Handing out belts...

[Nurvingiel]

Yeah I hate this you know why? well thats been said but It Grinds my Gears when i hear some six years old got his black in less than a year.That sort of stuff gets on my nerves.I wish i could find and post the pic of a sensei giving a kid a black belt with words overlayed saying "congratulations,Your moms check just cleared!"

Sorry for going so far back in the thread, but that was an awesome post!

I also share the dislike of people getting a belt that they haven't earned. I don't think it's fair to the student. It reflects that the student's instruction has been rushed. I think the speed of promotions depend on the style more than the school. It seems that senior senseis would agree on the testing requirements including required class hours, kata, bunkai, sparring, and whatever else they decide.

That being said, I don't think quick promotions necessarily mean a style is bad. Maybe different amounts is learned at different levels. I think it depends on the content of the martial arts as well. For example, if sparring is a large portion of the style, a student could advanced quickly due to their natural abilities as a fighter. Personally I do prefer slower promotion because it gives the student time to learn more regardless of content.

Also, a top-heavy class (a lot of black belts) doesn't always indicate speedy promotions. It could simply mean that black belts are the most likely rank to stick around and the club has not been actively recruiting new members. If you train for a while with the black belts, you can decide for yourself if they've been promoted too hastily or not.

[1st_degree_black]

ITS A LIE!

[Texman]

ITS A LIE!

What is?????

MA training is a personal thing between you and your master isn't it? How would you feel if someone told you that you didn't deserve your black belt promotion because they have been training years longer than you when you know the truth? You know for a fact that they only turn up to training twice a week. You know this because you go to every training session and they're not there. Furthermore, you have been having private one-on-one sessions with your master. Your 8 training sessions a week compared to their 2 and you're only just a bit ahead of them in terms of grade and they're telling you that you haven't earnt it?????

All I'm saying is that you have to know the full story before making assumptions

[unknownstyle]

handing out belts is bad either way you look at it. it took me a less than a year and a half to make 4th kyu. some people would say i had my belts handed to me. but my teacher has no reason to hand them out to keep me interested, because i have never paid him for a single lesson. so it all depends on the situation.

[AdmiralBob]

How short is too short to get a black belt? I got mine in 3 and a half years, going to my dojo two to three times a week. I don't feel like I was rushed, my sensai felt I was ready. I do really well at tournaments agaist martial artists who have been training for far longer than I have. (I do realize the garbage that you see at tournaments isn't all black belt material, but still.....)

[red dawn]

How short is too short to get a black belt? I got mine in 3 and a half years, going to my dojo two to three times a week. I don't feel like I was rushed, my sensai felt I was ready. I do really well at tournaments agaist martial artists who have been training for far longer than I have. (I do realize the garbage that you see at tournaments isn't all black belt material, but still.....)

I think 3 years is okay. It's is on the shorter end of the time length. It took me about 6 years to get my first degree. But then again, I started as a kid. And I had training lags and such. I think as long as you worked hard for it then you earned it and it wasn't just given to you.

[jaymac]

I know that some schools do rank their student too quickley. That is what mom and dad want - a six year old black belt. So with money, mcdojo complies. I worked hard for my rank. I know I earned it. That is what is most important. Those (students old enough to realize) who receive a rank that was just handed to them without their full effort, will know it themselves.

[tsdkid]

In our studio under our gm it takes at least 3 1/2 years.

Also Its sad when a instructor hands a student a belt.First off it gives the chiled a falus senice of sucrety.Also it gives your studio a bad name and your students a bad name.Which is horible because there trusting you with there sucrety.The martial arts in not a game or sport its a way of life.And a way of defince it should presurved not tarneshed.

[Fairfax_Uechi]

I think the speed of promotions depend on the style more than the school. It seems that senior senseis would agree on the testing requirements including required class hours, kata, bunkai, sparring, and whatever else they decide.

Actually this is totally opposite of the way it is in Uechi. The instructor can promote at whatever speed they want in their dojo in the Kyu ranks. Now at the Black Belt ranks the way you describe it is 100% accurate. Students testing for Shodan and above must pass a test consisting of a board of blackbelts. The requirements are pretty standard across Uechi dojos and organizations.

[okimura]

I've encountered too many blackbelts that can't fight to save their life. Of course, there are those that are quite proficient in a fight. Still, it seems to me that people have become obsessed with belts. First there were different colors, then stripes, then double stripes and bands, or a gold vertical stripe and band etc etc etc.

I stopped caring about rank a long time ago. I do like the system that is used in my aikido dojo, however. Kyus sit on the far left, dans on the right when starting a training session. All kyus wear a standard judo gi with a white belt. There's no way to tell someone's rank. Dans wear hakama, but you cannot tell their degree. My instructors seemed to have averaged between 5 and 7 years to earn their first black belt, which seems reasonable.

People have already mentioned this. I think it's very dangerous to give someone a black belt too soon. They'll walk around thinking that they can defend themselves or others in a situation, so they may foolishly stay and fight when they should walk away and be in even greater danger than if they had no training at all. Those dojos that hand out belts like candy, sure it's encouraging to the kids but it's doing more harm than good.