The Missing Link concept replaces the Dan grading system with an own approach to individual development, research and learning within the community. Instead of counting up the number of Dan degrees, the Okuden and Kaiden MasterLevels require the applicant to add knowledge and ideas to Missing Link Martial Arts. A full blown thesis, accompanied by practical training, is the basis for every next grading. The grading itself happens during a dedicated workshop, the decision of success is being taken by the community, not some far removed masters. There is no political grading in Missing Link, just research work, teaching and serious training.
During the Founder Circle Seminar in Meerbusch two experienced masters attempted new Okuden MasterLevels: Daniel Schmidt approached the Okuden Level in "teaching" with a dedicated concept how to use Japanese language and traditional knowledge to analyze and structure Karate techniques and principles. Based on this research, he added an Okuden Level in "Kata" with a detailed journey into names, meanings and the Kanji of the Shotokan kata - combined with practical teaching advice how to use this knowledge in practical training.
Michele Sirigu was rewarded an Okuden Level in "Health/Philosophy" for an excellent w0rk covering Pain and how to cope with it both in acute situations and long term, connected to the question of fear and stress.
Both works will in future be available in the Missing Link Online Resources - just like any other MasterLevel or Kuro Obi thesis.
Congratulations to Daniel and Michele for outstanding work and impressive presentations (and a weekend of sweat and exhaustion at the Founder Circle Seminar).
Why Missing Link teachers are guides, not gatekeepers It’s a familiar figure in any dojo, in any art. The competitor who is untouchable in point-sparring but freezes when the context changes. The kata specialist whose form is a breathtaking display of athletic perfection, yet who possesses only a superficial understanding of its application. The historian […]
Sensei Heero Miketta about Empowering the Student… and the Teacher Traditional karate, and many well-known martial arts, are built on checklists. Kihon, Kata, Kumite: three sacred pillars, three tick-boxes. Master the external performance, copy your teacher’s version, receive your grade. But where did these boxes come from? Kihon drills and kata sequences have grown more […]