Question regarding black belt rank

[granfire]

Well.....

If the instructors have been doing their jobs right, the student should already be looking past 1st Degree by the time of their testing. In our school, we start them out using 1st Degree as their first long-term goal, but I always tell them that it's like setting a goal to graduate from high school. It's a great goal, but your education doesn't stop. The journey from White Belt to 1st Degree is learning the basics of Taekwondo. The journey from 1st Degree onward is learning the art of Taekwondo.

I do disagree. You can't change people's minds. If they are of the 'been there, done that' persuasion, there is little you can do to get them to see past the edge of their plate. Heck, in some cases not even the prospect of being bumped back down gets them to return. (though I am pretty sure in at least one case, Daddy was happy that the kid burned out, he brought her in every time the doors opened, sadly, because the kid had promiss)

 

[StudentCarl]

In my master's school we test for cho dan, considered probationary black belt for 6 months, and then can test for first dan if our performance justifies it. After the probationary BB test, we are awarded the school's black belt certificate. The first dan certificate is the KKW certificate. As I'm not the master, I don't know the origin of the practice.

Carl

 

[ralphmcpherson]

Well.....

If the instructors have been doing their jobs right, the student should already be looking past 1st Degree by the time of their testing. In our school, we start them out using 1st Degree as their first long-term goal, but I always tell them that it's like setting a goal to graduate from high school. It's a great goal, but your education doesn't stop. The journey from White Belt to 1st Degree is learning the basics of Taekwondo. The journey from 1st Degree onward is learning the art of Taekwondo.

From my experience there are some students who will quit once black belt, its not the instructors or the clubs or the styles fault. Unfortunately there is just a small percentage of people who train just to get a black belt.

 

[d1jinx]

funny, not to get off subject but this reminds me of a Korean master I had one time. He held back what he taught until after Black belt because he knew 80% of the students would quit as soon as they got it. In his mind he figured why waste his effort on them. After 1st Dan, he would then begin showing more.
Although he never really showed eveything... unless you were Korean.

Dont worry, I didnt care too much for him so I am not singing his praises, just remembering...

 

[Steven Craig]

He held back what he taught until after Black belt because he knew 80% of the students would quit as soon as they got it. In his mind he figured why waste his effort on them. After 1st Dan, he would then begin showing more.

The Master of my club does Hapkido in a similar way. He believes in his instructors giving the coloured belts a 'taste' of Hapkido, but it is not give a solid grounding until the students achieve BB and are not graded upon proficiency in Hapkido techniques until the Dan gradings.

 

[cactus]

I got my Cho Dan Bo only last Saturday, so I like this topic We're a WTF affiliated club, the 1st Gup is a Red Belt with 3 white stripes and Cho Dan Bo is a red belt with one fat black stripe. My head instructor refers to us as probationary black belts. At competitions (Victoria, Australia), I've only seen one other way to represent Cho Dan Bo and that was a half red/half black belt (although this is also used to represent a poom rank at some clubs). When I next grade, it will be for a 1st Dan with KKW certificate.
Definately an interesting variation presented by the OP though!