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In many Martial Art s, each practitioner's level is marked by the Color of the belt. The black belt is often the highest belt color one can attain (far less often, the second highest), and denotes a degree of competence. ORIGIN The systematic use of belt color to denote rank was "invented" by instructors in fact tended to provide certificates). ABOVE THE BLACK BELT In the Japanese Martial Arts , the further subdivisions of black belt ranks are called '' Dan '' grades where higher numbers means higher rank. Yūdansha (roughly translating from Japanese to "person who holds a black belt") describe those who hold a black belt wearing rank. The first black belt wearing rank is often called " Shodan " ("beginning level"). While the belt remains black, stripes or other insignia can be added to denote seniority. In some arts, very senior dan grades will wear differently colored belts. In judo and Karate , for instance, a sixth dan will wear a red and white belt, which becomes Red only at even higher ranks. One common idea concerning the tradition of belts claims that early martial artists began their training with a white belt, which eventually became stained black from years of sweat, dirt, and blood. However, there is no real evidence for this story, so it must for now be relegated to the status of myth. In fact, given the standard of cleanliness common in a traditional Dojo , a student arriving with a bloodied or dirty uniform might not be allowed to train. In some arts and schools there is the (often only half-serious, though equally often rigorous) opinion that the belt should not be washed; by doing that one would "wash away the knowledge" or "wash one's Ki away". This might have something to do with the myth. More seriously, most modern belts are made with a Cotton or Nylon outer shell, but Polyester batting and stitching to fill out the belt; the different shrinkage of cotton and polyester in hot water could cause the belt to unravel and come apart. There is no way to compare belts and ranks between styles. In some arts, a black belt is quite easy to obtain while in others ten years of hard work is more of the rule than exception. In most schools the test for black belt is quite rigorous. It is a common belief that belts are handed out more loosely in the West than in the motherland Japan . An abundance of black belt holders of low quality is often a sign of a poor school, sometimes referred to as a "belt factory" or McDojo . However, in Japan rank often comes more or less automatically with time done and the black belt has little to do with the "master" level which westerners often think of when they hear the term "black belt". ADVANCEMENT A more correct view, in opposition to the "black belt as master" stereotype, is that a black belt indicates the wearer is at least competent in a style's basic technique. Since in many styles a black belt takes approximately three to six years of training to achieve, a good intuitive analogy would be a graduation from an elementary school, which the following grades equivalent to a middle school education, a high school diploma, a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, and a doctorate as one moves up the ranks from first degree to tenth degree. The term shodan (for a first degree black belt), means literally the first-beginning step, and the next grades, nidan (second degree) and sandan (third degree) are each numbered, "ni" is two, "san" is three, and so on meaning second step, third step, etc. The black belt is thus seen not so much as an end, but rather as a beginning, a doorway to advanced learning: the individual now "knows how to walk" and may thus begin the "journey". Of course, as noted above, rank is always a subjective matter. In many schools, after obtaining a black belt the student also begins to instruct, and may be referred to as a Senpai (senior student). In many martial arts, a black belt student should not be called Sensei until they are sandan (third degree black belt). A sensei must have experience and a deeper grasp of what is involved in teaching a martial art. REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS |
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