United States Judo Association

Putting Your Reputation On The Line

by
Phil Rasmussen

There is a form of business call professional associates. Usually these businesses are where professionals such as doctors, attorneys, acountants, etc. get together to support each other. Generally in such associations, the members elect a CEO or president and other officers to run the business.

Let's say that you belong to such a group and that one day the CEO comes up and tells you that you need to go to a conference and attend a particular workshop. You say “okay” and get ready to go. Now what is peculiar about this form of business is that usually all of the costs associated with attending conferences and workshops are borne by the company.

In a week or two you take off to attend the conference and workshop. On arrival you find it is very disorganized, that your registration has been lost and that the presentations and workshop were poorly done. At this point you vow never to attend this conference again. At the same time all of the speakers and the workshop leader went down at least one notch in your reputation.

By now you may be wondering what this scenario has to do with jujitsu. The answer is everything. We will investigate it first from the student viewpoint. Then we will look at the examiner's viewpoint and finally from the instructor's viewpoint.

Jujitsuka viewpoint

As a student prepares for the next rank we often acknowledge that he/she expends a lot of blood, sweat and tears building these skills for the next rank level. There are many "hidden" costs/factors that we as instructors and/or examiners usually don't acknowledge. Here is a list of some of these:

Amount of time spent on active practice
Amount of time wasted in the dojo
The time and cost of travel to and from the dojo (increases if someone else drives)
Cost of purchasing and maintaining a gi(s)
Club/course membership fees
USJA membership fees
Possible medical fees
Incidentals (band aids, joint braces/wraps, ointments, etc.)

This list is not all inclusive but if you add up just these basic costs, it can be significant. The costs increase further if the student goes to a camp, clinic, or promotion workshop. Not only do the students have to pay the event fee, but usually they have to pay for travel and board. Add to this the examination or promotion fee and you will see that the student has spent a significant amount of time and money.

Similar to the professional's experience described in the scenario above, if the student shows up and things are disorganized and the examination is poorly done, the student's viewpoint of this experience goes down. The next time around, if there is one, the student may opt for an alternative place to go or someone different to do the examination.

Examiner's viewpoint

So what if the student had a bad experience? What do we care? We had better, because our reputation is on the line as examiners. If we are going to be examiners we must be as professional as possible. If there is disorganization in the event, we need to step in and straighten it out. The last taste of how a promotional event goes is usually that of the examination. Whether the student passes or not, he/she needs to leave the examination with a good, positive taste. They need to feel that their time, effort and money spent was well worth it. If they don't, your reputation goes down fast.

While conducting an examination keep in mind the following:

If possible use a board approach for evaluation. If other examiners are not present, this is an excellent time to also train up and coming examiners (other black belts and brown belts). The board approach lends an air of peer evaluation and also helps in reducing any biases you may have.
Establish your evaluation criteria and methodology before the examination begins. Use a scoring/grading rubric so that you maintain consistency from technique to technique, and from student to student.
Let the student know how you are going to evaluate before you even start to test.
At the end of each group of techniques, discuss any problem areas with the student before going on.
Your form of jujitsu is not the only or most correct form. Techniques and applications differ. People differ.
The student may not be your student
The student may have learned to do the techniques differently from the way you do it.
Look for the application of principle in the demonstrated techniques
Don't get caught up in fine motor skills during a demonstration, they go out the window in real life applications.
Ask yourself if the student has demonstrate the required number of techniques in each area.
Look for repeats of the same technique but applied using a different approach. Will you count these or not? Communicate to the student before testing if you will or will not count them.
At the end of the examination, discuss all aspects to the test. End on a positive note. Ask the student how you can improve the testing process.
Be willing to learn from the student.

Remember that as an examiner, you are examining a student's ability and making a recommendation as to his/her ability. By the time that the student has come to you, he/she has trained hard and is being recommended by his/her instructor. If the student is wholly under-prepared it is not necessarily the student's fault. Your job goes beyond just evaluating the student. The student is a product of his instructor and you may have to meet with the instructor.

At the same time the student is also a product of your evaluation and recommendation. Be fair and equitable in your examinations. If you are not, you will get a reputation for being either a hard-ass or an easy mark. Either reputation is not good for you and diminishes the role of USJA jujitsu in the martial arts.

Instructor's viewpoint

As an instructor, you are also putting your reputation on the line. For every promotion recommendation that you sign, you are stating that the student is qualified for the next rank. This means that the student has the required knowledge and can perform the appropriate skills for the next rank. If you are too easy in making your recommendations, the examiners will know and eventually they will view your students negatively. This is a disservice to your students. Conversely, if your are too hard in making your recommendations, you may loose students and club membership will drop. Here are some tips:

Treat every student equally. Use the same promotion and testing criteria for everyone. Have it written out and posted.
Check with your area examiners to find out how they evaluate students. Use their guidelines to determine if your students are ready for promotion or not.
Ask other instructors to give you feedback on your students when they go to clinics, workshops or tournaments.
Help the examiners and promotion board by providing information about your style and philosophy of jujitsu, and background on the student. Don't limit your comments to the comment areas in the Recommendation for Promotion forms. Use additional paper as needed. The higher the rank the more info that needs to be present.

Showing your students, the examiners and promotion board that you care, positively affects your reputation as an instructor and individual. Don't develop a poor reputation for over or under promoting your students. The requirements are there for a reason, whether you agree with them or not.

High Dan promotions

While we have people teaching jujitsu at all levels there is a definite distinction when an instructor enters the black belt ranks. They are viewed and treated differently by their students and others. However making black belt isn't the end of the ranking system. In many jujitsu and karate systems, the black belt ranks are grouped into additional categories. At Yodan (4th level black belt) the student enters the high dan ranks. These are extremely special ranks because the student is transitioning from being a student to becoming a teacher.

In the high dan ranks there are two classifications; the rank itself and the assignment of teacher level. Teacher levels can start at the yodan rank as shown below. At the moment USJA does not assign teacher levels to its high dans. However the concept of teacher levels can be helpful in evaluating high dan belt holders for their next rank.

Yodan	Renshi	Skilled technician
Godan	Renshi	Advanced skilled technician
Rokudan	Kyoshi	Teacher
Shichidan	Kyoshi	Teacher
Hachidan	Hanshi	Master teacher with national reputation
Kudan	Hanshi	Master teacher with national/international reputation
Judan	Hanshi	Master teacher with international reputation

Recommendations for promotions to high dan ranks need to be accompanied by sufficient information to allow the promotion board to make a decision. It is not enough to just list promotion dates, and that the person has passed the examination. In these ranks, the board needs to know why the applicant is special. Instructors and examiners need to elaborate on the applicant's achievements and contributions as they relate to jujitsu.

In closing

The promotion process is a team effort. Although it starts and ends with the student, in between are the instructors, examiners and promotion board. Throughout the entire process there must exist a sense of integrity, honesty, sincerity, and humility on the part of all members.

2003-08-20

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