“What’s it like to have a Black Belt?”

“What’s it like to have a Black Belt?”
“How long does it take to get a Black Belt?”
“How do you get one?”
These questions and many others are always aimed at black belt holders.

First of all, anybody can have or get a black belt. Anyone can buy them (even blank printed certificates to self rank) from magazine ads and martial art supply stores. And since the Almighty Internet, online purchase. Next-buy a few books, videos, online study, and do a little research, presto, then not only do you have your black belt, you somewhat have material to support it. The result is a mail order rank/belt. And sadly, people do this more often than you think.

Most people outside of martial arts, including some beginners, see black belters as having special powers and abilities. Like stereotyping, small truths are blown out of proportion to areas of outlandish beliefs. This feeling of awe is increased when those observe demonstrations of amazing feats, like breaking and such, to common types seen in the martial art school. The common types of seeing the instructor with better balance, power, and speed. Simply these are the product of repetious practice in many years. And not some “overnight mail order”.

The issue of black belt rank, itself fell upon its own scrutiny, as it wasn’t to be a method or standard to emulate skill. Somehow it became the standard and the coveted trophy or goal. Along with it becoming a standard, is the introduction of various colors before it. And the manipulation of it to motivate students coming to martial arts in the first place-“symbolic”. And there are signs in schools that read for example: “We are Committed to Black Belt Excellence” or “We Are A Black Belt School”. Like a subliminal sign posted to remind the student to remain in class, therefore remain a customer. The black belt is dangled like an apple on a string attached to a stick so that a rider (the school owner) can motivate the horse (the student) to keep going.

It would seem, most martial arts studied in Asia, are not predisposed with ranking symbols, such as belts. And as such there isn’t any “apple dangling”. Those arts in Asia that have belts/ranking have the basic principal to distinguish a level at a glance. For example, in Shotokan, the issue wasn’t about rank, as much as about proper form and application. The SKA (Shotokan Karate of America) only awarded three rank/colors-white, brown, and black. White is for eighth trough fourth kyu. Brown is for fourth kyu to shodan, a period itself lasting three or four years. And black, which in all could be up to years in total of training. The highest ranking being godan, because this is the highest rank that Funakoshi awarded. Adding more years than one outside of Japan, or with the mindset of rank importance, can ever hope to remain and obtain.

It would seem, other arts that add on many degrees seem to be in contest with others. As if the higher the degree, the higher the skill. Of course this would be like, if someone has a fourth degree and in comparison with someone having an eighth degree, does this lend that the eighth degree has double, the knowledge? The “Belt Race” or “Belt Wars” has begun and continues, for some time.

Strangely from this motivation and standard set forth for those to dangle and obtain, is a double edge sword without a handle. Belt ranking may seem to be the motivation for a student, and the school owner realizes it. For without it, the enrollment number would drop drastically, or not even climb. And so strange, that after the “coveted grail” is obtained; the drop out rate is so high. The principle of the rank is lost once it has been obtained, for it was obtaining the object of material, a not so hidden goal in the first place.

The drop out rate, seemingly demonstrates that the point of the belt, is not understood. One should not train to get a belt. Train to be training seemed to be the true path of martial arts. The belts are not the training, or learning at the end. When I received my fist black belt in a martial art, I thought of it as a high school diploma. I didn’t think I had enough, so I went to the “Martial Art College for Knowledge”. This is my conjure of how I believe I still have to continue.

An outsider, beginner, or black belt, who believes that the black belter had "made it", missed the point. Just because someone handed a black cloth that wrapped around a uniform and in some ritualistic fashion, has this as a reflection of what martial arts is about, missed the point.

How long does it take to get a Black Belt?
A lifetime in my book.

How do you get one?
The Quick, Lazy, Dishonest Way - Mail order
The Commercial Way - Paying many years of dues and ranking fees.
The Traditional Way - Earning. The natural consequence of years of sweat, blood, effort, anxiety, determination, and plain stubbornness without putting a price on it.

What’s it like to have/get a Black Belt?
I rather re-word the question;
What is it like to BE a Black Belt?

Hasn't this been discussed a thousand and one times here already?
Sorry to nitpick, but it has, this same old lame duck is discussed at every MA forum countless times over and still, to this day, really doesn't answer much or define anything.

most of these are started by people that never earned one

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You are not where you have been and you are not where you are going you are only here.

Some are replied by those who dont even deserve one

often judged by those who have no clue

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You are not where you have been and you are not where you are going you are only here.

And those who think they have a clue cannot judge

Quite simply, people are motivated by instrinsic or extrinsic values. The belt represents an extrinsic value. People can do the right things for the wrong reasons, and it is the job of the instructor to help the student move to a more instrinsic reason for learning martial arts.

By the time a student obtains a Black Belt, the belt SHOULD be meaningless. I learned this lesson from my Goju Ryu instructor. It did take a few months for the excitement to fully fade, but afterwards the belt lost all meaning and I was able to focus on technique and skill. This made for an awkward transition in Judo when I told the instructor I wasn't interested in testing or belts (in retrospec...it was kinda dumb and maybe a little ironic given that I was talking about Judo belts).

In the same vein, in my current class I want my students to feel pride when they pass a test and get a new rank. However, I don't want them to look at belts as an ultimate end. Its a difficult task, but not an impossible one. The belt system is a tool, and should be utilized just like any other tool.

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"You must eat bitter before you can taste sweet"- Iron & Silk
"I see no virtue where I smell no sweat"
"Arm yourself because no one else here will save you" - Chris Cornell

The same thing is true for a degree, it is something you earn in steps but it does nothing if you don't really know what you are doing, though overall many people have a degree and know what they are doing. The focus of attention on those that get a degree and know nothing as if it were common is out of balance with the real world.

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You are not where you have been and you are not where you are going you are only here.

took me 13 years to get one then i realized that I was just starting to learn. Belts mean nothing in my book. After I recieved mine i started training in a lot of other things and realized that a lot of the facts I had thought were true, were nothing but lies.

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Sheng Hu

DRAGONSOUL

"Don't always believe what you think."

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"It is better to keep your mouth shut and be thought the fool, than to open it and prove it so." KungFuTze
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." T. Geisel

“	"Don't always believe what you think."	”

So true

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Sheng Hu

DRAGONSOUL

“	Originally Posted By: 47MartialMan “What’s it like to have a Black Belt?”	”

It's great, it goes really well with black trousers or jeans. Mine has a big shiny silver buckle on it, but I have another smart gold buckle one for when I'm going out somewhere nice!

Seriously though, you're right MartialMan, it is one of the first questions you get asked- what grade are you or whatever. I think that there are so many variations in standard, it doesn't mean much anymore anyway. But it is a big deal to get your first black belt, especially if you have to work really hard for it. But it is a big deal for you and shouldn't be about what other people think it means or doesn't mean.

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Faith itself, compelled by the Holy Spirit, possesses an inner dynamism that necessitates deeper understanding. ~Thomas Weinandy O.F.M.

It is odd that other than TKD those who really earned one seldom say it dosn't matter while those who never earned one almost always say it dosn't matter....and almost all of these threads are started by someone that does not have one or much of anything. As far as learning when you got you college degree you were now educated but did you stop learning?

If you got a black belt and had some notion that you knew everything then you missed somehting important along the way. Besides you must of been aware of the added degrees and knew that black was a starting point.

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You are not where you have been and you are not where you are going you are only here.

“	Originally Posted By: aqira If you got a black belt and had some notion that you knew everything then you missed somehting important along the way. Besides you must of been aware of the added degrees and knew that black was a starting point.	”

I totally agree. I have acheived two 1st Degree Black Belts. One of them led to a 2nd degree, which I was very proud of. However, some of the hardest training I have done, in which I learned the most, (things like humility, discipline, a broken eye orbit is a special and unique feeling, and eating 2 PB&J sandwiches before a class on take down drills is a stupid idea..) were where you didnt earn a belt at all. Wrestling, Muay Thai, Boxing, none of these offer belts, but IMO, the sense of accomplishment after reaching some degree of confidence within the art is equal to most, (greater than alot of), black belt ceremonies.

-wu

-Wu

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Man for Sale: House-broken, current vaccinations, almost never humps your leg.

When I got my black sash, for my ceremony my master flew me to Japan where we ate sushi of naked women and then went and beat up a bunch of Karate schools and broke their signs.