WHAT IS A BLACK BELT?

by Keith D. Yates

I got to the demonstration early to set up and the lady asked where the instructor was. I replied that she was talking to him. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she replied, "You just didn't look like a black belt." Then, trying to cover her embarrassment with humor, she said, "I guess I was expecting a big, bald oriental guy."

Now I am the first to admit that I don't look like Toru Tanaka (the bad guy from many martial arts movies) but I kind of hate to think that no one would ever mistake me for a martial arts instructor.

Just what does a black belt look like anyway? Well, anyone who has been in the martial arts for very long knows that there isn't a definitive answer to that one. Go to any martial arts school and the black belts are tall and short, male and female, Asian, Caucasian, African-American, young and old, skinny or not-so skinny. In other words, a black belt can look like anyone!

Well, if you can't tell the black belt by his or her appearance, how about by their behavior or attitude. Yes, there should be something different about the way a black belt carries himself. He should have poise even in stressful situations. She should be able to control her temper and be a calming influence on others. He should be disciplined in not only the large areas of life, but in the small ones as well. Her sense of self-worth and self-confidence shows in the way she talks and even walks.

I recently met some other black belts for a training session. One remarked that as I approached -- even though he couldn't recognize my face at a distance -- he knew it was me by the way I walked. He said I had that unmistakable gait of one who is self-confident and in control of himself. (That comment makes up for the woman who thought I didn't look like a black belt.)

You don't have to wait until you are a black belt to begin to realize some of these very real advantages of martial arts training. The "tenets of Tae Kwon Do" are courtesy, humility, integrity, perseverance, self-control and indomitable spirit. Even intermediate students should see improvement in these areas. Within a few years these characteristics will become a natural part of your temperament.

So I can't tell you that a black belt should be a muscular Asian. He may be a stocky white guy with glasses, or maybe she is a slender Hispanic woman. But the black belt has a humility that is evident to all who know him. He should have the perseverance to face difficult circumstances in the dojang and outside of it. The black belt should always be in control of herself. And he should be a success in the other areas of life outside the martial arts.

WHAT ABOUT CERTIFICATION?

Not long ago I saw a website ad that proclaimed "Instant International Rank Recognition." It was from an organization I had never heard of.

You have seen such ads too if you read martial arts magazines or surf the web. There are dozens that say something like: "Under-ranked for your experience? Send us a resume" (and a couple hundred dollars, I might add).

One organization offers courses through the mail in "oriental medicine" (I'd sure go to a doctor who learned his craft through the mail, wouldn't you?)

And just WHO "recognizes" these certificates? Every legitimate black belt knows that a certificate is just a piece of paper. Only beginners are impressed by 9 inch by 14 inch parchments with Asian writing.

"Earn a Ph.D. in martial arts" (entirely through the mail or online of course) -- having been in legitimate higher education for many years, I just love those kinds of ads!

Well, I could go on but you get the idea. There is a lot of confusion about just what constitutes a "real" black belt.

Am I against small martial arts organizations that promote their own people under standards they themselves have set up? Of course not, I head one up myself.

But I am disturbed that prospective students can read the magazines and see how anyone with a first-class stamp and the nerve to put "black belt" on an application form can get an official-looking certificate to hang on their wall.

I'm also irritated when the big organizations try to give the impression that they are the ONLY official certifying body for Tae Kwon Do, or karate, or whatever, and that anybody else is less than qualified. Some of the best martial artists I've ever seen aren't members of any organization!

The best solution for this confusion is for martial artists to stress that true skill and the ability to teach cannot be measured solely by certificates hanging on a wall.

While rank -- especially a black belt rank -- has its place, it should not be your primary goal in martial arts study. Your goal is self-improvement. That includes not only physical skills but also mental ones. Try for the next higher belt to be sure, but strive to attain the maturity and the confidence that the belt only symbolizes.

IS A BLACK BELT AUTOMATICALLY A QUALIFIED TEACHER?

It is said that in Asia students are more patient and more loyal than their American counterparts. In Japan, for example, students stay with their master for many years, perhaps even a lifetime. In this country a student makes black belt and often decides he can move across town and set up his own school.

But what happens to that young black belt is that he never advances in his own training. As time passes he accumulates years but not knowledge.

He teaches the same things in the same way over and over again. Although he claims to have ten years of teaching experience, in reality he has only one year of teaching experience ten times!

You've probably heard the statistic that only one in every five hundred students who start out in the martial arts will ever make black belt. The student who makes black belt is a truly exceptional and dedicated individual. Discounting schools that hand out black belts after just a year or two, most organizations require four or five years of intense, demanding training. If you can make it through that you are rare indeed.

But no matter how good they are, some black belts never learn the "higher" techniques. Soon (sometimes much too soon) they themselves are claiming to be "masters" but without any understanding beyond the basic moves.

Unfortunately many black belt instructors have not been trained as teachers. They can do the techniques themselves but they can't show others how to do it.

Good black belt instructors should be versed in the four steps of teaching methodology:

1. Explanation. Here the instructor explains and demonstrates to the students what is expected.

2. Dramatization. In this step the students pretend to be fighting by doing either kata or one-steps. Good instructors will go onto step three:

3. Simulated Experience. Here students work on focus pads and practice sparring. And the final step is:

4. Hands On. In this highest level of instruction training comes very close to reality. There are few rules and the students must demonstrate what they know in a very realistic situation.

But even going through these steps can't help an instructor with little communication skills. Even a beginning instructor who gets his ideas across is superior to a 10th degree black belt who has no communication skills.

Good organizations make sure their instructors attend seminars, special classes, and do "student-teaching" under an experienced master instructor.

No, not all black belts are qualified to teach. That is a skill that actually takes longer to develop than the ability to do kicking and punching.

SO WHAT IS A BLACK BELT?

I have tried to answer some of the common misconceptions. First, a black belt symbolizes more than just physical skill. It should denote a level of maturity and character. But secondly, earning a black belt doesn't necessarily means one is qualified to teach. That is a skill that also must be learned.

Now, let's look at some of the "facts and figures" about the black belt.

1. The DAN ranks (pronounced like the English name "Don" instead of "Dan") start at first degree and go up to anywhere from sixth to tenth degree, depending on the system.

2. Usually promotions above 4th or 5th degree are based not on a physical test but on years of experience and the amount of contribution to the martial arts community.

3. "Master" ranking is 5th through 7th in most systems and "Grandmaster" is 8th through 10th.

4. It usually takes fifteen or more years as a black belt to attain "Master" status.

5. In some Japanese and Okinawan systems the belt changes color to red and black, red and white, or solid red at the "Master" levels. (In some Korean systems however the red belt is the rank below the black belt.)

6. The minimum age for obtaining black belt varies but in most traditional schools it is no less than twelve years of age, and often even older.

7. In most systems a black belt must be senior by two ranks to promote another person. In the higher levels this can be reduced to one level because of the amount of time involved for promotion.

So maybe you will never look like Jean Claude Van Damme or Bruce Lee -- but you can start acting like a martial artist today and perhaps, someday, somebody will tell you that you walk, or talk or act like a black belt.

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