April 4, 2009
The Fastest Way to Black Belt
One would think that this site is the definitive guide to getting the fastest black belt possible. My search stats certainly tell that story. There are a ton of people out there looking for this information. They also tell me about all the people looking for "black belt essays." Of course, it's unfair for me to assume they're looking to find a pre-written essay to turn in as their own; but being a teacher who has seen a lot of plagiarism, I can't help but go there when I see people searching for those words and landing on my site.
Unfortunately, people searching for "fast black belts" and "black belt essays" are going to come up short on this site. If there's one thing I can't tell you about, it's getting a black belt fast. There have been lots of delays in that area when it comes to me, so I can give those people some advice of what not to do in order to get their black belt faster.
First, don't get whiplash. Whiplash equals a two-three month delay in training, easily.
Second, don't tear your ACL. ACL tears equal a minimum of 6 months to 17 months in order to get back on the floor. And some people don't come back at all. Tearing one's ACL makes people contemplate changing their web site's name from "Black Belt Mama" to "1st Kyu Forever." In other words, it's not the route you should take if you're looking to get somewhere fast.
It always cracks me up when people inquire as to how long it takes to get a black belt. The answer is simply, it takes as long as it takes. There's no magic number of classes or years of training. If someone gives you a number (or a dollar amount), then you should probably run the other direction.
The truth is that the belt doesn't have any super powers, so there's really no reason to need one quickly. You don't suddenly learn to run across the tops of trees. You don't instantly know how to throw a ki ball at an approaching attacker, or your sister if she happens to be on your nerves. You don't instantly bring people to their knees when you utter the words, "I'm a black belt." Come to think of it, the people who wear those black belts don't have super powers either. Unless, of course, you consider all the blood, sweat and tears they've put into their training. The dedication it takes to be a good martial artist is a true "super power."
So if one is truly looking for the fastest way to black belt, then one can go to any martial arts supply store and buy one. Unfortunately, you don't need a license to purchase those belts; but I can't guarantee it will give you happiness, make you invincible, or give you any super powers. It's just a belt, and you can find a bogus one with a matching certificate on eBay within minutes. After all, it's the person's journey that makes all the difference, not the belt or its color (says the girl who's been a 1st kyu since May 2007).
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Well written, nothing I could add. (You should be getting a ton of google hits with that title!)
I can’t agree more with u on this post! Well written!
Yeah, I should change my sight motto to “Educating those who want a fast black belt since 2006.”
Thanks! 1st and 2nd kyu’s are uniquely qualified to discuss this, don’t you think?
BBM,
As a 1st kyu Aikidoka I couldn’t agree more. The only thing I see changing when I get to test for Shodan is I will wear a Hakama (and thus need to learn to move all over again).
This post http://tinyurl.com/djky5n at Ikigai does a great job of discussing this subject from another point of view.
I like the analogy that one of my training partners uses (who is a Math teacher and a Nidan).
He compares getting your black belt to getting a BS in math in that it prepares you to do real study on the subject but in no way makes you an expert, competent yes expert no.
I used to have a tshirt that said “Life is a journey, not a guided tour.” I find it rings very true with my quest for shodan. Last year I came back after a 10 year break in training as a 2nd kyu. When I passed my 1st kyu test, I appreciated it more than any other test. My shodan exam is this July, and if I pass, I know I will appreciate that accomplishment maybe a bit more than the others who pass. It will be the culmination of what I started 16 years ago, made even sweeter by knowing that 90% of my training since coming back is on my own since my dojo is 3 hours away and I only get to visit once a month.
The journey so far has definitely been worth it.
I’ve heard that analogy before, about getting to Shodan and then really being ready to learn. I guess I’ll find out when I get there. As far as Ikigai’s post, it’s a great one, but I’m still having a party when I get to shodan. 😉
BBM
Wow-that is an accomplishment. Good luck to you on your test!
BBM
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Congratulations: on passing your first part of your Black Belt Test. It has taken a serious accident and set back in your Martial Arts training, to realize that the Budoka or Deshi(student)is just that, his whole life time, A Student,to have courage and strentgh to keep on training even if your not 100% or you may never reach that 100% again.This is a form of Shugyo(Austere Training)to make changes in ones life or routine to follow the path of Martial Arts.Every day life has its own Shugyo as you have dicovered.To realize and understand a piece of colored cloth does not make the Martial artist or as its always quoted( a Black Belt )this is the essence of Budo! to be a student and Train,to always try make yourself better than the day before. I commend you! Keep up the good work. Sayonara, Mr.Z
Mr. Z, I think that’s the nicest comment ever left on this site. Thank YOU!
I hope you don’t mind if I share something that was shared with me. This is something my instructor and several of the Dans in my school have repeated to me a number of times:
A student approached the Master and asked, “Master, if I train every day, how long will it take me to reach Black Belt?”
The Master replied, “About 10 years.”
The student, obviously dismayed, said, “I’ll double my efforts, I’ll practice twice as long every day, and weekends, too. How long then?
The Master said, “In that case, 20 years.”
The student said, “I’ll quit my job, leave my family, and devote my entire life to martial arts study, training all day, every day. How long then?”
The Master replied, “Then it would take 40 years, for with one eye always fixed on your goal, you would have only one eye with which to study.”
Love that Marguerite. Thank you for sharing it!
BBM
Now I’m afraid to check how many people have ended up reading my belt musings where I’m sorting out thoughts for my own essys. It would be ironic if I ended up being thought to have plagiarized my essays because someone else turned in what amounts to my first draft.
I too should be testing this summer. If I wanted my black belt fast, I certainly wouldn’t have stayed with my sensei. I want my black belt, but I want it right, not fast.
Great post. It always makes me cringe when I hear someone want a black belt “fast”. Puh-leeze!
Well, I don’t understand the ‘black belt essay’ thing – we don’t do that in my dojo, I guess – but I do understand the black belt thing. As a 3rd kyu and looking at (one could hope, I hate testing) a year or two before black belt – sometimes I think the LAST thing I want is a black belt FAST. I know there are a lot of people who come to karate for that reason… gurgh. I think I’m SCARED more than anything to get a black belt – which is why I get more anxious as I rise in the ranks. Black belt comes with Expectation and Responsibility and you Actually Have To Look Like You Know What You’re Doing – and Lord knows I’m crap. Geeze.
I’ll be content as a brown belt. Or a white belt, for that matter. I’m here to learn, not to prove something. Or, uh, teach. 😛
Another way to NOT get a black belt though – try moving a few times a year for years – as in changing dojos every six or eight months. I’ve FINALLY stuck in one place for two years and its GREAT – for a lot of reasons, but being able to move beyond the basics is nice. Haha.
I would like some super powers but, so far at least, none of the black belts I know have shown any.
Ranking systems have their place, but maybe we’re better off without them; or at least go back to simpler and more straight forward times like the menkyo system:
Renshi, Kyoshi, Shihan, Hanshi.
As well you should.
I am just leaning towards getting a tattoo when I get there 🙂
Black belt is such a mixed up thing now, where everyone has a different idea of what it is or what it should mean. So many styles have ascribed ceremonial value to the black belt, but at its root, it’s simply a way to tell beginners from experts for competitions.
I agree with you, BBM, and have written on this subject a few times in the past. I would like to earn a black belt, but that may never happen. Doesn’t change my enjoyment of my art one bit. I would continue training even if I knew I would never progress past blue belt.
One of the things I enjoy about BJJ so much is that there’s no guessing. You can’t hide a lack of skill on the mat. I know that I earned my blue belt because of technical ability. Not for effort or for attitude (although those are also important). If I earn a purple, brown or black belt, they will also be for technical ability. It takes as long to earn a blue belt in BJJ as it does to earn a black belt in some schools. That’s a real shame.
Nice article, BBM.
There are definitely belt mills out there, no doubt about that.
The really true test of one’s martial arts skill comes down to life protection skills and there’s really no way of testing that unless you’re in a serious, dangerous, and very unpleasant situation. Hopefully, I won’t ever have to find out if I’ve truly earned whatever color belt I happen to be wearing at the time.
BBM
I don’t know if I would go that far, BBM. Historically, maybe. Nowadays, many martial arts are learned for reasons other than life protection skills. Kyudo or any of the various martial arts focusing on use of a sword have dubious practical application. I certainly don’t train in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for life protection. I train for fitness and fun, although there is a legitimate self-defense application.
I’m personally okay with the idea that a black belt is simply an expert in that art, physically and technically capable of performing at an expert level. This doesn’t mean that they stop learning.
People have different reasons for training. Many people train for little gold men, not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s just that tounament business is not my choice. I personally started training for self defense purposes. Enjoying my training and getting in better shape has been a nice by-product, but my focus has always been on learning better how to protect myself and my family, should I need to do so. So in my case, I hope I never have to find out if I truly have the skills.
The way I understand it is that black belt is not the end goal, but merely a point where you’re able to take your training to the next level. But like you said before, it means different things to different people.
Surely I don’t think that those training in sword do so solely for life protection. Walking around the mall with a sword would be a bit obvious; although if someone breaks into one of their houses and their sword is handy. . . ouch. Those who I know who train in sword do so out of a strong appreciation for the historical perspective and a desire to understand it and those who came before them more deeply. And actually, those who I know who train in that area, don’t receive any rank progression. They simply do it because they like to do it. Correct me if I’m wrong Matt, Eric, Branden, Kathy, Mr. Z.?
BBM
Well written, indeed!
People who want a fast black belt will always find one; there are far too many schools that will gladly take their money in exchange for a certificate and a belt after a few months. Those ‘paper’ black belts are hardly worth the paper their certificate is printed on.
The essay requirement for my dojang was individually assigned to each student, so I am not certain what value there would be in anyone searching online for a completed one.
My instructor cautioned us at the conclusion of our Black Belt test: the journey, he said, hadn’t ended, but rather just began.
It’s been almost 6 weeks, and I still have this surreal feeling when any student approaches me and bows.
I’ve heard a lot of people say that. That it’s the beginning.
Congratulations if I haven’t already told you so! That must be a great feeling!
BBM
I think another interesting point to note is the connotation of what it is exactly that a black belt signifies – does a black belt mean one is qualified to teach? To be considered an ‘expert’? Some form of master?
Of course the answer to this is different depending upon what art you study and what school you attend. For example, in most Karate schools a shodan signifies a solid understanding of the basics meaning that the student is finally prepared to learn the inner intricacies of the art. As such, a shodan is usually attained between 3-5 years – i.e. The ‘real’ journey is just beginning (everything before shodan is just packing).
Whereas, in BJJ a black belt does literally signify an expert – not someone that has just developed a solid understanding of the art’s basics but is likely to have contributed to the evolution of the art in some way (from what I hear, it takes between 8-10years on average) – i.e. The journey is coming full circle.
Very interesting! Thanks for your comment. I didn’t realize that about BJJ.
BBM
This has been a very interesting thread! Lately, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what it means to me to be a black belt. Like everyone here, I see it as only the beginning of my true training. I compare it to being a published author. Having books out means I’ve got some basic talent but there’s always more to learn and achieve. It’s only one step in the process. When you’re published, you’re just trading one set of challenges for another. That’s all. The same is true of your black belt. It’s only a step, part of a bigger process.
Sometimes, it’s easy to forget that, though. For example, I’ve been struggling big time with idea of beginning the long journey of step testing for my 2nd degree Dan. My master has been encouraging me to test but I’ve resisted, telling myself I just don’t have the energy to keep testing at my age (41 by the way). But the truth is, I’m (secretly) stressing about my speed break. This thread has reminded me that just because I’m a black belt doesn’t mean my training is suddenly easy – I have the same challenges I’ve always had. In this case, finding the confidence to hurl my hand against a board despite the fact I really need that hand to write!
But, still, I think I’m going to go find that test application now….
Thanks! 🙂
Thanks Riz. BBM, for reference, a 1st degree black belt in other styles falls somewhere in the high blue belt/purple belt range for BJJ.
Many terrific affiliate schools are run by experienced purple belts.
I am forever grateful that I don’t have to do breaks in my style. I’m glad you found some inspiration here. Good luck on your test!
Great post BBM.
I’ve just got my purple belt and can’t even begin to think about my next grading.
I have nephews and neices who go to a “McDojo” and it just makes me so mad. So much so that my sister and I have agreed to disagree and just don’t talk about Karate anymore.
one of the best things I’ve ever heard is “a belt is three inches to cover your @ss — the rest is up to you”
you can have a black belt and it won’t mean much if you can’t defend yourself. i would wager that there are many black belts out there that can’t defend themselves.
unfortunately it’s tough from an instructor’s standpoint when they have a lot of children in the classes who practice with their parents. Grading children and grading adults should be totally separate, because training as a child (building self-esteem and confidence) is a totally different ball game to training as an adult.
one of the best things I’ve ever heard is “a belt is three inches to cover your @ss — the rest is up to you”
Don’t know who said that for sure, but I’ve always heard that quote attributed to Royce Gracie. It’s heard a lot around BJJ schools, usually after a promotion. 🙂
No super powers indeed..
this is so sad…
That would be awful, but considering the amount of searches I get for it. . . I’d just make sure your final essay is kept personal and not broadcasted on the web.
I don’t have to write an essay either, although that part of the test probably wouldn’t be a problem for me (says the girl with almost 800 posts.
Also, in order to get your renshi license, you need to be a 4th dan in my style.
Yeah, McDojo’s are definitely annoying.
I would agree with that about the many black belts out there who can’t defend themselves.
It’s definitely an issue when you have kids and parents. However, if they’re at all like me and the way I parent, I didn’t want my daughter getting rank she didn’t deserve. She actually just started over as a white belt and I honestly think she’s relieved to start something fresh, with no expectations. Thankfully, I’ve drilled it in her enough that you want to really earn something so hopefully she continues with that attitude.
And love that quote too.
You should read that book I reviewed a while back. There’s a bunch of stuff in there about the Gracie family. “Me, Chi and Bruce Lee” is the title.
Yeah, bummer huh? 😉
I heard it from a BJJ friend, so I would say you’re probably right. 😉