"What a Black Belt means to me"

[NightOwl]

Warning Opinion Ahead!!!!!

To me, Black belts as a whole don't mean much to me. 30 years ago (before my time but work with me here), if you told me you had a black belt I'd have considered it a major accomplishment. Back then you had to do kumite with little to no protection gear, and in many places a day of training meant plenty of bruises afterwards. If you did martial arts, you did martial arts, and you would have most likely had combat experience. My friend who lived in Japan during the 70's took karate while he was over there, and they were TOUGH (if you performed a stance incorrectly you would get a hard whack with a bamboo stick). But come the age of lawsuits and soccer moms who have seen 'The Karate Kid' one too many times, you can't do that too much anymore. So if you can't be sure if a black belt represents martial ability anymore, what does it represent? Time spent? It's a cliche, but the 'McDojo' phenomena has shown that you don't need to put even that much time in to get a fancy belt with patches about your waist. So if it doesn't represent martial ability (which then what is the point of studying a fighting art?), and it doesn't represent effort, what does it mean? Now mind you, there ARE places and people who put in a ton of effort to get their belts, and truely have learned how to used their art in a fighting situation. However, on the whole you can't assume that anymore...in fact it is sadly almost safe now to assume that it doesn't represent anything. I know because I've been there. From the end of Middle school to the end of my Junior year I took TKD. Including white, I made it up to my 7th belt during that time. However, as I progressed more and more I realized that I wasn't getting much better; just memorizing more forms. Yes, I probably could have made it to black...the forms were the only part of testing that you had to do well in order not to fail, but I felt wrong about doing so when I knew that I wouldn't be much more than a paper tiger. Mind, there were some good fighters there...however there were plenty of bad ones too (me being in that group). I knew someone who was so out of shape that they had trouble making it even through the forms. But because they could memorize them they got a new belt like clockwork. Subsequently I quit and since then (and after doing a lot of research into the world of martial arts), saying 'I have a black belt' doesn't do anything for me.

[bushido_man96]

To me a Black Belt represents the person that you are inside-a culmination of years of not only physical development but spiritual/emotional development too. Those that see it as only a piece of cloth that "holds their place in line" or "just another belt" are not incorrect in their belief as that is what they are taught (or not taught) in their systems. My belts represent the tenets and precepts of every system I have studied and I strive to uphold them to the best of my ability both in and out of the dojang/dojo-whether wearing the belt or not. It reminds me of the person I was, the person I am now, and the person I should be tomorrow.

Very nice, ninjanurse. I like it. Well put.

[James Bullock]

I concur with bushido_man, very well put indeed.

[jaymac]

Of course when I had a kyu rank, I thought getting black belt was quite the achievement. What a special night it was too, getting that black belt tied around my waist by my instructor. Now, I see it in a different light. There is so much I have learned since receiving that rank and so much yet to learn. As a serious student, I think Black Belt should not be the ultimate goal, just a stepping stone in the journey of training in the Martial Arts.

Night Owl, i remember those days year ago. I achieved black belt in a school where being hit by your instructor was a daily thing. We never used gear, black eyes, broken noses, and messed up shins were the norm. Training every day for 3 - 4 hours was my life for years. My black belt earned then and my black belt earned now, still mean the same to me. I just have less broken bones.

[Semaj]

The paradox is that a blue belt might think he kicks butt, but the black belt knows how little he actually knows. Becoming a black belt is a milestone, where you go back to "white belt level". You have now achieved the initial goal, but the journey through the dans is the same as the journey to black belt. It is a renewal. That's what I think