To grade, or not to grade, that is the question
Published: Wed, 11/30/16
My two regular students, Logan who is just 11 and Ben who is recently turned 10, at the juniors class are getting excited about the grading on the 20th of December. I know Stav does not traditionally have a grading system. No traditional art does really, the coloured belt system as we know it dates back to the educations system in pre-war Japan. As far as I know it was introduced to motivate and record the progress of children learning Judo, Karate and Kendo in large and systematised classes.
Formalised grading is one of those ideas you can despise as a false way of motivating students and just a way of making more money. (I won’t be charging for grading by the way.) On the other hand children don’t seem to have much sense of doing a thing for its own sake and their own personal development. Specific goals, rewards and recognition are a powerful motivation for children. The same thing can be a motivation for adults too. However, I would hope that if an adult makes a serious effort to learn Stav then they are doing it for their own reasons of self development. However, I am happy to issue a teaching certificate if someone is genuinely capable.
My feeling is that the big difference between training and grading adults and children is the transitory nature of childhood and adolescence. If someone says that as a 13 year old they gained a brown belt then it says something about their childhood activities but it does not necessarily mean much when they are 40. If, as an adult, someone says that they have a black belt in Karate it could mean that they are a devoted practitioner of martial arts, or it could mean that they have not actually trained for 20 years. I would not disrespect the achievement of 20 years ago but there is a big difference between having stopped an activity 20 years ago and maintaining regular practice.
Either way, I am simply testing something new. If a grading system means that I can teach young people more effectively and they get more out of their training then I am probably doing the right thing. Is it actually Stav that I am teaching to the youngsters? Good question, they are learning stances and names of runes. The five principles are the basis for some drills. If I an honest then I am really just teaching the martial arts class I would have liked to have attended when I was their age. So, I am drawing on 40 years of experience including 25 years of Stav training and practice. I am also discovering more than my students are, which is always the case in the best learning environments.
I will let you know how Logan and Ben get on on the 20th of December.
In the meantime, if you are interested in your own self-development through Stav get along to my foundation course on the 10th of December. You won’t get a black belt out of it but you will discover how Stav can help you get more out of your life. Details at http://www.iceandfire.org.uk/foundation.html
Regards
Graham
PS If you are in the USA, and Crewkerne seems a long way away, then I will be covering the same material along with weapon and CQC training in Minneapolis in May 2017 http://www.iceandfire.us/events/index.html