How long to earn a Black Belt

[Shogun of Harlem]

I was just wondering how many nights a week the average person attends class and how long it took them to earn there Black Belt ?

[Enviroman]

Be prepared for a lot of "it depends on the style" and "getting a black belt shouldn't be a goal, it should be incidental." I agree with both statements.

Aikido takes roughly 10 years to earn a black belt (I did it for about 1.5 years and I only went up in "rank" once).

TKD can take as little as a year or two, depending on the school, or 3-4 years (possibly more).

It all depends. In general, the more traditional the school the longer it takes. Quick black belts are normally accompanied with testing fees designed to make the most money in the shortest amount of time.

[y2_sub]

Depends .. Kyokushin takes from 4 to 6 years . 4 times per week , 135 hour --> 2 hours per day

I earned my first black belt after 5 years

[parkerlineage]

Supposedly it takes 5 years to get a black belt in AK, but it depends on how hard you train, how often you go to class, and how well you pick it up. Some people take a lot longer - and, of course, there's the age requirements that make it so people like me take 10 years to get it.

[Sam]

took me three and a half.... but i train 10hrs a weekish plus home training.

[karatekid1975]

I have been training almost 5 years (4 in TKD), and I just tested for 1st gup/kyu. I go three times a week. Sometimes four (if my work schedule allows it). I also train at home anywhere from two to six hours a week (again, depending on my schedule).

[italian_guy]

In my JKD school at least 7 years. In my karate school at least 4 years (but now they are going to increase this time).

[Toolbox]

I got my black belt in Tae Bong Soo Do after about 4 years of training. I went twice a week with the occasional saturday class added in.

[Fisherman]

I am always curious as to why people become so pre-occupied with trying to obtain higher belt ranks in the martial arts. There is way too much hype behind the belt ranking system, especially in regards to black belts.

IMO, obtaining a belt should not be your goal. Your goal should be to become a better martial artist. You should always drive your self to be better because you can be, not because you will get a belt out of it.

I got my black belt after 4 years in Kungfu. I trained extremely hard in order to get there. What irritated me when I got my black belt was the people that didn't train as hard, didn't pour their heart and soul into it. They basically paid their test fee and got their belt.

Needless to say, I have little faith in the belt ranking system as a gauge to how good a martial artist is.

[Kaminari]

I am always curious as to why people become so pre-occupied with trying to obtain higher belt ranks in the martial arts. There is way too much hype behind the belt ranking system, especially in regards to black belts.

IMO, obtaining a belt should not be your goal. Your goal should be to become a better martial artist. You should always drive your self to be better because you can be, not because you will get a belt out of it.

I got my black belt after 4 years in Kungfu. I trained extremely hard in order to get there. What irritated me when I got my black belt was the people that didn't train as hard, didn't pour their heart and soul into it. They basically paid their test fee and got their belt.

Needless to say, I have little faith in the belt ranking system as a gauge to how good a martial artist is.

I agree. The belt doesn't make the martial artist good, it's the ability of the fighter. I've met black belts in this style and that that weren't as good as I would have expected, and others were better than what I would have expected. It depends on the school, the instructor, but mostly on the student him/herself.