From: radner@cray.com (Lauren Radner)
Subject: Re: years for black belt
Keywords: black belt time
Organization: Cray Research, Inc.
Distribution: na
Date: 23 Jul 92 19:49:04 CDT

In <seah.711850080@sfu.ca> seah@fraser.sfu.ca (Simon Seah) writes:
>How many years does it take to become a belt belt in a martial art?

... oh, only about five to ten minutes. Depends on if there's a line
at the martial arts supply store counter. 

Then again, the stores I know *won't* sell you one unless you've earned it. 

Oh, were you talking about *earning* a black belt? Well, you can, in theory, 
"earn" one in one year, from some styles (there was a thread on this a month 
or so ago. Still sounded like just buying one to me.). Other styles will
contractually guarantee you a black belt after x years and XXXX dollars.
(still sounds like buying one to me).

Most styles that use a belt ranking system have a rough estimate of an 
"average" amount of time to progress to a first degree black belt level. 
At this point, you are usually considered to be ready to *begin* to learn
that style, having shown you have managed to grasp the basics. That's what
a black belt means. "Now you know enough we can TEACH you something..."

Every style is different. Some don't even use a belt ranking system. The fastest
I have ever heard that you could "earn" a black belt in any style was one year.
It can go up from there. I think the longest I ever heard as an "average" to earn
a black belt in a style was ten years (in other words, if you worked really hard
at it and progressed steadily, then at about the ten year mark you probably would
have reached a first degree black belt level). Our style takes at least 8 years.

Usually by the time someone has gotten to the black belt level (and frequently
much sooner than that), they just don't care about rank any more. The more you
learn, the more you realize your ignorance. Getting some symbol that you know
a certain amount tends to make you feel embarrassed about how much you really
don't know, and uncomfortable about what you are supposed to already know ("I'm
still not very good at...", "Gee, I never realized until today that that move 
could be used for ...", etc.). 

This means that when people find out you do martial arts and immediately ask,
"Oh-are-you-a-black-belt?" like it was all one word, you know that you are 
either in for either:

1) a really long philosphy discussion (which, by the way, if you are *not*
   a black belt, will strike them as totally bogus/sour-grapes. "He just says
   being a black belt isn't all that important because HE ISN'T one...") 
or
2) a short answer which will mean they give you a look of 
   a) disappointment-if-you're-not (you don't *count* if you're not a black belt) 
 or 
   b) awe-if-you-are (must be nobody better and badder around than you!). 

And you'll usually get some discussion like "My brother studied Pseu Do Karate 
and got a black belt in two years. He's nine now", at which point you must
try not to shriek, vomit, or tear your hair.

Well, this is too long already, so I'll quit. Come to think of it, isn't this 
already answered in the FAQ somewhere? And if not, why don't we put it in?

-Lauren