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Originally Posted by Shard
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Even now, skill alone is only the prime factor up to the 4th or 5th degree black belt levels. Skill, while still a factor in ranking, is combined with politics and age for most promotions from 6th to 7th degree. Politics and age alone are generally the only factors in promotions from 8th to 10th degree.
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Not necessarily.
In the Songahm style, taught by ATA, everybody tests for rank. When the founder of ATA, H. U. Lee, was elevated to Grand Master, he brought in ranking and recognized Grand Masters from other styles and tested in public before them and all of the Songahm students that were present (I was one of them). Upon his death, S. H. Lee became the Grand Master and did the same thing.
GM H. U. Lee's philosophy was that, regardless of rank, we are all students. I was present at a regional testing where he was the guest judge. Just before the testing, a young white belt kid asked him, "Sir, who teaches you?". GM Lee replied, "You do!".