I recently read an article on 'experience' that stated that, on average, you need to practise something [anything] for around three hours a day over a ten year period before you become an expert at it. If that's the case, and a Black Belt ought to be the symbol of an expert in any martial arts field, how is it that so many people have black belts that they've earned in two years or less?
I know we touched on the de-valuing of Black Belts in the letters page of the magazine, but are there any martial arts where a Black Belt still marks you out as an expert?
Lau Gar's black sash and BJJ spring to mind as being tough to earn...

Belts and grades, IMO mean hee-haw.

For beginners (Kyu/Gup) grades, they are a visual indicator of what that student has been taught within a particular sylabus at that moment in time.

At advanced grade (Dan/Duan), they are (IMO) are at best, a target generator, and at worst, an ego-stroking advertising tool.

I've been involved with Martial Arts for 33 years, 24 of which have been as an adult. During that time, wherever possible, I have tried to avoid falling into the well cliched trap of having one years experience repeated 24 times.

Even with that said, and although I train Martial Arts for at least 10 hours a week on average (not counting teaching at my friends class), I would never class myself as an expert.

I would say that I have a lot of knowledge, and a bit of ability in my chosen subject matter, but to set myself up as an 'expert' is to set myself up for a fall, if you follow what I mean.

Oh, and getting back to the 2 year Black Belts; well ego and money make comfortable bed fellows.

At the end of the day, there is a Latin phrase that comes to mind for those who wish to have their egos soothed and those who wish to make money out of them; Cavaet Emptor - Let The Buyer Beware.

There is one of these belt factories where I live, and I KNOW for a fact that the Blue and Purple Belts I have produced are of a better standard than the 'Black belts' which are factory produced from this 'School'.

Do you know, I doubt there are many martial artists who will admit to being 'expert ' at their chosen art for fear of being labelled egocentric - certainly in the UK where we seem to abhor success these days... You can have expertise and still have plenty to learn I think!
Okay, so what makes BJJ diferent? As far as I can tell, a BJJ Brown belt is still something to be impressed by. Is is down to who awards them and/or sets out out the criteria for attaining them?
Does this return us to the 'governing bodies' issue? Do some associations ehibit more stringent critera for a Black Belt, thereby keeping the 'worth' of the belt as an indicator of experience gained?
I've tired myself out with questions now...
[Last one - what does IMO mean?]

Sorry. IMO = In My Opinion.

You're absolutly correct, being British, we tend not to 'big up' ourselves they way that oour Colonial Cousins do.

As regards the 'value' of a grade: It is my belief that a grade or belt colour is relevant ONLY to the group to whom the student/instructor belongs.

You are also correct, that in the wider Martial Art Community, Purple, Brown, and Black Belts in BJJ are respected because of the training they have to go through to obtain these grades.

At the other end of the scale, you have groups such as GKR (Go Kan Ryu) who are generally considered a laughing stock with the wider Martial Arts Community due to the ease in which one can grade and qualify as an instructor in that system.

So if you were to put a BJJ Black Belt and a GKR Black Belt in front of ignorant Joe Public, other than training with both, Joe has no way of knowing the difference between the two.

It may well be that Joe prefers the easy GKR methods (which would be his call), or he may prefer the hard BJJ methods. At the end of the day there's laways going to be a market for both.

Hurm... Personally speaking, I'd know if I'd worked hard for something or not.. And guage it's value according to the level of effort it took to attain.

nemo mk2 wrote:


Would you, though?

If you knew no better and found yourself in a GKR Dojo, you may think you are working your socks off.

But the fact is, groups like GKR give grades out like Smarties.

Unlike a BJJ, TAGB, or KUGB student who has to EARN their grade.

But again, grades are a personal matter, and what I think of a particular method or group means nothing.

Skill and/or knowledge are the most important things when it comes to Martial Art study, not the piece of paper hanging on the wall, or the colour of the piece of cloth around your waist.

Alcatraz wrote:


I think that is the key point when it comes to gradings... unless all martial arts are unified under one official body with some sort of set syllabus (I am not advocating that this should happen) then there will always be discrepancies between different arts and associations.

The only way to really decide who's black belt is worth more is some good old fashioned competition. I'm sure there will be plenty of people in the martial arts world lining up to have a pop at the top men in the GKR if given the chance!

Ha ha, you are Harry Hill you are! I'm off to get my GKR blackbelt...

There's only one way to settle this..... FIGHT!