still learning said:
Hello, Have you notice how many people who have a Black Belts. Watch them workout or perform somewhere and you wonder about their skills?
Many schools have a minumum requirements and lenght of time, as short as one year to two years only? Does this make sense? What are your thoughts?
Should this be like a State licence, for journey man workers,lawyers,doctors,mechanics,school teachers?
Yeah, I've noticed Black Belts that couldn't move well. Even high ranking ones that moved like robots. It was sad.
There's three things you are talking about here:
1. Knowledge.
2. Ability to perform.
3. Ability to pass the art to others, to engender 1 + 2.
There are black belts that know the ins and outs of their style, but can't 'do' their art as well.
There are those that don't 'know' as much as someone at their rank should, but can DO what they know with a high degree of consistant quality.
There are those who can teach their art better than they themselves can DO the art.
Then theres those that know their art well and can do it well, but can't communicate it well to others. (these make fine senior students for inspiration, but POOR instructors if they try their hand at it.)
Last but most importantly: There are those who Know their art well, can do (perform/execute) their art with consistant quality and can help others gain in both of these areas as well. THESE are the ones that we look up to, these are the ones we should follow.
UNFORTUNATELY: Joe public doesn't have the knowledge or experience to be able to discern one of these types from another. They may see their local Jon Q. BlackBelt and think "Now THERE is a black belt. That's what a black belt should be like." But they don't know. Their basis for comparison is exceedingly shallow. So they go study under Mr. local BlackBelt and train for a good while, putting their effort into it and trying their best. When, down the road, they feel they aren't making the type of progress they should in ability or understanding... they DON'T question their instructor (generally) because of the classroom sermons on "Patience" and long endurance. So they keep their head down and keep going.
THEN: We get another 'Black Belt' who's knowledge and ability is good
BY THEIR STANDARDS
but by the standards of people who've been 'around the block' w/in martial arts circles for a while....SUBstandard at best.
It's an unfortunate cycle.
It takes some information and time to discern the wheat from the chaff in the martial arts community. Imagine being one of those that just happens to fall into the right hands the first time around. Like Mr. Frank Trejo. If memory serves, he first trained in Shotokan and then his mother showed him an add that Grandmaster Parker placed looking for "Black Belt instructors". He replied and wound up a personal student of the Grandmaster of American Kenpo Karate. WOW... what good fortune!!
Then there's the guys in Ho-hum nowheresville. Their options are usually limited AT BEST. But they do the best they can with what they've been given.
Length of time has nothing to do with earning a Black Belt!!! Sure, it shouldn't be 'quick' per-say... not really. But 'quick' compared to what? Compared to earning a PHD we are there lickedy-split. Compared to the Indy 500, it takes us a long time to get to our goal.
Time is relative, it's the amound of quality work and attention to detail that will make the biggest bang for your buck down the road, regardless of how much "Down the road" you are.
See, if there were some 'State Board of Martial Arts' that said that a person who's been doing a martial art for 4 years should have a black belt, or just that that's the minimum of time needed.... it wouldn't effect the quality of understanding or ability or ability to teach one whit. If you can't get good quality, the amount of time is irrelevant. 2 years of substandard quality compared to 10 years of substandard quality will both get the same thing: Substandard.
Nah....the 'state' should stay out of it. There's more that goes into "earning" a Black Belt than can be quantified or labeled. Much more. Knowledge, Ability and ability to teach are just the main landmarks along the way... but they aren't all!
Sorry to rant on, but this is something I've thought a while about.
Your Brother
John