What does rank mean? In Bujinkan it can be several things. In other arts, rank is a very important aspect of the training. People in other arts generally work towards a goal and when they achieve it, they are rewarded with a new rank. Some instructors require a student to develop special skills to advance, where as other instructors will base grading on acts of one kind or another.. gifts to the dojo, being a good person, etc.
There are several common traps that people fall into that fall under the issue of rank. Listed below are just a few.
#1) "I am 7th Kyu now and I don't ever have to or want to go back and do that silly 9th Kyu stuff." People sometimes feel that since they have graduated to the next rank that everything 'under' that rank is a waste of time to work on. This is a very dangerous way to think. In the early part of training, a person will work on rolls, proper punching and uke, etc. If these things are not refined over time then it's just like the person didn't do any of the training at all. Think about a basic uke nagashi. It takes a very long time to develop skill with this technique to actually use it to effect the opponent's balance instead of just blasting away at the arm.
#2) "Wow I am Shodan now. I don't need to train with those 6th kyu people anymore. They are not my rank and there's nothing I can learn from them because I have such a higher rank than they do."
I have actually heard people talking this way at seminars. It is really silly to think that you cannot learn from anyone based on the person's rank. We once had a man who trained in a kung fu style for 10 years who came to our class and wanted to start as a white belt. He was very good at what he did and therefore had a vast knowledge of combat from a different viewpoint than the people at class. Everyone learned a good deal of positive things and ideas by this man being in class, and besides that, he was a very good friend as well.
#3) "I am now 3rd Kyu. I should be able to beat the heck out of someone of ______ belt status in _________ (insert art of choice here)."
This is really crazy to think this way. Some people will think that what they know is really 'The Stuff". It very well could be, but there is always someone who is better out there. Always have respect for the other arts. One person I know, went to a Karate tournament, to 'test out' his new skills. After 3 hard kicks to the head he realized that these other arts can be quite dangerous as well as what we do. He came back and told me he had a new respect for the other arts.
I personally feel that rank should be viewed in a few different ways. I think that it is a guide as to where you are on the path and not a label so much as something that is definite. People should always push themselves to get better all the time and not settle for anything. For example, Joe Shmoe is studying techniques to test for 7th kyu. Instead of just putting all of his focus on the things he needs to know, Joe is also studying the Japanese language and also some of budo culture by reading martial arts books. Not everyone will push themselves, but remember that it is your training and you get out of it what you put in to it. I personally know one guy who studied really hard and made shodan within 3 years, bypassing some of the people who had been training before he started. He made a decision that he wanted to not just learn the techniques and the body movement, but he wanted to know it inside and out as well. He went to every seminar, every class, read every single article on Ninjutsu, read everything he could get his hands on because he wanted it that bad. On the day he got his shodan, several if the other students looked at him with jealousy in their eyes. It wasn't him they should of been mad at, but it was themselves. No one was holding them back but themselves! They could have taken the test right next to him and passed as well. So the moral of this story is, Go for it! Be like Nike and Just Do It!