Would You Train Under A "No Rank" Sensei?

in the old days in Asia, when you setup martial art shop, you have folks come and ask to "teach them", i.e. a polite way of asking for a fight. those darn Asians were pretty polite up until they kicked your ass. methink, Ueshiba had experienced this sort of things many times.
personally, those who can kick my ass, i'd learn from them; those who can't, i'd learn from them too.
on the other hand, whichever other hand, those who can kick my nuts, that would just be war!

There's a difference between No Rank and Independent. I have no problem with Independent. But there are a lot pf folks out there who claim rank that is bogus... wouldn't train with them, for a variety of reasons.

I agree.

I have been trained and ranked by a man who is independent. He holds a rank which may or may not be recognised by large aikido organisations. Yet I still train with him. Why?

He has personal integrity, is sincere and I can leave, when I want, if I choose. Money is not a big driver for this guy either. Those characterisitics tell me a lot more about this person than his belt colour.

I do know the lineage of this club and I agree with those that say aikido traditions do hold some importance. I have also trained at other clubs that are affilitated with other groups. This is important for a bigger view of things.

It's a tough one. As others have said, in a martial art that does not include competition, assessing quality of an instructor is tricky.

Be cautious newbies.