The Colored Belt

[Jay]

just remember a high belt isnt a substitue for a good brain

[Sensei Rick]

humility is not really humility if you do it on purpose

That is really a great statement, I may have to steal it for my signature.

.

I would like to add but this post speaks volumes. A very eye opening article indeed.

[atalaya]

one thing that i look at before advancing a student is how they have helped to further the art. when i look at the way they've interacted with students of a lower rank or when i give a student a portion of the class to teach it is important to have the belt system in place. why? so the other students can see how far that student has run the martial course and what that student may be able to tell them about the road ahead. i would not ask a yellow belt what to expect in a green belt test, though he may know the technical details, the green belt will be able to help me prepare for the test in addition to giving me the information.

belts (when used properly) can help ease an immense burden from the teacher by allowing students to interact and grow together without the constant bickering of who is right. the higher rank is usually right and when there is a doubt, the teacher will appear. the belt system gives everyone the chance to be teacher and student.

[ShoreiSmurf]

I agree fully. I worked to hard, and too many years to be where I am, and I deserve my rank and the respect that comes with it. My sensei has a philosophy: "If your not here to train, then why be here". I say this in reference here because to me it translates: "If you don't care about your rank, then why have it".

[Semper Jab]

Well said.

[Texman]

Great article ramymensa!

In the modern world, most people just don't have the ability to train full time every day, or to give as much time to it as earlier practitioners of martial arts were able to do. Given that most of us can only spend a few hours a week training...

I'll just make one point here - I think people actually have more time to spend training than they used to. It is very rare that people today in western society have to live a subsistence existence.

It is just that most people have too many things on their plate.

However, no one should ever be able to say that they don't have time to do something important. If it were really important to me, I could spend 8 hours a day training and still maintain a career. I just wouldn't have time for a family, friends, XBox, computer games, study, writing, teaching, running or general bludge time.

[jaymac]

Great article. I love my rank. I worked hard for it. In return, I am expected to display to my instructor that I deserve to be a Nidan, by constantly improving, helping out, not slack off in training. He respects my rank, why shouldn't I. He thought I deserved it, and I wear it proudly. I need to keep improving in myself and training so that I deserve to continue to rank.

[Sohan]

My rank only signifies to me what I've learned, and is a constant reminder of how far I have to go. Regardless of our rank, we are always somebody's student so it is difficult to develop too much of an ego. I am proud of what I've accomplished and always remember that I have a responsibility to uphold the traditions and honor of my dojo.

Respectfully,

Sohan

[bushido_man96]

This is a good article. In this day and age, people need to have short term objectives to lead them to long-term goals. The color belts serve to act as the objectives that lead to the goals.

[Holland]

This was a good article....and I agree with almost all of it.

The part about humility made me laugh because I see alot of it in my home dojo. You see the problem is that my Sensei is a truly humble person. The students in our dojo (my sensei's dojo) all see this and try desperately to act in the same manner. The trouble is, that it is not genuine and thus comes off as showy and kinda pathetic.

Its entertaining to watch students have a "humility contest." But its kinda sad because most people can see that its a total show.