Author: Bret Gordon
The biggest detractors to young martial artists achieving high ranks are often those who have peaked in their martial arts career and have no opportunities for advancement themselves. Coincidentally, they're also the ones who stand on their pedestal and proclaim that rank doesn't matter. In the grand scheme of things, rank does not matter, however it is still important if for no other reason then to establish a hierarchy within a given system or organization.
I've addressed the issue of young instructors in a previous article, called "Racism in the Martial Arts." There, I talked about what I call the self-inflicted inferiority complex that we have as Westerners to our Asian counterparts regarding rank. In essence, it's perfectly acceptable for Asian martial artists to achieve high rank at a young age but taboo for a Westerner to do so. As stated previously, the criticism and ridicule of young martial artists usually comes from practitioners who have been in the arts several decades and have reached a point where their advancement comes to a halt, for a multitude of reasons. Perhaps their instructor has passed away or retired, and they do not want to accept rank from anyone else. Perhaps they've broken away from their organization and have no one to promote them. Perhaps they were overlooked for advancement. Whatever the reason, their criticism is solely based in jealousy and nothing more. Surely because they may not have been mature enough or had the opportunity to progress that quickly, anyone who does so must be a fraud.
I've addressed the issue of young instructors in a previous article, called "Racism in the Martial Arts." There, I talked about what I call the self-inflicted inferiority complex that we have as Westerners to our Asian counterparts regarding rank. In essence, it's perfectly acceptable for Asian martial artists to achieve high rank at a young age but taboo for a Westerner to do so. As stated previously, the criticism and ridicule of young martial artists usually comes from practitioners who have been in the arts several decades and have reached a point where their advancement comes to a halt, for a multitude of reasons. Perhaps their instructor has passed away or retired, and they do not want to accept rank from anyone else. Perhaps they've broken away from their organization and have no one to promote them. Perhaps they were overlooked for advancement. Whatever the reason, their criticism is solely based in jealousy and nothing more. Surely because they may not have been mature enough or had the opportunity to progress that quickly, anyone who does so must be a fraud.
