As it has been announced, despite I never liked them, this year Kinbaku LuXuria will issue certifications for people willing to become instructors of our style. This decision was taken because of certain unpleasant facts that have been going on recurrently and more and more frequently.
Just to give a few examples, there has been a guy who had a few basic classes with me, still a beginner, someone who I would not recommend as totally safe, that has been going around saying he was my student, and that I would have suggested to him to stop taking classes with me because he was “too good”. This guy used my name to get models confident enough to tie with him. More than once, people that had some classes with me in a sporadic way, started teaching. Some of their students applied for my classes and I realized they were taught things completely wrong, and sometimes in a dangerous way. Another example, very blatant, is a guy that came for an intensive at my place. I gave him a basic class on some ground works of this style. He was not particularly brilliant as a student. He went back in his country and started making tutorials (full of mistakes), promoting himself as an expert of the style. He was even introduced on stage at a festival as “The student of Wildties”, this in front of many people who actually studied hard with me. Even worse, he started organizing Naka Ryu workshops (on the studying with me and using the Naka Ryu name I'll write later).
This style is becoming very popular, everyone wants to learn it and to teach it. It starts to become dangerous and upsetting and I don't want my name associated to people who I don't think are safe, nor the name of my Sensei. Of course certifying educators will not prevent people from giving classes on what they learnt from me the day after their class. But, at least, their customers will have the possibility to know if Wildties personally thinks that that person is prepared enough to teach in his name.
Before entering in the detail of the Educator certification and how it will work, I want to clear up some points that should be common sense, but seem not to be fully understood by many (or they pretend they don't).
1- Having taken a few class is not the same as having studied throughly with someone. Just like if I assist to a lecture at M.I.T I cannot go around saying I studied at M.I.T, having one or two classes with me does not make you my student (Same applies to Naka Sensei as he clearly stated to me in Tokyo this summer). A person should study in a continuous way, throughout time, with an educator to be called his student, pupil or deshi. Otherwise he can say he is inspired or that he has done some classes, which is very different.
2- Naka Akira Sensei pointed out to me clearly that I have my own style, in the mood and in the technique. People that study with me are learning my interpretation of Naka Ryu, hence my style. People should refrain from using the Naka Ryu name if they never met, or met just a few times Naka Sensei to study with. He was extremely clear on the fact that while I am his deshi, and had the honor to be accepted in his Ichimon, the ones that study with me are part of my circle not his (just like I could not claim to be a student of Nureki sensei because I study with Naka Sensei, who studies with me is not automatically Naka san student). Only few people are authorized to teach in his name, and the students of these are learning the interpretation of that particular educator, which might differ a lot from that of another authorized educator.
3- Learning a TK and a few basics does not make you an expert of a style. A style has a philosophy behind it, it's constantly evolving, has many variations. Giving classes on a Naka Style tk after a couple of classes is silly. I remember a guy having 3 days of class with Naka Sensei that came back saying “Naka San ties the suspension line only on the upper wrap”. Well, believe me (or look at videos), I saw him tie on the upper wrap, on both wraps, and once directly from the cuff. The truth is that this style is very fluctuant and every situation has its own way of being dealt with according to the desired result, not to mention Sensei changes a lot according to periodical preference. Only who has a full view of the method can teach it without making claims that can easily be denied.
4- Even if you can tie a style properly (I would say decently actually) that does not make you an educator. Being able to manage a class, to solve any problem that might arise, to personalize ties according to the student/model needs, having a good pedagogy, this means educating. Learning a pattern and teaching it is not educating, there are too many variables you are still not aware of. Just like no one would get driving classes from someone fresh out of driving school, even if he got his licence with a full score. Common sense again.
For all the above I have decided to publish a list of my students (of course for the once that what to be in such) and start certifing educators that can teach my style. Certification will be divided in 3 levels, Educators for beginner classes, intermediate and advanced ones. While, among my students, I already know who can teach what, to avoid ego problems I will issue a test for each level. Students will be tested on rope skills (knowledge of patterns, flow, ability to improvise, speed etc) as well as pedagogic skills. Each exercise will have points assigned and a minimum will be required to pass the test. Test will be conducted at students request and if failed a time of at least 6 month will be necessary before a second attempt. I will request that at least 8 month pass before requesting to be tested for the following level and that the student has Educated in at least 10 classes of that level.
While I know this will not prevent some to still use my name or that of Sensei without permission, taking advantage of it, I hope this will at least give people the possibility of checking information in a better way. Please note that in my recent trip to Tokyo I have discussed the subject with Naka Sensei and had his full approval as well as his precious advice.
Of course this will be free, and only for those who intend to use my name and brand. All the other students can say freely they have got class or workshop with me, and spread their own interpretation of my work. But that will be very different than doing things in my name or pretending to be my deshi or by proxy that of Naka Sensei.
Riccardo Wildties, Naka Nawa Ichimon
