by Jeffrey Helaney, IX Dan
I tend to teach a lot of seminars and one of the questions I am most frequently asked is, “How long does it take to become a black belt?” Generally, I answer this question vaguely and respond that different schools and different organizations have different standards for rank progression. It is a polite way of side-stepping the McDojo conversation in an inappropriate setting. In this forum, however; it is a very important topic.
The belt ranking system is a ‘relatively’ new concept for martial arts. It was designed to help (primarily western) students have a visual representation of their personal growth and progression. Under-rank belt colors vary, but a mainstream constant is the rank of black belt. It’s mythos in our culture imbues the wearer with almost superhero like skills. Unfortunately, the truth s somewhat less exciting.
A black belt doesn’t represent the ending of a journey but rather a beginning. Let’s use an educational analogy. A first-degree black belt is the educational equivalent of achieving a high school diploma. A second degree black belt might be considered having achieved an associate degree, a fourth degree black belt a bachelor degree, a sixth degree a master degree, and an eight or ninth degree a doctorate. At each stage of development new skills are learned, but the practitioner is still a student.
This brings me full circle to the McDojo conversation. There are very talented young people out there with wonderful skill sets, but to provide a student with a black belt after limited training and no skill development for a quick buck is the antithesis of what it is meant to represent. A black belt is something that is earned with years of dedication, training, and maturation.
I want to be clear that I do not believe there is a set amount of time needed to achieve a black belt but I do believe that it (by necessity) takes time, training, and dedication. In most traditionally ran TaeKwon-Do schools that achievement takes about 4 to 6 years. Many competent, but commercially driven schools will drop the number down to 3 or 4 years. Schools that are willing to hand out black belts with less time in training should always be looked at more carefully by the prospective student.
Becoming a black belt is more than achieving just another rank; it is a right of passage. It is not something you wear but rather something you become. There are no short cuts that allow us to earn this rank. A black belt (regardless of title) is always a student who is willing to learn, admit shortfalls, and accept help when it is offered.
Want to learn more? Contact Omaha Blue Waves Martial Arts at (402) 215-6003.
