I was just wondering how long (and how often) people in your clubs have to train to be able to test for a black belt? In my club, its 4 years minimum, but most people get it after 5. In other clubs here, people can test for black belts after 3 years.
Usually about 4-10 years depend how often they come, and how hard they try. There are some exceptions however. Took me only a year and a half back then. However I come in everyday 2-3 classes and train before i come to the school aswell. The more effort you put in, the sooner you'll be recognized.:Angel:
it took me close to five years to get mine. The shortest amount of time i can remember anyone getting their blackbelt in is like 3 and a half years, but thats with training 5 days a week.
In Sindo it depends on the individual - how well they train and with what degree of dedication. We have specific tests for black belt which include being able to take blows to the solarplexus from a baseball bat for 5 times in 5 consecutive hits. The student must also be able to break 10 bricks hit to their stomach / solarplexus one after the other. If they can't do that then they fail. There are other tests too but these two are probably more more difficult. With good guidance a serious student can probably achieve this result in 4 to 5 years. http://www.sindo.org
3 1/2 years for me Strated just before uni, passed 2 weeks before my finals (well my first set of finals )
At our school, a student who comes to nearly every class and works hard (usually 5 times a week for 1.5 hours/class... and double classes if you can) could qualify to test for a 1st dan in about 3 years. Most of our black belt candidates actually take a bit longer, around 4-5 years.
Been here about 2-3 years and gotten to purple belt (5th or 6th kyu), four browns and one black to go... |Cain|
What is all this time limit business, I think you should look at a normal person's ability to learn, as the time yard stick to black belt completion. example. 12 kup/gup system grading twice a year = 6 years add in exemplory training record and achievements in class = double grades 1,2 or 3 brings the time down to 3/4 years. If a student double graded (which I dont always believe is right (IMHO) ) every time it would be 3 years. 8 kup/gup system do the math .. Students only get submitted in the BTMU when both the instructor and the MASTER (member of grading panel) has deemed them eligable. The goal of blackbelt should be first viewed as aspiration, and as it gets closer achievable, but never as guranteed. Stoppy
Stoppy: Not quite sure what you're getting at... but the way I understand it is you don't agree with mandatory time limits for testing. (?) I agree but it does seem like there is an "estimated" amount of time within most schools (it varies) to reach 1st dan. I think many TKD schools do their testing a bit differently. At my school, we don't really have time limit to earn your black belt, but we usually do testing every 2 months. To go from white to advanced red, making every testing and doing well will usually take about 2 years. As an advanced red belt, they are appointed "black belt candidates" and areused as assistant instructors. They also do demos at tests and a lot of work. When the master is satifsfied they are ready for black belt, they are pre-tested (a test of everything they've learned in an intensive manner). Passing this, they do the formal black belt test and wait for the decision of the black belt board. The period from advanced red to the pre-test is usually longer than 6 months. For most candidates, it's about a year. For some, it is a few years. It really depends when the student (and the master) feels they are ready. There is no rigid time limit in place but in our school it works out to about 3 years on average for many students... for some longer. Note: after 1st dan, under the WTF we do have mandatory time limits we have to wait before being 'eligible' to test. From 1st to 2nd, I think it is one year, 2nd to 3rd is two years and so on. (This info may vary by system). Again, it's up to the master when we test... we don't test just because we have the "time" in.
Its actually 2 years from 1. to 2. and three to 3. from 2. but it doesn't really matter. Speaking of wtf time limits, doesnt the wtf say a mandatory 3 months between tests as minimum before red stripe blue, and 6 months after red stripe blue? Irrelevant however. I was not implying I felt I had to wait to long for my black belt. I actually feel getting a black belt should take many years of hard work, and I hate it when people pass the same tests as I do, only half-heartedly, perform sloppy techniques, with no power and can hardly do the pushups. In fact, I vastly disagree with the means of testing at my school, since officially, you have to be able to do a certain amount of push-ups for each belt. I at yellow can do many many more pushups then most people with green in my class, and I do mine on the toes, but they on their knees. That is also besides the point Just a little venting. Also, there are now double-gradings in my school, or any other school I've heard about in Iceland. I had heard about some schools here of there on the forum who hand out black belts to students after 2 years, sometimes less, and was wondering how common this is. I also feel that when you do test for a black belt, you should be 130% ready to test. It is alot to learn in 2 years in my opinion.
honestly, in my school the 'time limits' are class minimums, theres about 30 classes for everybelt up to brown then 60 classes for each of the three degrees of brown. This is less a requirement and more an easy way out. I mean its hard to keep telling children, and adults for that matter, that they are not ready to test, and for the most part these class minimums are a fairly good judge so that everyone is ready to test. It works too because no one has ever failed a test, if the instructor thinks they will they wont test its that simple, except for one black belt testing for his second dan but we dont like to talk about him, lol. Anyways, from first to second dan its 180 classes, about 2 years, and from second to third dan its 300 classes, about 3 years. My instructor usually likes to get his blackbelts instructing in some form before they move higher in the ranks as well, but like i said these are not strict requirements. I tested for my third dan in a year and a half for numerous reasons, i was basically the instructor right underneath the owner of the school, i was down at the school roughly 10-12 hours a week whereas most people are down there 2-3, i was going away to college so i kinda wanted to get it for my own personal reasons, i not only knew the forms but because we changed our order of black belt patterns i taught everyone else a couple of them that i learned on my own, but most importantly i was ready. Trust your head instructor and listen to what they have to say, if both you and them think that youre ready to test then you are.
At least 3 1/2 yrs here. But that's very rare. You would have to know exactly what youre doing, practice constantly, and be very dedicated. the mean is probably 4 1/2. It took me like 6 1/2, only because i went to a different school but that just made me that much better and made my black belt that much more special.
Thomas I think we are both off the same song sheet Thomas. Respect what you have posted, just want to point out that students should not go into martial arts with the inclination that after a certain period they should be a black belt. We see more and more junior students coming throught he doors, who's parents automatically think that their child should be graded after 3 months. And do not understand when they are held back. Usually the student is recieving one to one tuition with assistent instructors to try and get the student ready, but if they are not then they do not grade. The result of this is unhappy parents, who think they know whats best for their child, when clearly they do not. Sorry for the rant , but it gets to me sometimes to see students pulled from clubs because parents are blind to their own childs needs. Im third Dan and have been training since 1984 so Im not into quick grades, but I have some fellow black belt 3rd dans who have graded much quicker than I because of ability. They may not teach as well but they train hard and have great technique and one day will make fine instructors. The trouble is that the more time you spend teaching the less time you have to train yourself, I find it only possible to train once a week with my master so I cant see me grading for a while. But its not important. Stoppy
thomas Yes, The world is full of martial arts instructors/babysitters. I think baby sitters get more $$ per hour Stoppy
At the club where I started training tkd you can get a black belt after let's say 4 years. The entire group trains 3 evenings per week, but competitors train 5/6 evenings (per week) + 2 times jogging (usu in the morning) + 2 times training at the gym (in the morning). If you don't attend the classes, you can't take the belt exam. the exams for black belts can't be taken at the club you train. a korean master comes several times in a year, holds these exams in several cities, so you choose the date and the city which suits you best. that's the way tkd is trained where i live. now i teach others. and not long time ago an american girl came to my club and asked whether or not she could join. she is a black belt but not in WTA (that we do) but in TTA style. she got the black belt after 2 years of training and without a single fight, and that my friends is stupid. don't you think??? my blue belts and some of my green belts are better that her!!!
Hmmmmm, I know a 19 yo who is a 4th degree black belt, certificates and all, can you say MC MC MC MCdojo?
