Ranking Systems.  In kettlebell sport we have a ranking system.  Not quite like the military - and you won’t see a Rank 3 fetching coffee for a Master of Sport.  No, it’s more like martial arts.  Our ‘Master of Sport’ rank is a lot like a black belt, but without ability to single-handedly subdue a room full of would-be assassins.

Of course, much like blackbelts, there are many Masters of Sport.  
In fact, I’ve read some estimates as high as 350,000 black belts working in the U.S.  Then again, the World Registry of Black Belts, who attempt to tease out the pay-for Black Belts, lists just over 400 names across North and South America’s.

There are many with the rank, but fighters are also ranked against each other. Most MMA sites host or produce their own pound-for-pound best fighter lists, many of which listing who they believe to be the top 10 fighters in the world.  But like McLeod would say, there can be only one.

In kettlebell sport we all have equal opportunity to achieve rank without resistance.  But to be a champion you have to dig a bit deeper, and go head to head with your peers (or perhaps, your former idols).  It’s true - achieving rank can be a very intrinsic process, a way of measuring personal progress, but at every rung of the ladder you also have the opportunity to make your mark - to stand out amongst the other rank and filers.  Sure you can hold the rank, but can you beat everyone else in the division?  You may look at that proposition as being motivated more by status than personal progress - but could chasing rank ultimately be holding you back?  It might be.

The original Ice Chamber Article: Ranks, Belts, & Kettlebell Sport

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