Black Belt Class

I was very honored last week to get invited to attend Master Rose's Black Belt class. Before going (bare in mind I am still at 4th Kup - Blue Belt) I felt a certain amount of trepidation as to what to expect. Was I going to be the instructors punch bag for the evening? Would I struggle to keep up?

I enjoyed the class enormously - Master Rose gave me a lot of help with the finer points of my technique which I will most certainly be doing my best to remember. I felt I was able to keep up reasonably well, although my instructor told me afterwoods he felt Master Rose had definately "toned down" the pace of things for my benefit and usually they are pushed a lot harder. I'm going to have to move my fitness level up quite a lot when I (hopefully) reach that elusive 1st Dan and start attending Master Rose's classes regularly.

The club website has some fantastic pictures of Master Rose performing the flying side kick and split kick which if you have an interest in Taekwondo you'll appreciate.

How long does it take to achieve a black belt in Taekwondo?

The length of time required to acheive the coveted 1st Dan Grade (Black Belt) is an oft talked about topic. Should it take a year, 5 years or 10 years. I really got thinking about this after reading and commenting on a post here and after talking to a couple of girls on holiday this year who'd achieved their first Dan grades within 3 years.

I've been training a long time, although I will be the first to admit my attendance is by no means the greatest. I always make at least one training session per week, try to get to two and on the odd week I make it to three. Realistically, a first Dan is AT LEAST another three years away from my grasp (and I am aware that I may not get it if I train for another 100 years!).

How long it should take should be irrelevant. It's a question of a number of factors which will be different for every student including fitness, talent, number of hours trained each week, commitment and probably many more aspects.

If a club tells you you WILL get a black belt in a given time, I would be cautious however short or long that time may be. This would indicate they simply "give away" belts in order to attract more grading fees. If you need a black belt and are prepared to pay for one, you can save time & money by just buying one - you can get them for about a fiver almost anywhere.

So what do I think?

Three years is too soon unless you are perhaps able to train 5 times a week.

There is no such thing as too long a time - not everyone will make it, but those who truly persevere will.

Black Belt

The Black Belt (or first Dan) is for the outsider, always seen as the ultimate goal in a martial art. Black belts are invincible fighting machines and live lives similar in style to what we see Jean Claude Van Damme, Steven Segal and Chuck Norris doing on the silver screen.
I've trained in Taekwondo for something like seven or eight years and don't own a Black Belt as of yet. To an outsider, and possibly to a lot of people inside the martial arts world, this could be read as a sign of failure. However, I don't personally hold any particular relevance in the colour of my belt, and I am going to try to explain why.
Many years ago, when I first started training, there was a guy at the club at first Kup grade (Red Belt with Black tags - one grading away from his Black Belt). He continually asked when he would be allowed to grade for first Dan. Make no mistake, this guy was an able fighter with competition wins by the dozen. He was precise and realistic in his patterns. He could break anything he was asked to, with any body weapon. Yet the instructor would not grant him the grading he so obviously craved. At one particular training session where he was asking over and over when will I get to take the grading for first Dan, the instructor gave a reply I have never, and will never forget.
He told him, "If you want a Black Belt so badly, go out and buy one. You can wear it in the lessons if you like. No-one will mind."
He didn't do that of course. What value is there in something that can be bought so easily?
Now, there is a lot of feeling around the world that martial arts schools are simply run for profit. That Belts are just something you get because you paid the money to take your grading. I'm proud to be at a club that has a Master with integrity and a respect for what the first Dan grade means, and when you are ready to grade for it.
If I ever to Dan grade, I'll certainly know it's something I have earned, as opposed to something I bought.
My children often ask if they can grade, and encourage me to ask the instructors that question. It's not easy to explain to them sometimes, but it's a part of any serious Taekwondo students lifestyle to excerise modesty. This means you NEVER ask your instructor whether you are ready to grade. You wait patiently for them to tell you the time is right.
Just as a footnote, and despite the fact they are listed on the front page of my site, I think this would be a good place to list the five tenets of Taekwondo:

1. Etiquette
2. Modesty
3. Perseverance
4. Self Control
5. Indomitable Spirit