black belt attitude

[kidswarrior]

I think a major problem in a lot of schools is there's no organization plan or process for what post BB curriculum looks like. Noone says, "this is what 3rd, 4th or 6th Dan looks like in our system."

That's probably true for a lot of schools. In the arts I've studied, there are skill set requirements, but they're held close to the vest until you get to that level. And I know in many systems, 2nd-7th or higher even seems to be mostly 'time in rank.'

 

[Kacey]

I think a major problem in a lot of schools is there's no organization plan or process for what post BB curriculum looks like. Noone says, "this is what 3rd, 4th or 6th Dan looks like in our system."

We do - we have 2 requirement books; the first is the gup book and goes through 1st Dan; the second is the Dan book, and lays out requirements through 7th Dan - there really aren't specific technical requirements for 8th and 9th; they're so rare it's on a case-by-case basis. When I got up to test for 4th, I knew exactly what kind of hell awaited me!

 

[IcemanSK]

We do - we have 2 requirement books; the first is the gup book and goes through 1st Dan; the second is the Dan book, and lays out requirements through 7th Dan - there really aren't specific technical requirements for 8th and 9th; they're so rare it's on a case-by-case basis. When I got up to test for 4th, I knew exactly what kind of hell awaited me!

The organization I belong to also has well laid out plans for upper ranks. It makes a world of difference, doesn't it?!

 

[Robert Lee]

People when they have made blackbelt at times have to ponder. Ask there self are they a blackbelt. What makes them a black belt. Just as people drop in and out of a class. Some so near testing for balck belt they even just stop never to be seen agin. It was told to me that a person will hold there self back when they think they are not ready. And do this with out knowing. But this was many years ago. Harder to earn a black belt then rather then now at most schools . Matter of fact it was not as easy to even find a school back then. Attitude develops a person for balck belt. And then the person must develop and undertsand he is now a good brown belt ready to learn even more. Far as out of shape. Lay offs does set you back. excuses can be read by attitude. So you might give some time to see if the person is using excuses or honest about his condition.

 

[kidswarrior]

When I got up to test for 4th, I knew exactly what kind of hell awaited me!

I remember reading an interview with Chuck Liddell in which he said his 4th degree BB test (Kempo) was one of the hardest things he's done in his life (and he said that after he'd been on top in the MMA for awhile--was famous, anyway)--lasted a day and a half (sounds about right). :mst:

 

[matt.m]

I have a saying: white and yellow = freshman, orange and green = sophomore, blue and purple = junior, brown and red = senior. 1-4th dan is your master's degree studies and 5th and above are your doctorate.

I am taking a purely collegiate academic approach in line with this thinking, but it seems like a good parallel.

 

[Laurentkd]

I think a major problem in a lot of schools is there's no organization plan or process for what post BB curriculum looks like. Noone says, "this is what 3rd, 4th or 6th Dan looks like in our system."

I think you are exactly right Iceman. In fact my instructor and I have been working on our "belt wall" the last couple weeks. Currently we have each belt up in order with a basic outline of the requirments needed under each. But before we have always just stopped at 1st Dan BB. It really doesn't make much sense to tell students "BB is really the beginning" if it looks like the end all the time. So now we are putting up requirements for 1st Dan through 4th Dan, and I really think this will help (until we get a bunch of 4th Dans running around the dojang of course!)

 

[kingkong89]

of course i see a lot of this, but remember it is not the belt it is the one who the belt is wrapped around