Faux pas

I have committed a major faux pas.

When I have trained this year at the main Chilliwack dojo of the JKA BC, it has been necessary to figure out where to stand in the line.

People are supposed to line up by rank. Sounds simple enough. All I need to is line up with the Black Belts, sort of.

I don't know what ranks of Black Belt people hold. It's easy with the 4th Dans and above. They stand in a separate group to the far right, and a few steps ahead of the rest of the line.

I only have to stand far enough to the left to avoid mixing in with 3rd or 2nd Dans, and to be in with the other 1st Dans.

You might think I should just try and be the guy on the very left of the Black Belt section of the line, and I would. If I try that, people act shocked and insist on trying to move downrank to my left. I am too old, they think. They are trying to show respect, thinking I'm in the wrong spot.

It is necessary for me to stand sort of far left, but far enough to the right that I don't cause a left-shifting movement. I've been standing in the middle of the 1st to 3rd Dan area, thinking most Black Belts are 1st Dans. Should be fine there, right?

Just saw a list of Black Belts from the Chilliwack dojo. They have no 3rd Dans at all, but do have nine 2nd Dans. Nine! Add in the higher belts from the other clubs, and I've clearly been too far to the right, mixed in with ranks higher than mine.

Looking at their pictures, I see several that I've definitely stood to the right of. Error.

This has to be addressed. Next time I'm there, I'll be way down near the Brown Belts.

This will cause confusion in another way. There is no distinction in address for belt rank. The only title is one given to denote extreme respect. The highest belts, and the school leaders, and a very few others are addressed as Sensei. When I was re-introduced to the association, the head guy called me "Sensei Gordon." As a result, just about everybody has been calling me Sensei.

Very nice, but should a 2nd or 3rd Dan be calling a lower dude, Sensei? Not a chance.

So a guy addressed as Sensei is down there lining up almost with the Brown Belts.

To be correct, I have no choice. Left I shall stand.