The Black Belt

[honoluludesktop]

Rank is your instructors grading of your ability. If your style is that of an organization, and that organization conducts grading, then your rank is a combination of your instructors skill at teaching the organization lessons, and your own ability.

Ideally, you belong to a great organization, and train under a good instructor.

Karate is as much a social institution as a martial art. Grading is a part or your training. Politics are the natural human condition. Stuff happens, in Italy do as the Italians do, enjoy your art, and as long as your well being is not on the line, try not to take conflict too seriously.

[bushido_man96]

Rank is your instructors grading of your ability. If your style is that of an organization, and that organization conducts grading, then your rank is a combination of your instructors skill at teaching the organization lessons, and your own ability.

Ideally, you belong to a great organization, and train under a good instructor.

Karate is as much a social institution as a martial art. Grading is a part or your training. Politics are the natural human condition. Stuff happens, in Italy do as the Italians do, enjoy your art, and as long as your well being is not on the line, try not to take conflict too seriously.

This is pretty good advice.

Hi Jeffrey,

I was having this conversation with a very talented young Jujutsu-ka the other day.

He is a brown belt soon to go for his black belt, and when I mentioned that BB didn't really mean anything, he said "everyone that says that to me ARE already black belts".

I had to concede that he had a point.

Sojobo

The other time that I have noticed when it matters, is when someone under the age of 13 is awarded a black belt, too.

[sensei8]

It is always unfortunate that the black belt practitioner is deeply intertwined with the politics of any said organization, whether it's by design or not.

Forget the politics and/or ones devotion to said style and/or to said organization; we're martial artists first and foremost. The organization, as important or not, is nothing more than just a building without its student body; black belt or not.

[quinteros1963]

One of the Sensei came up and asked if he was going for his black belt this year? I said yes. The Sensei than replied with “you should go train at this persons club to help with Kata.” What??? Is our club not good enough?

So now the question after that long winded rant. Why is it so important to have a black belt? Does it help?

Is that why we train, to get a black belt? I have one in my closet. a belt is relative. I know of guys that have black belts after training 1.5 years. I know of 9 year old black belts. Are they black belts? Some may say yes, others no. The question should be around skill. You have a black belt; great so do I - anyone can buy one. Do you have the skill of a black belt? or to quote Sensei8 "the proof is on the floor". Show me what you got.

I'd love to be a black belt someday, but its not the end of the road, instead its the begining. So lets continue to train! Belts will come with time and skill.