CAMCORDER PROMOTIONS

Distance Learning and Camcorder Examination




I have just read a thread from one of those Martial Arts Discussion Groups, these groups would be a useful tool if they did not allow people to have Pseudonyms, and as soon as you allow this you know you end up with a group of people insulting each other. Any sensible debate must would name the contributor and state their experience/qualifications, Bibliography etc so the reader can asses the legitimacy of a discussion/argument etc. Most who hide behind a false name are normally cowards who want to insult and condemn others without the worry of retribution.

This particular individual ridiculed Distance Learning and Camcorder Examinations as he/she was using a false name I could not check on their experience or ability in all probability it was a Wanabe who has read lots of books etc but never done anything.

So let’s evaluate Grading’s, Belt Promotion, Rank Advancement call it what you will it means moving up through the Belts/grades. Traditionally they would be done in front of a Panel of Examiners normally Black Belts or one very high ranking teacher, the student would be asked to perform various techniques laid down by the organisations syllabus and if performed to the standard expected of that organisation that they would advance to the next Grade. Some would also require a certain degree of fitness or in the case of Judo some Judoka could grade on their competition ability.

25 years ago this would be the norm but it had its drawbacks:

1) Some Individual Rank exams would take hours, with the exam being more of a test of the physical and mental endurance rather then a Test of a candidate’s technical ability.

2) Having sat on examination panel in the past for sometimes for 12 hours your concentration begins to drift and you miss things

3) The higher the standard the more techniques needed the longer the exam, with candidates starting well but finishing poorly.

4) Because of 3 failure would be high and safety of the candidate would be put at risk

5) As I mentioned exam could take hours, how does that relate to practical Martial Arts/Combat Disciplines? A Competitive Match i.e. Judo, Sambo etc at most would last 10 minutes, Kata even shorter and if you were learning just for self defence reasons, fights do last hours.

The technical age is upon us you get DVD instructional discs, you can download from the Internet, you can use photographs taken by yourself on your own computer the same for camcording, you can be in contact with your instructor any where in the world via email and web cam. So why not use this technology to enhance your Martial Arts/Combat skills, link this together by attending courses arranged by different instructors and you can only improve.

So what are the benefits of Camcorder Grading?

1) You can do the exam at any time and any where in the World

2) You do not need to be tired down to any one organisation, although I would put a caveat on that by saying that you need to be proficient in one discipline before trying to master other systems and beware of those who will tell you they have invented a totally new system, Check out how old they are, how long they have been practising, who they trained with, their record. Those of have very high grades in opposing styles i.e. 10th Dan Judo, 10th Dan Jiu Jitsu, 10th Dan Aikido, 10th Dan Karate etc and only in their mid forties, I actually saw this in an advert.

3) The camcorder is all seeing unlike the Human eye it does not miss things and can be watched time and time again

4) As the candidate can take hours, days and even months preparing the Disc/Film there is no reason for any technique to be wrong.

5) Because of 4 the standard will rise and techniques will improve because the candidate can see his/her faults and keep rectifying them till they are perfect

6) The candidate will always have a record of their exam, so in years to come if anyone questions your ability you can say when I took my Promotion Exam this is what I done. You always hear from older Black Belts “In my Day it was far harder to become a Black Belt” most of the time that is untrue and is said to boost their own ego.



Disadvantages of a Camcorder grading is you lose human interaction between examiner and examinee, for competitive grades say in Judo a lot more proof would be needed i.e. recording all matches won and lost, stating name, grade, weight how you won or lost, all of which would need to verified by a senior official of the tournament .



I have being doing Camcorder Examinations for many years I doubt if I was the first to do this but I was definitely one of the first and have examined hundreds of people. Can the idea be abused of course it can, someone can easily set themselves up as an examiner but it is only lazy people who get caught, those who do their homework and check the examiner out will not be conned. Are the examinations expensive Yes, do you automatically pass NO. On these two issues I can only speak for myself, when someone applies to do a camcorder grading I tell them the price and also tell them for that price if they fail they can retake the exam at no extra cost.



Camcorder grading and distance learning are hear to stay and in the future there will be hundreds on the net but remember you first heard it from Martin Clarke

Go to http://www.classicalmartialartssociety.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/