Testing for black belt

[EagleStrike]

Curious everyone's input on this from your multiple styles.
When a student is being tested for black belt how do you mark their belt? I have seen people that wear brown belt then get a black belt with white markings or stripes showing testing for next level. I have also seen a black stripe through center of brown belt. What other ways?
Thanks in advance

 

[Rough Rider]

We don't have a brown belt- our colors are white, yellow, green, blue, and red. Somebody getting ready for black belt wears a red belt with a black stripe down the center.

 

[JR 137]

Seido karate...

We wear a white belt for several weeks before testing for any dan rank. My CI tested for his 7th dan a few years ago (a little while before I started there), and he wore a white belt for a few weeks beforehand. During that period, the person testing lines up in class as a white belt, and does the white belt etiquette stuff. They still do all their material and attend their regular classes though. It’s kind of a reminder of where they started from. Everyone I’ve seen go through it really liked it.

In my previous organization, we just wore our brown belt. Nothing different to differentiate them from others of equal rank that weren’t up for promotion yet.

All the black belts with a white stripe I’ve seen in and outside of my organizations have been junior/kids’ black belts, not a probationary thing.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

All the arts that I’ve earned rank in, there is no intermediate indicator that someone is testing for a rank. You just go from whatever the previous belt was to the next one when the rank is awarded. In BJJ you take off your brown belt and put on the black belt.

 

[Danny T]

Like Tony in the different arts I've ranked there has been no indicator that is for testing; other than being told you are testing. When awarded Black everyone in attendance claps, congratulates you and you simple start wearing it.

 

[EagleStrike]

JR 137 In Seido Karate is that a standard since the beginnings of the system with wearing the white belt. Very unique way of handling test.

 

[Headhunter]

We don't

 

[MI_martialist]

Sounds like a way to charge more for a test and make profit off of belt sales or something.

 

[JR 137]

JR 137 In Seido Karate is that a standard since the beginnings of the system with wearing the white belt. Very unique way of handling test.

I’m not sure how long it’s been that way. I’ve only been in a little over 3 years. Nakamura started Seido going on 42 years ago. He could’ve done that since day one or added it anywhere along the line. It’s his way of reminding people to never lose that beginner’s mentality no matter how far along you’ve come.

 

[Dirty Dog]

We don't. The belt shows your current rank. From there, it really ought to be pretty obvious what rank you'll be testing for.

 

[Buka]

In American karate, at least the American Karate that I know, if you pass you get the belt, if you don't pass you don't get the belt. Testing is free. If you pass, the belt is six bucks throughout the ranks, except Black Belt. I couldn't, in good conscious, even think about charging someone for Black Belt rank. I find it offensive.

If any instructor of mine charged me for a Black Belt.....nah, impossible.

 

[Flying Crane]

In American karate, at least the American Karate that I know, if you pass you get the belt, if you don't pass you don't get the belt. Testing is free. If you pass, the belt is six bucks throughout the ranks, except Black Belt. I couldn't, in good conscious, even think about charging someone for Black Belt rank. I find it offensive.

If any instructor of mine charged me for a Black Belt.....nah, impossible.

Buka, your check just cleared, I’ll get your new belt and dan certificate in the mail to you ASAP. It’s been good doing business with you, and I’m off now to the Ferrari dealership.

Oh wait...was that supposed to be a private message?

 

[Rough Rider]

After reading some of the comments, I think I misunderstood the question. The red belt with the black stripe isn't a special belt for a BB candidate; it's simply our 1st Gup belt.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[skribs]

The schools I've gone to have always had a standard system for their belts, and that system is used up until black belt.

As a kid, my school did the tape stripes. So you got your white belt, and it took 4 tests to get your yellow belt, during which you got a yellow stripe around your white belt, then a 2nd, and a 3rd, and finally you got your yellow belt. Then 3 orange stripes before orange, 3 purple stripes before purple, and so through green, blue, red, and brown. Then you got 3 black stripes on your brown belt, and then you test for black belt.

Around the time I quit, they were transitioning to the two-tone belts, i.e. green belt, green belt with white stripe down the middle, green belt with black stripe down the middle, then blue belt. I'm not sure how that affected their testing structure, as this is now one less green belt. I run into one of the instructors from that school every time I go to a tournament, so I may ask her if I remember to.

The school I'm at now, the first few belts are pretty quick: you go straight from white to yellow, straight to purple, straight to orange and green. Then you get a green belt with a long black stripe, then blue. At blue, there's a blue belt with a long black stripe down the middle, then a blue belt with a long black stripe down either side (technically it's a black belt with a long blue stripe, and for the first day after they receive their belt the Master ties their belt on them backwards so it looks like a black belt). Red is the same thing, one stripe, then two stripes. So we say Green, Green I, Blue, Blue I, Blue II, Red, Red I, Red II. We also call Red I "senior red belt" and Red II "Junior Black Belt". Once you're a Junior black belt, you just need time in grade, volunteer hours helping with lower belts, and to meet the testing requirements, and you can test for black belt.

Our colored belts can test every two months, and our black belts can test for intermediary (or "gup" ranks) every two months as well. This is, of course, if they're ready. Most people take 4 months on average, some people take 6-8 months to test. Red belts have a minimum waiting period of 4 months. It stretches out more as the belts get higher, especially at black belt.

For the Dan tests, you must have appropriate time. We also only do Dan tests twice a year, outside of special circumstances (i.e. a private test for someone who is moving and won't be able to take the test with everyone else).

 

[skribs]

In American karate, at least the American Karate that I know, if you pass you get the belt, if you don't pass you don't get the belt. Testing is free. If you pass, the belt is six bucks throughout the ranks, except Black Belt. I couldn't, in good conscious, even think about charging someone for Black Belt rank. I find it offensive.

If any instructor of mine charged me for a Black Belt.....nah, impossible.

I think part of it is that there are going to be costs to the student regardless. For example, I'm sure if my Master didn't charge for tests, then he'd simply raise his monthly tuition from $90 to $115 to make up the cost. This is assuming a 4 year average to get your black belt, and the ~$1300 worth of testing fees over 4 years would raise tuition by about $25 a month. (This total is not just for the black belt, but the 11 other tests you must do first).

This would make slower-paced students pay more for their belt in the long run, because if it takes 6 years, now you're paying ~$2500 more. Faster-paced students who get their black belt in the minimum 2.5 years would pay ~$2000 less for their black belt.

Now, I said that this is part of it. The other part is that there are generally fees for the organization. As we discussed in another thread, for example, the Kukkiwon certificate is over $100 just from the organization. There's small costs like testing materials (i.e. boards to break) and other things (like your new belt, your new uniform, etc). I'm pretty sure that if you took the $600 cost of the black belt test, my Master is probably only making $200-300 on the Dan test. While the $600 fee is a lot higher than the $40-60 that you pay for keub ranks, when you look at what the actual test costs, it's a lot closer. Still a lot more expensive, but a lot closer.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

I think part of it is that there are going to be costs to the student regardless. For example, I'm sure if my Master didn't charge for tests, then he'd simply raise his monthly tuition from $90 to $115 to make up the cost. This is assuming a 4 year average to get your black belt, and the ~$1300 worth of testing fees over 4 years would raise tuition by about $25 a month. (This total is not just for the black belt, but the 11 other tests you must do first).

This would make slower-paced students pay more for their belt in the long run, because if it takes 6 years, now you're paying ~$2500 more. Faster-paced students who get their black belt in the minimum 2.5 years would pay ~$2000 less for their black belt.

Here's the issue I have with this argument: I think the idea that a student is paying $x for their black belt is fundamentally misguided. You shouldn't be paying for a rank. You should be paying for the training. After 6 years of training, both the fast student and the slow student should each have paid the same amount for 6 years worth of instruction. They might have different ranks, but that's just a recognition of how much they were able to accomplish with the training.

 

[skribs]

Here's the issue I have with this argument: I think the idea that a student is paying $x for their black belt is fundamentally misguided. You shouldn't be paying for a rank. You should be paying for the training. After 6 years of training, both the fast student and the slow student should each have paid the same amount for 6 years worth of instruction. They might have different ranks, but that's just a recognition of how much they were able to accomplish with the training.

In the end, you're paying for both, it's just how many checks you write to get there.

As long as it's not "pay me $400 and you will guaranteed get your belt" or "pay your tuition fees and show up to class and you'll get your black belt" I don't see the problem with it.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Curious everyone's input on this from your multiple styles.
When a student is being tested for black belt how do you mark their belt? I have seen people that wear brown belt then get a black belt with white markings or stripes showing testing for next level. I have also seen a black stripe through center of brown belt. What other ways?
Thanks in advance

In the NGAA (largest organization for my primary art), there's no "testing" indicator. The candidate will be a brown belt, and at some point will start testing. That testing usually takes about 3-6 months, and they simply keep wearing their brown belt during that time. I've never quite understood the utility of a visual indicator of "testing" status.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Sounds like a way to charge more for a test and make profit off of belt sales or something.

I suppose if there's some significant charge for the belt (I've never seen anyplace that charged significantly, except maybe for a black belt), though I can't see how it would bring more testing revenue?

 

[Gerry Seymour]

In American karate, at least the American Karate that I know, if you pass you get the belt, if you don't pass you don't get the belt. Testing is free. If you pass, the belt is six bucks throughout the ranks, except Black Belt. I couldn't, in good conscious, even think about charging someone for Black Belt rank. I find it offensive.

If any instructor of mine charged me for a Black Belt.....nah, impossible.

I've never been a fan of charging more for BB. I seriously see that as backwards - the new students help fund the training of those who've been there longer, IMO.

My instructors got around the idea of charging for the BB (which I think started as a way to get better belts for BB) by simply having folks buy their own. I still use my first one - it's held up surprisingly well for the $40 I spent.