How long SHOULD it take for your black belt?

[taiji fajin]

2,103,840 minutes .

Seriously, though, there isn't a timeline where a certain amount is too much, though I can see some being too little. I'm surprised at how quickly most people are saying, to be honest. I always thought our school (our old instructor recently left) rushed people so they could get one in four years, since we are made up of mostly college students, and that way if someone wanted to earn one in their undergrad they could. I was always under the impression four was too little, and that most other schools "out there" probably took between 6 and 8.

[Belasko]

I have to agree w/ the statement that the amount of time is going to vary depending on the student, their dedication, natural skill, etc. One case in point is a gentleman that was in a class I help teach this semester. He was to all classes, every week. However at the end of the semester he still was completely lost as to the forms. Other students I have seen have achieved a basic level of proficiency within a couple of days. Those different students are going to advance through the ranks at much different rates.

[chrisval]

As far as how long it takes to get a BB, I would think it depends on what discipline you are learning...TKD might take 2-3 years where a more comprehensive art such as KSW or TSD may take somewhat longer...and I have heard it may take something like 10 years to master Aikido.

I would also agree about it takes different people different time to learn. I can learn forms in less than 1/2 the time my wife can...but my Son can learn it in 1/2 the repetitions it takes me.

[ninjanurse]

I don't think you can learn any art in 2-3 years nor master one in 10. You could become proficient in basic skills in a few years but the sublties of the art may allude you. A kyu/gup is a measure by which you compare yourself to a physical standard, a dan grade should signify that you have acheived a level where you are ready to begin learning your art. The -do(way) is part of that readiness to learn. Many practiioners today are not looking for the "way"-that is their perogative, likewise many instructors today are not teaching the "way"-that is a shame. Whatever one is looking for remains a truly personal goal, hence it means something different to each of us therefore we each have our own expectation of what a BB should be and how long it should take to get one. I received my first dan grading in a relatively short period of time-comparitively. It was difficult but worthwhile and gave me a good foundation by which I have practiced other arts but....the dan grading that I worked many more years for was by far the most satisfying and has given me a foundation by which I live my life.

[TSDforChrist]

It does depend largely on dedication, and scheduling. Let's say you train in an art that requires, on average, about four years to get a 1st Dan ranking. (I am actually using my wife's plan and Tang Soo Do as my example). Let's also say, aside from personal practice, you spend two hours one-on-one with your instructor per week. Sound good so far?

Well, that's 416 hours, over four years....or, four hours a week over two years.....or eight hours a week over one year. Now, I realize most students (and instructors! lol) don't have that kind of time for one-on-one instruction, but if you do, there's no reason you couldn't do it. My wife has the advantage of living with me, so it makes sense for her to put in that kind of effort. She will have certainly earned it if she gets her 1st Dan so quickly, and she will have put in just as much time as others - just more crunched together.

In Christ,

Phil Stewart

[ranger1100ky]

In a nutshell...

It should take as long as it takes.

Every student is different. I took 2 years to get my black belt. (And that was years ago when I was a teen...)

TODAY... if I actually got active again... I don't know HOW long it would take for me, to get to a point where I SHOULD wear that black belt again.

(I've been out of formal training for over 16 years now.)

I've seen students who could easily have legitimately rated a black belt within a year and a half...(We're talking exceptional students here, who 'really' lived and breathed TKD and worked out so much that the instructor would be letting them in right as the school opened.)

I personally don't think 'how long it takes' is nearly as important, as 'just getting there, HOWEVER LONG it takes'.

Your's in Taekwondo,

Paul

[Sam]

Also - what about different styles? some have more to learn than others... different forms are easier to learn than others.... etc. etc.

for info my organisation requires 3.5 yrs minimum no matter how much you train [at least 2 hours a week - so for instance i did around 7.5 hours [average] of training with my instructors a week. for 3.5 years. so that 1365 hours of training - but i feel ive earned the belt at least - and feel comfortable with my skill level.

I agree with Paul though - its down to the students - we cant get it faster than 3.5 years but some of the students i know work with work for so long and so hard that they develop the skill quickly.... and also you get naturally gifted athletes and martial artists...

[Kane]

Anything over 4 years, and aside from having a hard time remembering the material, I would also question their dedication. If it takes them over four years to earn a black belt, and the school does not require a four year period, I would doubt they are applying themselves very hard.

Now, if the school requires four or more years, I would be suspicious. What exactly do you teach that requires that much time to earn a black belt? All black belt means is you have mastered the basics. That takes four (or more) years? Many schools that teach this way also have 15-20 color belt ranks. Really what that is a way to scam students for more money.

Ouch. I could not disagree more. Unless Tae Kwon Do is an extremely different system from other MAs (and I assume here for the sake of TKD that it is not), then your statement is a curious one indeed.

Are you suggesting that the longer it takes to get to BB level, the less decicated the student? Learning is a lifelong process, and someone who tests for and passes their first BB rank after e.g. 7 years of training will not automatically have worked less hard than the expremely talented student who manages the same in 3.5 years (I have not seen anything less, and even this is rare in the system I train in - and btw, we only have white, brown, and black belts, not "15-20 color belt ranks", and no testing fees). Personal ability and potential vary, and dedications, though helpful, cannot change this.

As for whether it takes as "long" as 4 years to "master" the basics, I can only say that I am sure that a talented student can learn the fundamentals of all basic techniques, as well as the sequences of all forms within a year or less, but this does not mean that the student has "mastered" anything. Please do me a favour and try each and every one of your basic techniques against a non-co-operative opponent, or another heavy, strong training aid, then honestly ask yourself whether the technique works, not to score a point in competition, but to the full extent the technique was meant for (usually this means completely disabling your opponent from continueing the fight). If it does, every single time, good for you. This is what mastery of basics should mean, to my understanding, and I do not believe that many martial artists can claim this after merely 4 years of training.

Feel free to disagree, of course.

[ninjanurse]

Mastery takes a lifetime...Black Belt is just a step along the way. Who is to say how long one's personal journey should take? Time is not a reflection of quality, quality is a reflection of time.

[ronin.74]

I would have to agree with Aodhan. Hours spent training is more important than years spent. I lived and trained overseas for several years and what I saw was that students there train 2 hours a day 5-6 days a week 52 weeks a year. So your talking well over 520 hours of training in a 1 year period. Most students recieved their Black belt in 1 year. In comparison students in the U.S. train maybe two times a week for at the most 2 hours a class, 50 weeks a year that comes to 200 hours a year. Students in the U.S. generally receive their Black belt after 3 years. If you look at just the number of hours put in by students in their native country VS. the hours put in by students in the U.S. the numbers are almost the same.

"on the mountain with no tiger the monkey will be king"

Old Chinese Proverb