What does a Black Belt mean?

Back in the early 90's I witnessed something that would change my outlook on Martial Arts. I was at school in the English Corridor waiting for permission to enter our classroom. One of the school idiots was coming down the corridor towards pushing and shoving one of my mates, Dave Stanford. Dave was a lot smaller than me and about 7 stone lighter and its fair to say it looked like he was going to get a pasting.

Dave never bothered anyone, he was quiet, respectful and wouldn't ever start any trouble or gob off at anyone. I naturally starting walking towards them to help my mate when something incredible happened - The bully threw a punch towards Dave's head and a moment later was crying in pain on the floor - Dave had somehow deflected his punch and managed to over extend the bullies elbow taking him down to the floor in the process.

A crowed of bewildered onlookers cheered, it turned out that my mate was studying Karate and was due to take his blackbelt exam the following Saturday. I now knew a few things - 1) Watch out for the little ones 2) Martial Arts work and 3) Martial Arts were accessible.

But what does it mean to be a blackbelt nowadays?

Dave became an instant superhero as far as the onlookers were concerned he had special powers,  anyone stupid enough to bully him would get seriously hurt using an ancient system of kicks punches, blocks and throws - the only other person I'd heard of doing Martial Arts was Bruce Lee and I knew he didn't do Karate.

I now know that there are many different Martial Arts, everyone has something to teach and there are no bad Martial Arts - just bad instructors - it lead me to pursue my own Martial Arts Career albeit a few years later when I was earning my own money.

In Muay Thai there is no Black Belt, black is a colour associated with death in Thailand - but I understand that the belt system is a relatively new concept - back in the day belts held your trousers up and your Gi top together - it was as simple as that. 

The uniform was white and so was your belt, now the next bit I'm a little skeptical about but its been said that the colour black came from years of dirt and sweat getting embedded into your belt symbolising that you had been training sometime - I'm skeptical because I know that hygiene plays a huge part in Martial Arts and I can't imagine in feudal Japan you would be allowed in the Dojo looking like a scruffy git.. however thats the story, I will add that I have seen many practitioners of high grade with frayed / worn faded belts but never dirty. 

Ignorant people who watch too much telly perceive black belts either of two ways  - 1) They are like Bruce Lee, kick ass and someone not be messed with or 2) belittle the Arts because the colour of your belt only symbolises that you have passed an exam - you are not a pro-fighter. 

Those people who belittle the arts are usually simple folk who walk around like they have had a trouser accident, you can spot them by there 'swag' and you usually instantly want to punch them in the face upon meeting them.

In the Martial Arts community Black Belts mean different things to different people, bearing in mind that most students have a goal of becoming a black belt (me too, I just chose the wrong art lol) Getting your blackbelt is an amazing achievement if you actually earn it. The biggest issue for me is that the elusive black belt is becoming more widely available nowadays - there is a club in Telford that offers you a fast track black belt for a fee - either financial or repayable through a franchise. I've even seen 5 year olds are becoming Black Belts and going on to be World Champions at the same age? WTF?

I teach at a lot of seminars and see a very good standard of black belts. The to pass the examination and be awarded a black belt in these clubs follows a heroic performance over many hours and when the practical examination is over they are interrogated by senior students & instructors - it really is pass or fail. I consider these students the best at what they do - passing is many years in the making and a real achievement.

After the examination has ended celebrations continue into the early hours with friends and family members joining in to congratulate you - a real envious event thats fitting for the hard work and effort put in. For these students passing a black belt examination is a real achievement.

I've witnessed what I perceive as the best, but I suspect is that a high percentage of Martial Artists (prob 80%) walking the street or talking the talk in the local pub are not actually qualified to wear that rank with only 20% actually physically and mentally up to the job.

The black belt has lost validity due to children getting them and due to people buying them and not earning them. Many schools and instructors will give our grades in exchange for money and this happens very quickly. They end up with black belts who not only look horrible, but also couldn’t protect themselves if their lives depended on it. Not to mention, these so called black belts have a false belief system of actually thinking they are capable of defending themselves in any situation. The instructors who foolishly promote people like that are setting so many students up for failure and possibly worse.

Sadly un-warrented promotions are commonplace. I've seen people be award promotions and even skip grades - when you consider that there are effectively 10 black belts in the form of Dan grades. surely this should be enough grades for a lifetimes dedication? No people are achieving 10th Dan at a far younger age.

I believe that the problem is worsened by different organisations competing for members! Owners / Presidents of these organisations are quick to mention that "Joe Bloggs" is undergraded and if he joined "X" organisation he would be instantly promoted to his rightful grade. (As long as he brings his 200 students with him that is)

I’ve seen instructors go from 4th to 7th completely skipping over 5th and 6th. I’ve also seen 3rd to 5th, 5th to 8thand 7th to 10th. I can be farcical. 

I believe passing your Black Belt is like passing your driving test, only then do you start to learn, individuals will either go on to inspire others with there dedication and maybe never recognised for there hard work or they will sit back and "talk the talk" in front of the right faces to ensure a fast promotion. I know which i'd prefer, I'd want to feel like I've earned it.

I try and encourage my students to look past the colour of the belt or the grading tags but to make judgments based on character and ability on the Mats, I'd much rather train with someone who can actually show me something rather than tell me something - guess thats just the way I learn.

Back to the question, what does a black belt mean today? In my opinion your only a black belt if you have earned it. If you can busted your balls for many years, gone out of your way to learn from not only instructors but from beginners alike. You are also only a black belt if you can comfortably defend yourself and go toe to toe with someone when sparring.