White belt or old belt?

[Kyokushin]

Just curious what you instructors think about what belt a new student should wear when coming from another style. I personally think that they should start out as white belt, but to my surprise came across an instructor who said it's no problem to wear your old belt. Just wondering what the rest of ya thought

[SaiFightsMS]

Generally one starts a new style as a white belt. However when there are similarities between styles there may be schools who accept the old rank.

[karate_woman]

I think it depends on the policy of the Sensei. There are reasons for both methods, though if the styles aren't similar, then the crossover really isn't appropriate in my opinion.

 

We had a nidan in Wado Ryu come in and train with us for a couple of years and earn his shodan in Goju. He was allowed to wear his black belt the entire time, as - he had no problem with the basics, he just needed to learn our kata. Sensei did that out of respect for his knowledge in Wado, and I felt it was much fairer to him than charging him $35 for each belt from yellow to brown.

[three60roundhouse]

I'm agreeing with Sai - my instructor will let you wear your belt if the styles are VERY similar, if somewhat similar, he will decide which colored belt you should wear (usually one or two ranks below what you have), and if it is in a very dissimiolar style, you will start as a white belt. Everyone starts BJJ as a white belt. NO exceptions.

[Pacificshore]

Funny because I was of the "old school" thought that if you went to a different dojo, you started out at white belt, no matter if the style is similar or not.

 

When I studied Shotokan, the Sensei allowed me to maintain/wear my black belt from Chinese Kenpo. To that I was actually surprised. Now since my Kenpo katas were just about the same as the Shotokan katas, it didn't take me long to pick up on the katas, just needing to employ different stances.

 

Now my thoughts are if the styles are similar/ or not, or the person has an extensive ma bkground already, then I don't worry about them wearing theie current rank while they learn my system.

[G95champ]

I will always allow the new students who come in fron other schools to wear the rank they held in that style. I respect that rank but I do not reconize it as a replacement for our belts. If they choose to stay in our class they will go back to a white belt.

 

Black Belts who come in are a differant story. I teach them from step one but I would never ask another black belt to wear a color belt again. Our ranks pretty much go hand in hanrd with what kata you are learning at that time so most students realize where others are at in our system.

 

If a person comes in with a Gold belt in TKD or a Green belt in Judo or a Blue belt in something else I pretty much say thats cool and I find out really qucik if they are on par with our Kuy leval for that rank.

 

Most color belts are willing and ready to start over with a white belt but again a Black Belt means something and once you hold that rank its hard to take it off and I would not ask anyone to do that. Even if I felt they were the worst MA I had ever seen. I respect the rank but I do not reconize it in my class.

[karate_woman]

I will always allow the new students who come in fron other schools to wear the rank they held in that style. I respect that rank but I do not reconize it as a replacement for our belts. If they choose to stay in our class they will go back to a white belt.

 

Black Belts who come in are a differant story. I teach them from step one but I would never ask another black belt to wear a color belt again. Our ranks pretty much go hand in hanrd with what kata you are learning at that time so most students realize where others are at in our system.

 

If a person comes in with a Gold belt in TKD or a Green belt in Judo or a Blue belt in something else I pretty much say thats cool and I find out really qucik if they are on par with our Kuy leval for that rank.

 

Most color belts are willing and ready to start over with a white belt but again a Black Belt means something and once you hold that rank its hard to take it off and I would not ask anyone to do that. Even if I felt they were the worst MA I had ever seen. I respect the rank but I do not reconize it in my class.

What if the black belt was a completely different style - for example a judo black belt going into a karate club, or vice versa?

 

I'm seriously thinking of exploring my judo beginnings again, but I only received an orange belt in judo and never got a certificate (the instructor that gave me the ranks was a brown belt and couldn't be a member of Judo Canada anyway). In any event it has been 15 years since I left judo, but with my more recent jj and bunkai experiences, I would think I could do most of the moves - if not all, though remembering what everything is called, and going back to using the gi to hold onto instead of the body would take some refreshing. It will suck to go back to white again when I did actually have a rank in judo, but perhaps I can grade a little faster - I think they let you do that in exceptional circumstances. Anyway, being a white belt would be a no pressure situation for me, so I guess it doesn't really matter....I'll have to talk to the Sensei and see what he suggests - I'm certain I won't be wearing my black belt, though - that was for karate. I'd actually rather not wear it - it would be cool to wear my orange belt again, but I'd certainly understand if I couldn't wear it, either; I have a lot of work to do to re-earn it.

[karate_woman]

I will always allow the new students who come in fron other schools to wear the rank they held in that style. I respect that rank but I do not reconize it as a replacement for our belts. If they choose to stay in our class they will go back to a white belt.

 

Black Belts who come in are a differant story. I teach them from step one but I would never ask another black belt to wear a color belt again. Our ranks pretty much go hand in hanrd with what kata you are learning at that time so most students realize where others are at in our system.

 

If a person comes in with a Gold belt in TKD or a Green belt in Judo or a Blue belt in something else I pretty much say thats cool and I find out really qucik if they are on par with our Kuy leval for that rank.

 

Most color belts are willing and ready to start over with a white belt but again a Black Belt means something and once you hold that rank its hard to take it off and I would not ask anyone to do that. Even if I felt they were the worst MA I had ever seen. I respect the rank but I do not reconize it in my class.

What if the black belt was a completely different style - for example a judo black belt going into a karate club, or vice versa?

 

I'm seriously thinking of exploring my judo beginnings again, but I only received an orange belt in judo and never got a certificate (the instructor that gave me the ranks was a brown belt and couldn't be a member of Judo Canada anyway). In any event it has been 15 years since I left judo, but with my more recent jj and bunkai experiences, I would think I could do most of the moves - if not all, though remembering what everything is called, and going back to using the gi to hold onto instead of the body would take some refreshing. Anyway, being a white belt would be a no pressure situation for me, so I guess it doesn't really matter....I'll have to talk to the Sensei and see what he suggests - I'm certain I won't be wearing my black belt, though - that was for karate. I'd actually rather not wear it - it would be cool to wear my orange belt again, but I'd certainly understand if I couldn't wear it, either; I have a lot of work to do to re-earn it - just checked the Univerity of Toronto's site, which lists the grading syllabus, and there is a LOT of stuff I haven't done in a long, long time, but I've done some of the higher belt stuff...oh well.

[G95champ]

At the YMCA I teach at now their is a Judo class going on as well. The guy who teaches it trains with me one night a week and he is new to Karate in general but I allow him to wear his Black Belt but he works basics, kata, etc with the lower ranks.

 

As far as color belts for one class or 2 yeah thats fine to wear you old belt. I will always treat you with that rank but that does not replace the knowledge you are going to get or have to have to equal our rank. Add to that Blue Belt don't always mean 7th Kuy or Red Belt don't always mean 4th Kuy etc. So once they join up then yes I will put them in a white belt.

 

Im my first post I was refering to a one class deal more or less just people trying it out or who just wanted to train and not get rank in what I am teaching.

[hobbitbob]

I was allowed to wear my (Wado 2d Dan) black belt when I switched to Shotokan in 1992 due to lack of Wado schools in Karlsruhe. I also only tested for Shodan (JKA), not for kyu ranks. At the TKD club in Maryland I voluntarily put on a white belt out of respect for a completely different style! I also advanced quite quickly and became part of the instructor group after three months (so much for stealth mode! ). At the seibukan Dojo I study at now I wore a white belt the first night, and was invited to stay for the advanced class. Since then I have worn the black belt, and will test for certification in Seibukan next summer in Naha.

 

My personal criteria has always been that if a student has strong basics,and is coming from a similar style, then the wearing of his black belt isn't an issue. For kyu ranks I think that White belt is a good choice. They will frequently advance to their previous level very quickly.