POLL: Child Black Belts
Out_of_Bubblegum
Posts: 2,220 Member
What do you think - should children under age 16 be given black belts?
This is an open poll, so feel free to add any kind of answer you'd like if you don't see what you like on the list.
Discuss!
This is an open poll, so feel free to add any kind of answer you'd like if you don't see what you like on the list.
- Yes - kids deserve the rank same as adults
- Yes - Kids deserve the rank if they can pass the same test as adults
- No - Kids should get a "Junior black belt" ranking separate from adults
- No - Kids wearing black belts gives unrealistic and potentially dangerous confidence
Discuss!
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Replies
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The school I trained in will not issue a Black Belk until the age of 12 and they have to perform the same requirements as any adult. I agree with this.2
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I agree on the requirements - not sure about the age line though--- some kids are definitely tougher at 12 (or at any given age) than others... and some reach that level of what I think of as "black belt tough" at much earlier age than others.
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We did not have any black belts for kids in my old training place. It did not bother me but some other parents were bothered by it though n went to a different gym in the'same city. I was stuck for quiet a few years before I was cake to join the adult training. In general I find that its quiet easy these days to get a black belt for kids n adults so a lot of them that tell me they are a black belt n I see their side kick its ofen difficult to distinguish between a turning kick but they got their belt in 2 or 3 years. So it might be lack of practice as the gym seem to focus more on learning the pattern. I have seen 6 or 7 years old black belts during my competition time in tkd.0
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If you go by BJJ standards that most BJJ practitioners do (IBJJF) there are no kid black belts. You are also not eligible for your first adult colored belt (blue) until you are 16. With a minimum of 2 years at each of the following belts- Purple, and Brown, it is not possible to get your black belt until your early 20s.
I could be convinced of the idea of junior black belts for motivation for kids who meet mastery standards for their age. But I generally against kid black belts especially when equated with adult black belts. I think it waters down an art and it might give kids false confidence to their detriment.0 -
I understand the tradition of the belt system, but at different schools I've seen black belts who have put the time in and still aren't as good with basics as some other not as experienced students. I think it depends on the student and the school. I've seen children who are incredibly gifted and train super hard, granted most of these kids I've seen are Chinese and have kind of psycho parents- but these kids are no joke! I personally think it's up to the school how belts are delegated, but skill level, experience and training are apparent with or without a belt.2
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I think you hit the nail on the head as far as my perspective, @Soy_K.
The main problem I have with rules such as "No black belt until 16" is that I have seen an incredibly hard working talented and deserving student who is NOT allowed to test because of said rule, and sits and watches a middle age person with no flexibility, no speed, weight issues, and and poor cardio be allowed to test because they are an adult.
How can we justify this?
To me, this is why a Junior Black belt program is important. It allows instructors to advance younger students through a structured program that is more appropriate for them while giving them time to physically and mentally grow into a black belt, without having to compromise the school's standard or make it something so easy as to be almost worthless.
Otherwise the instructor is forced to :
1) Slow/Stop the students advancement until they are old enough
or
2) Lower the standard so that the child student passes
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Those are good points. Also to note that people running studios are also running businesses and have an audience of hobbyists to please in order to keep their schools running. Not every student is going to be a competitive athlete. I've seen parents and adult students alike want to forge ahead quickly and blaze through a belt system.
Junior black belt is a great idea.1 -
We have blackbelts who are around 13ish. They're skilled, and have all been through the curriculum. We also have black belts who are 40ish but their bellies are too big to do a stretch kick. TKD has a curriculum. Pass the curriculum, get the belt. I'm fine with that. It gives clear structured goals and achievements important at any age.
We do have a junior belt system, but it doesn't last long enough for them to get black belt.2 -
Fat black belts is another issue altogether.
I was on my way towards that when I got back into the art after a 4 year break... but I also put down a lot of effort to get that under control. It was a humbling experience to try and wrap my belt around my waste and it didn't hang right.0 -
Somewhere between orange and green belts I had fallen off the wagon, didn't go to class, and did nothing but eat for 3 months. I put on about 80lbs in that short stint of time. Not being able to wear my belt properly was humiliating, much less not fitting in the uniform. It took a lot of will power to drag myself back into class 80lbs heavier in the blink of an eye.2
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Fat black belts is another issue altogether.
I was on my way towards that when I got back into the art after a 4 year break... but I also put down a lot of effort to get that under control. It was a humbling experience to try and wrap my belt around my waste and it didn't hang right.
I started at 420 pounds and earned my black belt @ +- 340. Currently 315+-. I'm a fat black belt that won the AOMA Nationals board breaking with a turning kick break with the boards placed at 7' ...never judge a book by it's cover!
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@trackercasey76 That is awesome. One of the best I ever knew was around 300 lb, and only about 5'5" - but solid as a rock! When he hit me, it felt like a sledge hammer, and he could jump kick to the head.
I Agree that every body type is different... but there is a difference between someone who is 315, fit and dropping, to one who got their black at 175, and then subsequently gained 140 and hasn't been putting in any training time, but still teaches.1 -
I am a little biased on the child thing since I've been watching my kid and a few of her classmates working on their belts for the past 8 years. So many have dropped out but most of the ones who have stuck it out are very committed. Once they reach light green it becomes harder to advance; about a year, depending on the kid's skill to advance from one level to the next. I noticed that's when many of the kids drop out. I think it depends on the student's skill, perseverance, and commitment whether they should qualify for black belt.1
This discussion has been closed.