Possible to be a yellow belt after 7 sessions?

[Crimson Skies]

My instructor says i'm learning very quickly and he handed me a application for the promotion test.I'm pretty sure I need more time.But I see other white belts struggling at some of the easiest things.
Is this possible or am I at a Mcdojang? :jaw-dropping:

 

[arnisador]

Unless you've had significant previous experience, or are Bruce Lee...I'd be a bit concerned.

 

[Crimson Skies]

Do you think he'd want me to go just to watch others?

 

[Andrew Green]

All depends on grading criteria. Some people are naturally athletic, or pick up physical motions easily. Yellow belt in a lot of schools doesn't mean a whole lot, just a rudimentary grasp of the very basic skills. Some schools also attach a minimum time frame too it, but not all. Some also do scheduled gradings a few times a year, and if you didn't get put in this one you would be waiting a while, so while short maybe this is just the better option of doing it early vs waiting for what the instructor wants you to be doing.

If you meet the criteria, then no problem.

I would only really be concerned if they are also attaching a substantial fee for that grading.

 

[Twin Fist]

my fastest time for getting a student to yellow/gold belt was 3 1/2 months

 

[Marginal]

Eh. The distinction between a yellow belt and a white belt tends to be pretty thin as it is.

 

[jks9199]

Eh. The distinction between a yellow belt and a white belt tends to be pretty thin as it is.

That's kind of how I'd see it.

Also -- 7 sessions doesn't really say how long it was. If the OP is attending one class a week, it's almost two months. If they're attending daily, it's a week. Very different scenarios...

If the student's skills and knowledge are on-par for yellow belt... there's not a problem. If they're not -- yes, there's a problem.

I'd add one more caution... It's very possible that the student did acquire the skills for yellow rapidly. But they'll probably also slow down at some point...

 

[Thesemindz]

I'm with Marginal on this one.

It depends on what is required for yellow belt. It may be that the first belt promotion is relatively quick and easy in order to present the student with a quantifiable measure of immediate improvement in order to keep them motivated. A few weeks to yellow belt doesn't concern me much. A few weeks to black belt would.

At the school I came up in we generally graduated students from white to yellow in around eight weeks, which would be sixteen sessions. But it took a year to test from the most advanced brown rank to black. Generally the amount of time between gradings increases as you advance towards and beyond black rank.

So for now, especially if you are new to martial arts, I wouldn't concern myself too much with whether this is a "mcdojo" or not. I'd concern myself with listening to my instructors and practicing at home. When you get more advanced, you'll be able to make a more educated decision on the quality of the instruction you are recieving. Until then, as long as you aren't doing anything that's injuring you and you aren't being put in any compromising situations, I wouldn't be too worried.


-Rob

 

[Carol]

What's involved in this "application for promotion" ?

 

[Thesemindz]

Good question Carol. Are they charging you for this promotion? How much?


-Rob

 

[bluekey88]

At my school, a dedicated adult could easily learn the material for our yellow belt in 7 sessions or so...especially if they work hard between classes. It's take about 2 months to get those sessions in (we only do techniquie class 1x/week...other classes are sparring and conditioning). I've been to otgher schools/systems where that could never happen. it all depends.

Bottom line is, can the student work at the level expected of the potential rank? If not, then thety shouldn;t promote...if so, go for it.

Peace,
Erik

 

[granfire]

it really depends on the organization. In the ITA you'd be bored to tears should you have to be whitebelt for longer than one test cycle, which is 2 month. Minimum attendance prior to grading is 10 classes.

Of course, that does not mean you are doing the stuff perfect. You got a lifetime trying to accomplish that!

 

[terryl965]

Well if a student comes everyday for a month tey may get to test for yellow, that would be a total of 26 classes. It is the norm for it to be about two an a half months for us.

 

[NPTKD]

I think there should be and is a thing called " Time in rank". If your instructor should be concerned about how it looks to other students allowing you to test only after seven classes. I know that some people are naturally talented, but even the most talented can make improvements... And you asked it yourself.... Could this be a Mc Dojang... Probably not, but if your thinking it and your talented, what do you think the other students are thinking. On the other side, when an instructor see a talented student they want to make sure that that student doesn't get sick of doing the same thing over and over again only to get burned out and give up. It hard to keep the talented ones in time in rank, but for the long term its very important to do so.

 

[dortiz]

7 sessions.

Yes! Period.

Dave O.

 

[Twin Fist]

it would be helpful to know exacty what is required for your yelow belt.

mine is a lot of material, thats why no one gets it before 3 months.

 

[just2kicku]

Personally, I think 7 sessions is a bit quick to be promoted. Being unfamiliar with the requirements, I cannot say for sure. In our school white to yellow takes about six months. Whatever basics you have learned, whether it is just one block and one punch had better be done to perfection.

In the lower belts, that is where one learns the basics, your foundation, they have to be done right cause it's a lot harder to undo when you start getting more advanced. I personally don't believe in promoting someone just because of time, hell I was a white belt for a year.

Just my opinion.

 

[jim777]

In our school, adults skip the 9th kyu yellow belt, and instead go to 8th kyu orange belt. From there all students are the same. So, the yellow belt curriculum is a few strikes and blocks, and two basic stances. No patterns, just the very basics. It would be easy enough if you are actually a willing interested student, and not just going 'to see what it looks like' to get to yellow level in 7 sessions or so. Just know the rest won't be so easy! Also, we only have 2 tests per year tops, and we don't teach above belt level. So in our school we'd rather push you along the first one quickly so you aren't stuck doing low block/reverse punch in a front stance for 8 or 9 months. You lose students that way.

If it was 2nd kyu to 1st kyu in 7 sessions, then red flags would be exploding like the 4th of July, but white to yellow...if your instructor says you are ready I would trust your instructor.

jim

 

[jks9199]

I avoid the whole "stuck doing" whatever by not separating classes by belt level. All students learn the same things; new students spend some time pulled out of the main body with an instructor or senior student being taught basics, but as soon as they have some tools to work with -- they're in with the rest of the class. Then they get pulled aside occasionally to add new "beginner" material...

 

[Crimson Skies]

Sorry I took so long to reply!

To answer some of your questions...NO.The promotion is free.I am simply paying per month,not per rank.
And secondly,I am going for 1 hour,3 days of the week.

I really love this class so I think that's speeding my progress.I wanted to do this,not my mother.I practice alot and i feel the teacher is very talented.
Also,theres no gimmicky things a Mcdojo has such as rainbow/camo belts of "family package deals".

I agree with the people that think he's letting my do this because he wouldn't want me to get bored with white belt things.