AKS Quarterly Newsletter

Michael A. Sullenger 9th Dan
Chief Instructor Emeritus

Rank in the Martial Arts and Ego:
Some Extend Beyond the Bounds of Common Sense

Michael A. Sullenger
Chief Instructor - Emeritus

This past June (2011), I traveled back to Germany with my family after being absent from there for the past 23 years. The occasion of our last visit all those years ago was our departure upon completion of a three year tour for the U.S. Air Force. This trip was to promote and honor a true European martial arts legend, Herr Heinrich Reimer.

Back in 1979, I found myself stationed in northern Germany during my second assignment to Europe. It was this tour that sowed the seeds of the American Karate System (AKS). After my departure in late 1981, the Hessisch-Oldendorf Karate Club was turned over to my senior student, Dr. Rob Debelak. Back then, Rob was a young two-stripe airman who worked at the Air Station as a Chaplin's Assistant. Rob met and began competing in German martial arts tournaments with impressive wins in both kata and fighting. As a result, he acquired several German Wado Ryu students who wanted to train under him and learn our AKS style of karate. The rest is history, which you can read on both the German and American AKS websites.

Over the years, the AKS in Germany grew in both numbers and importance within the German Karate Union, or DKV as it's referred to in Europe. The key person behind this growth was Andreas Modl, and subsequently his Wado Ryu Sensei Herr Heinrich Reimer.

Heinrich has over 35 years of study, training and competition in Europe. He became the heavy weight champion in sparring and was named the Team Captain of the German National Karate Team. Later in his middle 50's he was asked to rejoin the team and won his weight division yet again. Through both Heinrich's and Andreas' efforts the AKS is a respected organization and the only non-oriental style recognized by the DKV.

Over the years, both Andreas and Heinrich have traveled to the US to attend our annual summer camps and participate as guest instructors. Several of our senior AKS sensei traveled to Germany to participate in seminars and teach their members in turn.

Now that I've built you a watch in order to set the stage for this article, I want to explain the view of many dedicated European martial arts practitioners have about their American counterparts regarding rank. That view basically depicts many of our martial artists as not serious, wearing uniforms that look more like a clown's outfit, and claiming rank that is clearly beyond their age and years of practice. Add to this the fact that some of these questionable people claim to have black belt ranks that surpass 10th Dan, and you can easily see why the Germans and others in Europe have developed this opinion. Having said that, they readily acknowledge the talent and skill of those who've come over to Europe to compete against their best fighters and walked away as the winners.

Another reason for this view is the difference between truly traditional training and the more sport dedicated approach many karate schools in America have taken. European karateka are first and foremost traditionalists, and sport competitors secondly. They also remain in their respective ranks far longer than their American counterparts.

I recently received a request from a guy who is 42 years old, had been studying for 34 years, and claimed to be a 10th Dan and varying ranks below in several different styles (6-10th Dans, 3-9th Dans, 5-8th Dans, 1-7th Dan, 6-5th Dans, 7-4th Dans, 4-3rd Dans, 4-2nd Dans, and 6-1st Dans). He was also the founder of one organizations, president and head of a number of other martial arts organizations (42 by my count). I sent the request to the two assistant chief instructors for the AKS here in the USA, both 8th Dans, for their thoughts on this guy. One of them commented that by his calculations the guy would have to be at least 186 years old to have done all he was claiming both in studies, rank and organizations he either started and/or was the head of.

This is just one example of many that exist. Every serious student of the martial arts who has trained and studied for at least ten years can cite examples from their own experience. Is this the way we want to be seen by martial artists in other countries? Do we want to be compared to these pretenders and clowns? I for one do not. I've put in far too many years of sweat and blood to be painted by the same brush as these fools. I'm sure most of you share these same sentiments.

The question we must ask is how can we fix this problem? I can tell you that question has been asked for decades. I can also tell you from my 57 years in the arts that we have far too many fiefdoms (individual kingdoms) out there with people not interested in helping fix the problem, only in buttering their own bread. Therefore, the situation will continue unabated.

At 69 years of age, I'm coming to the point where it really won't matter anymore. I know there will be others who will come along and see the same problems and wish to fix them. They'll start up yet another organization with this goal in mind only to continue the same cycle. Traditional martial artists in American are doomed to be saddled with these clowns and pretenders as long as we fail to unite and bring into being an orderly process for validating peoples rank, regardless of style or system. We must be able to legitimize ourselves in order to eliminate the imposters and establish American Martial Artists as a truly serious group on the world stage. Otherwise, we will forever be seen by those in other countries as a group of martial artists who are more concerned with rank and status than the legitimacy of our respective styles.

And this doesn't even begin to discuss the "McDojo" problem. But we leave that for another time.

Post Comments:
Dear Reader, the article you just read was written in 2011. I'm now 76 years old with 64 years of training and study. Yet after fifteen years, when I wrote the article, nothing has changed, as I know it never will. The martial arts community contains some truly gifted and dedicated practitioners. The numbers of those who claim ranks and positions they haven't earned are ever present. While I remain a dedicated traditionalist, it's hard not to be impressed by the acrobatic skills of those now performing kata. It's become quite the show. For those interested in seeing true traditional kata executed at the highest levels, "Google" World Karate Union competition. Get in a comfortable chair and enjoy watching martial artists, both men and women, who are the best of the best.

A true martial artist should focus on improving him/herself above all things. In this effort alone, one will find true perfection. The sport of karate has become even more emphasized in our modern times as it was when I was competing. Yet those who pursue sport competition alone are missing what it means to be a martial artist in the traditional sense. Also, it's not about rank. It's about arriving at a point of self-actualization.

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to reach out ** eMail **
I'm always happy to share my thoughts and ideas.