Can the average person earn a black belt?

[pers]

Karate is a skill that takes years of dedication ,perseverance and hard work to master or reach mastery and to be able to teach it to others , surely they must be rewarded for it not ?

why would anyone expect to get it for free or next to nothing ?

by the way I am not a master or a sensei but just a student who has been training for about 29 years , every penny I have spent has been more than well worth it .

if you really want to excell in martial arts such as karate or any art like even music you have to pay for it and sweat for it , otherwise it will be waste of time .

learn it from the best you can find and even pay for it twice as much as the other club down the road if you have to , it will be money well spent !

[mal103]

A question for the instructors....

Don't answer if you rely on MA for a main or second job, or part of your income.

If you had several students come to you and said we will sort out payments for insurance, Gi's, hall-hire, equipment and everything - please can you come here and teach us your art - when it suits you - at no expense to yourself.

Would you still go and teach them?

If someone recognised you in the street and said they were having trouble learning their next Kata and could you help.

Would you help them out or would you suggest they turn up and pay the fee...?

[AdamKralic]

If that guilt you into doing stuff for free bit works...

I am going to try and guilt the tire guy into giving me new tires!!!

Certainly an auto mechanic does car repair for the honor and joy of being an auto mechanic!

[Rateh]

I DO rely on teaching martial arts as my only source of income. I spend 35-40 hours a week at the school and I make less than I did when I worked for Walmart. I barely scrape by. And by barely I mean some months I haven't been able to afford food, yes food.

I'd absolutely love if the world worked in such a way that I could just teach for free and somehow have a place to live and food to eat, but it doesn't. And expecting instructors to somehow live in this magical world, or to work a full time job and then teach for free part time is more than a little ridiculous IMHO.

We don't expect doctors, teachers, firefighters, police officers, those in the military, those in the government, or any other profession to do their jobs for free, why should we expect martial arts instructors?

Also, I have only been paid for teaching in the last 2 years, prior to that I DID teach for free. And guess what, I'm a much better instructor now than I ever was because I have been able to dedicate all of my time towards that, shouldn't I be fairly compensated for my expertise?

I'm sorry if this post comes across as rude, I don't mean it that way. I just feel that the idea of martial arts instructors not making a living off of what they do to be a bit insulting. I teach for the love of teaching, but I also need food and shelter.

[Spartacus Maximus]

In all the years sing I have been involved in karate and interested in martial arts I have never ever heard of an instructor teaching for nothing in return. A short survey of martial arts history proves that the idea of students paying their instructor in some form is at least as old as the martial arts themselves. All the earliest accounts of martial arts tells us that students were expected to take care of their teacher in exchange for training. Most of the time payment was in the form of meals or work maintaining the training place and equipment or the instructor's home and yard.

Each student gave his time and did whatever he could. For example a student who was a good carpenter might build makiwara for everyone to use. This type of payment was very common in post-war Okinawa when most people had no money and many depended on sharing and exchange. Even nowadays it is considered the bare minimum for students to pay their share of dojo expenses and volunteer their time for cleaning and repairs. Whether it is money, time or food, your instructor deserves something in return for devoting his time to sharing his skills with you.

[sensei8]

With a serious minded student; a black belt is attainable...in time! How long? I've no idea!!

However, there isn't enough money on the planet to lower my integrity for the sake of a students rank generated ego. Earn EACH rank...one at a time. Btw. Imho, the most important rank isn't the BB; it's the white belt! Without it, the rest of the possible ranks aren't possible!!

[wagnerk]

My current association is non-profit (my CI can do this as he is now retired and not dependant on this), so any fees are put back into the club. We charge £20 (approx. $31) per month and that includes insurance, gradings, class fees, etc... If the average is about 4 years to get to Chodan/Shodan, then you're looking at about £960 (approx. $1500), provided you pass every grading.

I have trained in for-profit clubs (nothing wrong with them, standard wise) and it cost about £2700 (approx. $4250), again doing multiple classes per week and passing every grading.

I ran a club for a year (as part of my 2nd Dan grading) and the only thing that my students had to pay for was the grading (£20 - that went to the association and £20 for the insurance - that went to the insurance company), my teaching time was free as well as the training place.

I have trained in other places which are more expensive.

So, it really depends on where you go and what you do over a certain length of time...

[OleOle]

"Can the average person earn a black belt?"

Yeah, I think so but it's like anything in life, what you put in is what you get out. I don't see it as a money thing, I see it relating more to perseverance and time.

[Nidan Melbourne]

I believe anyone can achieve the rank of black belt. Many believe many are under the belief that if they pay an amount they will get a black belt with minimal training.

But I am under the belief that people that want to get their black belt should put the time and effort into it.

We pay $85 per month which covers training fees, grading (including belts and certificates), insurance and training hall fees (to pay rent). The only other things we pay extra for are uniforms and sparring equipment for when we need them. And the only time a student will pay for a new belt is if they happen to lose their belt.

[bushido_man96]

More to the point unfortunately these days; "How much does the average person need to pay to earn their black belt?" Everything seems to have a price. Insurance your child doesn't need - £20 a year. Tuition - £50 a month. Grading by your own instructor £30 a quarter. Non recognised black belt grading for a 10 year old - £100. These figures are typical. Okinawan Masters were humble people, Karate for some is no longer an art, it's money for old rope. Thoughts?

I think the average person can earn a black belt. I consider myself pretty average. I don't think quite as many instructors out there as you make out are just trying to sell belts and make money. I think its also important to realize that its not the same as it was 50 or 100 years ago. Things change, and many times, revisionist history gives us a false idea of what things were really like "back in the day."