| I definitely think that this kind of thing could become a double edged sword. Age minimums come under fire a lot for keeping down people who are particularly dedicated and train very hard. However, taking the complete opposite side of it and saying that a black belt in some art should always be able to beat a lower belt in the same art might be pushing it a little too far. Certainly if someone was much bigger or much stronger than someone one rank above him it would be fair to assume that he would be able to hold his own against him and probably even win. It would be, I think, a little ridiculous to tell someone that they have to put on about 30 pounds to get their next belt. (This is martial arts, not competitive eating.)
The one thing I will say, however, is that a black belt of any style should never be 'absolutely helpless' in a fight against anyone no matter how big or strong the opponent is. |