How Many Make It To The Coveted Blackbelt?

[blackbeltbill]

      Up front- not very many will make it that 4-41/2- or 5 Years to make Black Belt. Probably  no more then 1 Student out of 100. Especially  in a Good/Street oriented  School like the one,I started to attend back in 1982.

   Alot of Students drop out before completing 3 Months. If bad habits develop and are not corrected by a watchful Teacher- it might cost that person on the Street.  

     Another big group drops out before the end of 6 Months.  The Training is Tough or it should be. 

   If a Student stays for a Full Year- that is an achievement.  That Student may have the Inner drive to continue on.

  It depends too on just what is Taught. The School,I attended included Standing Jujitsu,Boxing, Muay Thai, and Okinawan Isshinru Karate. Plenty to work on and each day was different.  

   I actually  enrolled about 1 Month after 2 Good Friends enrolled back in early 1982. They both quit right at the 1 year mark.  A number of 1st Degree Black Belts also disappeared  the first year,I was there.   They were probably  into their 5th to 6th year.

   I ended up staying with my Sensei for 13 Years and Taught for him. Long Time to be with 1 Teacher. Rare these days.

     Important  to start out slow. Any Sparring should be controlled  for the 1st year and avoiding any Head contact.

  Trust between students is paramount.  Never let someone use you if you decide to Train.

    I actually  have more years Boxing then the MMA.  About 50 years now.

   Personally, I don't think most students should  Spar Full Contact before they have 1 solid year invested. Not much of this needs to be done for the majority.   I did my Share- but did not overdo it.  

   Also important  are the 4 Breakfalls. My Sensei Frequently  chose me to work his Locks and Throws.  I believe  he is a 8th Dan now. 

  Too- many Black Belts,I have Trained with no longer Train. Even by themselves.  

   So in what,I have seen in being with my Sensei for 13 years is  perhaps 1 Person out of 100 will test for that Black Belt.  

  Never too late to seek Training.  Especially  for the over 40s to keep supple.

[blackbeltbill]

Here is part of my setup below. The 2nd area,I workout. The Heavybag weighs in at 125lbs.  Leave the 40lb Heavybags for the Tae-Kwon-Do Schools.   A 60lb Dumbell  is awaiting on that stool. 

   That Heavybag is Smoothfaced rather then the rough canvas type as,I don't use gloves of any type.

  

[phade]

Are we talking lean six sigma?

[Bolt Action]

I'm actually glad that you posted this. We recently enrolled my 9-year-old at the local karate dojo. I want him to learn some self-defense, discipline, and was just looking for a way for him to get some energy out during the week. The sensei is a career martial artist. He's achieved the top belt in multiple disciplines. The only part I question is that while my son is brand new as a white belt with only a few months under his belt, he's already been working with nunchucks, a bow, and regularly spars. He often has no idea what the class is doing and just tries to keep up. I understand that he's in a class group setting, it just seems early to me to be working with weapons and sparring when he doesn't really have the fundamentals down.

[blackbeltbill]

57 minutes ago, Bolt Action said:

I'm actually glad that you posted this. We recently enrolled my 9-year-old at the local karate dojo. I want him to learn some self-defense, discipline, and was just looking for a way for him to get some energy out during the week. The sensei is a career martial artist. He's achieved the top belt in multiple disciplines. The only part I question is that while my son is brand new as a white belt with only a few months under his belt, he's already been working with nunchucks, a bow, and regularly spars. He often has no idea what the class is doing and just tries to keep up. I understand that he's in a class group setting, it just seems early to me to be working with weapons and sparring when he doesn't really have the fundamentals down.

 Right. Just observe closely  your 9 year old Sparring.  There should  be Zero Head contact and light to the body. Safety  is paramount  for children especially. 

   It might be a bit early for weapons. I think the time would be better spent learning Realistic Self Defense  in a controlled manner. 

  Hopefully there is a Lighter weight Heavybag for the Kids to work on. 

  Watch closely  the higher rank Brown Belts as they Teach also. 

  Sounds like a good Sensei in there!  

  If there are mats- hopefully  Breakfalls will be taught. Any Joint Locks being taught- observe closely- control and trust between partners is paramount.    

 Hope your 9 year old enjoys the classes!

  

[Bolt Action]

They have the free standing bags with sand filled bases. Also the second floor is matted. In the few months he's been there, they've covered breakfalls, throat grabs, take downs and some other stuff along with basic jab, front kick, roundhouse, etc. His class is only yellow and orange belts. He's the only newbie with a white belt. The sensei tries to show them the difference between tournament karate and what to do if ever in an actual fight..

[blackbeltbill]

1 hour ago, Bolt Action said:

They have the free standing bags with sand filled bases. Also the second floor is matted. In the few months he's been there, they've covered breakfalls, throat grabs, take downs and some other stuff along with basic jab, front kick, roundhouse, etc. His class is only yellow and orange belts. He's the only newbie with a white belt. The sensei tries to show them the difference between tournament karate and what to do if ever in an actual fight..

Sounds very much like my own Sensei- John Deblasio taught.

  Isshinru is what,I walked into back in 1982.  What Style there?

 Sensei Deblasio's Teacher was Gary Alexander.  Both Men are in the Black Belt Hall of Fame. I picked the right School all those Decades back.

[Water Rat]

I made it to the coveted black belt in 1983.....still have my ghee that doesn't fit anymore. LOL

[dbHunterNY]

11 minutes ago, Water Rat said:

I made it to the coveted black belt in 1983.....still have my ghee that doesn't fit anymore. LOL

tae kwon do was my discipline too. didn't make it as far as you. had a lot going on as a kid not legally able to drive and that endeavor got cut versus other stuff my awesome parents were driving me around to. then for a much shorter period of time I did boxing in college. fast progression but neither had me driven to make sacrifices in life.

[dbHunterNY]

@blackbeltbill don't take this the wrong way. no bad intent. I'm truthfully curious how you're using the heavy bag. how do you move around that heavy bag with all that stuff? also why don't you use gloves?  looks like a plain jane heavy bag that'd be hard on hands. even with boxing gloves there was months of splitting knuckles and rewashing bloody wraps until scar tissue built up and knuckles finally closed up. do you wrap your hands and wrists at least? you can break a hand or wrist if you're hitting it hard enough.

[dbHunterNY]

On 2/7/2023 at 6:56 AM, phade said:

Are we talking lean six sigma?

now i feel like i'm giving bill a ribbing but nothing about that space is proactive.

[Belo]

1 minute ago, dbHunterNY said:

now i feel like i'm giving bill a ribbing but nothing about that space is proactive.

needs a good green belt project or 5S

[dbHunterNY]

10 minutes ago, Belo said:

needs a good green belt project or 5S

if you take this and run with it i'm blaming brad. i'm a small office. we aint got time for six sigma. ...but no i'm sure all that stuff is useful and has a purpose. lol 

[blackbeltbill]

1 hour ago, Water Rat said:

I made it to the coveted black belt in 1983.....still have my ghee that doesn't fit anymore. LOL

 How is your Training going now?

  I have only missed 2- 2week s off training due to work injury in  my 42 years of Training.

  I Train at 2.30am for 30 minutes before heading out to the Turkey Woods when that Season Pops up.  Can't  believe,I have 50 years of Boxing Training under my Belt as well. Time flies. 

  I Train every Morning all year.

[blackbeltbill]

28 minutes ago, dbHunterNY said:

@blackbeltbill don't take this the wrong way. no bad intent. I'm truthfully curious how you're using the heavy bag. how do you move around that heavy bag with all that stuff? also why don't you use gloves?  looks like a plain jane heavy bag that'd be hard on hands. even with boxing gloves there was months of splitting knuckles and rewashing bloody wraps until scar tissue built up and knuckles finally closed up. do you wrap your hands and wrists at least? you can break a hand or wrist if you're hitting it hard enough.

   My style mirrors that of Rocky Mariano,Chavez  and Roberto Duran. Always Forward.

 No dancing around the Bag for me- lol.

   Nope- no hand wraps or gloves.  Never a problem.