HighKick1
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In regard to the belt, truer words have never been said.
Contradictions In The Martial Arts
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That depends on what somebody means when they say their goal is the black belt. If their goal is simply to obtain a black belt you can buy those at martial arts supplies stores where they go for about five dollars. If their goal is to obtain the knowledge and skill that the black belt represents that's a different story. When somebody says their goal is the black belt they could mean the ladder.
From what I understand about the conversation, the point that the instructor was trying to make by offering to sell the belt is that its not about the belt, the skill isn't in the belt, but I think that's obvious to most people. I want to point out something that no doubt you and everybody else here already knows, there is nothing magical about a black belt or any belt for that matter. Putting on a black belt isn't going to magically give you any skill. If you've good when you're wearing a black belt you will be just as good when you aren't wearing a black belt. Likewise if your skill is terrible when you aren't wearing a black belt it will be just as terrible if you put on a black belt, wearing a black belt isn't going to change anything. So I would think when most people ask about getting a black belt what they're talking about is developing the knowledge and skills so that they meet the standards for it.
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What words, do you mean about the cost of the belt? That depends where you're buying it, and on its quality.
ap Oweyn10
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Well said
Prince_Alarming103
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Also: I asked my sensei how long it took an average person to get a black belt and she said "Average people do not earn black belts"
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Well "average" is a relative term and exactly what it means depends on the context in which you're using it and what standards you're applying it to. You could say that half of all the doctors are below average although being a doctor itself is not an average person's job. So it's all a matter of context.
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Well it can be seen as a beginning of a sort, a new beginning. This video can help explain it.
Prince_Alarming103
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There is a certain amount of truth to this. A lot of people experiment with martial arts and then move on, but the people who stick with it are something of a breed apart. We're a particular kind of wierdo that thrives in that environment, and often need it to stay relatively sane. The attainment of a black belt separates the sheep from the goats and means you're ready to start the real work.
HoffmanBot3k
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OP, this is a great question.
I have trained in a handful of styles over the years since the 80s, and the one thing I noticed is the common need for humans to signal or show off a skill (sparring, beating the hell out of a dojo bag, etc.) Think of a silverback gorilla grunting or beating his chest. Before my brain came online when I was 25, I fell into signaling via katas (or sets) and bag work.
However, there is a steep learning curve (understatement of the year), when one needs to apply these skills outside the training space. The contradiction arrives when you have a picture of what you think you are, and then some event shows you that most of what you thought you knew was installed via vainglory. Keep in mind that this of course may not happen universally.
One style in particular (I won't utter the name in order not to shame) that I trained was taught by a teacher who often touted some mighty talk about our "special" techniques. He often sounded off (silverback?) about how Technique A would knock someone out.
The contradiction: Sparring tournaments or medium sparring in the old training space once again shows you where the unexpected weaknesses exist in your school's method. You travel from thinking your style is perfect to thinking: Huh, we have rough edges too. Another contraction: In my experience, tournament sparring seemed to result in kangaroo hopping and the standard (dare I say universal) modified boxing guard (even if you fronted an exotic animal style). However, I hate generalization, so I will say most competitors sparred in the manner I described.
Last, and this is something I blog about, professional fighters also experience a rough translation from the MMA ring to the "street." Note: For many, "street" is a meme (or like Richard Dawkins likes to say, an idea, habit, tune, belief). We all tend to grace our memes with random personal experiences, nod, and feel satisfied that we are in the know. However, I sadly note that fighters like Fau Vake and Kenzhayev paid a high price to realize the "street" (often) has nobody willing to stop an encounter. Usually, those who could intervene are too busying capturing "the fight" on their phone. Conclusion: Both fighters died in their encounter in the "street."
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Before black belt is brown belt.
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Black belt is the beginning that one can start to train MA all by himself without any instructor.
isshinryuronin
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Yes, this is a good general statement. The key word is "start." By 1st degree one should be very competent in all the basic techniques and principles and can start to polish and begin to experiment with applications. But if one thinks at this point they really know the art, they are deluding themselves. When one has graduated college and completed medical school, they are not ready to perform heart surgery.
My sensei (8th dan) just returned from a 10 day stay in Okinawa to study with our master. He's done this for the past 20+ years. There's always more to learn.
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Here are some contradictions in MA:
- If you cannot apply your head lock on your opponent, you are not a good wrestler.
- If you are a good wrestler, you should never allow your opponent to apply head lock on you.
- You should always control your opponent's leading arm. when you do that, none of his defense and counter can work on you.
- You should never allow your opponent to wrap your leading arm.
HighKick1
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Or red or purple, and I am certain other colors are used.
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That is just a matter of who's the better wrestler.
As stated above, its a matter of whose better.
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I would imagine so, but in the dojos I go to or have gone to brown was right before black and from what I've seen that's quite common.
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You are absolute right on this. In MA, there is no absolute. Everything is all relative.
Here is another example:
- When your opponent grabs on you wrestling jacket, if you can't break it apart,
- When you grab on your opponent's wrestling jacket, if he can break your grips apart,
you are not a good wrestler.
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Hyoho1
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Living most of my life teaching MA in Japan, I don't even think it's worth discussing. Shodan (初段) means beginner's rank, Shoshinsha Dan (初心者ダン). If people in the West wish to interpret it otherwise, it doesn't bother me either. It's quite obvious in the way they practice and in their ability what level they are at.
ap Oweyn10
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That's how my taekwondo school did it. But more common in my experience is red right before black. As it appears in the video you posted. I'd say it was an ITF v. WTF thing, but it's not. My first FMA school also taught taekwondo. Under ITF (as my first school did). And they had red right before black as well.
Mind you, that was the last belt system I participated in, so I'm not exactly current.
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