Failing a belt test

[Kenpoguy123]

So I've never seen this discussed but has anyone on here ever failed a belt test. If so what was your reaction to it how did or you over come it and come back or didnt you come back. Personally I've been fortunate enough not to fail one but I've also never worried about it. I always said if I pass awesome if not okay not the end of the world I just didnt get a new coloured strip of fabric.

My late instructor once said something to the class which always stuck with me "in some clubs if you don't get a belt they say oh you weren't successful on the day. That's rubbish you failed, you failed to get the belt. But that doesn't make you a failure if you fail then improve and train harder you're a winner, if you fail then never train again because of it then you are a failure"

I completely agree with that and it's not like failing means you can't ever train again. I think the main stigma to failing is you think your other class mates will judge you or say oh they're obviously rubbish they failed or they think people will act differently to them. In reality no one cares you fail a test you come back the next lesson you start training you move on and it soon becomes distant memory. No black belt goes oh I'm a third dan but I failed my orange belt they just say I'm a third dan.

I do believe people put belts on to high a pedestal. To me they're the least important part of training the only reason why they ever meant anything to me was so I could learn more techniques

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I have not seen anyone in my dojo ever fail a 'belt test' for promotion. Our sensei says that he knows who is ready for promotion and who is not. The 'test' is usually somewhat superficial; the real testing happens during normal training.

I have been told that some will 'fail' a student just to see if they will come back the next week; how they deal with failure. I'm not going to comment on that tactic.

All I know is that I have not failed a test. On the other hand, I've never been in a rush to be promoted. It happens when it happens. I just keep training and don't worry about it.

 

[Kenpoguy123]

I have not seen anyone in my dojo ever fail a 'belt test' for promotion. Our sensei says that he knows who is ready for promotion and who is not. The 'test' is usually somewhat superficial; the real testing happens during normal training.

I have been told that some will 'fail' a student just to see if they will come back the next week; how they deal with failure. I'm not going to comment on that tactic.

All I know is that I have not failed a test. On the other hand, I've never been in a rush to be promoted. It happens when it happens. I just keep training and don't worry about it.

Yeah no that tactic isn't good especially if that person is obviously ready to pass and they think they don't get promoted when others who are the same level or worse do that seem like favouritism and victimising that person

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Yeah no that tactic isn't good especially if that person is obviously ready to pass and they think they don't get promoted when others who are the same level or worse do that seem like favouritism and victimising that person

I believe it is much more situational than you are making it seem. It is a tactic that has worked in the past. Like Bill, I won't comment on my personal opinion of it, but it isn't a black and white "bad tactic".

 

[Ironbear24]

I have not failed one before. I have seen others fail them though. Their reactions were either crushed or humble.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

As for me, I failed one when I was younger. I was probably around 10, took the test but was not taken it seriously (so I was told). They failed me then, and told me that I could do the next testing in 3 months. I was annoyed that my brother passed me belt-wise, took the test in three months and passed.

 

[RTKDCMB]

I do believe people put belts on to high a pedestal.

I put mine around my waist.

 

[RTKDCMB]

I have not failed belt tests myself but have seen others (most commonly during a black belt test) not pass on the night. Not passing a test can be a good test.of character. Either they will come back and work on what they need ot improve or they will disappear and never be seen again. One of our former instructors went for her first Dan about 6 or 7 times before finally getting through because she didn't give up.

 

[JR 137]

In both organizations I've been in, I've never seen anyone fail a before test. I've heard of it through my instructors though. Both CIs had the opinion that the test is a formality, and the students are asked to test only after they've earned the rank.

The reasons for failure that I've heard of were never technique based. They were always due to stuff like the students did something disrespectful, quit, repeatedly didn't follow directions, etc. One off the top of my head was two students kept ignoring one of the examiners' instructions, even after being confronted about it by the lead examiner several times.

My former instructor told me the first school he attended failed everyone testing for 1st dan their first time taking the test. He'd deliberately fail several people retaking it too. The rationale was so the teacher could see if the students could handle failure appropriately, and so no one got comfortable. Needless to say, he didn't stick around after he found out what was going on.

 

[Buka]

When I taught full time, our tests were just that, tests. Every student who joined the school was told they would fail at least one test during their martial career, regardless if they deserved to pass or not. This included the most dedicated and talented students in the dojo.
There was never a fee for testing, if you passed it was six bucks for the belt. Until you reached brown, then it was free. If you made black, you would get a belt with your name embroided on it, that was free, too.

Was that fair? I don't care. Neither did they, apparently, nobody ever quit because of it. And nobody ever got hung up on what color cloth they wore around their waist. Some nights we would all switch belts. Whites would wear black, black would wear whites etc. There was a long wall completely mirrored. We would all stand in front of it for a minute and reflect. (see what I did there?) Then train our butts off.

I'm still in contact with a lot of the folks from back then. They still don't care about what color they wear, or how we went about doing things. And neither should anyone else care about how we do things.

 

[Buka]

As an add on to my above post...

I wouldn't do it that way any more. I'm older and wiser now. Having trained in BJJ, I'd do it just the way they do. No tests, just hand them a belt when they reach that point. Usually ten years to Black.
To me - they have it down pat.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Agreed Buka, I like the way BJJ does it!

 

[Buka]

Agreed Buka, I like the way BJJ does it!

You know, Brian, they don't seem at all preoccupied with belts. And although one person besting another really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, it seems that everyone of a certain rank can out-roll everyone else of a lower rank. While that can be said of a lot of different schools, I've never seen it so predominate as in BJJ. And I've been to a lot of schools, well over a hundred.

And the BJJ students I've trained with in BJJ schools aren't really all that interested in their next belt. They sometimes seem worried about it because they don't think they're ready for it. I find that so refreshing.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

And the BJJ students I've trained with in BJJ schools aren't really all that interested in their next belt. They sometimes seem worried about it because they don't think they're ready for it. I find that so refreshing.

No one wants to be the purple belt who gets regularly tapped out by blue belts, or the blue belt who can't dominate most of the white belts.

It took me a year before I really felt like I fully deserved my black belt.

I think it helps that the belt promotions are so far apart that it's easy to not worry and forget about them. Also, I like that promotions are based on ability to apply your skills rather than memorizing a set curriculum. In BJJ, I'm not learning 3 new variations on a triangle choke entry because they're required for my next test. I'm learning them because they might be helpful the next time some athletic young wrestler takes me down and tries to stack me up on my neck. If they turn out not to be helpful for me at this point, I put them aside for the moment and go work on something else.

 

[JR 137]

As an add on to my above post...

I wouldn't do it that way any more. I'm older and wiser now. Having trained in BJJ, I'd do it just the way they do. No tests, just hand them a belt when they reach that point. Usually ten years to Black.
To me - they have it down pat.

While I appreciate and respect that approach, I'd rather a test any day. To me, the test has always been a tough workout. It takes me out of my comfort zone. It makes me re-think what I know. Just when I'm feeling great about myself and thinking how wonderful and gifted I truly am, along comes my teacher having me do things in a different way that I haven't seen before. Think you know the kata? Do it with your eyes closed and someone unexpectedly pushes you from the side. Someone grabs your arm and barely lets you finish the block you thought was against the air.

During my last test, my teacher put sparring gear on for the first time that I've seen since I've been there. He's 65 and has been allegedly avoiding a hip replacement for the last 2 years. He's had both replaced (I think the next one will be his 4th total). I learned why he's a 7th dan that night. And I'm quite sure he didn't push it.

Some of my best memories are from tests. Not the outcome, but the process itself. The tests I've taken haven't been tests of curriculum, they've been tests of will.

My 1st dan test was such a great test. We basically re-took every test we took up to that point, then did 20 three minute rounds of knockdown sparring with head, hand and foot gear on with a fresh black belt every round. We regularly did bare knuckle sparring in class, but I genuinely think we hit and got hit harder than day because we were wearing gear and weren't concerned about holding back.

We started at 9 am and finished around 4. No breaks. I drank about a half a bottle of water the entire time.

My friends and family asked what we could have possibly done for 7 hours straight. My answer was everything we've ever done in the dojo for the last 4 years.

I wouldn't have it any other way. My teacher tying the belt around my waist afterward wasn't the highlight of the day. It was great, but it was such a small part of it in the whole grand scheme of things.

 

[kuniggety]

I think it helps that the belt promotions are so far apart that it's easy to not worry and forget about them. Also, I like that promotions are based on ability to apply your skills rather than memorizing a set curriculum. In BJJ, I'm not learning 3 new variations on a triangle choke entry because they're required for my next test. I'm learning them because they might be helpful the next time some athletic young wrestler takes me down and tries to stack me up on my neck. If they turn out not to be helpful for me at this point, I put them aside for the moment and go work on something else.

I agree with this mindset and I think it's unfortunate that I see more and more schools standardizing their curriculum. I think what's great about BJJ is it not being cookie cutter. Although, I think by black, and if you're going to be running a school, then you need a library of techniques so that you can teach others who will incorporate it into their game. I don't roll the same as another blue belt and I'm sure in another year or two I won't be rolling the same way I am now. I learn new techniques and either I adapt it to my game or not. When you say a blue belt has to know "a and b" and a purple belt needs to know "c and d", to me it feels like it's taking a little bit of the essence of BJJ away. But what do I know.

 

[Buka]

While I appreciate and respect that approach, I'd rather a test any day. To me, the test has always been a tough workout. It takes me out of my comfort zone. It makes me re-think what I know. Just when I'm feeling great about myself and thinking how wonderful and gifted I truly am, along comes my teacher having me do things in a different way that I haven't seen before. Think you know the kata? Do it with your eyes closed and someone unexpectedly pushes you from the side. Someone grabs your arm and barely lets you finish the block you thought was against the air.

During my last test, my teacher put sparring gear on for the first time that I've seen since I've been there. He's 65 and has been allegedly avoiding a hip replacement for the last 2 years. He's had both replaced (I think the next one will be his 4th total). I learned why he's a 7th dan that night. And I'm quite sure he didn't push it.

Some of my best memories are from tests. Not the outcome, but the process itself. The tests I've taken haven't been tests of curriculum, they've been tests of will.

My 1st dan test was such a great test. We basically re-took every test we took up to that point, then did 20 three minute rounds of knockdown sparring with head, hand and foot gear on with a fresh black belt every round. We regularly did bare knuckle sparring in class, but I genuinely think we hit and got hit harder than day because we were wearing gear and weren't concerned about holding back.

We started at 9 am and finished around 4. No breaks. I drank about a half a bottle of water the entire time.

My friends and family asked what we could have possibly done for 7 hours straight. My answer was everything we've ever done in the dojo for the last 4 years.

I wouldn't have it any other way. My teacher tying the belt around my waist afterward wasn't the highlight of the day. It was great, but it was such a small part of it in the whole grand scheme of things.

I so love that post.

 

[Balrog]

So I've never seen this discussed but has anyone on here ever failed a belt test. If so what was your reaction to it how did or you over come it and come back or didnt you come back.

To me, it's not a failure. You just weren't ready yet. I had six no-changes testing for 6th Degree, got it on the 7th attempt. When I was ready to be a 6th Degree, I became one, simple as that.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

To me, it's not a failure. You just weren't ready yet. I had six no-changes testing for 6th Degree, got it on the 7th attempt. When I was ready to be a 6th Degree, I became one, simple as that.

Can you explain this? I'm not entirely sure what you mean. Are you saying that you went for 6th degree 7 times without any change in skill level then suddenly got it? If so, what made you advance on the 7th time?

 

[Jaeimseu]

Can you explain this? I'm not entirely sure what you mean. Are you saying that you went for 6th degree 7 times without any change in skill level then suddenly got it? If so, what made you advance on the 7th time?

Some schools use the term "no-change" instead of "fail" since your rank doesn't change. Also, it's not necessarily all about skill. In my experience, sometimes there are objective criteria that cause a student not to pass. The most common one I've seen in TKD is board breaking, where no break equals no change. Depending on how challenging a break you attempt, it's possible to fail the test even though you may have an acceptable skill level.