Jr. Black Belts

[bushido_man96]

....I remember asking a JR blackbelt for help with my kata and he said:"ask te instructor when its during class time,leave me alone,your still a yellow belt"....

In our school, all black belts, regardless of age, are expected to be able to recall all of the previous material, and be able to perform it, and they are expected to help out anyone who asks them for help. If they do not, then they are scolded by the head instructor, and usually spend time either reviewing old material, or being re-taught the material by a lower rank that knows it.

[The Karate Kid]

well i passed my shodan at 12 and second dan at 16 and everyone seems to think i deserve it, and i have no problem with jr BBs but under 12 ears old no thats to young!!

[granmasterchen]

there is definitely a lot of politics involved on the issue of jr black belts. I think that it is up to the individual instructor, if he/she believes that the student is physically and mentally skilled and mature enough for the rank then test them and grant them the rank if they pass the set criteria. I only disagree with those that don't deserve it, which is the main issue i believe. The only reason we discuss this is because we all have seen the typical jr black belt that is undeserving of the belt and rank....but we never critisize those jr black belts that deserve it. The issue shouldn't be solely limited to jr black belts but to all ranks, whether you are a yellow belt or an adult black belt, i feel that you should earn that rank, earn the belt and if at any time your attitude changes in a negative way then you should be stripped of the title like everyone else in society whether it be ms america or the president, we all represent our chosen art form and martial arts in general and we should all act in a professional manner that earns the respect from others that we crave. But in order to get that respect you must show that you deserve it....that should pretty much sums up my rant...thanks for listening....or reading.

[ninjanurse]

Well said!!!

[bbk2132]

I think the "JR" black belts in my dojo are harder to relate to than anyone Ive seen, I remember asking a JR blackbelt for help with my kata and he said:"ask te instructor when its during class time,leave me alone,your still a yellow belt",so I went to an older black belt (between 29 and 45) and he said:"show it to me,lets see where you know it up to" ,so I think the JRs are curt and care nothing more than the embroidery on their black belts and patches on their shoulders,while the more mature and older ones have more respect for the years and dedication it took them to reach their level of exellence,and have ALOT of respect for others,and the only black belt JRs that even tried to help me were 2 out of the 25 in the whole dojo! and female Jr blackbelts or any other senior ranked belt level (Brown or blue or red) tend to listen and help me more than the senior ranked students who are males,whys that? I guess I do look manly with 3 pounds shaved off,huh?

People like that bother me. Being a black belt doesn't make you any better than anyone else, maybe you know a few more katas, maybe you are a better fighter but with an attitude like that you certainly are not a better person.

I try to help everyone in my dojo. I always offer help and make sure everyone knows they can ask for it. There arn't many black belts that refuse to help others. Luckily most of the black belts have a pretty good mindset.

[jaymac]

This was a great post. I feel that in any school, there should be mutual respect amongst everyone, regardless of age, gender, rank. Anyone who comes to me and asks for assistance gets my 100% attention. I have never been disrespected by individuals older than me or higher rank, and I have never disrespected anyone of lower/higher rank or of any age. Being humble is one of the characteristics a black belt should demonstrate at all times. There are some awesome teenage black belts in our school. If I missed something because I was not there, I immediately go to those individuals and ask them to show me what I missed. I respect their abilities as black belts.

[Chuilli, Kyo Sah Nim]

well i oddly i agree with little pieces of everyone. i do not agree with giving a ten year old a black belt simply because the thought is ridiculous. but as you get into the teenage years i do thoroughly understand that some teens mature very very quickly and some are as intelligent and as capable as some adults i know, but i use the word SOME lightly. so yes around 15 ish 16ish some are capable of becoming a full fledge black belt but others are not and thats where jr. black belts come in. being a junior black belt for me means, by no means are you an instructor, you have seniority over all colored belts, you do not have any seniority over senior belts and those older than you, and that we expect you to retest for senior black belt when eligible/required. i mean this argument can be seen by many sides because some kids just aren't kids haha they just seem to skip that stage and are very advanced and independant overall in life. but there are others that just baffle me. and like many others have said, i as well show everyone, respect. because indeed it is reciprocal. and unfortunately aforementioned the 'mcdojo' phenomenon has also brought a new meaning to 'ranks' but that is truly another thread. haha

in tang soo,

k.chuilli

[GOM]

Some karate-ka seem to forget how "karate" came about. Anko (h) Itosu created a syllabus designed for children to be introduced into school systems. This is what is often refered to as PE Karate. This syllabus (or something very simliar) was introduced into the Japanese schooling system for children. What they were taught was watered down "te". Punching to the chin became punching to the stomach. Groin kicks became kicks to the stomach. Knife handed blocks became closed fisted blocks, etc...

When you sit down and think about it, the karate that we practise today wouldn't have survived if it weren't for the children of Okinawa and Japan.

Food for thought?

[bushido_man96]

That is a very interesting thought. I wonder what Itosu and Funakoshi would have thought about the "Jr. Black Belt."

[GOM]

That is a very interesting thought. I wonder what Itosu and Funakoshi would have thought about the "Jr. Black Belt."

With the curriculum that was introduced into the schooling systems (i.e watered down version of Okinawan "te" or PE Karate) of both of these men, I doubt they would have a problem with children wearing a black belt.

After all, "karate" was designed for children and the wider community. Only after a certain amount of time did the teacher tell you the reasons behind the changes.