Advanced ranks (Yellow through Green)

[The Tabasco Kid]

The Student Workbook lists Advanced ranks between belts Yellow through Green but there aren't any descriptions of the requirements for the advanced rank.

Are the advanced ranks not used anymore or are they used at the instructor's discretion in those cases where the student does not show complete mastery of the next higher level but displays competency in a majority of the material?

If the former is true, then isn't that a deviation from the curriculum set forth by SGM Parker or did he cease awarding the advanced ranks himself and was not able to publish an official update before he died?

[administrator]

This is a question that I asked Ed Parker in 1988. The rule then was to award the advanced stripe at the half-way point in the belt curriculum. For advanced-orange, the student would have had to learn the 1st 12 techniques, kicking set, and the required basics for the belt to get the orange stripe. I asked him if there were official certificates for the advanced color belt rankings. He replied, "We could do something for that, but in general no." The advanced stripe could be awarded after an official test, or conferred after the completion of the material. He did not want the stripes to become testing fee factories, as some have done by adding 3, 4 and even 5 stripes per belt and charging testing fees for each stripe.

Therefore, I stay with the original curriculum of half the belt requirements, plus the sets and basics for the belt. The short and long forms are tested for the solid color test, not the advanced stripe test. I also stay wth the original method of conferring the stripe and not formally testing and do not charge a stripe fee. The advanced stripe was used as a motivator to help the student who may have been working on his belt for the past 6 months(for instance, Blue), and then a new purple joins in the class. The 6 month purple belt veteran's familiy members could think that the new purple belt is as good as he. So, the stripe differentiates between them and shows a bit of upperclassmen for the lower color belts. It also helps to satisfy the belt jumpers who want to get rank too fast.

Kevin Lamkin

[The Tabasco Kid]

So Home Study students need to test at the point needed for the stripe or can they just press on to the next solid color once they think they are ready to test?

[administrator]

I advise all of my Home Study Students to prepare for the solid tests only. The advanced stripes are assumed at the half way point of the belt curriculum.
Kevin Lamkin

[The Tabasco Kid]

Thanks for the information. Now here's another question I got from the material: Why do so many non-black belt Kenpoists wear black uniforms when the curriculum calls for white?

Back when I first learned about American Kenpo, the studio I attended had everyone in black uniforms and that's what they sold me. Do I need to get a white one (no big deal if I do) for the tests?

[administrator]

The IKKA handbook stated that uniform colors are as follows:

yellow-green belts - white uniform
brown belts - black pants, white top
instructors (non black belt) - white bottoms, black top
black belts ( and black blt instructors) - black uniform

Now, these designations were listed in the IKKA handbook in 1985 (when I joined) and thereafter. I never saw the colors universally implemented.

I believe that it may have been a standard that Ed Parker may have been planning to implement, however, black uniforms were always associated with kenpo. You will see pictures of Ed wearing white uniforms periodically throughout his career. I wear white sometimes, too. I photographs better when demonstrating kenpo.

So, if I were you, just use the uniform you have. But its always nice to have a few spare ones on the side, so that you may wear a fresh one while the others are getting cleaned.

Kevin Lamkin

[The Tabasco Kid]

Thanks for all the quick replies. I'm really enjoying and getting a lot out of the home study course. The tone and style work very well for me.

It reminds me of the way my drill sergeants taught classes that required physical activity back when I went through Army Basic training:

"I am Drill Sergeant Winchester and this block of instruction is on physical fitness. The first movement that I will name, explain, demonstrate, and on which you will conduct practical exercise is the push up."


I took Kenpo classes for a couple of months many years ago at a nearby studio. The instructors were good at naming and demonstrating the techniques but no one really explained the "whys" of the technique. About 10 classes later, they had me test for yellow belt but I don't recall learning 10 techniques to get it. I know they didn't teach me Grasp of Death but they did include Intellectual Departure. Blocking Set #1 (Star Block) was part of yellow but Short Form #1 was not taught until orange.

[warrior-scholar]

Don't feel too bad, I was almost through Purple before I learned any of the "why we do this this way and not that way". That was at the time I switched over to training with Mr. Lamkin. Of course, I was learning the Tracy's system so that might explain why. It seems as though the emphasis for the lower ranks was on repetition more than theory. Studying the Parker system AFTER Tracy's has helped me understand my previous training in a new way.