black belt testing

[WC_Lun]

Neither of the schools I have attended have or had time requiremets to test. Tested when the Sifu thought you were ready. I know its easier in the bigger schools to have scheduled testing though. There is just so much info to learn for each level that the minimum time between colored ranks would be 6 months.

[redranger]

in ATA taekwondo, black belts still have midterms so they test every 7-8 weeks, but it's not always testing for rank

[Zaraki Kenpachi]

Originally Posted by Chapel

Well, it isn't just about showing up, but showing up is important. Part of the whole Dan rank thing is showing a dedication to the art. However, the big reason they have these time requirements is to prevent people from selling black belts. There are ways to reduce the required time which revolve around winning competitions. For instance, if you win the Olympics in Tae Kwon Do, you are pretty much automatically promoted to the next Dan rank (it would be interesting for someone not involved with TKD to try out for the Olympics, especially if they end up winning... hey, you MMA guys out there want to get a gold medal?)

Beyond that, Dan ranks should be much slower because theoretically you have to go through all the colored ranks again to get 2nd Dan (and then again for 3rd Dan and so on...) The way I have thought about it, is that the skill of a brand new 2nd Dan in comparison to the skill of a brand new 1st Dan should be about the same as the skill of a 1st Dan compared to the skill of a white belt.

And really, I would wipe the floor with me 2 and change years ago.

Originally Posted by Gambatte Karate

Our system has the same requirements as HRD I think. If it were just about skill or merit, then we would have 10or 11 y/o 10th dan masters all over the place. LOL The balckbelt is as much a maturity thing as it is a physical thing. If you are not mature enough to hold it, then you don't get it. If you continue to show respect for your art as well as others, then you may get it. If you continue to learn new things, and keep your mental cup only half full, then you will get further. Does this mean to dump the useless stuff you don't need anymore? Not even close. It means to keep it and add to it. The brain is similar to a muscle. If you continue to learn, then it will allow you to learn more. Also, I can teach you a kata in a day. Will you remember it in 2 weeks? Not without practice. How about a week? Again, not likely without practice. How about tomorrow? Maybe....but you should practice it tomorrow so you can remember it in two days from now. Now, just knowing the moves in the kata are not enough....You must know what each move is doing. For a simple kata, it could take less time....For a more complex kata such as Unsu or Supraempi, it would take much longer. Now, add to that factor, the fact that you must learn more than one kata...you must learn (in my system anyway) TEN kata from one dan to the next. These kata get progressivly more and more difficult. You must also learn the bunkai or applications to those kata. There are also reports which are required for each dan. Some of these things a person would not be able to do in a years time.....or even TWO years time....I have been working on my requirements for 3rd dan for the last 3 years and I'm still not really ready.... *blush* A year requirement keeps people from selling rank (to an extent. It still happens...Do an ebay search for rank certificates sometime) It also makes it so you have learned what the martial arts is about. (Which isn't just fighting) This is my .02


*edit* Fixed complete. Thanks and sorry.

Very good points both of you. I appreciate your insight on this one.

I do disagree with you about the bold section. It it were based on skill no child would ever be a black belt. We had a 3rd dan in class the other day and sure he was good for his age but def not good for a black belt, especially not a 3rd dan. Of course I admit there may be exceptions but if you grade the kids like you do the adults I doubt many if any would pass.