When people are new to martial arts, there are some questions and ideas that are almost typical (though not really universal), and which many instructors and other long-time martial artists consider pet peeves, mostly because they're misconceptions fostered by popular culture and media. So, just to do my little bit to help, I'm going to take a look at these points.
The central point is the momentous Black Belt. The popular conception is that being awarded a black belt in a martial art means that you're a master of the art, and sometimes practically a superhero. That being the case, to many new people it seems like a very obvious question to ask "How long does it take to get a black belt."
I have no idea whether it is true, but I've read a fitting story about when someone visited a dojo, and asked the head instructor the above question. In response, the teacher said, "Ah! You want a black belt?" He went and got a black belt from the supplies, and ceremoniously handed the man the belt. He then gestured to his other students, who were preparing for sparring practice, and cordially invited the "new black belt" to demonstrate his qualification for the belt by joining in.
It is also true that anyone can go to a martial arts supply store or website and buy a belt of any color they like. For that matter, we can make one if we have enough fabric, and a needle and thread. In short, the belt and its color is just a symbol. There's nothing to stop a teacher or an organization (wherever the authority lies in a particular art and lineage) from declaring that they will use pink belts for the purposes that black belts are currently customary.
(I would like to say to instructors that an estimate of time to reach black belt really is a reasonable question for beginners to have, even if more experienced people might see it as not really accurately answerable; and I would propose that the best way to answer is with the simple truth, such as it is for your school. In general, there is probably some definite minimum time you can mention, along with the fact that one's own dedication, skill and perseverance will determine how much time it might take beyond that minimum training time that may be required, so that it is really impossible to say how long it will take in the end... it's up to them to meet the qualifications for promotion!)
The real point, of course, is the training and education one receives. The belts used in many martial arts to signify rank are a symbol, and somewhat arbitrary, since there are different arrangements of rankings, and different belts assigned to them.
In fact, many people are surprised to learn that the system of using belts to show rank is relatively modern, and decidedly not an ancient tradition. It started in Japan in the original school of Judo, founded by Jigoro Kano Sensei in the late 1800's. Before that time, the standard way of acknowledging a student's advancement was through a series of degree certificates. The martial arts of other countries had their own systems; I haven't done much research into that aspect of their histories, unfortunately, so I cannot now shed more light. In the meantime, Kano Sensei's ranking system spread among other Japanese and Okinawan martial arts, and then to other arts.
Actually, Kano Sensei borrowed part of the system from traditional ranking system of Japanese games, such as "Go." This was in line with his creation of Judo, as a sport and path of personal development, out of the combat art of Jujutsu. This traditional system is one of "kyu" grades for those who are in the process of learning the game or art, to which Judo assigned a series of colored belts; and "dan" ranks to acknowledge the increasing skill and mastery of those who had attained proficiency, which are the black belt ranks.
There we see the probably cause of one of those misconceptions that is our main point: first there is this series of colored belts, and then a black belt for the rest of a person's career in that art. To those who aren't fully (or at all) aware of the kyu-dan system, it does naturally look like attaining a black belt is the goal of martial arts training. Some arts do show the progression of dan ranks with colored stripes on the black belts; that was the system in the Tae Kwon Do school I attended as a youth, for example.
But what's actually going on is that the kyu-grades or colored belts are, in martial arts, a structure for a curriculum of the basics of that art, and achieving a good level of competence therein. When one receives his or her first dan rank, and the black belt that goes with it, it signifies that one has shown competence and proficiency in the basics of the art, and now he or she may begin to come into their own and truly start learning what the art has to offer. In other words, attaining a black belt shows that one is perhaps an advanced student, or maybe even still intermediate, in a more strict and rigorous school than some others might be. Again, the colored belts show that one is a beginner, learning the various components of the art, all its basic exercises, techniques, stances, etc., etc. The first degree dan rank and its black belt means you're no longer a beginner. Higher dan ranks come as one moves toward mastery.
To be clear, attaining the first degree black belt is a very significant accomplishment, regardless of misunderstandings about its precise meaning! Actually, any belt is of great significance, even the first kyu to be earned means that you have persevered in learning something new, that forces one to confront fears and discover new abilities and new strength, inner and outer, just to get that far. For that matter, simply taking the step of entering a dojo is worthy of honor. Most people don't do that!
In many arts, each rank takes longer to earn, often with specific minimum amounts of training time before one is allowed to test for the next rank. So, this means, in particular, that in the case of dan-ranks, the amount of training between ranks does indeed allow for significantly increased mastery, so that by the middle dan ranks, one could probably be considered as having mastered the art to a significant extent. But most high-ranking martial artists will tell you frankly and earnestly that they are always still students; and surely that is the ideal mindset.
Since this blog has a particular focus on Aikido, I should mention that many Aikido schools use only white belts for the kyu-grades, and black belts for the dan-degrees. Some schools do use colored belts for the kyus, however; and still others use colored belts only for children's classes, as a special motivational tool. Also of note is that most Aikido schools, and some of the other, more traditional, arts tend to discourage the mentality of trying to rack up belts or ranks. (I would say that when it comes right down to it, practically speaking, ranks only really matter, in a substantial way, for the sake of certifying people who are qualified to teach their martial art to others.)
While keeping in mind that every art, and different organizations within an art, and to some extent sometimes the schools within organizations, have their own particular systems and standards, to give a general idea, here is a link to the rankings page of the New York Aikikai and of the Aikikai Headquarters in Japan. A quick Google search can bring up the ranking systems of many other martial arts and schools. I've personally found it very interesting to compare different arts and their ranking systems, and different schools within an art.
I hope that this post is helpful to readers who may be considering enrolling in a dojo for formal training. Please, if you find that you have unanswered questions, ask them via the comments, and I will try to answer either in updates to this post or in future posts. (If you have questions about particular schools or styles, you can contact them directly and get much better answers.)
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