What color is your belt?
The martial arts have really changed since the early days of their introduction into the U. S. A.
When I first started teaching in the early 1970's, I would often get a question from visitors. In those days people would ask me if I was a Black belt. Most non-martial artists did not know that there were degrees of black belt.
As the years went on the questions changed. For a time people would ask me what degree of black belt I held. Later the question became, "Are you a Master"? Then people started asking if I was a Grand Master. Now I am starting to be asked if I am a "Soke". It is funny how the public perception of a martial artists worth is tied to what rank people think you hold.
The whole issue of belt rank is not relevant to ones ability to defend ones self. You as I may have seen white belt students that can defend themselves. At the same time I have seen many so-called masters that could not fight their way out of a wet paper bag.
I'm reminded of a story that way told to me by another martial arts instructor. He once had a new student show up for his first class. The instructor kept looking at the new students belt during the class. After the class he went to the new student and asked what color his belt was. The student mentioned that he had several color belts in various different styles. He added that although he had studied several arts he was not sure what color belt he was. So he decide to wear a grey belt. His new instructor found the answer reasonable. The student continued to wear the grey belt for some time. Personally I think the student did the right thing. He realized that the belt was not important. What you can do is more important than any belt. Rank is the martial arts is a two edged sword. As you get higher in rank, hopefully, your knowledge and abilities grow too. However, it seems that within the martial arts community as your rank increases, other tend to become more skeptical that you are who you claim to be. It is sad. but true. In a perfect world, belt ranks would not be needed at all. If that were to happen, it is hard to say if that would improve things or just make it even easier to make claims about your self. You be the judge.
When I first started teaching in the early 1970's, I would often get a question from visitors. In those days people would ask me if I was a Black belt. Most non-martial artists did not know that there were degrees of black belt.
As the years went on the questions changed. For a time people would ask me what degree of black belt I held. Later the question became, "Are you a Master"? Then people started asking if I was a Grand Master. Now I am starting to be asked if I am a "Soke". It is funny how the public perception of a martial artists worth is tied to what rank people think you hold.
The whole issue of belt rank is not relevant to ones ability to defend ones self. You as I may have seen white belt students that can defend themselves. At the same time I have seen many so-called masters that could not fight their way out of a wet paper bag.
I'm reminded of a story that way told to me by another martial arts instructor. He once had a new student show up for his first class. The instructor kept looking at the new students belt during the class. After the class he went to the new student and asked what color his belt was. The student mentioned that he had several color belts in various different styles. He added that although he had studied several arts he was not sure what color belt he was. So he decide to wear a grey belt. His new instructor found the answer reasonable. The student continued to wear the grey belt for some time. Personally I think the student did the right thing. He realized that the belt was not important. What you can do is more important than any belt. Rank is the martial arts is a two edged sword. As you get higher in rank, hopefully, your knowledge and abilities grow too. However, it seems that within the martial arts community as your rank increases, other tend to become more skeptical that you are who you claim to be. It is sad. but true. In a perfect world, belt ranks would not be needed at all. If that were to happen, it is hard to say if that would improve things or just make it even easier to make claims about your self. You be the judge.
posted by Charles B. Stanley at 12:58 PM
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