TangSooGuy Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 I earned my black belt (first dan) when I was 15...and I place emphasis on earned. I was not given any leeway, I was not taught down to or talked down to, and I was expected to have the same knowledge, physical skills, and maturity that any adult testing for that rank was expected to have. I was expected to be able to teach what I knew to others, as well, although i did have to wait until I was 18 to get full instructor certifcation, and by that time, I was a 2nd Dan. I tested because I was ready to test. I agree that it really has nothing to do with age. If I had been told that I wasn't reeady to test because I wasn' old enough, I would have been insulted. i would have been equally insulted though if I had been able to test but had been held to a lower standard because of my age. I think it comes down to a metter of setting expectations. If a student meets r exceeds those expectations, tehy should pass, and if not, they should fail. I had the opportunity to sit on a testing panel this past weekend for some young students testing for 2nd dan. The ones who met my expectations received a passing grade from me, and thos who did not received a failing grade from me. As long as your standards are set at a given level, I'm not sure age has to factor into it. I am now 30 years old and have my 4th Dan. I never stopped training, and I don't intend to. There is simply too much to learn. I think we are selling youth martial artists short. Children will rise to meet your expectations, but you must set them high first. The ones that don't meet your expectations shouldn't ever be black belts. If you pre-judge all children and have low expectations for them, then you will have low-end achievers. Expecting more is the only way to get more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thruhiker Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 Well put TangSooGuy There are a few students that deserve their BB at an early age, however the majority of young students do not have the maturity that is needed to hold the BB. It's nice to hear that you had an instructor that truly believes that an individual MUST pass certain requirements regardless of their age to EARN their BB. It's also nice to hear that you are passing along that legacy of bring quality BB up. Keep up the good work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninjanurse Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 Just going through old posts on this thread and it reminded me that it really annoys me when someone uses their "rank" to demand respect from students....and other Black Belts. Just when I think I have let this peeve go, someone comes along and.....!!!! "A Black Belt is only the beginning."Heidi-A student of the artsTae Kwon Do,Shotokan,Ju Jitsu,Modern Arnishttp://the100info.tumblr.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karatekid04 Posted July 5, 2004 Share Posted July 5, 2004 Well there might be reasons for that but if they are good enough for a Black Belt then give it, as long as the kid knows it doesn't mean he can go and pick some fights and think he's going to win. "Smarts and Power will always Overcome" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman Posted July 12, 2004 Share Posted July 12, 2004 why does everyone care so much about black belt this black belt that? the only thing belts are for is to hold pants up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckykboxer Posted July 12, 2004 Share Posted July 12, 2004 /chuckles Miyagi... Karate Kid.... COBRA KAI...... ahh memories.. Karate no here (points to belt) Karate here (points to heart) Karate here(points to head) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramymensa Posted July 12, 2004 Share Posted July 12, 2004 Yeah, but still he stole a BB in order to enter his karate student in the contest. This is not quite OK. If I remember it well the kid was a self taught martial artist who got beaten several times. And after some weeks he's a BB. Oh my god. This Hollywood really messes up the real stuff. And honestly the kid shouldn't have won the contest. He fought poorly, but that's another story. As for BB being only a belt to keep your pants ... I've got strings to do that. My belt is my rank and has in it all the hours I've worked all my sweat, blood and pain. All the things I've learnt. All my love for my style. My friendship with the people I train with and the respect I give and receive. It shows me where I stant and where's the next checkpoint in my race. BB is not the end of the journey. It's a stage, but it should be well deserved and respected because of all the work and passion. I'm a bit poetic, but receiving it is a great honour and sets you better on your track. World Shotokan Karate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aefibird Posted July 12, 2004 Share Posted July 12, 2004 /chuckles Miyagi... Karate Kid.... COBRA KAI...... ahh memories.. Karate no here (points to belt) Karate here (points to heart) Karate here(points to head) lol, I get a visual reminder of Karate Kid every time I train as my instructor is the spitting image of the 'bad' Sensei out of KK1 - at least he only looks like him, we don't have to train like Cobra Kai, thank goodness. Hmm, I think I'm gonna have to have a Karate Kid moment later and watch the 3 films again. Ah, happy memories from the 80's! "Was it really worth it? Only time and death may ever tell..." The Beautiful South - The Rose of My CologneSheffield Steelers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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