Right after grading to shodan some of the nidans started pushing me up the line during bow in/out. I am in my 40s, and these guys are in their 20s. I resisted at first. Then one day one of the instructors said that this happened to him too, out of respect for his age, even though some other instructors outrank him by multiple dan. I no longer resist, and am honored by the sentiment. I am curious about what others have seen regarding this practice of lining up out of rank order whilst factoring in age.
+4
icb
Steve Leadbeater
Nic
Raj Venugopal
8 posters
Pushed up the line
Nic- Posts : 31
Join date : 2013-01-04
Location : Sacramento, California
- Post n°2
Re: Pushed up the line
Interesting, I've only done it with my kids class. It would be OK in a class where the members are pretty consistent, but would make lining up longer in schools with frequent visitors. You'd have to quietly check the grade of any black belts & then check their age. Can you imagine being shoved up the line because you look old?!
I can imagine some people would like it as a mark of repsect, and others would hate it because it would make them feel old.
I don't care where I am in the line, as long as I don't embarrass myself by standing in the wrong place!
I can imagine some people would like it as a mark of repsect, and others would hate it because it would make them feel old.
I don't care where I am in the line, as long as I don't embarrass myself by standing in the wrong place!
Steve Leadbeater- Posts : 205
Join date : 2013-02-26
Age : 68
Location : Sydney Australia
- Post n°3
Re: Pushed up the line
There are a number of Dan grades who train regularly at Sydney Uni Judo Club,
and at the end of our Saturday session we normally bow off to the highest grade
on the mat...
usually, Mr Peter Paige 5th Dan(Tokyo 1964 Olympian) or Mr Barry Johnson 4th Dan (Munich 1972 and Montreal 1976 Dual Olympian).........the rest of us jostle for a space in the line up always looking for another Dan grade who is older to stand on our right side.....it gets somewhat interesting when at 58 years of age , I am still one of the relatively "Junior Dans".
I find it easier to stand to the right of the nearest Brown belt and let every other Dan grade arrange themselves as befitting rank and seniority.
and at the end of our Saturday session we normally bow off to the highest grade
on the mat...
usually, Mr Peter Paige 5th Dan(Tokyo 1964 Olympian) or Mr Barry Johnson 4th Dan (Munich 1972 and Montreal 1976 Dual Olympian).........the rest of us jostle for a space in the line up always looking for another Dan grade who is older to stand on our right side.....it gets somewhat interesting when at 58 years of age , I am still one of the relatively "Junior Dans".
I find it easier to stand to the right of the nearest Brown belt and let every other Dan grade arrange themselves as befitting rank and seniority.
icb- Posts : 31
Join date : 2012-12-31
Location : Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Post n°4
Re: Pushed up the line
The line up of instructors at my club does not go strictly by grade or age. It is primarily based on how long the person has been instructing at the club, with rank and age as secondary factors.
tafftaz- Posts : 330
Join date : 2012-12-31
Age : 58
Location : Wales, UK
- Post n°5
Re: Pushed up the line
As long as I have practised judo, we have always lined up by grade at our club. Even before I took over when my sensei retired.
If I visit any other club I stand amongst all the other dan grades.
If I visit any other club I stand amongst all the other dan grades.
JudoSensei- Posts : 171
Join date : 2013-01-04
Location : California
- Post n°6
Re: Pushed up the line
If you are honored by being pushed up the line due to your age, just think how honored the higher ranks will be when you respectfully decline and show the appropriate honor to their rank. Among adults in judo, rank is more important than age. Your rank is only honored when you honor the others. On the mat we respect those of higher rank even if age, size, social class or other factors would change the relationship off the mat. It may have been fine to move up the line for a class if they wanted to honor your achievement in joining the yudansha, but continuing it seems a bit odd to me and I would slip back to where you belong as soon as you can. You don't really want people looking up to you like you are a higher rank than you are just because of your age. Enjoy being a shodan for a while.
Of course, customs and everything else might be different where you are, so this is just based on my experience. I don't think you can go wrong with being proud of your age and rank, but humble enough to know your place in class.
Of course, customs and everything else might be different where you are, so this is just based on my experience. I don't think you can go wrong with being proud of your age and rank, but humble enough to know your place in class.
Jonesy- Posts : 1070
Join date : 2013-01-02
- Post n°7
Re: Pushed up the line
So what do we make of this line then? Left to right: Murata 8 dan, Chiba 9 dan, Daigo 10 dan, Okamoto 9 dan. Daigo-sensei is standing the closest to joseki and Kano-shihan's empty chair, but I must confess it looked a bit odd when I first saw it.
JudoSensei- Posts : 171
Join date : 2013-01-04
Location : California
- Post n°8
Re: Pushed up the line
I doubt if Okamoto is standing there because he is the oldest.
Reinberger- Posts : 160
Join date : 2013-12-02
- Post n°9
Re: Pushed up the line
Jonesy wrote:So what do we make of this line then? Left to right: Murata 8 dan, Chiba 9 dan, Daigo 10 dan, Okamoto 9 dan. Daigo-sensei is standing the closest to joseki and Kano-shihan's empty chair, but I must confess it looked a bit odd when I first saw it.
A line of sensei, with the highest ranking person, a judan, in the "center", flanked by two kudan, and a hachidan at one end seems to be pretty understandable to me. May I ask, why that "looked a bit odd" at first? Do you think a lining up of several sensei has to follow the same rules as the lining up of the participating deshi?
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