I think one thing that was said and I know this is opening the can of worms that has kicked off arguments here before....is that this lad didn't act like a black belt. My and my instructor's belief as well as a lot of people I know is that black belts aren't for children and this lad is still a child.
I earned shodan grades in kyokushin and tae kwon do at 16.
I was hardly a child at 16. I could drive. Was on my way to earning a college degree that year. Was pretty much emancipated from my parents. Was having sex, working, drinking, and making a variety of adult decisions. In spite of all that, I was hardly an adult-and, while I may have been exceptional in some ways, I was pretty typical in lots of others-and I wasn't the only 16 year old black belt in 1976; there were quite a few of us...... in any case, I knew that my actions had consequences.
050
Black belts are for adults who understand the point of being awarded/given/earning a black belt.
Maybe. How about black belts are for those who understand, etc.? I mean, I know a lot of adults at 50 who still wouldn't understand.Conversely, while I'm not totally against the idea of a "junior" black belt, I've also known quite a few teenagers who had the maturity and dedication to attain shodan.
. As they say 'it's complicated'. Punish the lad for what he did of course but also he must be made to understand that losing isn't the end of the world.
It's too late for that, I'm afraid......this was criminal behavior, and will be treated as such. Odds are good the kid will be charged as an adult, in adult court, facing adult consequences for his actions.
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