Icetuete Posted July 23, 2003 Posted July 23, 2003 i post this little question in here because i regard krav maga as a combative art. what i wanted to know: i know that there is a certain belt system starting with white, over orange, blue, etc till black (rather ordinary system). but since there is no krav maga training suit like the dobok or something and practicioners dont wear them for training, and since there are not krav maga competitions, neither kata (what kata in KM?) nor sparring, i dont really get what meaning the belts have. is it just to put shortterm goals ?
Kirves Posted July 23, 2003 Posted July 23, 2003 There are several KM organizations so their systems may vary. The one prevalent here in Finland has no belts, but they have "levels" from 1 to 10. It just means that when you pass one level, you are required to have learned the techniques up to that level, and are entitled for learning the more advanced techniques and tactics designed for the next level. Basically, the reason, as in any ranking system (belt or no belt), it to structure the training into logical stages from simple and easy basic techniques to more advanced techniques and combinations. A ranking system is essentially a teacher's aid in structuring the class and determining what to teach and to whom?
Icetuete Posted July 23, 2003 Author Posted July 23, 2003 so the belts in KM are senseles to some extend, because any rank system would do just as fine?
Kirves Posted July 23, 2003 Posted July 23, 2003 Belts in any martial art are senseless as any rank system would do just fine. The organization of a particular art is free to choose it's own ranking system.
Icetuete Posted July 23, 2003 Author Posted July 23, 2003 i think there is a sense behind wearing the belts in training just as there is a sense behind wearing a special suit. this sense (whatever it may be) is missing in krav maga and i wanted to know what sense there is then. u think there is no, kirves - any other opinions?
Kirves Posted July 23, 2003 Posted July 23, 2003 Why do you think there is a sense in having a rank in karate but not in krav maga? The rank is just a pointer to what you have learned and what should be taught next. And if there's a visible sign for your level (a colored belt (as in karate), a colored shirt (as in Ting Wing Tsun), a colored triangle (as in BIFF Escrima) and so on) it is there for your instructor to see so he instantly knows where you fit in, and he can teach you according to your level. I still think rank is just a tool for structuring the curriculum and aiding the teacher in class. It ain't something special.
Icetuete Posted July 23, 2003 Author Posted July 23, 2003 many people are proud of their belts, show of with them or whatever. i agree with u in many ways, but my question regards stuff that goes beyond ur (and to a big extend mine as well) interpretation of belts, such as what other people think about it. no offense meant to you
Kirves Posted July 23, 2003 Posted July 23, 2003 I think the difference is in that karate is budo while krav maga is not. If you are a budoka (a student of budo philosophy) then you should not use your belt for "showing off", nor should you care what other people think about your belt color/rank. In krav maga there are no such budo-based philosophies regarding to how and where you brag about your belt or rank. The thing you must realize is that there is no standard belt system. There are hundreds of different belt systems just in karate, not to mention jujutsu, taekwondo, aikido, and so on. In some styles there are 5 kyu ranks, in others 6, or 7, 8, 9 or some have just 3. And what about dans? Some styles say 1. dan is an instructor, some say 3rd dan, some say 5th dan. While in some styles 5th dan is the absolute maximum available, in others you can have 7, 10 or even 15! The belt system is only comparable inside the same style and art, you can't compare one black belt to another from another style, or one yellow belt from one style to a yellow belt from another. An example: a yellow belt usually comes right after white in many Shotokan organizations (not all!). What if you see a Kyokushinkai yellow belt? He has already been past two orange belts and two blue belts! How could you compare just simply "he's a yellow, and he's a yellow, so they are equal". Just can't compare. The belt system is only usable within the organization that uses it.
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