My friend got his brown belt after less than a year in TKD

[KarateChick06]

The belts go white, yellow, orange, green, purple, blue, senior blue, brown, red, black. Does that sound like a McDojo or is it just me? I was just laughing over it because I'm testing for my brown belt in May, and I've been at my dojo for 4 years.

[matbla]

it took me in karate 2 years to get yellow belt with green tip.

it is white ,yellow, green brown ,,black

from matt blake

[karatekid1975]

KarateChick, it's the same at my dojang (except orange is before yellow, and only red as two ranks). The belts you mentioned doesn't make it a McDojo. But the year to brown belt does.

I do TKD, and I've been training three and a half years (just in TKD) and I'm just a 2nd gup/kyu red belt. And I have had training in two other arts.

I have a question though. Did your friend have previous experience in another art? If so, that explains the quick advancement. But if your friend didn't, then a year to brown is way to fast.

[tufrthanu]

Depends...how often does he go?...does he have alot of aptitude for it?

Bill Wallace got to black belt in a year and Joe Lewis did it in 7 months.

[unknown]

McDojo!!!!!!!!!1

[Venrix]

There is, of course, the possibility that you are looking at a McDojo. However, there is also the possibility that your friend has a 'natural' ability and intense discipline (combined with highly frequent training).

The time it takes to achieve a grade is a guidline only. It is the responsibility of the instructor to decided whether a person is 'inline', 'in advance' or 'behind' that line.

To be honest though, it's not the duration that matters. The questions is: "what did he have to do to get that belt?"

For example to achieve a brown belt (2 steps from black in order to make a fair comparison) in Kyokushin Budo Kai, the candidate must demonstrate:

Pre-Grading:

• That he/she is highly proficient in Kihon of all grades up to and including the target rank.
  
• That he/she has been able to consistantly demonstrate the use of these techniques in Full Contact Kumite (including strikes to the head).
  

Grading:

• All Kata up to and including the target grade (in this case 2. Kyu - two steps to Black).
  
• 15x 2 minutes of Full Contact All Round Fighting (no protection, no breaks between rounds, new opponent each round).
  
• 5x 2 minutes of Ground/Grappling (no breaks, new opponent each round).
  
• Fitness Test: 20 pushups on fingers, 50 pushups on knuckles, 100 situps
  
• Anything else the grading instructors sees fit to ask for on the day.
  

If someone is able to participate in this grading and hold a good account of themselves (that is, to win 80% of the fights), then typically the grading is a success.

My point is this:

If someone is able to do this grading after a short time, then so be it. To be honest, I have more concern for people that get a grade 'just because they've been training for a long time' but have done nothing to 'earn' the grade (other than show up at class).

In this system, it is expected that it would take around 8-10 years to achieve a Shodan (1st Dan Black). However, one member of our Dojo achieved it in just 5 years. Of course, we also call him 'Die Kampfmachine' (The Fighting Machine) and believe me - this is no McDojo. He received his grade from the only 10. Dan in Karate outside of Japan (Jon Bluming). You wouldn't want to know what was involved in getting that Shodan.

It also looks like another member of our Dojo is set to get the grade after just 18 months (he is scheduled to grade in December this year). But, again - the man is a fighter and to get the grade he will have to fight for it (literally).

Indeed, people from our Dojo are proving to be successful quickly precisely because we are absolutely NOT a McDojo. Consider that we have a 95% drop-out rate and an average class size of just 12 people. However, to the outsider... ...one might be forgiven for thinking: "Black belt in full contact Karate and Judo after just 18 months... sounds dodgy to me..."

I guess it boils down to this:

For me, the value of my grade is a personal thing. I know what I had to do to get it. I know what I have to do to KEEP it. If a mate buys his grade from Burger King, let him get fat on it. But, don't assume that a grade is meaningless simply because of a short time taken to achieve it...

To be honest, I am not interested in my 'grade' or the grade of anyone else for that matter. The only thing that matters to me is: "Where am I in terms of my training. How close am I to where I want to be?" I am the only man on this planet that can answer these questions and neither belt nor rank can answer these questions for me.

-V-

[Grenadier]

Different strokes for different folks.

If your friend is a martial artist of mediocre talent, with no previous experience, then I would seriously consider his place to be more of a "McDojo." It takes time to develop form, technique, and conditioning, and there's really no substitute for work in a dojo if he hadn't had any previous experience.

If your friend has no previous experience, but has great talent and trains 4-5 times a week, 2 hours a day, then I would say that it's certainly possible.

If your friend has previous experience with another style of martial arts, then that's definitely possible, especially when combined with a good work ethic and talent.

In my time as an instructor, I've seen a couple of individuals who were blessed with superb athleticism, brilliant minds, and great execution skills. These two did not have any previous experience, but would soak up everything like a sponge. Combine this with a great level of dedication (10+ hours a week of class time), excellent techniques, strong and precise kata performance, and an uncanny ability at kumite, and it wasn't surprising that these two gifted individuals made it to shodan after just 18 months (normally took 3+ years).

Those two were simply at a point where there was nothing further to be gained by simply waiting. Their performances were already better than any other shodan candidate at the time, and if someone is ready, both mentally and physically, then why not? Both passed with flying colors, and I don't have any second thoughts about having cast an "unconditional pass" vote for both.

Those two went on to become instructors as well, got married, and now have their own dojo.

[jarrettmeyer]

He's your friend, right? Go watch/participate in a few classes. See what happens. From outside that wall, that school is whatever you want it to be.

Only on the inside will you find the answers you seek.

(Wow, that sounded really philosophical. Sorry.)

[Mr. Mike]

ours goes white, yellow, orange, purple, blue, green, brown, black. I've been there for a year and a month now and will be getting my green the first week of May.

Not that it has been easy...the rest of my life has been put on hold for my training. ALmost nonstop, except for the 1st month of the year, which I had been sick as a dog for. I've worked till I ached and then went past that point. Hard damned work...is my school a mcdojo? No, I have to test under the guidelines set forth under my international association, and am held to a higher standard by my instructor. I've also had years of previous experience, so most of the moves are repetition...I don't have to spend countless hours learning a new foot transition since I already know them.

[ninjanurse]

it is quite possible to acheive a brown belt in about a year (given certain circumstances) however, in my experience, most students that do this spend the next 2-3 years trying to grade for BB because they are lacking in the other qualities necessary. It is not just about how good you can kick and punch because if it was, it would be a McDojo for sure.