A Black Belt: to seek or not to seek...that is the question.
I want to discuss something very important this week. The definition of a black belt. There's a big problem with it, however. There is no universal certification process. A black belt in one system may mean something else and be representative of a completely different skill level.
From my article "Avoiding Mcdojos..."
"First of all, I must explain that, in this day and age, if somebody has a 'black belt' in a
martial art style, it doesnʼt necessarily mean a whole lot. In other words, there is no
universal certification process. So many different schools, clubs, dojos, or organizations
issue black belts to students, with various different requirements and curriculums
relating thereto. Therefore, a 'black belt' can mean so many different things to different
people.
"If you wanted, you could go to any martial arts store, local or online, and buy yourself a
belt of any color you desire. You could buy yourself a certificate, embroider your belt to
your liking, and call yourself a 'black belt' in whatever style you would like to claim. If
you really wanted to go crazy, you could throw 10 stripes on your new belt and call
yourself a 'GrandMaster.' Depending on how much money you have, you could even
open up your own school and make a business out of it!
Sadly, people do just that. This is why there has been an epidemic in the MA world,
called McDojos."
I respect the ranks of those who can show me proficiency. Luckily, I live in an area where there are not many McDojos. I have two articles dedicated to finding a good school and how to avoid Mcdojos:
http://appliedmartialartstraining.com/articles/avoiding_mcdojos.pdf
http://appliedmartialartstraining.com/articles/six_steps_to_findiing_a_g...
I also know people who are amazing martial artists, yet they don't have a black belt in any style. Yet they are ten times more proficient than plenty of black belts I've known.
So...what it really comes down to is...IT DOESN'T MATTER THAT MUCH!! It takes a tremendous amount of discipline to earn a black belt, but you don't NEED a belt to tell you how good of a martial artist you are.
In this day and age, one can learn so much from the internet. Youtube has thousands of free instructional videos. All you have to do is get a partner, watch videos together, and practice the techniques. You don't even have to pay for that training, at least, in monetary units. Just be careful about websites that want to take your money. You may be able to find free learning materials elsewhere, so do your homework. This DOES NOT substitute hands-on training with a qualified instructor, but is an option if you either don't have the money or don't live anywhere near a good school.
Training by yourself is harder, so it is recommended to find a partner that is equally enthusiastic. It's not impossible to learn by yourself, but it's very, very difficult.
Some styles don't even have a belt ranking system, often times intentionally. Muay Thai, Boxing, Wrestling, some styles of Wing Chun, MMA, etc., would be examples of these.
If all you care about is a belt, you shouldn't be doing martial arts. Just buy yourself one of these: http://www.starcostumes.com/items/Karate-Kid-Cobra-Kai-Deluxe-Adult-Costume.aspx?utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=comparisonshopping&source=googlebase
That's a huge problem with people coming to martial arts. They are what I call "Belt Chasers." When all you care about is that gold star, that letter "A" grade, that "black belt," you don't care as much about the material that earns those things. A good example would be school. How many times have you only cared about getting straight "A"'s? Most of the 4.0 students (including myself) I've known cannot recall everything they've learned from classes they've aced. Perhaps they wanted a scholarship, their parent's approval/support, to be recognized as "smart" and "educated," and so on and so forth. THAT is where we are sometimes "Punished by Rewards."
All of my students know that they must care about the material and NOT the belts. That's why I have only 3 belts. It takes about 4-5 years to get to black belt in Applied Martial Arts. If you care about getting a new belt every month or two, my school (or any of my affiliates) is not for you. Other martial art instructors have voiced the argument that "students need motivation. They need to have short term goals that lead into long term goals, and more belts give them that step-by-step motivation they need."
Well, if a belt motivates them more than the combat training...I don't want them as my students. Not only that, but students have to pay for testing fees each time they test. The more belts, the more money they have to pay.. with greater frequency. Some schools have increasing testing fees the higher the rank. Some are reasonable. Some are not. I've heard of some schools that charge close to $1,000 for black belt testing. Am I a bad businessman because I'm not milking the money from my students from every possible angle? I don't care. I care about my students and teaching them self-defense and martial arts. I've chosen this to be my profession because I love it, not because it can make me rich.
The point of this article is that we should care about the techniques, the philosophy, the art, and everything that has to do with the martial art itself RATHER than "belt chasing."
Learning martial arts is much more personal than just the belts. The belts do not define you. Your personal dedication, discipline, and devotion to combat training and martial arts can have more meaning than 3 or 10 or 50 stripes on a "master's" black belt.
Remember: fighting is fighting. Combat is combat. I've heard the saying, "A black belt only covers 2 inches of your ass, the rest you need to cover yourself" and "A belt is only used for keeping your pants up (or your gi on)." No matter how you say it, learning how to fight, defend yourself, and protect others is a very personal process that goes beyond the idea of a belt. If you live where you can carry a concealed firearm, perhaps you can get a licence, practice 4-5 hours a day on your draw, accuracy, reload speed, and BAM! You're a powerful martial artist!
Wait!
You may be thinking, "did he just call a guy with a gun a martial artist? Blasphemy!" To me, anything that has to do with The Art of War is martial arts, whether hand-to-hand combat or not. Traditional martial arts STILL use, and teach the methods of, swords, bo staffs, nun chucks, and other IMPRACTICAL weapons in our day and age. If you can call a Japanese Kendo Master a martial artist, why can't you call a professional sharpshooter a martial artist? Mmmmmh, interesting eh? I suppose "ancient Japan" sounds more exotic and fantastic than a modern-day cop or soldier.
To me, it doesn't matter. Combat is what we teach, and COMBAT is what we care about. NOT the philosophy of "you need a black belt to save your arse on the street."