What does it really mean to be a black belt?

[quinteros1963]

With all the different styles/schools/curriculum out there. What does it mean to be a black belt? Some are promoted to shodan after 2 years others take as long as 8 years. Should we have some type of standard in the MA world? Recently I had the pleasure of training with a Nidan in Kenpo. We spared for a couple of rounds and I was very dissappointed that he didn't seem to fight like a 2nd degree. I'd like to think that I am that good but I'm just a novice. Will we ever have anything close to standards in MA? When I think balck belt I think of someone who is very good, a master of the basics! Am I wrong to hold the title with such high regard?

[JusticeZero]

Yeah; it's wrong to think that any two schools are going to rate people the same on an internal arbitrary ranking scale. It's also begging for ruin to expect that standards will be appointed from 'on high', as when that happens, generally the system turns to support the ones with the shoddy curriculum and low standards and expects the good teachers to teach badly to match.

[Wa-No-Michi]

With all the different styles/schools/curriculum out there. What does it mean to be a black belt? Some are promoted to shodan after 2 years others take as long as 8 years. Should we have some type of standard in the MA world? Recently I had the pleasure of training with a Nidan in Kenpo. We spared for a couple of rounds and I was very dissappointed that he didn't seem to fight like a 2nd degree. I'd like to think that I am that good but I'm just a novice. Will we ever have anything close to standards in MA? When I think balck belt I think of someone who is very good, a master of the basics! Am I wrong to hold the title with such high regard?

The thing about grades is that in most cases they are awarded by schools or associations, so they are only relative / applicable within said issueing group.

You can get internationally recognised grades - A former student of mine was graded to Sandan by the WKF (World Karate Federation).

The Japan Karate Federation also conduct gradings.

As far as ability / vs accademic grade, well this is an old chestnut as basically it is not always the case that one leads to another .

WNM

[Otto]

We'll never see a standard grading system in MA, and that's probably a good thing. Too many styles that are too varied, too many interpretations of the arts.

[tallgeese]

I think a unified ranking systems is highly unrealistic and probably counter productive as well.

I used to get really eaten up by the same type of thing you're talking about, I know where you're coming from. But you have to remember that there are lots of reasons to be involved with ma's. Just because a reason doesn't appeal to you doesn't mean it's not valid for someone's goals.

Be proud of what your standards are and leave it at that. Everything else is just heartburn.

[isshinryu5toforever]

Being a black belt is up to the person awarding the rank and the person receiving it. There are many aspects to being a black belt. The physical side is only one of them. You can be a master of the basics, so to speak, but they're just actions. If you can blindly do the basics, you can probably be a black belt in many schools. To others they want to see a more specific knowledge demonstrated. How to apply it, how to use it, when to use it, etc. Too many things.

In honesty, to me, a black belt is a black piece of cloth that says you stuck around long enough. It's up to your instructor to decide how long is long enough.

[sensei8]

As the black belt surrounds ones waist; so does the virtue of the black belt surrounds the practitioner!

[bushido_man96]

There are lots of good points here, and all of them are viable ways to look at the black belt rank.

Sparring is but one way to judge a level of proficiency. A good sparrer may not be good at defending himself, and a poor sparrer may have what it takes to wipe up on the street. Age can play a factor in performance, as well.

In the end, the body of knowledge as a whole should be a determining factor when considering black belt rank. Can the person teach the information? Can they perform it adequately? Best of all, can you count on what you are taught to work for you? All of these can come under consideration.

[isshinryu5toforever]

Bushidoman, I agree with you to an extent, but not all black belts are meant to be teachers. And in some people's eyes, not all teachers are meant to be black belts. One black belt may excel at teaching, and that is the reason he was promoted. He may not be the most physically gifted, but he can gift the art to others. Other black belts are extremely spirited and gifted pratcitioners. The knowledge all came very easy to them, but they have trouble teaching others. I would say that neither one is good or bad. They are simply using the gifts they were given. It is true that the ultimate testament to those that came before you is to pass on the knowledge that you have received, but not all are destined for this.

Black belts are given for many reasons. This is why I say a black belt is really given because you stuck around long enough. Different instructors have different definitions of what long enough is.

[bushido_man96]

A fine statement, isshinryu5toforever.