Junior Black Belt?

[sensei8]

Then, by some of the posts, my style and myself are WRONG because we, Shindokan, issues JBB to those karateka's that are between the ages of 13 - 17, even before our reasons are truly understood, and/or, respected by the masses. It's just our way, but, it appears to me that that's not acceptable to those outside of the Shindokan Hombu!

It's all good!

[Montana]

Just because we don't agree with it doesn't make it wrong. My biggest pet peeve is young kids (6-12) that wear black belts.

If that's ok in your (anybody's) dojo, then that's fine. For me though, I see those kids and it makes me laugh because of what I personally think a black belt represents and means.

[sensei8]

I don't agree with the practice of kids ages 6-12 wearing a full fledged black belt, but it's there way and I can't prevent it, nor do I want to.

Our JBB's aren't full fleged black belts in the sense that adults are, both of thier curriculums/testings leading up to the JBB/Yudansha are different across the board.

Edited September 28, 2010 by sensei8

[bushido_man96]

And what are the emotional responsibilities that come with being a black belt?????? Lots of people mention this, but never elaborate, so I am interested in what others have to say.

I've personally come to the point that I don't agree with the term "junior" black belt. A style should either have an age requirement for black belt or not, and stick with it.

AGREED! To me, a black belt symbolizes the skill level of the person wearing it, and that person should be able to handle themselves against the majority of people they should encounter on the street This includes ADULTS! Under that definition (MY definition), a 6-15 year old kid wouldn't qualify except under an extremely rare circumstance.

And I don't see anything wrong with your viewpoint. I think that when one makes this decision, one needs to be on one side of the fence or the other. Playing a middle ground doesn't really help out anyone.

[Evil Dave]

Wherever I go this is an emotional topic, specially having a blackbelt under 16/18. In the school I came up in, we have an adult system and a junior system. There was a adult and junior program with the main difference being the adults having a self-defense program and divulging deeper into the bunkai of the various kata. The one nice thing about this school was that we did spend a lot of time with the teenagers working on leadership and training skills.

[ps1]

I guess I'm summarizing what I stated in an earlier post, but here's how I see it.

In BJJ, you can't earn a Black Belt before you're 18 years old. Once you earn it, you simply are a black belt. Age plays no part in rank from that point on. So an 18 year old black belt is not considered any less than a 28 year old black belt.

This statement is similar in my Shotokan school. An 18 year old black belt does not rank below a 28 year old black belt. They are simply black belts.

It, therefore, baffles me as to why a 14 or 10 or 6 year old black belt, who met the exact same testing requirements, should receive any different treatment.

It just makes more sense to me to simply not allow them to earn a black belt until you're going to give them all the honors and respect that comes with the rank.

For me it's this simple; If they aren't old enough to serve my country in war...they can't be a black belt.

[bushido_man96]

For me it's this simple; If they aren't old enough to serve my country in war...they can't be a black belt.

Not a bad way to look at it here.

[Zaine]

For me it's this simple; If they aren't old enough to serve my country in war...they can't be a black belt.

Not a bad way to look at it here.

Agreed, that is a perfect way to sum it up.

[madtanker]

I believe firmly (and this does not come from a master martial artist, but a master sharpshooter and former security enforcement expert) that a belt no more symbolizes OVERALL maturity than a license to drive, a CCW (CHL, CPL, license to carry) etc. We have all seen incidents where 'responsible' adults mess up when defending themselves, or understanding the law.

It is up to the teacher of the art to understand when the artist is truly a master of the art before bestowing the responsibility of mastery. It is also up to the teacher to ensure emotional understanding of what that responsibility carries with it. (My understanding is that a 'black belt' carries with it a license to kill in self defense, although I do not know if this is true or not; I am a novice to the internal workings of MA).

Maturity and responsibility have very little to do with how many years you have dragged your body around this rock we live on, and much to do with the person's internal maturity level. I know 40 year-olds that I would never certify as an expert in firearms even if they could shoot the eye out of a body target at 100 yards. I also know a 13 year-old that I would trust with me if I needed a backup in a gun-fight.

[MasterPain]

(and this does not come from a master martial artist, but a master sharpshooter and former security enforcement expert)

Umm, sounds like a martial artist to me.