Any martial arts folks in here?

[Turbo]

Who here does Karate/Tae Kwan Do/Brazilian Ju-Jitsu/etc.?

I started taking an American Karate class this semester; I got my third belt yesterday. (Huzzah!) I'm also taking a few classes at the karate school that runs USC's karate classes, since yesterday was also our last class for five weeks (thanks Christmas Break).

 

[Turbo]

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

 

[Bloodwhiner]

Three belts in 1 semester.. yep your in the standard Americanized Karate class. In the US belts seem to be given out as a way to keep students interested. That usually allows the Karate-Do to charge a bit more for each level.

Eastern based schools or those that adhere to international standards tend to advance far more slowly and based on true skill and knowledge. Lower level belts (up to brown) can take six to eight months between levels. Browns may be a year or 18 months while moving up in Black may take several years.

In my son's Renshinkan Karate, some slack is given to children but they A) cannot get a black belt in the child or youth brackets and B) revert to white belts when they enter the adult ranks at age 13.

Beside's you never truly earn a belt until you make the next level (you've earned your Yellow when you become Orange). It is not a race to collect belts, it is a journey to improve self.

Finally only in the US is Black seen as the goal, else where it is the true start of the journey.

 

[Turbo]

Oh, don't get me wrong, 3 belts in one semester seems rather fast, but after this it's a lot harder (and longer) to move up. (And my school doesn't charge for testing; they just charge the cost of the belt.) Testing for the advanced belts includes being able to demonstrate that you can help others, and emphasizes that you are truly improving yourself.

Nothing annoys me more than the schools who advertise "Get your black belt in two years!" and similar crap.

 

[Bloodwhiner]

First, I came across march harsher than meant. My apology for that is offered.

Our school charges for testing but that includes the belt. The cost is primarily to pay for the travel costs of Sensei to visit and evaluate. Our testing is run by Sensei not directly associated with our dojo. In our case they come from sister schools in nearby cities. Our local Sensei judge skills at those dojos as well.

So our testing is as much a test of their instruction skills and the student skills.

 

[hamudm]

I studied a form of Karate for around 10 years (instructed a class for 3). Typically we'd take summers to do Judo and Aikido training as well. A lot self defense against weapons as well: knives, escrima stick, etc...

I was at my nidan level... Took about 8 years to get to shodan for me.

 

[Chapel]

As a teenager, I trained in Kenpo karate down in New Mexico.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Taekwondo here, with black in my belt. Dabbled in other things over the years too - a spot of aikido, a soupcon of jiujitsu, a fistful of taijiquan, though mainly I grew up as bit of a swashbuckler with what US types call AEMMA nowadays...