The Karate Certificate and its meaning.

 

When I was a student with each promotion I received a new certificate of that promotion.  Personally I just accumulated them, especially when I realized each promotion always meant things were going to get more difficult. In those years I went from White to Yellow to Blue then to Green.

 

Then when I moved away from Salisbury Md, and the only choice to continue training was to switch to a different art, Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan, there too with each promotion came a new certificate.  Over that time I moved from White Belt to Red Belt.  And I just accumulated them too.

 

When Charlie Murray moved to the Scranton Pa area, and I convinced him to train me further in Isshinryu I moved from 3^rd Brown belt to eventual 1^st Brow Belt (he skipped awarding me 2^nd Brown Belt).

 

And of course when I received my Black Belt promotion certificate it meant a great deal to me.

 

The same tradition was followed by the many styles I trained with, all of them gave certificates on promotions.

For the first 8 or 9 years I followed the same pattern that I came up under. Awarding certificates with each tradition.

 

But the day came when I had a new thought.

 

I always taught my program for free, and honestly it became somewhat of a burden to remember to fill out those certificates on time when promotions were given out.

I was driving 90 minutes to work each day, working till 5pm then driving 90 minutes home to immediately go to teach my classes.

 

One day it came to me that originally on Okinawa certificates were not awarded, nor were obi for that matter.  Why not go back partially to that tradition.

 

In all honesty NO ONE EVER asked to see my certificate of promotion.

 

As a result from that time forward I ceased issuing Kyu certificates of promotion.

The only promotion certificates I would issue would be for Dan rank certification.

 

I just awarded a new obi when promotions were called for.

 

I was prepared to give a certificate if called for at any time.

 

Reality set in, NO ONE EVER ASKED ABOUT A CERTIFICATE.

 

My students were most happy just receiving their new obi.

 

Never lost me a student.  NO ONE cared about certificates.

 

I did continue to award them for Dan promotions.