Question 126: Rank Certification Part 1

I have been practicing the martial arts for many years and have taught and worked at my instructor’s school the program director for many years. I had a disagreement with my Instructor regarding his treatment of me and was asked to leave the school permanently. Following the incident, my fellow black belt students advised me to open a school of my own for children. However, my instructor never issued a rank certificates. How to I go about getting certified as a black belt instructor?

Reply

This is not a trivial matter. Students devote much of their lives to their martial arts, masters, schools, and organizations. Some organizations and masters only think about themselves and their business and will forget all you have done for them when they do not need you anymore. It is not a good feeling to be rejected by those you have looked up to and given of so much of your time to make them successful.

As I write about in TKDTutor, rank certification not governed by any local, state, or federal agency so it is virtually meaningless anywhere other than inside the organization that issues it. Some organizations recognize rank certifications of other organizations; some do not. This makes it difficult for a person to leave an organization or school and join another one without having to work up through the ranks again. When you train with an organization or instructor that does not issue any type of certification, this makes it even more difficult.

Some of your options are:

• See if the instructor will issue a rank/instructor certificate or a letter of certification on school letterhead; anything official that may be accepted by other organizations.
• Check with the organization that certified the instructor to see if they will issue you a certificate.
• There are many organizations that may be found on the Internet that issue rank certificates using information you send them. Since there are no legal requirements that govern rank certification, the validity of any rank certification is in the eyes of the beholder.

Since there are no laws governing the martial arts, anyone can open a school or club and teach without any type of rank or instructor certification. You can create your own certificates and issue them.
YMCA's, YWCA's, community centers, junior colleges, etc. are good places to start teaching classes and then work up from there.

Customers walk in the door of a martial art school for various reasons, but they usually sign up as students, and stay as students, because they have some affinity with the instructor, not with the school or organization. If you are good with kids, parents will recognize it and want their kids to study with you.

It may be complicated and take some time, but you can be a successful instructor and even own and operate a school. Do not get discouraged. Look at it as a challenge that must be overcome, just as you did when you first started training.