I still remember the first night I turned up at training in a crisp new karate gi. The thick canvas felt so bunchy and uncomfortable and my stiff new white belt stuck out at odd angles like a badly behaved bowtie. It was as if my new outfit was insistent on making me look as stupid and awkward in training as I felt.

I remember watching my seniors that night completely inspired by the way they moved and I thought to myself, ‘one day if I can get to black belt maybe I can look like that too…’. At the time, it really did seem a bit of a pipe dream, and the aged and frayed state of everyone’s belts was just a reminder of how far I had to go…

It’s funny looking back on things now. Belts and grades have since come to mean a lot less to me. These days there seems to be such an obsession with qualifications and ranks. With McDojos popping up everywhere, it seems like every man and his dog has a black belt. Now the latest craze seems to be accumulating black belts in as many styles as possible – qualifications worn like little badges of honour on martial arts CVs. The irony here is that black belt is really just the beginning. A sign that you've mastered the basics and you're ready to start your real training.
Back in the days of Chojun Miyagi’s garden dojo no one wore belts. In fact, everyone just trained in their underwear. Apparently coloured belts weren’t introduced into martial arts until judo adopted them and Chojun Miyagi was always against them. Higaonna-Sensei told us he was graded to sandan (3rd dan) at his first grading in December 1960, but even then he rarely wore his belt.

Higaonna-Sensei made his views clear in interview he gave with Dragon Times:

“I agree that for students they are a way of measuring progress but at a high price. They cause discontent, squabbles, and lead to excessive pride in self, which is the opposite of what martial arts training, should develop in a student. Every one has different standards so, inevitably there are differences between the level of students from different dojos even when they have the same grade, and then the politics start. I believe that there should be black belts and white belts only, and that the focus should be on training, not on accumulating rank." (Morio Higaonna Sensei, Dragon-Times, Issue 10).

Maybe we’d all benefit from going back to the basics. Should we lose the belts and train in our knickers like in the good ol’ days?

13 comments

1. Michele on 23 March 2009 at 10:36

   Excellent post. I still remember how it felt to tie a black belt around my waist for the very first time. The emotions ranged from happy to overwhelmed to unworthy. It took me a full year before I was comfortable wearing it.

    
2. John Vesia on 23 March 2009 at 14:25

   There's a certain amount of pride and attachment to those black belts or any rank. Absolutely, the focus should always be on training, not achieving rank.
   
   I admit, I like wearing my black belt. But should we lose the belts? It would be a hard sell. Still, the skill level of the practitioner should be evident, regardless of what they wear around their waist.

    
3. Krista de Castella on 23 March 2009 at 16:39

   @Michele: I know the feeling. Even now at training I have nights where I feel like I should be wearing my white belt. It's truly humbling to be training with talented and experienced karateka.
   
   In training with Higaonna-Sensei, Bakkies-Sensei once said that afterwards he felt like he should be wearing a white belt. If an 8th dan instructor can be made to feel like such a beginner, I wonder where that leaves the rest of us?
   
   @John: I agree loosing the belts would be a hard sell these days. I suppose we've all grown a little attached to the system. But, I think your last point was a good one and should provide us all with a little perspective in training.

    
4. Anonymous on 23 March 2009 at 21:23

   Hi Krista,
   I too can remember my first nights training or to be accurate,recieving my first gi.Sensei gave it to me & I recieved permission to put it on that night.On returning from the changing room I was informed,not too gently,I had the trousers on the wrong way!! Was I embarrased? Nooo!Not at
   all!
   Good post.Get rid of the Belt system?Yes,I think so,but that's purely on a personal level and I can't see it happening.'Cos now,it's too firmly entrenched.From the start of my training at 46
   I was never really bothered about belts,just the knowledge.Perhaps because I was,comparitively,
   an "old bloke",though I confess,it was nice to recieve something that says symbolicly "Here you
   are mate,this is for the effort you've put in
   and the ability you've achieved by perseverance"
   given you by someone who's ability you respect.
   Now,after 19yrs training & still learning I have my own small club in the UK (Norton Dojo) my students aren't "belt-chasers" and it doesn't seem to worry them.
   I believe people (especially Westerners) need
   symbols of their progress and/or acheivment.
   Perhaps the emphasis should be made on the achievement/effort,not the rank.Certificates
   should have no mention of "rank"?There must be a balanced answer to the discussion somewhere.
   It would be interesting to hear other opinions.
   Chris Robins

    
5. Anonymous on 24 March 2009 at 00:32

   I believe we're missing something. Yes, belts are not all-important. And there's even places where you can get one for a few bucks, if you wish. _But_
   
   * Belts are a tool. As such, they can be of help if used consciously
   
   * Tying with above, do we have a duty back to our MA? If so, it's simply easier to give back as a 2nd dan than as a yellow belt, whatever our real level. You can also reach better artists and get them to correct things you might be passing down wrong.
   
   * Instructors who rush their students through the ranks are either in for the money or unconsciously polluted by that mindset.
   
   Keep well; Ferran, BCN

    
6. Krista de Castella on 24 March 2009 at 00:57

   Chris,
   
   I can sympathize with the gi incident... Even after all this time I recently had Kuramoto-Sensei correct me on the way I've been tying my pants!
   
   You've made some really good points in your comment. There is definitely something symbolic and special in being awarded a grade by a Sensei you admire and respect. Perhaps even more true when it comes after enduring a hard grading. I guess at the end of the day it's a tangible way for your instructor to say 'good job'.
   
   I know on the odd occasion where I manage to earn a grunt of "good" from Sensei, it makes my night. I suppose we should never underestimate the power of praise.

    
7. shugyosha on 24 March 2009 at 01:27

   Not saying this is the case here, but about the power of praise:
   
   Rory Miller in his book Meditations on Violence [*] states, in the later chapters, that one of the dangers of teaching MA is that students want to please the instructor. To the point they'll do things they know are not good for survival until they forget they ever thought otherwise.
   
   [*] A short book with lots of information. Mostly on the difference between training and violence.

    
8. Krista de Castella on 24 March 2009 at 01:56

   @Shugyosha: Thanks for the link. Looks like a great read. (Sigh). My 'to read' collection of martial arts books is steadily growing taller. Just bought a copy of the Bubishi but I'm still half way though the book of five rings and re-reading The Way of Kata. Talk about biting off more than you can chew.
   
   As for the desire to please our instructors, I suppose we can only hope that our Senseis can distinguish the techniques best suited for survival from the more flamboyant variety :) I feel especially lucky in this regard.

    
9. Sue C on 24 March 2009 at 02:14

   Though I agree that learning the art form is more important than collecting belts its easy to poo poo the belt system once you're a black belt!
   
   When you are a junior belt you are not really even aware of the higher philosopy of martial arts or that it is intended to be a way of life not just a collection of fighting techniques to learn. You learn all this as you progress and start to appreciate the true meaning of learning a martial art. Until you aquire such wisdom through training the belts act as important motivators and indicators of progress. To take them away is to pull the rug out from under the feet of the novice.
   
   I hope one day I will be experienced and wise enough about martial arts to say we should abolish the coloured belts! But hopefully I will look back and remember how important they were to me when I was a novice.
   
   Purple belt (and proud of it)

    
10. Krista de Castella on 24 March 2009 at 09:45

    Sue,
    
    Your right. It is very easy to forget what a good motivation tool belts can be especially when we start out.
    
    I suppose the key difference is really between the goal of 'getting' a black belt vs. the goal of 'becoming' the kind of martial artist that we see wearing them.
    
    To this day, my seniors are still my greatest source of inspiration. And to a certain extent the belt/grade symbolises that level of mastery. I think seeing a commonly held standard at certain grades makes the goal of getting there more tangible where we might otherwise think it's out of our reach.
    
    Great points. Thanks for your input.

     
11. Anonymous on 27 March 2009 at 15:14

    Great topic. I agree - one shouldn't worry about belts. When attacked on the street, the assailant won't care what belt you are.
    
    One exception - Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. In BJJ, belts mean a lot because they are so hard to achieve. When you meet a black belt in BJJ, you can be well assured that this person is very capable and skilled, and can defend him/herself. Even a blue belt in BJJ would be a handful in a real-life, unarmed encounter. I've heard of instances where a white belt in BJJ, with under one-year of training, just totally dominate other martial artists who have been practicing for a lifetime. BJJ students practice against resistance everyday, so their skills improve very quickly. I really respect BJJ.

     
12. Littlefair on 11 April 2009 at 18:39

    I think another problem exhibited by some black belts is the strut that sometimes comes with wearing it. It's not all black belts but some certainly swell up a lot when they've passed their test. I don't think there's a lot of humility in this behaviour. Related to this is that some dan grades rest somewhat on their laurels, "Hey, I'm a black belt, I'm cool/I'm better/I can't be taught anything else". This winds me up. Dan grades deserve respect but they shouldn't feel that this is the b-all and end-all.

     
13. Robert Collins on 28 April 2009 at 02:27

    Very well written. Incredibly insightful and I appreciate you sharing this with the blogging world. Looking forward to reading more of your blogs. Have a wonderful day. In the way, Robert