Toward a Civil LKJ Testing Protocol

[klonk]

We all know about martial arts testing for grades: Some approve, some do not, but some here have had to do some forms, fight some matches, maybe break a few boards to get achievement recognized, before strangers no less.

Personally I think the duan examination system silly, but, as it is not Chinese, and was adopted eagerly by the Communists, you might expect at least one person on earth to think that.

In any case the rank system is with us now, and so it is time to devise a test for Ling Kong Jin. This is only a first effort; I hope you will help me to refine it.


1st Duan Applicant, in Ling Kong Jin skill:

Applicant:

May not touch the examiner in any way. Applicant may attack or defend at will without making intentional physical contact with the Examiner, or the stick used by the Examiner in this test.

Examiner:

May not touch the Applicant in any way, and is forbidden from using any ling knong jin, chi redirection, empty force or cosmic effect in any way. Examiner may, however, strike the Applicant with the tip, only, of an ordinary walking stick.

The Examiner may not swing the stick to hit Applicant, but may thrust with it so that only the tip contacts Applicant. Only one end of the stick may be used. Examiner may grip the stick in one hand or two, or first one way, then the other. The Examiner may, in most ways, use the stick as he likes. The general intent and provision of the rules is he shall not use it like a baseball bat. That technique is left for the higher duan grade examinations.

Testing Process:

The process is largely self explanatory, only a few clarifying details being needed. Decency and decorum becoming the tradition of Chinese martial arts is to be maintained at all times. We add this clarification so certain American, and Brazilian Examiners do not do something inappropriate with the stick.

But, that aside, the Examiner may attack freely and at will.

Scoring the Examination:

The Examination shall be terminated at Applicant's request. Inability of the Applicant to respond to the question, of whether the Examination should continue, will be understood as a response in the negative, and the Examination terminated.

There is granting of 1 point if:

Applicant terminates Examination at own request (no point for equivalent unconsciousness)

2 points if Applicant is standing at conclusion;

3 points if Examiner in unable to continue. We wish to be broadly generous in the application of this rule. If Examiner is exhausted from chasing Applicant, without having convinced Applicant to stop Examination, three points are awarded.

4 points are awarded if Examiner drops dead upon commencement of Examination, or before its conclusion.

3 1/2 points are needed to pass, but discretion is granted to the judges to make allowances for style.

[Fubo]

This will NEVER happen, as lkj ALWAYS has to be done on one's own student, who is ALWAYS conditioned to respond in the appropriate manor.

[klonk]

I think that is true, but perhaps we should instead concentrate on the second level test. We need something appropriate for Iron Lung, and Golden Bell and so on. That is beyond my poor powers to produce.

I hear what you'ze sayin. I really do!

[Ralteria]

We need something appropriate for Iron Lung, and Golden Bell and so on. That is beyond my poor powers to produce.

Consider Iron Lung covered:

[Fubo]

I think that is true, but perhaps we should instead concentrate on the second level test. We need something appropriate for Iron Lung, and Golden Bell and so on. That is beyond my poor powers to produce.

I hear what you'ze sayin. I really do!

Let the second level tests commence!

[wiesiek]

2nd level:
one point - examiner unable to move at all /too much iron lung or something.../
no points if examiner dissapearing during 1st bow
`ause
it`s beggining of the level three

[klonk]

Oh, wait everybody. I was wrong. We don't really need to formulate the tests for the higher grades until somebody passes the first. So now what I'm asking is how you would change the test as proposed.

So, back to the first test. Do you think it is easy enough? Do you think it is fair? My motives are humanitarian. I want to save any more old fellows getting fat lips through our lack, to date, of reasonable and, I stress, civilly conducted, testing of this famed skill.

[Bhassler]

In the 70s they used to have a big demonstration of martial arts every year in China town. One year, some guy brought his students and did a LKJ demonstration, so afterwords a few of the local masters got together an pulled the guy aside and said "you know, we're fine with whatever you want to do in your school, but we think demonstrations where you don't even touch your students and they fall down makes all of us look bad. You can do whatever you want, but at least touch them a little bit, okay? 'Cause if you do that again, we'll kill you."

Doesn't get much more civil than that....

[klonk]

Another point we need to tackle is how to treat this matter of lineage. Should we let just anyone test for the rank? I think we must, because it is well known that the most frequent way of acquiring LKJ skill is through coming into possession of a secret manual. Usually the secret text is stolen by night. Shaolin Temple seems to be the place most of them are stolen from, and this is surprising. China is the world leader in electronics production. Couldn't they rig some kind of burglar alarm?

Well, if someone has gotten his secret skill from a stolen manual, there is hardly a question of lineage. It is probably not reasonable either to ask any other questions about teachers, training background, etc. So I think we should allow applicants to leave that part blank on the application form.

As I say, there is a whole lot of detail to work out here, so please keep your comments and ideas coming!

Thanks,
--KB

[klonk]

This will NEVER happen, as lkj ALWAYS has to be done on one's own student, who is ALWAYS conditioned to respond in the appropriate manor.

I have been thinking a good deal about this, and I think we need to add a requirement that the examiner and applicant be unknown to each other--to avoid the flaky-psychy effects of social and psychological conditioning Fubo points to. If you are conditioned to reel and stagger when Grandmaster Smith-Jones waves at you, obviously you are not a fit examiner, but how to write this in?

NEVER happen? The test will, I think, prove every genuine example of LKJ skill that is brought before it.

[Ralteria]

The question you have to ask is if you are a student of an LKJ master...are you conditioned to other LKJ masters? Or does the intense internal "conditioning" open you up only to the instructor who taught you.

Woah...I just thought of something. Can an LKJ master make a student a "mole" who will only respond to his masters LKJ? Then you could send them to another school of a rival teacher and they would be "immune".

In the 70s they used to have a big demonstration of martial arts every year in China town. One year, some guy brought his students and did a LKJ demonstration, so afterwords a few of the local masters got together an pulled the guy aside and said "you know, we're fine with whatever you want to do in your school, but we think demonstrations where you don't even touch your students and they fall down makes all of us look bad. You can do whatever you want, but at least touch them a little bit, okay? 'Cause if you do that again, we'll kill you."

Doesn't get much more civil than that....

My favorite post on the subject so far.

[wiesiek]

first of all my LKJ came directly from my own enlighting
so i agree
stolen manuals = fraud

..."LKJ master make a student a "mole" who will only respond to his masters LKJ?.."
- partially truth,
in my opinion LKJ works like "posthipnotic suggestion" and will not work on peoples with strong character.

I atended interesting show once, /together with my daughter/,
it wasn`t MA show , more hipnosis hokus-pokus /you know, walkin` on the broken glass etc/ but the Showman had some MA skilz...
anyway he asked for volunteers from audience ,
it was exactly like LKJ -
-"volunteers" movments was directed by his small hand movments....
but
"volunteers" has been selected on stage before demonstration,
so my daughter was sended back...

she loves to go against suggestions ...

[wiesiek]

..."'Cause if you do that again, we'll kill you."
hehe, +1
very strong suggestion, indeed
i`m shure it works.

[Ralteria]

she loves to go against suggestions ...

Sounds like my kids. At least we can rest easy knowing that they will never be part of an LKJ demonstration.

[Chris_McKinley]

Too bad LKJ threads can't be given the same threat.