Black Belt Survey

[Hardball]

Hey for all you Black Belts out there. How much were your testing fees for Black Belt and what year did you test? Thanks.

[Blue Wave Gym]

$200 in 1998

[Hardball]

Mine was $100.00 in 2004.

[Tant01]

I feel left out...

Hey for all you Black Belts out there. How much were your testing fees for Black Belt and what year did you test? Thanks.

LOL You know I hold no formal rank but I "wanna be"...
I can buy a black belt down town for 6.95....

[Hardball]

Sorry Tant,

I'm just trying to get a feel for testing fees. One of my coworkers is testing soon for Black Belt in TKD and his fees are $500.00. I've heard of people paying 2k for TKD Black Belt test.

[Tant01]

No problem HB... I about died when one of my friends told me his kid's PEE WEE black belt (TKD) was 250.00 . That really blows me away. (Around 2001?)

I think the VALUE is in the knowledge... Not the belt or the fee or the ORGANIZATION. I can understand a registration costing a few bucks but having your name on a list actually requires a record keeper and some "official" certification.

Really the commercialization makes it worthless in my view.

[Hardball]

It will be interesting to hear what some other people paid.

[Tant01]

I'd rather read about the blood and sweat and dedication. ...

As you wish my friend.

What does a belt "cost" these days? Did you have a set fee in mind? How much does it cost YOU to certify a DAN GRADE in your style?

Thanks again HB.

[Britt]

$25, just the cost of the belt plus monogramming. I think my instructor generally charges around $75 - $100 for black belt testing now, but I could be wrong.

John Hackleman doesn't officially charge anything for black belt testing in his Pit Hawaiian Kempo, but there's a catch: black belt tests are in Hawaii, and you and the other testees pitch in to pay his way. Wish I could pull that off!

[Hardball]

What does a belt "cost" these days? Did you have a set fee in mind? How much does it cost YOU to certify a DAN GRADE in your style?
Thanks again HB.

We're not McDojo!!! LOL It's usually just a nominal fee which includes the cost of a Handcrafted authentic belt from Japan. The belt comes embroidered with your name on it and the words jujitsu written in japanese. I paid 100 total plus normal tuition.

[Britt]

These $500 and $2k black belt fees, are they in "closed system" styles where you need to travel to Kalamazoo to the art's headquarters to get the chief head honcho to sign off on your black belt?

[Hardball]

Coincidently the one's I am referring to are both Tae Kwon Do. Strip Mall Dojangs. Also known as McDojang. LOL

[mellow]

TKD and other Korean styles seem to be notorius for exborbitant testing fees. That's one of the reasons I never went passed 1st Dan in Hapkido.

[cakegirl]

My karate black belt was free - that is, the testing, belt (embroidered with a bunch of kanji and my name in English), certificate, etc were free. But it was done while on a camp, and the camp cost about $120 Australian.

[Voltage]

1st Dan Hapkido was $100 in 2006.

That's an embroided belt with my name, and testing by the schools grandmaster, who came to us.