How long does it really take to get a black belt?

Take as in attend? Yes
Take as in give? Yes (done one in the USA last year)

Smoke as in "Big Smoke" AKA London or burning fire!!

Why do you ask?


Stuart

 

Took me 9 years to get my 1st Dan, but I was a slow learner. I must admit that the average at my Dojang was 7 years.

 

At the school I'm at now it usually takes 2 1/2 - 3 years (minimum). It only took me 1 1/2 years since I came from another school. (I started at red belt)

 

Answer: It depends.

Too many variables to really say. I originally began my MA in Shorin ryu back in the early '80s. I found the whole belt discussion somewhat frustrating (I was in my mid-late teens at the time).

Not having had prior experience in the martial arts at the time, I thought it was all about skill. As a brand new white belt with no prior formal training, there wasn't anyone in the class that I couldn't 'take out', so at the time, my thinking was - if I can take out a yellow, green, brown, etc. then I'm Y/G/B material. LOL

Looking back on it is funny, but I remember having this discussion with my sensei. At one point asking him if Bruce Lee joined our class what belt would he be? To which my sensei responded, "White of course, though I'm sure he'd advance somewhat quicker than others with no training".

I have noticed that over the years the requirements to advance have become easier, and belts come quicker even in good dojos. Now if you show up and do the training, you're pretty much assured that you'll get your BB in 3-5 to 10yrs.

I can't imagine my old sensei giving out BBs at that pace. For him it was about finding a diamond in the rough and polishing it to attain BB. In his view, no more than 10-20% of students that regularly attended, and trained hard, would ever attain BB status, but I guess those schools don't last.

I have noticed in the previous responses, and at my school, that there seems to be a strong aversion to white belt. One of the students in our school came from another school and she simply did not want to wear a white belt again.

I'm not sure I understand that. If you go from one style to another, surely you don't know anything about the style you're learning so why not start at white belt?

Interestingly, this whole belt discussion did impact the way I thought about belts, so much so that I left Shorin ryu training and took up Wing Chun. There were no belts to 'test' for.

I just started up MA again at 42 (after a 10yr lapse) in two styles, Wing Chun and MMA. In WC again, there are no belts. The issue exists only with the MMA classes, and it is interesting to watch.

I wondered why some students just seemed to be marking time, not putting a lot of emphasis in their techniques. I asked them why, and they said it didn't matter how much effort they put in since they just got their orange belts and wouldn't be due to test for the next belt for a while.

So on the one hand, you don't want to promote without merit, but on the other, you also don't want students simply marking time.

Corporate America has largely done away with a seniority (time) based system and replaced it with a pay for performance (merit) system. Though not perfect by any means, I wonder if the MAs can ever find the right balance to please the majority of practitioners out there.

 

How long does it take to make black belt? As long as your Instructor says it does. Having said that, there should be an acceptable middle ground based on how long it should realitically take for a student to achieve what a 1st Dan represents.
Assuming you train 2-3 times a week, 1st Dan should be attainable within 2-3 years. One or two years is not long enough to allow you time to properly practice and absorb all you need to know. Seven to ten years is FAR too long. Remember, we're not talking mastery of a huge amount of technique, were talking thorough grounding in the basics of Tae Kwon Do.

 

The dojang I was at,it was an average of 3 years.I took my time and got mine in 5.That was 5 years ago now,man how time flys.

 

in my case, there is a huge McDojo duality complex going on.

i'm in a school which is part of the biggest TKD club in the city. but i've seen students from the main school, and they are pretty pathetic. i have one aprticular friend that got all the way to a blue belt, and once, when a streetfight broke and and 3 of his friends were getting pummelled, he did not get in. when i asked him, he said all he ever really got from his training was form and theory, but he didn't have any confidence in whatever little fighting technique he got.

my master is one of the newer instructors in the club, and is waayyy tougher in comparison. in my first sparring match with one of the students from the other school, i handled him with a lot of ease, when i was a yellow belt and he was an orange belt. my classmate stood up quite well (even though he did lose) to a blue belt while he was just orange.

so, the club requires a minimum of 3 months per color belt grading, and i've never heard of anyone 'failing' it. however, few reach an A score. they also double-promote you for a score over 95.basically, if you do not get double promoted at any time, it takes you 2 years to get to red. after that, it's a min. of 5 months to qualify for a blackbelt test.

on our white belt exam, i scored a 93 and my friend a 96, which sent him to orange and me to yellow. on the 2nd one, i managed a 96 while my friend got a 94, which has us both now on green.

we are required to know everything from past belts (they test us all colors at once, progressively making the lower belts step out) including:
- kicks
- blocks
- forms
- air kicks
- kick/punch combinations (memorized by number)
- hapkido self-defense techniques
- sparring
- TKD theory (some history, some korean, etc)

i must admit, i keep wanting to learn new things, and start getting a little bored right before grading. i dunno how it is in other places, but we get taught certain kicks/techniques as we progress up the belts. ie. mondolio chagi (hook kick) i was just taught last week, as part of my first green belt training session.

basically, my master's students are the best fighters, have the best form and technique, and progress quicker, but in reality, the club is quite McDojoish. we have this red belt kid who transferred to our school from the main one, who doesn't know the kicho forms... as opposed to my master's son, who is 11, started TKD at age 2, is also a red belt, and serves already as an assistant instructor and knows some of the blackbelt and 1st dan forms just from watching them.

sorry for the long post.

 

in my club(tae kwon do)the blackbelts got them after around 6-7 years. to me this is in my opinion an acceptible time to recieve a blackbellt.
i find this part hard to explain so bear with me...
my club is small with 3 blackbelts.... with whom i have zero respect for!! they are weak phisically and mentally..eg. dropping out of the warm up!!, not taking part in drills or sparring like a toddler, i may be naive but i thought a blackbelt was a figure of respect whose actions, manor and conduct were there to set an example for lower ranking belts like myself,(i also train in mma so belts dont instill respect into me unless it is earnt,,ie just cos your higher than me dont mean a thing ill fight you,im not a blind one style orientated begginner),eg 'this is what im training to be like'..
ive been there 4 years, im blue belt(itf) ive missed 2 gradings by choice as i dont think im ready.so from my own experience a black belt can be gained in minimum time i could see a 3 year blackbelt easy, but just remember a belt means nothing to a real fighter......
i do not mean any disrespect to blackbelts, true blackbelts im sure will agree and the fake mc dojo bbs will get defensive heh heh i love the martial art world! .on a contraverstial point belts are meaning less and less, actions define the artist/practitioner.

 

I'm not aware of any of the Dans at my club that got them in anything less than 5 years - I'm amazed so many people think two years is feasible although obviously it's fairly widespread here in the UK for people to reach that level pretty quickly. The easy way to spot it is at tournaments - green belts from my club regularly beat black belts in junior and adult categories.

Persoanally, I don't place as much importance on the belt. I'm in it for fitness above all else. I know when my instructor passes me at a grading there is no doubt as to whether I deserve that belt. I'd like to be able to say the same for the local Karate club that gets kids to black belt in less than two years, but all they are doing is manipulating the students to get as many grading fees as possible, and doing the students a diservice by giving them the impression that they are invincible fighting machines which could very easily get them seriously hurt on the street. A good martial artist doesn't brag about his rank in the club, and certainly shouldn't be discussing it outside the club with people unconnected with TKD without good reason.

Etiquette, Modesty, Perseverance, Self Control and Indomitable Spirit

 

well..it's true that you can become a black belt with in 2 years.. ( maybe less depending on your performance )..but yes some who do become a black belt in 2 years do lack in respect if not discipline..anyway..it really depends on how your instructor or senior thought you..and it also depends how good your skills are..in a real dojang..the main teachings are respect and discipline..guess he didnt go to real one..


Humankind cannot gain anything without giving something in return..to obtain something of equal value must be lost..that is the 1st rule of alchemy..in those I believed that to be the worlds one and only rule

- Edward Elric

 

Bas Rutten got his in a year, but he was trained in other things before that I believe.


There's a TKD school literally a block from my house, and the people teach there and live there. I think he does private lessons but I'm not sure at all. My friend said he saw the guy out there smoking a cigarette, so I don't know if I want to go now. I was thinking about going and asking if I could pay him for lessons on techniques and forget about Katas and belts.

 

I'd like my son to attend one (or more) of your lessons. I like your book, and your interpretation of TKD but as we live in North Wales it's a bit far to attend.

 

It usually depends on where you go. Some schools, like you said, take about a year for their black belt...which, personally, i don't think is good because you have no experience and technically, a green belt in another school that's been testing for a year could beat a black belt that's been taking it for a year. It also depends on how often you go. For example, if you attend you class only twice a year...obviously that's not enough to even test for a higher belt nor is it enough practice. So it depends on how often you go and where you go. But basically, if you attend class regularly...it usually and most of the time takes about 6-7 years to get your black belt. I can't imagine any school taking any shorter than that.

 

It usually depends on where you go. Some schools, like you said, take about a year for their black belt...which, personally, i don't think is good because you have no experience and technically, a green belt in another school that's been testing for a year could beat a black belt that's been taking it for a year. It also depends on how often you go. For example, if you attend you class only twice a year...obviously that's not enough to even test for a higher belt nor is it enough practice. So it depends on how often you go and where you go. But basically, if you attend class regularly...it usually and most of the time takes about 6-7 years to get your black belt. I can't imagine any school taking any shorter than that.

 

have to agree on that, if you'd take every possible grading it takes you at least 5 1/2 years at our school to become blackbelt.
Hearing that at some schools it only takes you 1.5 years left me a little bit shocked

 

1 n half years im shocked!!
it took me 2 and half but that was because i quit when i was nine and went back when i was 16!! so realllyy its taken me years haha i just achieved myne got awarded with it Tonight at trianing yeeeeeeeeeeeee

 

It takes about 2 1/2 years at most places in my area. They've turned what used to be High Red into "Temporary Black" just so they can say that they give BB's after 2 1/2 years.

I used to have a Red Belt with three black tags on the side after about 2 1/2 years. I had a year and a half to go until BB. As a green-blue belt I didn't even think about Blackbelt yet because I had so long to go. I just studied TKD for fun. By the time I got to Red Belt I had spent so much time doing TKD that I knew what parts of my technique I needed to fix. I was good, but I knew I could get better, because of the time I had to reflect.

Nowadays people get a Blackbelt after such a short time that they hardly have time to get any good. I retook TKD up to Blue Belt and then quit a few months back. Even for a guy who had done TKD before, I felt Blackbelt rushing up on me too fast. A lot of the newer Blackbelts at my school still had a ton of learning to do. Most of them couldn't even perform a proper sidekick. They always did a sidekick that was more like a roundhouse with the heel. They didn't understand that a sidekick is supposed to be an outward thrust. The really sad thing is that once most of these guys got their "Temp BB" they just stopped training altogether.

I really think a good BB should have to spend four years of training before getting their belt. If you hand them a belt after 2 1/2 years they never reach their full potential. And hearing four years for a BB usually discourages anyone that just wants to buy a belt. IMO a Blackbelt means you're in it for the long haul. Anyone that just quits after getting their BB just doesn't deserve one in the first place.

 

i'm also of the opinion that it might be too soon for the majority or some, let's put it that way.

so when your mates get the temp BB, do they actually start wearing the BB or they have to grade soon again?

 

This here is what I personally find to be the weak spot of many martial arts with belt rankings.

Look at Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I find it very hard to believe anyone would ever advance in rank simply based on their attendance record.

It's martial arts for god's sake! If a martial art doesn't reward those who are better than the rest then what the hell is the incentive for training hard and doing your best?

Not being allowed to grade and step up in rank is not punishment, it's just a lack of reward. You simply don't reward those who hasn't achieved anything, that's common sense. Punishment would be to remove their already achieved grade/degree.

 

at my school we have this really cool class (that you pay extra for :bang: ) called the jr. black belt club and they have special classes that focus on what it takes to be a black belt ( only open to Green belts and up). and then they also have other clubs such as the the black belt club witch also gives you special training to become an instructor and then there is master training witch is wierd and i dont know what it is so here il copy and paist from the web site::::
Special classes every week for members

Meditation Training

Weapon Training - Short Stick, and Long Stick

Inner Power Control Skills for Advanced Breaking

2 or 3 kicks in the air

Learn to attack Human Weakest Vital Point – Traditional TKD Training

Grappling Self-defense Skills

Leadership Skills – Skills to teach TKD age 4 to 80

Only MASTERS Club members will wear special Instructor uniforms signifying their extra commitment.




ya so my school can really push you hard to get what you want and to basicly master Tae Kwon Do

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