Grading

[CoreyMinchin]

Would you rather gain a belt every 3 months so you feel like you're still progressing or only go for your new belt maybe once a year but have it feel more rewarding when you do grade? Just wondering because personally I'd rather earn a new belt less often as I feel that the sense of achievement is greater

 

[Haakon]

People only get a new belt every few months very early in their marital arts career unless they jump from style to style and continually start over. If you stick with it only a very small portion will be spent getting belts every few months, even before black belt the rate you promote slows way down in most styles, at our school it isn't uncommon for someone to spend a year at brown belt. If you train for 30 years for 27 or 28 years (90%) your grading is going to be years apart, not months.

 

[WC_lun]

Belts in the school i am in come few and far between. Probably a minimum of a year between them. Of course, focus is definitley not on what color cloth around your waist, but what comes out of you when the pressure is on.

 

[Gentle Fist]

A new belt? What's that? I haven't moved up in grade in 5 years and feel just fine with it

 

[Dirty Dog]

I'd rather get a new belt when I'm ready to test. How long that takes is not a matter for the calendar. It's a matter for how hard I work, and what my personal capabilities are.

 

[sfs982000]

I just tested for brown belt yesterday, it had been about 14 months since I had tested prior to that (mostly due to work and military commitments), but I was fine waiting. I just continued to train until an opportunity presented itself for me to test. I personally don't mind waiting longer to test, I just want to continue improving overall. I figure as long as I keep working on the material the rank will come eventually.

 

[WingChunIan]

we don't do belts. You learn at your own pace when you are ready, having studied other arts and having spent most of my life around martial arts I can honestly say that the colour of the belt or number of stripes etc very rarely indicates the ability of the practitioner.

 

[Supra Vijai]

I am of the belief that especially further up the ranks, gradings should only occur when the student is ready. Our school has a grading night once every 4 months and everyone can attempt a grading if they are up to scratch - usually it's the lower belts that get graded though. I'm currently a brown belt, we had gradings at the end of last month and even though I'd spent some time in grade, I didn't feel it was enough and neither were my skills so I didn't go for it. I had a chat with my instructor and he gave me a few things to work on in the meantime but I don't think I'd try to grade in 4 months time if I haven't felt like I've earnt it. Time has very little meaning to me when it comes to gradings, only skill.

 

[RedShyGuy]

I've learned that age has a lot to do with it. For kids, a new shiny belt means a ton but as they age the belt might just become something that goes around their waist, regardless what color it is or what color they're next one could be. As much as I hate electrical tape on belts, it's a pretty good compromise for kids as long as you don't over do it. I'm talking about a stripe once they learn half of the required material and another when they know all of it or 3/4 of it just to tide them over until they get their new belt. For the Sensei it's very important to not test someone too quickly. Tape is just a good way of telling a kid "Good job" and giving them something to show for all their hard work. Me personally, I couldn't care if I ever tested again. Yes it would be nice but it's just not what I'm about. I just want to learn all I can and maybe find someone who feels the same and trade knowledge and just have fun. I firmly believe that the ones who are the ukes who get thrown around, beaten up and have their joints cranked every which way and LAUGH while it's being done and don't care if they'll walk the next day are the true martial artists. The ones who love what they do and would teach it to anyone for free even if they have just 5 minutes to spare.