As a result of our recent Blackbelt Test – I got to thinking – What DOES it take to earn your blackbelt? Generations go by, and you have to wonder – what did it take in the past to earn your blackbelt? What do other schools require? Is there a standard? Why do some schools take 3 years? Why do some take 10 years? After trying to answer some of these questions, I realized the answer doesn’t really have anything to do with these questions. Each school, each country, each era, each system is going to have a different answer from their own viewpoint. So this is not where the answer lies. The answer lies in what the symbol we call a black belt represents in the martial arts.
Of course we know that a black belt is merely a colored piece of cloth – but it holds legendary symbolism. It instantly conjures up martial arts mastery in the minds of the uninitiated, while it brings back memories – however distorted – of those who have also achieved blackbelt. So the symbolism is heavy.
I – surprisingly enough – have my own opinions on what that symbolism is. When I think of the things I will speak of – it helps to remind me what I am looking for when deciding to award a black belt. These things really have nothing to do with a system, or a country, or an era or a school. I believe what is required transcends all of those things.
1. The closest consideration to anything on the list above may be technical knowledge. One criteria for a student to reach the blackbelt level is a certain amount of technical knowledge. Each school or system will require some quantity of technical knowledge to be demonstrated. This is important – and is usually for the same reason across all systems – to show that the student knows and can demonstrate most, if not all of the technical requirements for the blackbelt rank. As a blackbelt may be seen as an assistant instructor, it is important that he or she can demonstrate techniques to lower ranking students when the Sensei requests. There is not expectation of any level of mastery of such techniques – as mastery may take decades, and may in fact never be achieved, but technical competence is required.
2. The second factor I consider is demeanor, attitude, and morals. Nothing can ruin a school faster than an instructor with a negative demeanor, attitude, or bad morals. No human is perfect – we all have our faults and vices, but I do consider what kind of person is going to be put into a leadership position – even if it is a junior one. A blackbelt must be a person I can trust to take care of the students and have their best interest in mind at all times. They must be aware of safety factors, and understand how to help someone train. They have to be challenging, but benevolent.
3. Ego. Too much ego is a big deterrent for me. This means one is more concerned with themself than the student or the school. One must be humble and understand that the blackbelt is the beginning of learning for real. One must be humble about his achievements, and understand there is continued, ongoing, and lifelong work ahead of them in the martial arts. Most of all, one should downplay their own technical ability – no matter how good they are, and consistently work on developing and encouraging others toward success.
4. Contribution is also important to me. How much has this person helped others and helped the school? Does this person take, take, take, or consistently give back to the school in some way?
5. Would this person be a good representative of the school? Could he answer questions of the uninitiated? Would his or her demeanor and attitude toward their school turn someone away, or encourage them to give it a try?
6. Now onto the most important one in my book – can this person defend themselves using the technical knowledge provided by their system? When I look at that person do I see a warrior spirit? Am I confident he or she could hold their own in a violent attack? Does the person have the true essence of what real self defense is emblazoned on their mind and spirit – or is this all just a game to them? Would they sacrifice themselves to save their loved ones? Would they fight to the end in a violent encounter and never give up? Would they avoid an altercation if they had a choice because they are confident in their ability to defend themselves? In the end – it all comes down to this for me – can the person adeqately demonstrate the technical aspects necessary, and can this person actually defend themselves? If the answer is yes to these – then I seriously consider a blackbelt level for the person. All the other things have their place too – but these are the most important.
When that person dons a black belt – that belt holds symbolism to all who see it. I means this person can defend themselves. It means they have been “through the gauntlet” of training for several years. It means they can answer the questions and give direction to other students. It means they can hold their own against other blackbelts in the school.
After achieving the blackbelt – the journey is long, and achievement is measured in these and other ways. But for the first degree of Blackbelt – the Okuiri – the entrance to the yudansha world – I consider the items afore mentioned.
As instructors, we ourselves continue along a timeline of growth and development. Some reach mastery and others do not – but each grows in one way or the other. It is our job to take a step back – way back for some of us – into our own history, and make sure that we apply the correct level of scrutiny of those trying to achieve their first blackbelt. It is so important for the development of the dojo, and the students, that we as instructors get this right, and understand what it does take to earn a blackbelt.
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