Distance learning/On-line grading

[SWM]

A great idea on paper.

But how many Karate Organisations are there?
Which ones are legitimate?
Why were so many formed?
Which one is run to be completely free of profit?

Now replace the word Karate with "Taekwondo",and then "Kung Fu" and then
"Judo".

The only way for an organisation of this type to work is if it is completely
democratic.The problem is democracy can get in the way of profit.

I really hope this type of organisation can exist in Great Britain and there are other people like myself who also want it to happen and are working very hard on it.Democracy is the key but i don't know another Martial Art in this country that hasn't suffered from in-fighting,splits and arguments when
forming federations.I truly hope BJJ could be the first.

Interesting questions to which I don't know the answers.

In regards to profit, perhaps if such an organisation could raise money in some way other than levying charges on clubs (thereby remaining independant)... Since one wants a governing body to be independant otherwise theres no point in having one, but if it is democratic then by definition it is not independant.

And I am now way out of my depth...

I find the topic interesting though, I'd love to know what you would do if the task of forming a federation fell upon your shoulders?

[Rob T]

Why would money be necessary anyway? Surely it wouldn't take much time to do what would be needed, and that could be done for free?

[Duchman]

Do you guys realy want to fight mcdojoism in bjj?? seems like a HUGE uphill battle. The belt is on the mat.
To me it already has been going for years.. and years. remember when a blue belt used to mean something..

[Simon Hayes]

in the UK its a fight we are winning,you're right it
is a struggle,but its a struggle we are prepared to
have.We already have a verified belts list,something very few
countries have.We have already exposed bjj mcdojos
and had them stop their fake belts programs and we will continue
to do so.
We have locked the stable door BEFORE the horse bolted.

We all just need to keep on top of it now.

In the UK a blue belt still means something special.

[TRIBULUS]

We still need to establish what the criteria are for inclusion on the belts list as a start.

I'm not sure a blue belt still does mean the same thing in the UK nowadays. I have heard of belts being awarded for time served/classes attended rather than ability which I believe diminishes the value of the belt significantly.

[Rob T]

We still need to establish what the criteria are for inclusion on the belts list as a start.

Are specific criteria needed? I just think it's going to be pretty difficult to get a good list and once established something like that is always going to give potential for abuse (i.e. MPs expenses! ).

I think each case should be dealt with individually and if an entry is denied just tell the person why and give them a chance to explain further.

I assume stuff like Gracie University belts would not be recognised?