What can I do to get my black belt next time

[skribs]

Are you sure the "good testing" wasn't just the polite closing statement? After our classes or tests we always say "good job today" to everyone, or something to that effect. Or was it a genuine "you did this good, and you were really solid today"?

I think you should be able to find out why you didn't pass. Otherwise, you won't know what to do. However, we are people who 1) didn't see your test, 2) don't know your specific curriculum, and 3) don't know who was doing the judging or what they knew about you. We aren't the right people to ask for specific advice in this case.

 

[Echo]

Have answers at last. Another member of my club who passed the grading attended a training course recently and was told that you cannot pass your black belt if you have an injury. If you do have an injury you must not show it. This now counts me out for ever passing, as with the reconstructed ankle I have to always wear strapping and will never be 100 per cent.
Angry that I have never been told this before. I love my martial art but wonder if I should be looking at a different more upper body focussed martial art that will not preclude a disability, any ideas?

 

[martinnharvey]

That's a stupid reason to fail someone.
If that was the case then your instructor shouldn't have let you grade.
As you get older you are going to get injuries and some of these are not going to heal.
I injured my spine at my 4th degree grading and was told by doctors and the surgeon who operated on my spine that I would have to give up TKD.
I told them that was impossible. I recently took and passed my 5th degree and the examiner was aware of my back issue so the only thing I didn't do was the flying kick breaks as the landing could cause me back problems.
I would look to moving to a TKD group that have a more enlightened attitude towards veterans and will take into account permanent problems

 

[EddieCyrax]

Have answers at last. Another member of my club who passed the grading attended a training course recently and was told that you cannot pass your black belt if you have an injury. If you do have an injury you must not show it. This now counts me out for ever passing, as with the reconstructed ankle I have to always wear strapping and will never be 100 per cent.
Angry that I have never been told this before. I love my martial art but wonder if I should be looking at a different more upper body focussed martial art that will not preclude a disability, any ideas?

lets just say i totally disagree with that premise.....

 

[EddieCyrax]

lets just say i totally disagree with that premise.....

 

[Tony Dismukes]

Have answers at last. Another member of my club who passed the grading attended a training course recently and was told that you cannot pass your black belt if you have an injury. If you do have an injury you must not show it. This now counts me out for ever passing, as with the reconstructed ankle I have to always wear strapping and will never be 100 per cent.
Angry that I have never been told this before. I love my martial art but wonder if I should be looking at a different more upper body focussed martial art that will not preclude a disability, any ideas?

1) Your instructor should talk to the examiners to verify that this is actually the rule and the reason for failing you. If it is a rule, he needs to know for the benefit of future students.

2) If it is a rule, it is a stupid one and the people who implemented it are bozos.

3) If this is the rule and you paid a testing fee, then you deserve a refund. They shouldn't let you test if they have a rule which will disqualify you from the outset and they don't even tell you about it. (I doubt you will ever see such a refund, mind you.)

4) If this is the rule, I believe it's specific to that particular organization. I don't think it's universal to TKD.

5) If you do decide to change arts, there are a ton of good options. What sort of thing are you looking for?

 

[andyjeffries]

Another member of my club who passed the grading attended a training course recently and was told that you cannot pass your black belt if you have an injury... I love my martial art but wonder if I should be looking at a different more upper body focussed martial art that will not preclude a disability, any ideas?

I would say to look for a different club/association. As a Taekwondo instructor and examiner, I can tell you that injuries (short term or permanent) should never preclude you from passing a grading.

That would shoot the whole Para-Taekwondo movement, that is being pushed so much at the moment, right in the foot.

I wish you luck finding a more reasonable association/dojang.

 

[jks9199]

Have answers at last. Another member of my club who passed the grading attended a training course recently and was told that you cannot pass your black belt if you have an injury. If you do have an injury you must not show it. This now counts me out for ever passing, as with the reconstructed ankle I have to always wear strapping and will never be 100 per cent.
Angry that I have never been told this before. I love my martial art but wonder if I should be looking at a different more upper body focussed martial art that will not preclude a disability, any ideas?

I would seek confirmation from a higher level. I could see expecting you to be able to perform to standard, whether or not you're injured, but that's not the same as "you can never pass." Make your case by showing/performing so well that there's no question about whether you're skilled enough.

 

[EddieCyrax]

Just Saying......

 

[Dirty Dog]

If true (you MUST discuss this with your instructor directly, if you really want answers) then I will say that's one of the stupidest reasons I've heard to date.
If true, it is not universal to TKD. It's not even common in TKD. This would, in fact, be the first time since I first started training (a few years ago, in 1968 or '69) that I have ever heard of such a rule.
I've passed lots of gradings with one eye.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

BTW - please report back once you have confirmation one way or the other from your instructor.

 

[Koshiki]

I will say that the martial artist in my system to whom I attribute the most important and detailed aspects of the first seven or so years of my training, and perhaps the martial artist with the best grasp of martial arts in my system, failed his black belt test twice, a few years apart.

He suffered from extremely intense asthma, and while I would want to be in a violent confrontation with nearly anyone else but him, it would have been over in seconds, he lacked the ability to make it through several hours of rigorous testing without, well, dying, quite literally.

However, he was, even before achieving his black belt, considered such a combination of skill, knowledge, and profound teaching ability that he was one of the main instructors for years before finally achieving black belt.

Which is just my way of saying that, while I have no idea what you need to do to achieve your black belt in your particular system, keep in mind that a black belt is literally just a belt, and is not necessarily in any way indicative of your skill, understanding, or ability as a Martial Artist.

The man with the most profound impact on my own Martial Arts experience only barely scraped a black belt, and never made it past first degree, and though I eventually passed him in rank, even when he could no longer train, I never stopped viewing him as the teacher whose opinion and instruction I valued most.

 

[Tez3]

It's common sense not to train or grade with an injury that will be aggravated by doing so but an injury or weakness from a past injury that is causing no problems shouldn't be a bar to grading.

 

[Koshiki]

I would hope that there might be a bit of the game of telephone going on here. I can certainly see a school saying something to the effect of:

"If a current injury is preventing you from being able to test at your full potential, we'll wait for your best possible test to pass you." In that case, I assume any legitimate school would tell you rather than let you repeatedly test and fail...

Which could easily have been passed on as, "You can't pass with an injury," which can easily be interpreted as, "no one with any long standing injury will ever pass our tests," which is a far cry from the original.

Definitely agreed though, you need some clarification on this. It's either a school demanding students' best performance, which is commendable; or it's a school being extremely disingenuous and "able-ist" with its students. 'Twixt the twain there lies a great distance.

 

[GiYu - Todd]

If you do have an injury you must not show it. This now counts me out for ever passing, as with the reconstructed ankle I have to always wear strapping and will never be 100 per cent.

I agree with the others that this is a very poor excuse. We all get injuries practicing martial arts... some more permanenet than others. The main point of a rank system is to give you feedback that you are progressing and becoming a better student. If you have a limitation, showing that you can overcome it or work around it ought to be the goal. Obviously, they should expect a rank-appropriate demonstration of the skills you aren't limited in.
I had ankle surgery two weeks ago, and will be non-weight-bearing for another month. Even so, tonight I will be dressing out and helping teach a kids' class on crutches. I'm glad I'm not at your school, since I likely won't be 100% for at least a year. Good luck.

 

[Balrog]

Just failed for the second time my grading for my black belt. My instructor does not know why and even congratulated me after the grading for doing a good grading. I was also approached by another instructor who said how well I had done. Am at a loss now I worked hard spent every spare minute on theory and practical but to no avail. I loved my martial art saw the black belt as a start of a new beginning and was really looking forward to learning more.

Only two attempts? It took me seven testings to get my 6th Degree. The feedback I was getting was (condensed): Improvement since last time, but not there yet. Work on this, this and that. I finally got it all together and promoted.

I realize this is a little late to say this, but your instructor needs to go to the testing authority and ask specifically what they saw (or didn't see), so that your training will include that and you will improve for your next testing.