Promotion fees are often charged at martial arts school. Many dont know why they
charge them and the students dont understand either. To the student it seems strange to pay for something they earned. To
the instructor it is often a necessary source of income. Let me explain where promotion fees came from and why.
First of all karate came from Okinawa, other forms of martial arts came from
Korea, Japan and China. In these oriental countries society looks at everything differently. Sometimes it is hard for westerners
to understand. But to the oriental a promotion is a privilage and recognizition based on the grace of the instructor. The
instructor has placed many hard hours of teaching to get the student to the level of the promotion, however he does not have
to promote the person. When an instructor honors a student with a promotion it is proper that the student gives something
in return in graditute. In ancient times it was customary for a student to give the teacher a gift when the student received
a promotion. This help ensure that the teachers needs were meet and instruction could continue. This gift was normally food
items or something useful.
As western students started entering training the teachers were forced into having
to change their way of doing things. Americans were constantly not showing their graditude for the promotions. This seriously
effected the balance of the instructors lively hood. An instructor would never remind the student of the students responsibility
to provide the gift, it would cause loss of face. In fact it was insulting that the student did not respect the teacher with
giving a graditude gift.
So to avoid a very unhappy situation where the student looses face the teachers
started requesting a promotion fee for the promotions. Money was easier to give anyway and the teacher could purchase the
things needed directly. It was custom that the gift be equivalent to the size of the promotion. The higher the promotion the
more worth the gift should have. So today the higher the promotion the more money charged.
Today most school use the promotion fee system. Some teacher do give the promotions.
Even if there is no charge for the promotion the old system of showing graditude still applies.
