DId we forget?

[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.

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.

True, not all dojo's and sensei's are handing out black belts like confetti, but I've seen many examples over the last 20 years of schools that do. You'll see the best examples of this at open, all style tournaments. There are people there sporting multiple dan black belts that have no power, speed, focus, control or technique.

There was a thread on here a few months back of a woman testing for her first black belt that was just awful, and forum members (including myself) were pretty amazed at his woman passed. I'll try to find the link for the utube video and post it here.

[ninjacop]

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.

even thay have belts they are going for only not colored. So without the belt in the begining as a goal who would have started their journey in the first place?

Edited June 10, 2011 by ninjacop

[tsd1592]

I disagree Some Instructors still make you earn it. I know in the studio i train in. It was minimum of 4 years before you were even eligible for a black belt. In the 13 years i trained under him He olny promoted 6 blackbelt and 5 of them were a family and no they did not all get there black belt at the same time. The black belt still means something its your job to earn it not buy it not have it handed to you defiantly not brake a board for it. You earn it with dedication hard work and love for your art. You need to find a reparable school and instructor. they are easy to find when your truly looking for one simply because the crap schools and mcdojos eliminate them selves by eater word of mouth or within seconds of talking to the instructor. You will know this school by

1 its not fancy it will look the part not shiny and perfect but often sweaty and well worn usily a blood spot or 2

2 the focus will be on the art and technique not the money or awards If they mention money before telling you about themselves or there style you will want to probably want to go some wear else

3 The instructor will be knowledgeable and take his job serious he will go trough each technique with you until you are proficient with it.

[Wastelander]

True, not all dojo's and sensei's are handing out black belts like confetti, but I've seen many examples over the last 20 years of schools that do. You'll see the best examples of this at open, all style tournaments. There are people there sporting multiple dan black belts that have no power, speed, focus, control or technique.

There was a thread on here a few months back of a woman testing for her first black belt that was just awful, and forum members (including myself) were pretty amazed at his woman passed. I'll try to find the link for the utube video and post it here.

I would be interested to see that, actually.

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.

even thay have belts they are going for only not colored. So without the belt in the begining as a goal who would have started their journey in the first place?

That is true, but wrestling, boxing, Muay Thai and MMA all have well-formed competitive circuits. In those styles your goal can be to reach rank of a different sort--the top ranks of your division. People tend to need motivation of some sort to start and, while for some it may just be exercise or self defense, I suspect a lot of people still had the goal of reaching black belt when they started training in a traditional art. We don't have the same competitive circuits to use as goals, with the exception of Taekwondo and Judo, and the schools that focus on competition tend to give rank based on your competitive prowess, anyway.

[Dobbersky]

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.

True, not all dojo's and sensei's are handing out black belts like confetti, but I've seen many examples over the last 20 years of schools that do. You'll see the best examples of this at open, all style tournaments. There are people there sporting multiple dan black belts that have no power, speed, focus, control or technique.

There was a thread on here a few months back of a woman testing for her first black belt that was just awful, and forum members (including myself) were pretty amazed at his woman passed. I'll try to find the link for the utube video and post it here.

I disagree Some Instructors still make you earn it. I know in the studio i train in. It was minimum of 4 years before you were even eligible for a black belt. In the 13 years i trained under him He olny promoted 6 blackbelt and 5 of them were a family and no they did not all get there black belt at the same time. The black belt still means something its your job to earn it not buy it not have it handed to you defiantly not brake a board for it. You earn it with dedication hard work and love for your art. You need to find a reparable school and instructor. they are easy to find when your truly looking for one simply because the crap schools and mcdojos eliminate them selves by eater word of mouth or within seconds of talking to the instructor. You will know this school by

1 its not fancy it will look the part not shiny and perfect but often sweaty and well worn usily a blood spot or 2

2 the focus will be on the art and technique not the money or awards If they mention money before telling you about themselves or there style you will want to probably want to go some wear else

3 The instructor will be knowledgeable and take his job serious he will go trough each technique with you until you are proficient with it.

I'm grading for my next Dan Grade in October, but I know I am going to get "battered" and I am sooooooo looking forward to it. it gives me the chance to prove to myself that I am worthy of that grade.

To me I understand why you see so many 1st Kyu Brown belts/1st Gup Red belts who don't want to take their Black/MidnightBlue Belts even though they have been that grade for 5 years plus because they have not reached the level required to pass the test. to me being a Black Belt is about being able to train with any colour belt but still being able to perform to the same standard required of Yudansha (graded martial artist). A Black Belt doesn't need to be checked, or told you need to do this you need to do that whereas a Mudansha (ungraded martial artist) does, I don't know why it is this way it just is.

[ps1]

I started when i was 6. So I really didn't know anything about belts. Actually, I remember seeing a kid doing a spinning kick on "The Karate Kid" and i wanted to learn how to do it. However, as I went up through the ranks...certainly, I wanted to earn the black belt.

That said, now that I've been a black belt for a while (over 14 years now), I can say that i have plenty of students that don't care about rank. But they are only adult students. The are set in life and comfortable with who they are. They aren't doing this for self esteem or enlightenment. They are doing it for the enjoyment of the thing itself. That is the ultimate difference between someone who wants a black belt and someone who doesn't care.

[tsd1592]

but you are right it is not about the black belt its about the art or at least it should be. we should all strive to be the best we can wile giving back to are art you see we don't earn a black belt we learn a style or a way of life the belt is only a symbol to show our years of training. I don't know about you guys but i wear my rank in my head and heart i know what i can do and how good i am or am not. I need no belt to hold my karate. But i can tell you right now when your promoted to black belt in my old studio. you deserve to it was not handed or bought. It was gained trough the old cleshay blood sweat and tears with hard work dedication and a lot of man hours from bout yourself and the instructors. If you have a black belt and don't fill as if it means anything that is because in your heart you fill as you didn't earn it. Thats not the belts falt or your instructors falt its our jobs as artes to earn it. know one can tell when that is its something you fill inside of you in 13years i never made a black belt ever but i can tell you this i ernd my rank i am very proud of what i accomplished. now i have been to studios that have revewd me and offerd to put a black belt on me on the spot. i declined y because when i get my black belt it will be because i proved to my self that ernd it. not because i know the technique. Also i do believe the only reason thay started using a belt system was for military men and wimon to distinguish there difference in rank by time spent in the art. with or without a balt i am the same person. Y it is not about the belt but the jernoy getting there. There are still people out there who make you earn it they make sure you are physically ready technically read and the main one mentally ready for it. Black belt or not master or not only you can know what that belt represents. And i promise you when you have ernd it in your heart you will not worry about how other got it but will be happy because you know you both deserve it and are ready tyo represent it with confidence and dignity. Not shame or regret

[DWx]

Maybe going against the trend here but I can honestly say blackbelt wasn't my ultimate goal when I started. I wanted to be able to smash boards and bricks with my hands and feet and land 720° kicks after running up the wall and backflipping off it. Too much Jackie Chan I guess

Having said that, blackbelt kinda became my goal when I was sort of mid kup level but then it was something that was in sight and eventually attainable (unlike the 720° kick!).

[Groinstrike]

3.5 years ago i started martial arts because i felt that i needed an outlet for pent up energy. I was 22 at the time, i started just wanting to learn grappling and mma. However, the more i became emersed into the culture i found myself more interested in the combative side. I realized that i had no desire to compete in a cagefight, so combative concepts took a front seat. I still work on grappling, boxing, wrestling and MMA in general always keeping in mind their combative application. So i guess to answer the question, when i started i had no thoughts of becoming a black belt. It didn't really dawn on me to even test for a rank until our instructor threw me a green belt about 2 years ago. I am now 2nd kyu brown and feel as though i have a good ways to go before even thinking about testing for black. For me atleast it is more about the journey than the destination.

[jassling]

Deleted.