kimberly is a purple belt. Kelly is three years old but she does a sinawalli combination that ends in a wrist lock, can do Delayed Sword (on a person) and can demonstrate choke and wrist grab defenses. She loves chocolate milk, too.
I'll be back up that way in the spring, with a date remaining to be set. If you're in their area, stop in and say hello.

My keeper

There's a lady in my life and her name is Janis. She's my keeper, the one who helps me keep all the stuff straight and puts up with the rather focused individual I am. Jan never gets up in a bad mood, she always has a smile on her face. She's a great cook. And she doesn't talk all the time. Of course, there's more to her but it's Jan who puts up with me being gone so many weekends to teach kenpo across the US and overseas.
Some of you have met her at the seminars and camps I've brought her to. She enjoys the travel (although she gets motion sickness very badly) and meeting the people I've talked about.
Janis doesn't do the martial arts except that she takes fitness kickboxing at Kyle Zwarg's studio and she has to verbally spar with me. I'm grateful to her that she doesn't gripe about what I do and how much time it takes away. She understands what I am and what I do, and much of why I do it. And she even encourages me to go out and ride my motorcycle with the guys. Either she's got a guy on the side, she's hoping some old lady down here will knock me off the bike, or she sees how it's a type of therapy for me. I'm banking on #3.
So when you see her, give her your sympathy - she has a tough job.


This is Jan's dog, Romeo. Those two are pretty funny to watch and I might keep them around just for the entertainment value.
Ow, NO, please, No, owww. Sorry!

It's backwards!

There is an opposite and a reverse for everything. Yet, some things shouldn't be reversed. For example, airplanes shuld not land backwards. And students should not be promoting their instructors.
Ed Parker's Kenpo has been around since 1954, when he opened his firast commercial school, longer if you count his pre-studio teaching. That's a bit over fifty years, by my Chicago Public Schools math education. I tend to beleive that 50 years is a good amount of time to produce some competent instructors, pretty well distributed throughout the world. And if you count the number of 10th degrees, there are certainly enough to go around.
Why then, are there people who resort to promoting themselves under the guise of taking a promotion from their students? Can't find a teacher?
I pointed out this type of situation to Bruce Meyer, who read it and said "It's backwards. The students are promoting the teachers." Absolutely to the point. Other writers have said "Of course your students are going to want to see you promoted."
We agree that it's just not the way to go.
There is a mechanism for promotion in situations where it's just not possible to get tested and a group will elevate their best to the rank. It's called a quorum. That was more common many years ago when instructors, especially in kenpo, were few and far between. Now it's just an escape hatch for a lazy instructor who wants to be a fourth, fifth, or sixth degree without having to be trained and tested by a higher, more seasoned authority.
There are more kenpo instructors of senior rank now than ever and it seems there are more of these "association" promotions than ever. My point is, it's easier to get under someone to train you but these ranks are being assumed with little or no effort to hook up with someone with credibility.
Live in New England? Get with Steve White or Doreen Cogliandro. Middle East Coast? Joe Palanzo has a large group of competent people. Midwest? Kurt Barnhart in Chicago or Steve Hatfield in Ohio. Mountains? Paul Mills, Mike Pick. Northwest? John Sepulveda. Lower Midwest? Tom Kelly, Rick Fowler. West Coast? Larry Tatum, Graham Lelliott, Bryan Hawkins, Frank Trejo. And there are waaaay more that can get you on track. Make a phone call, save some money and either go to them or fly them to you.
I've seen too many guys who take a few private lessons, figure it's too hard, and decide to have their students promote them. I know the reasons - "Too expensive", can't travel", "I"m being held back", "I run a business and don't have time". Some reasons are legit, espceially the "we don't get along" one.
In the event you are genuinely stuck, there's a mechanism for that, too, and I've discussed that previously. But for most situations, going the route they've gone is just chicken***t. Do I sound upset? You bet. And so is anyone who put their time in, took their lumps, spent their time and money to earn that next stripe.
What do you think?

Chicago PDS

I taught a PDS in the Chicago area last weekend. The subjects covered were Zone Theory, "Broken" techniques, and Family Grouping/Grafting. There were students from white to 5th black there and everyone enjoyed themselves.
At the conclusion of each PDS I hand out a survey, you can't get your completion certificate unless you turn the anonymous sheet in. I've gotten overwhhelmingly positive responses at these seminars. At this one, a participant stated they felt it was a family atmosphere, and nothing was treated as a "dumb question". Another said they thought everyone was made to fell important - and that's why I like the small-group format.
Beyond that stuff, I always enjoy my visits back to the old neighborhood. The time goes way too fast and we laugh way too hard. The weather was fantastic, and Chicago pizza can't be beat. I'm planning to go back in December for one or two short seminars. And a beef sandwich.

"In it" vs. "At it"

Ed Parker used to say people would come to him for promotions based on time. Often it was when they heard a promotion board was being held and they'd show up. Many times it was the first time he'd seen them in years. There were times he would finish the test and decide someone on the board need to be bumped up as well as the candidates. Therefore, some people would show up hoping to be noticed and get promoted. He looked at this as being "in it" versus being "at it". He described it as how some of them were not practicing or teaching, they were just "in it". The one's he saw working out, teaching, going to seminars, and so on were "at it." Yes, there were times he promoted the "in it" people, and that sort of thing persists today.

In fact, I was recently told of one of my former students taking a promotion to another degree of black. There supposedly is a picture on their website of them being kicked with a caption stating "Five years in the making!". The implication here is that it took five years of work to achieve that degree. As the former instructor I can say that person took NO kenpo classes with me in that five years, two or three private lessons, and a smattering of tai chi classes. Six months after we parted, the promotion took place with an out-of-state instructor. That's an example of "in it", not "at it".

Our culture has been sliding into a feel-good, rewards for existing state. We are an instant gratification culture. It is affecting our martial arts and examples like this are increasingly frequent. It used to be that when someone said they took many years to achieve a certain level, people were impacted by the work and dedication. Now it's more like "What took you so long?" That's a shame.

We all have to make decisions about our art and this is one of them. Are you going to be "in it" or "at it"?

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Lee Wedlake has been teaching Kenpo Karate for over 35 years and has written a variety of Kenpo Books about different kenpo katas and kenpo concepts. Mr. Wedlake has worked directly with Ed Parker and is generous with his knowledge and his time. He is available for Kenpo Seminars and camps.