age limit for black belt

[Scott Bolinger]

it all depends on how you instruct. I try and instruct in a way to develop instructors, so I try to be as informative as I can. And in different levels, the kids have to know certain training routines. Then in the purple belt testing on up, the kids have to teach a class. I just tested out 2 purple belts and thats probably my hardest testing level. It took 3 days to test out on a purple belt. But the yountest kid was a 12 year old and he did quite well standing up and teaching the class. They were able to use the book to help guid them, but they had to have the stretching routine memorised. This kid as a black belt, I woudn't have any problems promoting him to that. And he liked being about to boss his big brother around. But if he had to teach a class without me there, then i'd have a adult over see the class.

[Ben Grimm]

That's cool. I've just seen too many kids get black belts from McDojos and I'm just really disappointed about how too many kids have a black belt and are not technically or mentally sound enough to protect themselves against a kid their own size let alone a kid who is a little larger than they are.

[Scott Bolinger]

yeh, i've see that alot too. There's alot more to it than just knowing your kata

[Ben Grimm]

In that case, I'm cool with a kid who knows his or her stuff in detail having a junior black belt. I just changed from WC to Shito Ryu Karate, and we have a rule where you have to be 16 before you can grade for your 1st Dan, and the training is pretty hardcore.

[bumpus]

.
History and past trials have turned out just about everything.


My brothers stepson was made a black belt in Taekwondo at the age of around 6-7 and they wanted him known as the youngest black belt in the world at that time. Trying to put him in the Geniss Book Of World records.

His teacher wanted this for publicity and advertising.

The boy was on TV's Merve Griffin Show in the early 1970's, with The movie star James Brolin and the boy did a demonstration of breaking a board with his kick.

Later people made such a big deal out of it he was known as
TORA, TORA, TORA.

He had problems in school by getting into fights and you can imagine the rest.

It was all a joke blowed all out of proportion.

He was not a black belt ... even though he had one.


bumpus
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[Ben Grimm]

So what happened after? When did he realize he really wasn't a black belt?

[bumpus]

So what happened after? When did he realize he really wasn't a black belt?

He never did realize what was happening.
He came down with a brain tumor and after it was remover he had complications with blood clots and became like a person retarded.

The tumor was not caused by fighting.

He never did get any better and he died at about the age of 32.


bumpus
.

[Ben Grimm]

I'm sorry....

[Tattooed_Monk]

Thats tragic.....


My two cents is, that the student needs to show a mature and correct display of the philosophy aswell as a flawless execution of the moves.

Like in my dojang there was kids classes for ages until adult, and when you trained as an adult you got like your world known blackbelt, the other classes got a black belt but it was more like a you completed a novice level of hapkido. Moving up as you aged you started the new class as a white belt.

Our instructor always drilled us about not worrying about what belt you are, but how you do your techniques. He said he has seen too many people with sloppy technique with the rank of black belt. He also said, grading should be done on skill and philosophy( Basically how well you understood what Hapkido emphasized in our Dojang. Picking fights/no anger management was a good way to be held back or be kicked out, helping teach helped cause you learned how to help others aswell as a more deeper take on what you were taught..etc) He said in ancient times black belts only had their black belt cause they never washed the belt they used to train. He said they all started white but through blood, dirt and sweat stains the belt over time became darker and darker, meaning the person had practiced a long time. So we in a sense held to that way of thinking. There were some who were able to climb the ranks fast, but they usualy burnt out anyways . Where those who took their time between gradings to master what they had to know were in it for the long run and were even better then those who rushed. Ive even sparred with people who were higher in belt rank but were actually weaker...

The student needs to really show that they know what the heck they are doing both physically and mentally before gaining ANY level of belt is given to them.

My two cents, may be whack may be harsh but way I think I guess....my Hapkido class was a long long road...

( Before each full belt you had to grade three times to get three bars, then grade and get the next belt...example...white belt then 1,2,3 orange bars, then grade and recive your orange belt and so forth....each bar grading consisted of a few kicks, punches, blocks, then 5 techniques...each belt was all what you learned before plus 10 new techniques..)

[Sagacious Lu]

This thread is a great example of why I dislike belt rankings. Different styles have different requirements for their rankings, and different schools have varying standards. If all a black belt means is that you're proficient at demonstrating choreographed forms/kata/combat applications etc. than give one to anyone that is regardless of age. If you want it to mean anything about fighting ability than (IMHO) they need to be able to dominate trained adults. That means we're talking about a very gifted and dedicated mid-late teen at the least. If it means they're qualified to teach others than I don't know how to come up with a specific number but if I'm paying for lessons I want someone with some experience under their belt.