2024-09-16

Teaching my regular classes at the Ross Farnsworth - East Valley YMCA.

Tonight set a new attendance record with 20 students on the floor. That may seem small to some, but we’ve grown quite a bit since I started this club in March of 2022. We’ve now got students ranging from 10th kyu through 4th dan, and it won’t be too long before we’ll need to start thinking about dan gradings of our own. In fact, one of the students asked me what it meant to be a black belt. Of course, that’s different everywhere, and this is a gross oversimplification, but:

• Shodan: Think of a first-degree black belt like a high-school diploma. You’ve got a good grasp of the basics, but you’re really just a “qualified beginner.”
• Nidan: A second-degree black belt has begun to “internalize” karate and adapt techniques according to personal strengths and limitations.
• Sandan: A third-degree black belt has a good understanding of all techniques (not just how to perform them, but also how, why, and when they work), and can demonstrate free-sparring strategies that vary according to the opponent.
• Yondan: A fourth-degree black belt should be skilled enough at karate performance and instruction to be able to turn a beginner into a shodan without assistance from others.
• Godan: A fifth-degree black belt has a deep understanding of karate, is able to teach it well to varied audiences, and has begun to contribute back to the art.