Giving out belts

[Shotokan-Karate]

Some senseis give students belts just for turning up, i do not agree with that because it is like when they get their black belt they will think they are brilliant and when they start freefighting they will get their arsed kicked by a lower grade, what are your opinions?

[Holland]

Unfortunately you see this at all levels....even high ranking black belts seem to be given away sometimes.

Unfortunately there is nothing anyone can really do about it. Its a crummy practice, and dojos who give out belts like candy are ripping people off in more ways than one.

[shotochem]

Anyone can get a Black Belt it's only $8.88 at Wallmart!!!

Gotta love those rollback prices.

The real worth of a belt is what it means to you personally. What everone else says or does is irrelevent.

[Shotokan-Karate]

Some people (I will not list names) start their own style and give themselves a 5th dan and hand out blackbelts to other people to make their club look good, I could make my style calles Walkingdowntheroad and give myself a 7th dan at it, it is disrespectful to the whole of martial arts, it gives it no purpose what so ever

[ninjanurse]

The real worth of a belt is what it means to you personally. What everone else says or does is irrelevent.

I agree exactly! You can't make someone else accountable nor can you impose your personal standard on another. You can however, set a example for others to follow-if they choose. As a school owner, I promote students not only on what they have learned physically but on what they had learned mentally and spiritually too..and at any given time in their development one of those elements may express itself more than another-hence it may appear to those on the "outside" that the belt is not deserved based on what they "see". It is about the finished product-the "fruit on the tree" so to speak.

[The Karate Kid]

i hate this ive seen it done in clubs. im glad that it mine it isnt like that. i feel that ive worked damn hard to achieve my 2nd dan and all my previous grades so it really pi$$es me off to see people who walk around with a black belt when they really cant do much more than a white belt.

[patusai]

Some senseis give students belts just for turning up, i do not agree with that because it is like when they get their black belt they will think they are brilliant and when they start freefighting they will get their arsed kicked by a lower grade, what are your opinions?

Even those people who work hard and train hard to get the black belt the old fashion way can lose in a street fight. Karate is not the ultimate fighting method...is it one of may ways to defend and/or fight.

[RichardHangHong]

Every belt should be earned, not just given to a student so that they'll stay.

To earn a belt I'm a firm believer that they should be showing these things.

• That they are training regularly
   
  Must be showing the level of dedication expected of their grade
   
  Have the correct technique for the level they're attempting
   
  Be able to perform quality kata and show an understanding of it to their level
   
  Strong kumite and are able to handle themselves (especially at black belt)
   
  Have a good attitude towards others
   
  A humble ego
   
  A strong karate spirit

Not taking any of some of these things into consideration when grading students is just wrong. I've seen people in the past get their belts just because "They've done their time" and it really cheeses me off when others work their butts off to get their grade.

Other reasons I've seen people get "given" their belts are...

• 1) Just so they'll keep training (I heard a student say to her sensei she would quit if she wasn't passed at the grading, she wasn't worth the grade but was still passed)
   
  2) So the student will like them/won't hate them (Personal feelings shouldn't come into it when deciding if someone to pass/fail someone)
   
  3) The instructor is afraid of failing a student (they should grow a pair or not be doing the grading!)

[RichardHangHong]

i hate this ive seen it done in clubs. im glad that it mine it isnt like that. i feel that ive worked damn hard to achieve my 2nd dan and all my previous grades so it really pi$$es me off to see people who walk around with a black belt when they really cant do much more than a white belt.

Isn't it frustrating to see people get their black belts in as little as 2 years when you know they're not worth it? I see it loads in Shotokan. How long did it take for you to get to Shodan? It took me just under 5 years to get mine.

[patusai]

Belts should be earned. I am not disagreeing with any of the comments here.

Unfortunately, the definition of "earned" has different meaning for different schools. Shodan is a beginning and not and ending. Each school has different requirements and understandings of what the beginning is. If your school/style or what have you requires that you take 5 years to get to the beginning take pride in that. If your school/style or what have you requires that you take 3 years minimum to get to the point where you know enough to start learning then take pride in that. Belts should be awarded for the right reasons.

The goal of karate is the perfection of the self. It's not for me to judge. I can only judge my own and my own self and until I find prefection in me my eyes look inward...to me.