As with every business, your reputation depends on your product. In the martial arts, your product is not your style, but your students. No matter what your business model, whether you have ten students or ten thousand students, if you produce a quality product, you will gain more business. Your students are a reflection of you. Their confidence and abilities should reflect their particular rank. And that confidence will show no matter where they are: school, work, home, etc.

In my over 25 years of martial arts experience, I have been involved in numerous promotion ceremonies from watching other students in my class, to my own advancements, to being on the promotion board. I have always believed the old adage that a belt should be earned, not given. The promotion ceremony is a special deal. It is a graduation. The cap and gown is the belt. It signifies a certain level of knowledge and certifies the student’s place on your school’s corporate ladder. While rewarding and praising students to keep them coming to your school is necessary, be careful not to just hand a belt to an undeserving student. Instead, provide the student with what is expected for their next belt and let them determine when they want to get there. Give them the proper encouragement and praise on a regular basis to let them know where they stand in their progress so they know that you are giving them proper attention. When they have that, it won’t matter when their promotion happens.

Promotion formats vary from school to school, but the end result should be the same — the student being tested deserves the rank they have. I believe that a thorough promotion should consist of three parts: written, oral and physical. To be worthy of the rank being tested, each candidate must satisfactorily pass each part. Whatever criteria you have for promoting your students, make sure you get the rest of the class involved. At every promotion, other students should be encouraged to take notes. When the test candidate learns something new about his or her own form, technique or knowledge, all can benefit. When I was going up through the ranks, these notes proved invaluable at my own promotions.

For the one being promoted, make sure you go through each aspect of your criteria thoroughly. If you do a written test, give it to them prior to the physical portion. Then hand out the written test to the board judging the candidate at the physical portion. Have the candidate go through each form one by one. Critique each form on what they do well in addition to what they need to improve. It is important to point out the good in their performance. Ask questions on technique, application, history, terminology, and philosophy as required for the specified rank. Be satisfied with their answers and knowledge. Correct, refine, or enhance their answer to benefit the other students. Have them demonstrate the application of the techniques so they have full understanding of what they are doing, not just going through the motions.

After all forms are done, move on to sparring. The number of rounds and/or opponents should be determined by the rank being tested for. Look for technique, control, confidence, endurance, and sportsmanship. Again, encouragement from the judges and the class will help tremendously. Let the candidate know what they are doing right as well as what they need to work on.

Promotions could last for hours, or they could last only a few minutes. That is up to you as their instructor. If the candidate satisfactorily completes your specified criteria of the promotion, it will be evident to the board and the rest of the class. The candidate will have increased respect from all for their new rank earned. I have never heard any of my classmates or students say that someone did not deserve the rank they had.

As far a time limit for each rank, opinions differ. Keep in mind that there will be some students who are naturally gifted that will blaze through a rank, and there will be the ones who struggle to grasp the concept. Don’t hold the gifted ones back, and don’t push the struggling ones forward. Promotions are a great motivator for keeping students, but be careful not to fall into the trap of promoting just to keep students. If every one of your students truly understand that the martial arts is an individual sport and everyone advances at their own rate, and you give constant praise and encouragement throughout their martial arts journey, they’ll come back as long as they have the desire to advance no matter how long they are at their current rank. Rewarding and praise should happen on a regular basis, not just at a promotion. If a student wants to get a new belt every session or when their classmates get one instead of based on your requirement criteria for the rank, let them go elsewhere. Your reputation is worth more.

What are your criteria for promotions? What is the format of a typical promotion at your school? How long should a student be at a certain rank? Share with us so all can benefit from your success. Send your comments to schoolstory@martialartswaymag.com with the subject line: Promotions. We will post your comments on the website as well as consider them for inclusion in future issues.