Zero to Hero

Discussion in 'Karate' started by sempai_alex, Sep 22, 2004.

  1. sempai_alex

    sempai_alex New Member

    I'm not sure if this topic has been discussed before (I don't post too often and Im sure it has) but I was just wondering about something thats bothered me for a long time.
    How long should it take to get a black belt? OK, so forget all the 'it depends on your style' or 'as long as it takes' philosophical stuff for now because at the end of the day its nice to think we're all philosophers but we just ain't and the world doesn't revolve around us. I'm writing this post while sitting at my desk at work (I fix computers). Don't get me wrong, I like to think I live my life by some ideals that Ive picked up along the way (especially through martial arts) but this convesation I had with this Tae Kwon Do dude got me thinking. It went something like this:
    Me: So, that was quite an impressive little display there
    (i had just watched a tae kwondo demo at a university)
    Bloke: yes, are you interested in joining?
    Me: Well i always fancied training Tae Kwon Do to improve my flexibilty
    Bloke: you can get a black belt in 3 years you know. or 2 and a half if you train well.
    Me: *walked away*

    I have a black belt and it took me 7 years to get it. I didn't fail any gradings on the way (fairly rare in my style) so theres no real way I could have done it quicker. Most people take between 7 and 9 years. There is only 1 black belt grading every year which is held in Denmark (Im from England) as our Shihan is over there. So anyway, I think that if some guy can say hes a black belt in 2 and a half years and it took me 7 (btw i hate tae kwondo gis theyre so showy with golden bits and silly lines) then the whole stereotypical image of saying to some guy you just met in the pub that your a black belt can mean anything from 'ive done tae kwondo for 10 minutes' to 'i can do a yohon nikite through your eyeballs and be drinking your brains out through a straw before you can say ow'.

    The thing is, when i was younger i looked forward to getting a black belt more than anything. Now i look back and realise that although having a goal is a good thing, what really matters is experience.

    Just wondered what everyone else thought...
     
  2. Kwajman

    Kwajman Penguin in paradise....

    You hit it on the head, its the journey not the destination thats important. Most people once they reach black belt think its not a particularly big deal anymore. I mean it IS an important milestone, but its just a step on the journey. My school it usually takes 4-5 years. For me it will take about 5-6.
     
  3. Mrs Owt

    Mrs Owt New Member

    When I first started in karate my goal was black belt. Now I realise that it is the thing I think about least when I speak to others about karate and why I do it. Like Kwaj said, and hundreds before him, it isn't the destination it is the journey.

    In fact in BJJ I fully expect to never attain BB status, or even purple. That makes absolutely no difference in the intesity or sincerity with which I train. Frankly I also don't get worked up about the "bought" BB's out there either. Those type of frauds usually have their come-uppance and I only care about the legitimacy and worth of the one that I hope to someday wear.
     
  4. renshinkai

    renshinkai New Member

    I've been training for around five years now, and I take my BB grading on November 20th.
     
  5. Nrv4evr

    Nrv4evr New Member

    If you train every class, a good average is about 3 1/2 (borderline) to about 5 years. 6 years and above though, is not uncommon.
     
  6. UlTi

    UlTi Valued Member

    About 6-7 years... at least. So, what do you train anyway ?
     
  7. Nrv4evr

    Nrv4evr New Member

    I would not say 6-7 years, although normal, I've seen a lot of people get black belt in 4 years. It doesn't mean they're good though. ;)
     
  8. Radok

    Radok Love myself better than U

    I am taking my black belt test next Saturday, just under four years of training. It doesn't seem all that important to me.
     
  9. Bloke

    Bloke Finally got married bloke

    In Kyokushin we have mandatory time limits between gradings. If a student were to grade on each time limit then it is possible to grade for Shodan after four years. However in my experience its almost always nearer to five. The mandatory time for Nidan then is two more years but it generally pans out at three. Then for Sandan the time limit is three years but its usually nearer to four.
     
  10. chrispy

    chrispy The Hunter

    I believe mine will take about 4 1/2 years if I get lucky and get enough classes in bewtween one grading and the next (each rank has a number of classes that you must attend before you can test for the next belt) but probably more like 5 or 5 1/2.

    somewhere around 5-7 years seems to be the norm based on what is said so far.
     
  11. Rurounin

    Rurounin New Member

    It can only depend on yourself! it took me nine years to get mine! but somewhere in the middle i was asked by my Sensei to take the test, but i was only out of an operation to the knees a few months a go, so i didn't felt ready! This was to get my red belt! The same thing happened to my brown belt!! It took me almost three years just to get from blue to brown...
    But the satisfaction of doing it when i really felt good was the next bst thing!! Due to my effort, i was left a bit behind, but stil i had more time to search and understand a bit more about all new techniques that appeared to me and so, when i finally got my Shodan, i looked back and said to myself: "i am only starting now..."

    I believe that there is no time written anywhere that you have to take to reach such a grade! What ir really important is that you feel good about yourself when you are trainning and that you realize that the true goal is always one step ahead...
     

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