DId we forget?

[ninjacop]

I have not posted more than one or two line until now so please except my apologies in advance if this post seems a little unrefined)

did we forget?

Since I have started my martial arts journey 7 years ago I have heard more times than I can count from many of Martial artist with a great deal more experience and much more skills then I that MA is not about the black belt. Even Mr. Miyagi (not sure if I spelt it correctly) from the Karate kid only used his black belt to hold up his paints. There are thousands of comments on the MAF as well alluding to the fact that Martial arts were undertaken for some grand search of enlightenment, self improvement or self defense. I understand that that may be the case for some MA’s but how many I wonder? when I started I did so to earn my Black belt. Not Red, Green, Brown Pink or whatever. I was not looking to find my chi or save the world from the forces of evil, I wanted to become a black belt for no other reason than it has been a dream since childhood. It was not until I started learning and understanding the art that I realized what MA was all about. However In my Do Jo they have the belts all lined up on the wall (as I am sure many do) and on the very top is a black belt. As I progressed I would always think of the Black belt as my goal. It was just recently that I released that achieving the goal of black belt was not the end of the journey but rather a point as to where I needed to set new goals. and that MA is bigger then just any school or any belt. But for me anyway until I made that transformation from Karate School student to Karate practitioner to be honest, I must say it was about the belt. So that brings me this questions,

1. How many of us REALLY started because of the belts but now say “It’s Not about the belt”?

Hope I did not offend anyone

[Wastelander]

You will notice that almost the only people who have the philosophy of "it's not about the black belt" already have their black belts. I have not tested for black belt yet, although I suspect it will be coming in the next couple of years, but my goal isn't the belt--it's what the belt represents.

I don't have a "long term goal" for my training because there is no stopping point, but humans are goal-driven by nature. All of us seek to achieve an end result. Because of that, I set short-term goals. One of those, for me, is to achieve the basic level of proficiency necessary to be a black belt, but it doesn't stop there. Beyond that I have further goals to learn the entire curriculum of my style, to teach my style to others, to develop my own personal style (not in the sense of "I'm now Dai-Soke of Wastelander-Ryu" but in the sense of "This is how I do things"), and to learn things from other arts to help build up my own.

Even if I never test for black belt I will still reach the same level if I continue my training, but since the test is there it gives me a baseline to go off of.

[Montana]

GREAT POST!!! What you described about your journey thusfar I believe is typical of people who join the arts. They want that coveted black belt around their waist in the beginning, but somewhere along the line...usually after they get their BB, their perception of the arts changes. They realize it isn't just about a belt, but rather the experiences and growth that happens with serious study of the arts.

Great topic!

[Karateka63]

as a young child I cant lie, I have fantasized about getting a black belt but that's not why I started, when I started I didn't even know they had belts I was almost 5 years old. I started because I wanted to protect the ones I loved.

By age 7 I was an orange belt in TKD and at this age I kind of learned in a weird way that there are lazy people in all belt ranks so it doesn't matter what belt you wear it matters about you.

I learned this because there was this green belt way back then who I guess enjoyed rubbing it in peoples faces that he was a green belt and was talking down to people who were lower ranks and kept trying to boss people around that he wasn't given permission or authorized to boss around, so this went on for a couple of days and I finally stood up and for a couple of weeks tried to do the right thing and tell on him, we both got in trouble for disrupting class and a couple days after, he had secretly hit me in class granted I was Mad! but I felt I couldn't tell without getting punished for it and funny thing is:

someone saw him and told for me and when the sensia called for sparring he put me up against the green belt and announced to the entire class that the green belt and I had a problem with one another and that he suggest full contact to settle this and that if he ever hears from our drama again he will kick us both out of the dojo because we will distract the class from progressing so I fought him and not only did I win with less techniques but later a friend of mine who knew both of us said I broke one of his ribs, because after the fight he walked away in tears and he never returned to the dojo after that.

so just because you know more techniques doesn't mean your better by default it's how dedicated you are to those techniques that makes you a good practitioner of MA and MMA.

[ninjacop]

That is correct everyone with few exceptions who made that statement did posses their black belt and a lot of things in life the “view from the top” is always clearer. It’s much like a millionaire trying to explain how money does not mean anything to him. (Rest assured it did when he was not a millionaire) But as I have not attained my black belt yet my view however clear is still just a little clouded by what a black belt represents. I now it’s really the beginning but I still wonder how many of us in this goal oriented world would have started MA if there were no belts?

[Karateka63]

now that is a good question lol I honestly think if the U.S ruled out belts there would be a significant drop in practitioners in MA.

But if you think about it without the belt system the MA industry would prolly get better dedicated Practitioners instead of lazy practitioners who want to look and feel cool.

[honoluludesktop]

How many things turn out to be what was expected, especially when the effort to get there takes years?-)

[bushido_man96]

1. How many of us REALLY started because of the belts but now say “It’s Not about the belt”?

I think this is a driving force behind a lot of people that start taking Martial Arts. It was a goal I had at first, for sure. But, as I kept with it, I found, as many others have as well, that it isn't all about that black belt (although it is a fantastic goal and achievement). It becomes about the pursuit itself; the journey.

The big thing to me is being able to see beyond the black belt, and that its worth continuing on after reaching that goal.

I now it’s really the beginning but I still wonder how many of us in this goal oriented world would have started MA if there were no belts?

I think those that really wanted to do it would still have done it. Look at styles like Wrestling, Boxing, Muay Thai, MMA gyms; no belts there, but they still have many practitioners. I'm not sure how much the stigma of the black belt is responsible for bringing in new students, but I'm sure it is somewhat responsible. But, when you look at the number that start compared to the percentage that stick it out, it must not be that much of a driving force.

[Montana]

One thing I want to point out is that when I started training in 1975, a black belt actually meant something. They were relatively rare and a lot of work had to be done to earn (note I said earn, not get!) one.

Now days...break a board, get a belt.

Pay your fees on time, get a belt.

To young to get a blackbelt? Naw, just keep coming to class and pay those fees and little 6 year old Johnny can have a black belt in a year.

IMO, a black belt now days is almost meaningless. Judging by what I've seen at the last tournament I attended, just about anybody can get one.

This wasn't the case just 20-30 years ago.

[Wastelander]

One thing I want to point out is that when I started training in 1975, a black belt actually meant something. They were relatively rare and a lot of work had to be done to earn (note I said earn, not get!) one.

Now days...break a board, get a belt.

Pay your fees on time, get a belt.

To young to get a blackbelt? Naw, just keep coming to class and pay those fees and little 6 year old Johnny can have a black belt in a year.

IMO, a black belt now days is almost meaningless. Judging by what I've seen at the last tournament I attended, just about anybody can get one.

This wasn't the case just 20-30 years ago.

This isn't the case for all martial arts schools today, though, thankfully. I've been training for 5 years and suspect I won't be testing for black belt for another year or two--and that's if I keep working hard to learn the curriculum, keep helping to teach and keep working to develop my technique and understanding. I also know that my Sensei's girlfriend trains at a dojo under an instructor who believes that no one with less than 15 years of training should test for black belt.