AOKA PROMOTIONS
by Grand Master Steve Young  

As Chairman and CEO of the American Okinawan Karate Association for the past few years, I have had several discussions with our Board of Directors regarding the AOKA's position on rank and testing. In general, I do not want the AOKA in the business of rank testing. By this, I simply mean that it should be the member's instructor that promotes an individual to a given rank. As we all know, everyone does things a little different, and everyone is doing it "the right way", so it doesn't make a great deal of sense to me to usurp an instructor's right of promotion. Now, having said this, there are always going to be situations in which individuals need an avenue for advancement. In some situations, individuals my also want the AOKA's endorsement of rank and thereby submit themselves to our testing procedures.

I am not advocating that we (the AOKA) discontinue testing, but I want to make it clear that individuals may join the AOKA and become active members irrespective of their rank.  As a member, the AOKA does NOT endorse, refute or have anything to do with your rank. We have no position at all on the rank you hold. Only if you test before the AOKA do we issue you a rank certificate.

As the current head of the organization, my vision is to make the AOKA an educational organization that provides benefits well in excess of the membership costs. I want it to be a source of information for our members, and to work with other organizations for the benefit of Isshinryu Karate throughout the world. This takes time and effort from many people. I already know that Isshinryu Karate is a GREAT system. Working together, we can expand our art and improve ourselves even faster.

Yours in Isshinryu,
Grand Master Steve Young

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 Master