How long should it take to reach brown belt?

[AirborneSilva]

I am not new to martial arts, but am not a black belt either. The reason for my question is this, I have a friend who has been in martial arts for maybe 2 years and will be testing for his brown belt this weekend. what are your feelings about the length of time it took him to get to his level? I am not trying to start any arguements, I am just trying to see if my thinking is right.

Thank you,

Tony

[neclos]

I think 2 years sounds okay, not too fast, not too slow. It all depends on how he performs. My teacher usually tells his students when it's time for them to test (meaning, my teacher thinks they are ready to test and pretty certain they can pass). Each person takes a different amount of time for getting to the same belt.

As for myself, it took me 3 years to get to brown from green with him. It took me 2.5 years to get to green stripe long time ago (I changed school). So... all in all, I've been studying for about 7 years and I'm still not black belt yet. Part of the reason is... even though my teacher said I'm ready, I turned down his offers to test for a few weeks until I feel I'm really ready (I set a higher standard for myself).

So, my point is... don't worry too much about the belt. I usually ask this to myself: do I feel proud with the belt I'm wearing now (as in, are my skills good enough for me to have this rank)? Having a lower belt but higher skills feels a lot better than the reverse.

[karatekid1975]

I agree. Everyone is different. One might learn faster than the next person. Or... like neclos, I've been training for 6 years and I'm not a BB yet (moved and switched dojangs a couple of times).

[AirborneSilva]

Thank you for the replies. While I will agree that achieving a brown belt in 2 years, or slightly less, is an achievable goal, however, that individual would have to be a good martial artist, not miss a class and even put in some extra time - that is just my opinion and maybe a biased one. My friend, or I guess at this point ex-friend, is over weight, uncoordinated adn not very limber at all. I have taken some class' with him and noticed that his forms are not very precise in form (no pun intended), his kicks are weak and look like a white or even a yellow belt, he couldn't kick at my head if his life depended on it (and I'm only 5'6" - he's 6'). He has complained that his former school was trying to holding him back and not giving him the grades he should of had on his tests when they have even let him walk through a couple of tests due to sugery on his ankle. So he has changed schools and was very happy to tell me that he will get his BB sooner at the new school, he then tells me a couple of months later that he is testing for his brown belt (when he had just gotten his blue from the previous school not long before changing schools). I then eluded to the fact that I think he needed to slow down a little, he then got nasty with me and said that I was just jealous because he is passing me (I have not been in school in quite some time due to money, not desire), and that I didn't know what I was talking about. I told him that there were some schools out there that just pretty much sold belts and I feard that was happening with him, I asked what he would like to be, a black belt of a good black belt - well our friendship of almost 20 years is done but I feel I did the right thing and hopefully have put a seed in his head and he slows down. I also hope that his teachers care enough to hold him in place for a while and work with him to improve the areas that he's lacking, which are considerable.... Thanks for listening to my rant and letting me unload.

Tony

[bushido_man96]

It sounds like you may be on the right track, here. There are a few things that I don't believe coincide with rank, like head kicks. However, there are some things with technique that should be pretty universal, and just walking someone through doesn't do the person any favors.

I would say that reaching brown belt in 2 years is not unheard of. I got my black belt in just over 2 years. However, everyone has different outlooks and opinions, even instructors.

In your case, you have done well by just planting that seed in your friend.

[scad]

it also depends on how often schools do testing, some schools allow students to test every 2 months or 3 months, some aloow for testing when the instructor thinks the student is ready. in my school, i test my students every 6 months, and some may say that is a longtime. but i want to give my students a chance to really develop there technique, so a bronw belt in my school takes almost 3 years. but i am not saying a brown belt in 2 years is too short, but from what you have said abotu his kicks and his forms, makes me think that he has been testing to often or has been cut too much slack during his tests. i would say the best way for you to handle this situation is set an example for everyone else in the school, where he lacking, strive for perfection, don't make this personal, if you focus on vengence you won't go very far, but set a goal for yourself to make every test you take or every technique you do the very best you are capable of, becuase if you see what is worng with one person and allow yourself to do the same, that just makes you look worse.

good luck with your training

-scad

[bpoch]

There are a few things that I don't believe coincide with rank, like head kicks.

I have to agree with the head kicks, just because he can't kick somebody in the head doesn't mean he can't kick them in the groin to bring their head down to a level he can kick it in.

Back on track to your post. As for your ex-friend it does sound like he is just chasing after the black belt. He also doesn't sound like much of a friend if he is going to let your friendship end just because he thinks you are jealous of his rank.

Everybody is going to progress at different speeds. Unfortunately, not all people are able to accept this. I've dealt with this with my sister in law. We both started Hapkido about 19 months ago.

I've made it to class 5 hours each week and she's lucky to get in 2 hours a week. We'll needless to say I was selected to test for my brown belt before her. She didn't seem understand I had over 100 hours to her maybe 20 in our current belt before brown.

[frightmaster]

I am good friends with a fellow BB in my school. We met in class. We met becasue he was a Green Belt and I was a white belt. He was selected to teach me the basics early on and we hit it off. I got so into it, thanks partically to him, that I actually caught his rank and we took our BB test together. HE has never and never will hold it against me. In fact I think he even waited for me so we can do it together. That is what it is all about. FRIENDSHIP and SUPPORT.

[setboy]

i am going to say 3 years