If a Knight has not paid their yearly dues, can they still wear their belt? Yes. They simply do not advance in the program.
What happens if someone stops paying their dues? They continue to wear their current belt but they do not advance. They do not collect the attendance value to capture their requirement sessions for advancement. Example, a Yellow-rank Knight does not renew and they attend 6 sessions after gaining that rank. They are interested in advancement to the next rank of Orange which requires 12 months. Their original 6 that qualified them for Yellow accounts for their current rank and future rank; however, because they did not pay their dues for the previous 6 sessions, those sessions do not qualify. Only future sessions after they paid their dues count towards the Orange rank. The Instructors may make a call on whether the previous sessions (or a percentage thereof) may count on a case-by-case basis.
Can a Knight wear their original “Legacy” sashes? Yes, the original sashes we wear up until the start of this program will be considered “Legacy Belts”. Legacy Belts may continue to be worn but the stripe that indicates the rank will no longer be updated by SaberCraft, however we can supply the fabric.. It will be up to the person to add that stripe on their own accord. This is part of the reason we are moving to Kung-Fu sashes as it is more convenient to purchase a belt rather than to find a tailor (or someone who sows) who is available to update their sash. Upon moving up in rank, when awarded a new color sash, they will be expected to wear their new sash or an updated stripe on their Legacy sash.
What happens when a Knight does not bring their sash to class? Why go through all this trouble without actually using our sashes? Knights must wear a belt in class at all times. If a Knight does not have their sash with them, we will have a variety of colored belts available as loaners but if a particular color is not available - then a Yellow loaner belt will be provided.
Where can I see the number of classes I have attended? View our Knights Attendance Roster.
Testing
Additional requirements will be created over time as this is a living document. For the program kick-off and until those requirements are made, each level of knight has a number of CMs that they must commit to. These CMs may be demonstrated by successful attack and defense either in class demonstration or in a recorded LUMINA battle.
Legacy Testing Standards: Can Knights opt to take the old tests? Yes, those who are grandfathered-in for 2022 may opt for that. Knights that are either manually grandfathered-in or new Knights cannot take the old tests.
Acceptance
Knighting Voting Procedure
Candidates who wish to become Knights will need to be voted in. For each candidate, a team of random Electors will be randomly chosen and they will vote whether the candidate is allowed to become a Knight. This prevents control by total majority or by potential cliques that may develop. It is expected that most candidates will be accepted but for those that are rejected, there should be a clear reason why they were rejected.
- Each round of candidates is reviewed by the Instructors. Instructors are encouraged to get a consensus of the active Knights to see if there is a reason why the candidate should not be in the program. If there is a voice of dissent, there must be a reason presented.
- The case will then be reviewed by the Instructors who may then either early reject the candidate or they can abstain and the information is then forwarded to the Elector Knights. Instructors may interview others that may be involved with the rejection. Instructors may also interview the candidate to see if there is a rebuttal.
- A group of randomly assigned Knights will make up the Elector Knights who will then vote on the candidate via Google Forms.
- If Approved: the Instructors may move forward and purchase the sash and schedule a date for presentation. They should verify the candidate will be in attendance prior to presentation.
- If Rejected: an Instructor will inform the candidate as to why they were rejected for the program.