Be Loyal to your Martial Art SBN Ramón Navarro Being loyal to your martial art is what I will try to share in this article. I hope not to dislike anyone and if so I leave it to your conscience. Before I continue, I wish you all in general a prosperous and healthy year 2022. Well, most of us martial artists know that our art of tradition is true to its roots and we must do the same. As well? Even if you have more than one Teacher or Instructor or that you call Professor, that you be loyal to your art. First being ambitious in the sense of continuing to grow in your person then in your art, that is, earn what you deserve and do not seek to achieve what you want. If you have not worked with the support and backing of the only person who can sponsor what you are looking for. Follow his guide and stay honorable and authentic and morally upright, that is, do not invent ranks or buy them. How is it possible that out of nowhere you appear one day with a rank that you have not been given or that you join an organization and in a short time you may accept a rank and pay it to someone who has not taught you anything or that person or their organization has verified what you know and sell you a rank? These are things that happen all over the world and apparently there is no way to stop it, but I think there is. That will depend on the people who are from the martial art that saw you grow and form. They are the ones who can stop it either by cleaning dirty clothes at home or publicly. More than everything if those people say they have achieved the maximum
rank that there is in general, the 10th Dan, and they have not been the creator of that martial art or that system more when they have not lived at least 10 or 20 years with the one that teach to pass rank? It is very dignifying after you have started in that martial art as a beginner and progress through the grades under the black belt either the Kyu in Japanese or the Gup in the Korean arts and eventually pass time to achieve the second Dan. etc. until reaching the 4th Dan being from that moment a high Dan in rank, that is a KoDanJa (KoDanCha) and in the due time I do talk about modernism in which there is already the minimum time in rank to go to the next level of Dan, not only be able to be a Teacher of Teacher not only a higher Dan student and having been a good example in your attitude and activities. Basically, today there are federations but these do not really direct a martial art since in reality the function of this organization should be to organize and gather all the schools under one umbrella, so to speak. Of course, it would be better if the school to which you belong sponsors you with the support and approves your rank. The truth is that if your school does not belong to a federation is a more complex issue let's say it may have to do with respect about being publicly accepted with that degree that you have acquired from the person authorized to sign, formalizing your rank and being accepted with public recognition. I could be wrong but I am only formally a 6th Dan Black Belt from the white belt my teacher being the one authorizing my ranks until he, KwanjangNim SongIL Park 9th Dan Black Belt who in addition to being the father of HapKiDo in the Republic of Panama is the founder of the Song Moo Kwan style and say SabomNim Ramon Navarro is now 7th Dan. I just thank him for the time, friendship and teaching he has given me since 1977.
29
