Grading In Kickboxing?

[jcc]

Osu!

A quick question for the kickboxing experts here! Simply, how are people actually graded in kickboxing?

I ask because I´ve found a dojo/gym here where the owner claims to have a 6th dan in kickboxing and true, he has a certificate, issued by a club in Cuba, awarding him a 6th dan. Thus the question - how does one actually grade if, as far as I know, there is no formal kihon or kata in kb?

Osu!

[Dent]

Osu!

Tricky one, because anyone can make up a syllabus. I think that funnily enough, most of the methodology has been lifted wholesale from Karate.

What I have seen is that they do have basics, combinations, moving basics, moving combinations, padwork, bagwork, etc.

Osu!

[Nix]

I actually asked a person about this last week, and from what I could gather, they do have basics, combinations etc., as Dent says. They also receive belts, and practice in dogi, if they choose to. Then again, he was a newb, and also drunker than I.

[powerof0ne]

It's not the most common practice but some kickboxing camps/styles do have ranks. Even some muay thai gyms have ranks, I hold rank under the M.T.I.A.(muay thai international association) under Master Toddy(back in '03) and back in '99 was graded under the CMTA/canadian muay thai association(which was under Songlith at the time)to the equivalent of 1st Dan/shodan but it's called something else. I was also training in Tjakai, and whom I was training in Tjakai under was more of a mix of Kyokushin, Muay Thai, Kickboxing, with some Judo. I was training to be an instructor/nidan in this system but things fell through.
I've been to many more Kickboxing and Muay Thai gyms that have no rank besides the instructor titles.
Most people that train at these gyms don't go around talking too openly about their rank because it's usually not valued as much as it is in more belt oriented arts. For most camps that do Muay Thai and kickboxing, the belt is the ring.

[smoothsake]

Originally Posted by powerof0ne

For most camps that do Muay Thai and kickboxing, the belt is the ring.

...or the gold thing you put around your waist when you win a prize bout.

[nzproud]

At kickboxing gym around my area does grading(more like a test) to determine which group the practitioner should be training. Nothing like our gradings though.

[jcc]

Osu!

Thanks for the clarification everyone. I went to see a karate class given by this guy. He has a shodan karate certificate but took the class with a silly red and white belt. The class was pretty bad, but there were a few people working out in the kickboxing area of the gym and that looked a bit better. In fact there was one guy there kicking a bag with a loud "osu" on each kick, which made me wonder about his providence! The gym itself was also about the best equipped I´ve seen around here so most probably will go there to some training. Nonetheless, still a bit sceptical about that 6th dan!

Osu!

[Dent]

Osu! JCC,

Where are you located?

Osu!

[SHIDOKANATLANTA]

as a kickboxer, i would say that kickboxing belts systems is nonsense. uniforms and belts don't go with kickboxing. that would be like adding a belt system to boxing.

[Dent]

Osu! ShidokanAtlanta,

I suspect you can say that for two reasons. (Both of which I agree with. Maybe why I'm attributing them to you?)

1) You are an active competitor, whose record is an admirable and demonstrable example of concrete results.

2) You work/ train with people who have that same mentality.

If, however, we were to visit the XYZ school/ gym/ studio where persons X, Y and Z had no record to demonstrate, then a system that would offer them rank, and a lot of extra financial incentive in grading money would be a logical step, wouldn't it...?

Osu!

[jcc]

Originally Posted by Dent

Osu! JCC,

Where are you located?

Osu!

Osu! I´m in the Basque region (northern Spain).

[Dent]

Osu!

Originally Posted by jcc

Osu! I´m in the Basque region (northern Spain).

Thank you. For some reason, I thought you were in the US.

Put it down to age and mental infirmity.

Osu!

[jcc]

Osu! Ok, no problem. Sometimes I don´t know where I am either..

[tmd]

We've had a few people at the dojo/ in comps claiming Black Belt status (it's always a BB isn't it? in Kick Boxing so I'm interested to know if there are legitimate styles that use a belt system. In what seems like a galaxy far far away now, I remember in my school boy boxing days all we ever talked of was number of fights/ wins - qualifying for certain tournaments etc - that was your grade.

[SHIDOKANATLANTA]

dent,

i do think that people came up with belt ranks for kickboxing for money reasons. when i worked out at boxing and kickboxing gyms, we paid gym dues and worked out. i learned to box and kickbox following the instructions of trainers and seasoned fighters. members who wanted to workout and not compete did the same thing as competitors (minus the fighting part). but now, martial arts instructors are able to make money doing whatever. i go to some gyms that advertise themselves as kickboxing gyms, but they're not really kickboxing gyms (well, not what i would like to see).

[tmd]

There is dilution and greed in forms of sport and martial arts so I guess KB was never likely to be immune, it's a shame to say but I guess there are guys teaching what they claim is Kyokushin with the same mentality.

[SHIDOKANATLANTA]

it would be awesome if there were regulations that allowed individuals to teach (no matter what style).

[Dent]

Osu!

Originally Posted by SHIDOKANATLANTA

it would be awesome if there were regulations that allowed individuals to teach (no matter what style).

I think this is a very dangerous path to tread. IME, the ones with the time to draft the rules are usually the ones who are the problem children in the first place.

I was living in one country when the national governing body decided to closely regulate Karate instructors. Courses were offered, along with a national registration and all sorts of door prizes. (Free advertising. Competition opportunities etc.)

Sounds good so far.

Then the hammer. All styles have to go through a national Dan exam (Went to watch the first one.), and get their grades from the NGB. A grading run by the non-contact crew. And one that meant we had to learn their Kata. And their Kumite. And their history and Basics. Their way of doing competition. (You can see where this is going.)

No time for Kyokushin, Enshin, Ashihara or any of the knockdown family. We were being phased out with support of the national sports council and the very NGB we were paying fees to.

The result of all this was a lot of nastiness.

A regulatory body will only work with full, and equal, representation. Not a likely event...

Osu!

[SHIDOKANATLANTA]

i know that it will only work in a fantasy world.

osu.

[Dent]

Osu!

The problem with this is that in a world where this would work, it wouldn't be needed, and in a world that needs it, it doesn't work.

Osu!