dan rank bars, where did they start?

[J. Pickard]

I recently spent some time training in S. Korea with people from all over the world. Something that stood out to me was that the only people who had rank bars indicating dan rank on their belt were from the USA. None of the Koreans had rank bars, none of the people from any of the other countries that I trained with had them, just the Americans. I know that in some Okinawan styles the bars indicate the title, not the rank (renshi, hanshi, kyoshi) so how did the bars come to represent individual dan rank and why does it seem to be exclusive to the US?

 

[skribs]

In BJJ, black belts have stripes for each degree. It's not unique to TKD or to the USA.

 

[J. Pickard]

In BJJ, black belts have stripes for each degree. It's not unique to TKD or to the USA.

I mean specifically for TKD. Stripes for individual da rank in TKD dont seem to be a common thing outside of the US. A few of the Canadians and Brits I trained with in korea had roman numerals but nobody except the Amerucans had rank bars. So my question is why is it ubiquitous in TKD in the US but not elsewhere.

 

[isshinryuronin]

I recently spent some time training in S. Korea with people from all over the world. Something that stood out to me was that the only people who had rank bars indicating dan rank on their belt were from the USA. None of the Koreans had rank bars, none of the people from any of the other countries that I trained with had them, just the Americans. I know that in some Okinawan styles the bars indicate the title, not the rank (renshi, hanshi, kyoshi) so how did the bars come to represent individual dan rank and why does it seem to be exclusive to the US?

Americans like to boast and show off more than others it seems. I don't know when, where or by whom the blackbelt stripe thing got started. I think the only way to get a clue is to review numerous old photos from the 1940's and 50's of blackbelts from various styles or search thru old writings. That's probably too time consuming (unless one has a lot of free time and the interest to devote to it) so may remain one of karate's mysteries. I have the time but not the interest to research it.

 

[skribs]

Americans like to boast and show off more than others it seems.

Both of the Korean masters I've trained under have had massive egos. They don't wear their stripes, but they wear their egos in other ways (ways that are more impactful on your interactions with them than if they had just worn striped belts).

 

[HighKick]

I recently spent some time training in S. Korea with people from all over the world. Something that stood out to me was that the only people who had rank bars indicating dan rank on their belt were from the USA. None of the Koreans had rank bars, none of the people from any of the other countries that I trained with had them, just the Americans. I know that in some Okinawan styles the bars indicate the title, not the rank (renshi, hanshi, kyoshi) so how did the bars come to represent individual dan rank and why does it seem to be exclusive to the US?

I have researched this before and discussed it with my GM. He said he never saw stripes in Korea nor give them out at his schools there. The only exception is when they are required in competition.
My conclusion is that they rose to popularity in the larger styles, TKD, Karate, Judo, as a means of organization and recognition. Really nothing else. In typical style, people ran with it as a way of motivation.
I do know BJJ and some Jujitsu schools adhere to stripe systems. Heck, even in my Kali experience we have titles such as Antas ***, 1st instructor, and 2nd instructor. and Tagasanay.

 

[skribs]

I have researched this before and discussed it with my GM. He said he never saw stripes in Korea nor give them out at his schools there. The only exception is when they are required in competition.
My conclusion is that they rose to popularity in the larger styles, TKD, Karate, Judo, as a means of organization and recognition. Really nothing else. In typical style, people ran with it as a way of motivation.
I do know BJJ and some Jujitsu schools adhere to stripe systems. Heck, even in my Kali experience we have titles such as Antas ***, 1st instructor, and 2nd instructor. and Tagasanay.

I guess it makes sense. When you have only a small number of black belts, you don't really need anything to differentiate them.

 

[Prince_Alarming]

Wait, a dan rank bar isn't a place to meet sexy taekwondo instructors?

 

[J. Pickard]

Wait, a dan rank bar isn't a place to meet sexy taekwondo instructors?

I think you just stumbled onto a billion dollar idea there.

 

[skribs]

Wait, a dan rank bar isn't a place to meet sexy taekwondo instructors?

I had to dig through an old hard drive to find this one. My TKD Master asked me to write up a short bio about myself (2 paragraphs) for the school's website under the "Instructors" section. I wrote two versions. This was the first one I submitted to him:

"Mr. [Skribs] is one of the instructors at [dojang]. Ladies, he’s single. He is a 3rd Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo. After classes, he enjoys going out for a nice meal or taking a long moonlit walk. He primarily teaches the kids classes. Single mothers should take note: he’s good with kids.

Mr. [Skribs] has been an instructor at [dojang] for over five years, which shows his ability to follow through on commitments. He believes Taekwondo helps develop listening skills, because he is a good listener. He brings a sharp sense of humor and a keen understanding of Taekwondo to make sure that students can have fun while they’re learning martial arts."

(I then submitted a real one, which was much less self-serving).