I've talked before about how lots of dojos particularly in the USA put the black belt on a pedestal, and what I mean by that is how it fits in with the rest of the ranking system. Although a first degree black belt is not the highest rank in most styles, for those styles that use a black belt in their ranking systems its often the highest color that you will wear no matter what rank you get to in your martial arts career. After first degree black is second degree black, than third degree, fourth degree, ect. but your belt color does not change. Some styles do use different colored belts for some of the really high degrees. Judo has a red and white belt that a sensei who has reached, I believe seventh degree, might wear in place of a black belt and so forth but even styles that do use different colors for the really high degrees doesn't mean the sensei will always wear it. Some sensei's might just hang their red and white or whatever color it is belt up on the wall and continue to wear the black belt that they got when they reached 1st degree when they teach. So, although 1st degree black belt is not the highest rank in most styles that use rank, its often the highest color.
Anyway, what I mean when I talk about how some places, particularly in the USA might put the black belt on a pedestal, what I mean is this. Although ranking systems vary from place to place, most places that use a ranking system have a few things in common. On your first day you start with a white belt (or no belt as in some places you start with no belt). From there you progress up the various colors of belts and eventually you get a brown belt. In lots of styles there are three levels of brown so when you first get a brown belt you're brown low. From there you get to brown middle and then brown high. After brown high is first degree black belt. I know that not all styles go like that but for sake of discussion Im using this as an example. So when I talk about putting the black belt on a pedestal this is what I mean. In terms of time and difficulty its a much bigger jump to go from brown high to first degree black than it is to go from brown middle to brown high. It takes much longer and its much harder to go from brown high to first degree black than it is to go from brown middle to brown high. So what they're doing is they're putting the black belt on a pedestal which I think is a bit ridiculous. Naturally getting a 1st degree black belt will be harder than getting a high level brown belt as its a higher rank but it shouldn't be much harder and it shouldn't take much longer, if it does then there should be ranks in between brown high and first degree black. In Japan the first degree black belt, from what I've heard, is seen as just another belt, simply the belt after brown high and before 2nd degree black. That's how it should be seen in the USA too. If the first degree black belt is not such a big deal as some of the people on this board like to say, than getting from high brown to first degree black shouldn't be such a big jump. Obviously, going from white to black would be a tremendous jump and that's why students don't go from white to black they go through all the various colors of belts, belt by belt, but going from high brown to black shouldn't be such a jump, after all, its only going up one level.
Anyway, what I mean when I talk about how some places, particularly in the USA might put the black belt on a pedestal, what I mean is this. Although ranking systems vary from place to place, most places that use a ranking system have a few things in common. On your first day you start with a white belt (or no belt as in some places you start with no belt). From there you progress up the various colors of belts and eventually you get a brown belt. In lots of styles there are three levels of brown so when you first get a brown belt you're brown low. From there you get to brown middle and then brown high. After brown high is first degree black belt. I know that not all styles go like that but for sake of discussion Im using this as an example. So when I talk about putting the black belt on a pedestal this is what I mean. In terms of time and difficulty its a much bigger jump to go from brown high to first degree black than it is to go from brown middle to brown high. It takes much longer and its much harder to go from brown high to first degree black than it is to go from brown middle to brown high. So what they're doing is they're putting the black belt on a pedestal which I think is a bit ridiculous. Naturally getting a 1st degree black belt will be harder than getting a high level brown belt as its a higher rank but it shouldn't be much harder and it shouldn't take much longer, if it does then there should be ranks in between brown high and first degree black. In Japan the first degree black belt, from what I've heard, is seen as just another belt, simply the belt after brown high and before 2nd degree black. That's how it should be seen in the USA too. If the first degree black belt is not such a big deal as some of the people on this board like to say, than getting from high brown to first degree black shouldn't be such a big jump. Obviously, going from white to black would be a tremendous jump and that's why students don't go from white to black they go through all the various colors of belts, belt by belt, but going from high brown to black shouldn't be such a jump, after all, its only going up one level.
