My Viewpoint On Belts And Rank
- Thread starter PhotonGuy
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- #42
Yes and belts of rank do make good markers for progress within an art however not everybody is going to be interested in belts. People go into the martial arts for all different reasons and not everybody goes in because they want belts. For instance, somebody might take up the martial arts because they want to lose weight and as such might not care about belts but instead their focus would be on how many calories they can burn off in a class, people have all different desires, goals, and motivations.
So, I code professionally... and I am on our hiring team... I interview candidates for software engineering positions, from intern up through senior software engineer. It is quite easy for us to tell if the person can code or not.... and we don't really care if they used Ai to generate the code.
We ask a question, they give the correct answer.... now explain the answer.... explain why it is the right answer.... explain the ramifications of that answer... show me how to mitigate one of the ramifications of that answer.... show me a different example of how to use that answer....
Pretty quickly, we learn who are software engineers and who thinks they can use Ai or google to solve their problems.
The funny thing is you can use the same pattern to figure out who knows martial arts.... everyone can show what to do here.... not everyone can explain what they are doing.... explain why it is the right thing to do... explain the ramifications.... and explain how to mitigate those ramifications.... explain how to use the same thing in a different situation....
Marsha Larts
Blue Belt
Yep
- Thread starter
- #45
So while not everybody cares about black bets, or about belts in general for that matter, I don't see any problem with asking your instructor about what you need to do to get a black belt when you're a brown belt. The reason Im bringing this up is because in the past some people on this forum have seemed to be against that. As I said not everybody cares about belts so if you're one of those people you wouldn't ask but the issue is if a student does ask, why that would be frowned upon.
As Im pointing out it's something you would ask as a brown belt, its not something you would ask as a white belt or a green belt but as a brown belt when you're next promotion is to that of black belt. At that point I don't see it as an inappropriate thing to ask about if you do want to make it to black belt.
As Im pointing out it's something you would ask as a brown belt, its not something you would ask as a white belt or a green belt but as a brown belt when you're next promotion is to that of black belt. At that point I don't see it as an inappropriate thing to ask about if you do want to make it to black belt.
philwhite
Green Belt
If a MA system uses belts then I think the teacher should be able to answer what it takes to get a black belt. If not, you should move on. Also itās fine asking any time.
Before I started teaching my family I wrote up requirements for every belt level. If they want to know I show them. I also make sure to always point out what is needed to advance.
If you have no feedback loop, how do you know how youāre progressing. I hate the mystery aspect some people seem to throw in.
Before I started teaching my family I wrote up requirements for every belt level. If they want to know I show them. I also make sure to always point out what is needed to advance.
If you have no feedback loop, how do you know how youāre progressing. I hate the mystery aspect some people seem to throw in.
HighKick
Senior Master
Certainly, there is nothing wrong with asking senior belts or an instructor about curriculum for black belt, BUT repeatedly asking "am I ready, am I ready, am I ready" is no bueno. And knowing what to do/work on is just natural attrition for someone who is training regularly and hard.
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- #48
Well yes and there's nothing wrong with clarifying with the chief instructor. Now some people might say why would you need to talk to the chief instructor when you can ask assistant instructors, because the chief instructor is the ultimate in terms of how stuff is run at the dojo so it might be a good idea to clarify with the chief instructor, or at least there's nothing wrong with clarifying with the chief instructor.
Well that depends, it depends on whatever system the chief instructor has on how students go up in rank but it also depends on what you mean by repeatedly asking "am I ready, am I ready."
For instance, lets say your chief instructor runs tests every four months or so and you're a brown belt and you want to test for a black belt and a test is coming up so you ask the chief instructor if you're ready and he says no, in that case there would be no reason for you to ask again if you're ready to test in that test since your instructor already told you no. But in four months when the next test comes up it shouldn't be a problem to ask again if you're ready to test, after all you had four months to work on your stuff and improve so there's nothing wrong with asking if you're now ready to test.
But it's good to ask for guidance, after all that's what the instructor is there for.
Of course, it's the reward system. You do your chores when you are a kid and your parents give you an allowance or take you out for ice cream. You do well at your job and work hard, your boss gives you a promotion or a bonus.
The belt promotions work the same way. You put in the effort and learn the curriculum, you get promoted to the next belt level. It's an achievement and something to strive for. Does it make you the best martial artist? Not necessarily but it's a personal goal reached. For me, it's about being the best I can be and pushing myself. The belts just affirm that I am progressing and improving.
I'm not the best martial artist by a long shot, but I'm a heck of a lot better than I was two years ago. The belt reminds me of the time and effort I have put in to get where I am now.
HighKick
Senior Master
Asking 'am I ready' is a Huge difference from asking 'am I ready, am I ready, am I ready. If you cannot grasp that concept you are Not ready,
Common sense and all.
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- #51
Yes that's true although it is scaled down quite a bit when you talk about getting an allowance or ice cream for doing chores vs getting a black belt for training hard and meeting the standards for the belt. Even getting a promotion or raise at work is often not on the same scale as getting a black belt, unless we're talking about being promoted to high positions in a company, getting promoted to the executive level at a company could be like getting promoted to black belt at a dojo.
Yes although it's not just about putting in the effort it's about putting in the right kind of effort. You're not going to get good at tennis by working hard at chess. By the same token you're not going to get a belt promotion if you don't learn the right stuff. That's why it can sometimes be important to talk to your instructor about what you need to work on the most and what you need to do to get promoted to your next belt, if that's what you want to do.
Well there really is no best, as for the guys at the top, as to which one is the best every day its different. On one given day one guy might be better and on some other day some other guy might be better.
My point exactly although apparently not everybody on this forum agrees with me on that.
See above.
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- #52
Again you haven't specified any time period in between the times you ask if you're ready. If by asking "am I ready, am I ready, am I ready," you mean that when you ask if you're ready and you're told no and then right away you ask again if you're ready then I agree, you're not grasping the concept and you're not ready.
If on the other hand you ask "am I ready," and you're told no and then four or six months down the road you ask again if you're ready that's different. If you've been coming to class and training for those four or six months that's four or six months you've had to improve. Just because you're not ready now doesn't mean you won't be ready in four or six months, if you train to get better. If you put in the time to train then you will get better, makes sense doesn't it?
If I want to teach in the system that has ranks then getting the black belt would be something that is recognized as a skill level for use in opening up a dojo.... If I have no desire for teaching in that particular system, maybe I create my own art or just don't want to teach commercially then does it matter? not really. Bruce Lee had no black belt or sash in wing chun and ended up creating his own style. Heck, I could open up a dojo tomorrow teaching Karate... doesn't have to be goju, shito ryu, or kyokushin... just my opinion
HighKick
Senior Master
No one can specify a blanket time period because people are very different. Not to mention their train methods and frequency.
Prince_Alarming73 9
Senior Master
Dobbin is looking worried
Wing Woo Gar71 32
Grandmaster
BL had no sash because he only trained about 2 years in WC and didnāt even show up to his teachers funeralā¦but you are correct that no one cares.
Teachers I've had mostly just asked you to test when you were ready. Therefore you knew if were asked you were ready, test was basically a formality and test of operating under pressure. No need to ask am I ready. Had one teacher at a larger school who did open testing. He'd announce to everyone he was testing for x y z belts on Saturday, show up if you wanted to try for a belt. You could've been there a month and tested if you dared. If you failed, you failed. People did fail.
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- #59
That depends on your teacher. Not all teachers are going to tell you up front what you need to work on, particularly if you're at a large dojo. In such cases you might have to ask. You might have to ask your teacher what you need to work on, ect.
well, if one could choose to test (rather than having the teacher a gatekeeper)... one would find out from that what needs to be worked on.... similar to say an SAT... you don't wait for a teacher to say your ready to take that test... you take the test and work on areas that you didnt do so well on...
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