What does a black belt mean to you.

[ceasarx]

I am about to earn my Black Belt in Jui Jitsu and as part of my test I have to explain to my sensai what a black belt means to me. I have already turned in my response but I was wandering what other people thought about the all mighty black belt .

[Brokenmace]

In my opinion, a black belt is practitioner of any martial art who has transcended the technical level and has attained a level of thought during conflict that allows for the unique expression of tactics and physical ability each of us is capable of, given the proper level of commitment and discipline.

In other words: a tactician, not a technician. This is why instinct is so important to the martial artist. Without it, he becomes bogged down in the details of his movements and their consequences, rather than on how to defeat the enemy.

An army captain, who knows the full capabilities and limits of his men without rumination, has become a kind of black belt. His mind is free to consider battle tactics, rather than if he has enough ammunition, how many wounded, where his supply lines are, or if his armor is good enough to punch through the enemy lines.

[Guest]

Sorry to be cynical. In many arts it means you have paid for membership to a club for a few years but, otherwise, you couldn't knock your way out of a papr bag........

But that does not seem to be true in BJJ. Here it means an attainment of a level not many could aspire to. A level at which you will have earned the respect and awe of fellow pratitioners. A level of responsibility as you have becoma an Embassador for the whole art, where everything you do and say, on and off the mat, will refelct on the art and all of it's practitioners.

Prattle on like that for a bit with rousing music in the background and you will do fine. Good luck -

[dannyjian]

black belt ?

I feel that black belt is the end of your apprentice stage now it is time to learn .

all the best for your grading hope you do well.
yours in budo ..........dan

[doubleouch]

My thoughts on rank have changed over the years. My 3rd degree black belt is rolled up in a ball and sits in a box in my basement. I have been glad not to have tied it on in years. It brings too much baggage. Now I train for enjoyment and don't worry about rank.

[Szczepankiewicz]

I just took my test for 3rd Brown. As soon as I am done reviewing, then I will start working on the black belt.


What a black belt means to me is that you are now a 'master of the basics'.

Essentially, I echo what Brokenmace and doubleouch had to say on the subject. My belts are wrapped up neatly and sitting in a box in my garage....

[doubleouch]

certainly what the belt means to you depends on what you have to do to earn it. My TKD rank was based on form memorization and technical skills, not fighting ability. It was OK, but I always had that nagging suspicion that I really didn't know how to fight. My BJJ rank is based on my ability to compete effectively within the art. Basically if you can give good game to the blue belts then you must be one. It doesn't matter what you know or don't. This ranking system works well when schools compete with each other often. Then there is some equity achieved in terms of what a blue belt looks like etc. If fact I earned a blue belt in BJJ after only 1 month of training at a BJJ school. I had studied submission grappling and had been rolling with some guys for awhile, but had never formally studied BJJ. I gave good game to the blue belts so my instructor had no option but to award me the rank. What is funny is that I have no knowledge of some very basic stuff that white belts know. That doesn't matter since rank is based solely on fighting ability. It seems to simplify things.

[JaredExtreme]

Above all a black belt should be able to defend himself in a one-on-one situation.

We've all seen the TKD/Shotokan black belts practicing their horse stances and step punches. These McDojo students get the black belt in 2-3 years by memorizing forms. 90% of these people couldn't defend themselves on the street, and to me their black belts are meaningless.

Yes, attitude and respect also factor into the awarding of a BB, but the ultimate goal of martial arts is self-defence, and a black belt should embody that.

[MrPoopy]

A black belt doesn't mean much to me. It's only a colored belt. At my bjj school, we are rolling without gi's right now and so we're not wearing belts. But it doesn't matter, we don't need them to identify rank. Everyone knows where they stand in the class.

I can't agree with what Jared said. Martial arts are not always studied for self defense. Some people study martial arts as an art, not just for self defense.

[JaredExtreme]

Poopy, I never said self-defence is the only goal of MA, but it is the ultimate.

For example:

BJJ: uses leverage and position to defeat opponent
Aikido: uses opponents own energy to defeat him.
TKD/Karate/Thai: uses punches and kicks to defeat opponents.

Yes, people can have their own reasons for taking MA, but you'll never find an authentic MA instructor who claims the art of MA is more important than self-preservation aspect.

[AKF]

I've only ever taken BJJ (never TKD or Karate or anything else), but I sometimes think that BJJ folks make themselves and our discipline sound stupid with there 'my art is better than yours' talk.

Everyone from disabled people to children to eighty year old seniors take martial arts. They don't do it to become good fighters or proficient at self defense. Very often, people take martial arts for fitness, fun and/or spirituality.

To these people, a black belt is a goal or destination. It is the committment to a desired outcome, and they are proud of it - I for one applaud them for it. Even if there black belt is based on the memorization of several forms and not much more, it likley took them 2 - 3 years of consistent effort to achieve it - these people don't neccessarily feel that they are capable of fighting in the street, to them martial arts don't represent that.

Another point very quickly... SO MANY BJJ practionaers carry on about self defense and being able to defend themselves in the street, but basic self defense is the ability to disable your attacker quickly, and then get away from the situation. It is not about working for a kimura or leg lock in the hopes that the would-be attacker will tap. I point this out only because in my experiences both in class and on the street, I have WITNESSED 'loud-mouth' BJJ students not be able to fight the way they think they would. Some BJJ students are GREAT street fighters and defend themselves very well during conflict, but just because you take an art doesn't make you a proficient fighter.

[dannyjian]

jaredextream please read some history before you say "you wont find a teacher who says the art is more important " some good reading on AIKIDO should help you & maybe some reading on some old kung fu styles as well .




AKF i echo your opinion.



yours in budo ..............dan

[Ice Phoenix]

Originally posted by AKF
I point this out only because in my experiences both in class and on the street, I have WITNESSED 'loud-mouth' BJJ students not be able to fight the way they think they would. Some BJJ students are GREAT street fighters and defend themselves very well during conflict, but just because you take an art doesn't make you a proficient fighter.

How does any of this apply differently to practitioners of other styles? *Invalidity Alert*

#1 BJJ is NOT about working for submissions in self-defense application. BJJ is about DISABLING limbs or choking THEM OUT, not allowing them to retaliate!

Of course in BJJ training you hope you DO have to work for that kimura or leglock, cause otherwise you're not improving your skill at controlling your situation! In training your opponent knows what you know and knows how to avoid or counter it, therefore you must take your ability to a whole new level to be successful, whereas grappling unskilled grapplers is much faster and puts the skilled at a far greater advantage!

#2 Whether you like to think so or not, if you walk into your local Karate or TKD class and ask the higher belts if they trust their art as a means of self-defense, VERY FEW would say no. This is why these arts and their practitioners take so much BS, cause before they fight they think they can, but then when they get their asses kicked in challenge matches they say, "Oh, it doesn't matter, cause I'm still better prepared for weapons and multiple attackers, blah, blah, blah."

[Szczepankiewicz]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by dannyjian
[B]jaredextream please read some history before you say "you wont find a teacher who says the art is more important " some good reading on AIKIDO should help you & maybe some reading on some old kung fu styles as well .

dannyjian,

First of all, welcome to the forum. Your structured input is valued greatly.

Second, is English your second lanugage?

Third, an old statement about glass houses and stones.


Yours in posting,

Szczepankiewicz

[Mr. Miyagi]

I think a black belt should have mastered the general technique of their art, should be prepared to teach their art to students on any level, and should have developed their own feel and style for their art.

About the feel and style thing, you see bjj black belts that might pass the guard using "wrong" technique such as keep their head down and neglecting posture or leaving one arm behind, but they have just developed their own style and it's not as if someone is going to collar choke them or put them in a triangle when they are doing this.