What's After Black Belt?

[SyracuseJundokan]

Black belt is where the real training begins.

Yes, a blackbelt is just a good student. Shodan means first rank,so you could say that before that you had no rank.

Actually Shodan does not mean first "rank". Karate levels are not ranks they are grades... There is a difference with one implying hierarchy and status and the other implying ability level...

[unknownstyle]

alot of systems require at least two years in dan rank before testing and when you get to high dan rank about 5 to 8 in between

[Bloke]

In our organisation it is mandatory two years from shodan to nidan and then three from nidan to sandan and so on. After Sandan grades are awarded to individuals based on work they do for the organisation (national and international), and for diligent training.

Shodan actually means beginner grade. Sosai Oyama used to say that one becomes a beginner after one thousand days training and a master after ten thousand days.

As for what comes after Black belt - besides the next few dan grades - time to perfect the techniques you have only really scratched the surface of. Maybe you will want to get involved in teaching in your dojo, training and coaching fighters- the list as as endless as the limits of your imagination. After almost twenty years training I am still finding new things to learn.

Osu!

[kyospirit]

A black belt is just a white belt that never quit !

The Way of Martial Arts is endless !

[Jay]

As in ninjanurese signiture blackbelt is just the beginning

[Rateh]

Black belt means u are the master of your martial art

you can now defeat anyone in a fight

you should go out and test your skills!!!

congratulations!!!!

ps. Sarcasm in use

[BLueDevil]

I always believed black belt (sash in my system) is an intermediate level

[Zaine]

A black belt is where the real training begins? that not how it goes, blackbelt is just a belt, but anyway, youll get stripes up untill you get 10 stripes or if your in an okinawan system at 8th (i think,) you'll get a red and white belt then at 10th you'll get a red belt.

[Jussi Häkkinen]

Umm, in most Okinawan styles you don't get stripes to your black belt to mark your dan-grade. You get one stripe to mark a grade of renshi (usually around 6th dan), two stripes to mark a grade of kyoshi (around 7th dan) and three stripes to mark a grade of hanshi (around 8th-9th dan). Those grades aren't dan-dependable (although there are rough guidelines).

Some styles use a red and white panel belt (originally taken from judo, where it's a sign of a 5th dan black belt) to mark a kyoshi grade and a red belt as a mark of the style's head at 10th dan (in some styles even at 9th dan).

[karatekid1975]

My Tang Soo Do instructor told me that (I posted this in another thread somewhere) color belts learn the basics. Black belts learn how to use the basics.

I also believe that black belt is just the beginning. I have been training 5 years (dabbling in other MA's other than TSD and TKD), and I'm just a 2nd gup/kyu (that's an advanced student in my dojang), but I feel I'm no where near ready for BB. I still have lots to learn.

When I do get to BB, I still have WAY more to learn other than just technique (and forms, ect). It's about self discovery, also (actually the self discovery stuff started already, for me, anyways).