kungfumaster Posted August 18, 2003 Posted August 18, 2003 yesterday i went to a tournament and i saw a couple of really bad blackbelts. the first one i watched did his little karate form and it looked really bad his stances were poor he rushed it. his kais were a joke and he lacked any real intensity. then i watched a couple black belts spar and they were just poor they didnt block but when they did they just stood there and kept movine back and not countering. i find this sad state were in today when blackbelt means nothing of course there are alot of good black belts but crappy blackbelts are nothing new these days. what are your thoughts and opinions on this? Im great you are not
tommarker Posted August 18, 2003 Posted August 18, 2003 who cares. just work to make yourself and your students the best you can be. I'm no longer posting here. Adios.
Tote Posted August 18, 2003 Posted August 18, 2003 Its really sad that you judge them. I knocked out a supposed Good Black Belts who could do 540 hook kicks with one punch. Just because their not yelling like idoits and showing intensity while thier punching into the air dosent mean that they are not good martial artists.
Warp Spider Posted August 18, 2003 Posted August 18, 2003 I'd agree, there are some black belts that are not very good, like there are some low belts that could mop up. Belts are kind of like grades in school - just because you're a higher grade, doesn't make you more intelligent or more knowledgeable. Paladin - A holy beat down in the name of God!
G95champ Posted August 18, 2003 Posted August 18, 2003 Well don't judge everything by tournments. Those Bad Black Belts you saw may have just made Shodan and it been their first Black Belt tourney so Im sure nevers played into it some. However Im not taking up for them. As far as a person holding a black belt and being a poor fighter I really don't have a prob. with that as long as they understand the art and can teach the art if asked a question about a techinque, kata, move, history, etc. IMO fighting skill has very little to do with the color of your belt. Ive seen some great white belts you can't train to be an athlete if your not an athlete. BOTTOM LINE.... However I do think a Black Belt should be able to protect himself if attacked. This is the prob. I have with kid black belts. Kids by nature can do more jumps, flips, spins, rolls, combo kicks than a 30 year old can. So yeah they look good but kids don't undertand what they are doing and I would bet 99% of them could not explain a kata or techinque if asked. Not because they are dumb but kids don't think in that hypetical state. Heck not many adults do... LOL.... So to make the point its not about looks its about understanding. However I would be ashamed to wear a belt I did not earn. (General George S. Patton Jr.) "It's the unconquerable soul of man, and not the nature of the weapon he uses, that ensures victory."
benedictbm Posted August 18, 2003 Posted August 18, 2003 I'd have to agree with G95champ. My first tournament after i got my blackbelt i placed last in everything i did. i was nervous wreck. But then as i got used to tournaments. i started doing better.
Drunken Monkey Posted August 18, 2003 Posted August 18, 2003 something just came to mind. who is the better martial artist? the one who can fight the best or the one who teach people to be the best post count is directly related to how much free time you have, not how intelligent you are."When you have to kill a man it costs nothing to be polite."
Kumite988 Posted August 18, 2003 Posted August 18, 2003 Well fighting is applying the skills you've learned to an actual situation, and teaching them is showing others what you've learned. So generally I'd think you have to have a better understanding of the skills to teach them, and not that high of an understanding to apply them. I'd say a good teacher would be better. But it really depends. Sometimes it could be really different.
CheekyMusician Posted August 18, 2003 Posted August 18, 2003 I think martial arts are like anything in life. You're going to come across people who put their all into it, and people who are half-hearted. There's easy and hard routes to take everywhere. For instance, I know a lot of people that had got grades to get into good universities, but chose to go to the lower ranked unis just because it was easier and more convenient. Its the same with martial arts. Its sad, though, because one bad black belt could drag other "good" black belts down with them. I guess its just up to each individual to prove him/herself. Smile. It makes people wonder what you've been up to.
Aka Fighter Posted August 18, 2003 Posted August 18, 2003 Sorry, but I find it hard to even look at bad black belts.Bad black belts bring martial arts into disrepute and anything that does that I don't like. By the way to me a bad black belt is something that is bred by other bad black belts, its a vicious cycle, you can't always blame the black belt himself,although I do believe it is every black belts responsabilty to make sure they are the best they can be.Do you honestly beleive you are worthy of your rank?If you have doubts start trying to change it. So thats bad black belts. Mediocre black belts are quite common when they first become black belts.Thats fine no-one can expect to be that good straight away as long as they are making every effort to better themselves. Remember people, being a black belt or any rank for that matter is not just about kicking and punching.I've fought blokes that are great fighters,but outside of the ring or mats they are total **se h***s.Those guys are some of the worst black belts I've seen.Its about the person himself and what hes learnt about himself through his training that determins what kind of a black belt he is. Some of the most impressive men and women for that matter, that I've met in my life have been black belts.Honest people, good people, understanding and respectful people, people with depth and people with patience.Some of these traits and more are expected of a black belt.
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