There has been a lifelong belief that has been around for years, which to some has been a statement that has been expressed long before a lot of us were born, which is that in the world of martial arts, the black belt is the last rank to achieve and once you have achieved this rank then that means you know it all, therefore you do not need to know anymore. This statement is something that many people have said throughout time, which also includes people that I know personally, and I myself am guilty of having either said or questioned at one point.
That stated this phrase is partially true, and the purpose of this article is to explain why that is and hopefully educate the facts. I know that this is a bold statement to open with this article. However, hold on to your seats, folks, as I have not even begun to put the pot on the stove to start the cooking process. Now, the only thing I ask to all of those who are martial arts practitioners, a martial arts enthusiast, or even a person who like to read articles is to please read this with an open mind and try to see it from my perspective. That said, let us dive right in.
First, let us start from a martial arts beginner or non-martial artist perspective. How did he, she or they come to understand that in the world of martial arts, that the black belt is the most prestigious and final rank that one can achieve, and how did they learn this piece of information? Was it from a karate or kung-fu movie that we saw on “Black Belt Theater” on a local television station? Was it from watching a martial arts movie from a movie streaming service, did they happen to read this from a major magazine publication/book, did they learn this from friends/peers or some other outside source?
All these answers are possible which means that they are not 100% wrong on how they found their answers and to their credit, as a beginner or a martial arts enthusiast we always want to find out the information about the black belt rank because it is a high point of interest to us and possibly a passion.
Now, let us discuss the ranking system. Depending on the school and/or the martial arts organization you may be a member of from the martial arts school that you train at, the rank (only counting solid colors for the traditional sense, not adding stripes) are the following. White, Yellow, Green, Blue, 3rd Brown, 2nd Brown, 1st Brown and finally Black Belt.
Some martial arts schools will start you as a no-belt. You are beginning to enter through the door of the beginning. This is to see if you retained the basics of training to where you can formally rank, which usually works with your free trial classes (usually three free days when you sign up). If after that trial period you demonstrate the basic movements, you will be promoted to the White Belt rank.
With the White Belt rank, you are a beginning in the art, starting the process of learning and paying your dues. With the Yellow and Green Belt, that is an intermediate level. Now, you are no longer a beginner, and you will start learning more information that you need to know as well as maintain your previous material. Blue and Brown are at the advanced level. Now you are entering the level where you are learning more information, maintaining information you knew from your previous belt levels, and depending on the school, you may start assisting the instructor by helping teach here and there in class (with the discretion of that instructor). You are finally heading on the road to a black belt, as that is “the ultimate goal.”
Finally Black Belt. The rank where after so much hard work, dedication, time and practice we are among an elite class. Some would say that in the martial arts world, they are on Mount Olympus and standing with the “Gods.”
The discussion of the black belt rank in martial arts has always been a topic for everyone, and in this case, the martial arts enthusiasts, non-martial artists, and beginner-level martial artists. The talk is that once you go through the journey of the martial arts and get promoted to the rank of black belt, then that is the end of the martial arts journey. You began your quest of training in the art with no rank, earning a white belt, going through the ranks thereafter, and finally earning the big one in the prestigious black belt.
So, there is nothing more to learn, and like in the movies, the master sends the student away and says, “I have nothing more to teach you. Go out into the world and find your way.” Yes, we can agree that a black belt is an amazing rank to earn, but this way of thinking could not be any more false. No martial arts master or grandmaster would just send their student out like that unless they earned at least a 4th Degree Black Belt with aspirations of opening their own martial arts school one day, but that is another discussion for another article.
February 18, 2023: My 3rd Degree Black Belt Test w/ Grandmaster Amos Johnson Jr presiding along with Legendary Martial Arts Grand Champion Grandmaster Mike Warren!
Here are the facts. Believe it or not, the rank of the black belt is just the beginning. You started at the beginning of your martial arts journey, going through the ranks and earning a rank that is not easy to achieve. In doing so, you only mastered the basics of the art. The true beginning lies ahead. When you are promoted to your new rank of black belt, it is at that point that a new beginning starts. Then you start learning the art by learning new pieces of knowledge, you start to give back to your school by accepting more responsibility which also includes helping to teach in class and being a role model for the students like the black belts did before you.
The road of the black belt path is a new beginning. When you get promoted, even at a black belt promotion. We never stop; we keep going. There is always another mountain to climb, another challenge to face, and another piece of ourselves that we must conquer. It is a constant road to drive on, but one we have always loved.
You may think that once you take the keys out of the ignition, the journey ends. I like to think in a way that makes me unable to wait to put the keys in the ignition, turn the keys, and begin the drive to the destination! Every time you turn the key and put it in drive, it is a new beginning.
Remember: Patience and Training Develops Character
Kim
- Black Belt: Only The Beginning - February 11, 2025
1st degree black belt, now the work really begins because as well as remembering and practicing existing kata, training and assisting junior belts, you have more complex katas to learn, more bunkai to practice AND black belt variations of lower kata. Nobody should start their own affiliated dojo before 3rd Dan because teaching/ administration is also a new skill. So you are right, 1st degree black belt is only the beginning, now dedication is the key.
Rodger Hempfing: I appreciate your comments and thank you for your insights. As far as starting a dojo at 3rd Dan or lower, I can only say the following. Back in the 1940’s and up, it was very common that 1st Dan Black Belts opened their own dojos and gyms. This is currently happening now in other places internationally. There can be reasons why this is happening. 1) They got permission to do so by their instructor whether they being a Grandmaster (8th Dan or Higher) or 2) a martial arts organization gave them permission. In the end, to each their own and if that is the case, I hope that they teach the martial arts well just like their instructors taught them.
Train well sir, be safe and remember to aim for the moon. If you miss, you’re still among the stars!!
Another great milestone has been achieved with this publication, Kim! Great explanation and demonstration of life as a Black Belt, beyond the myth. It is indeed “only the beginning” achieving Black Belt status. Your article delved into the matter honestly and effectively. Keep up the good work my brother!
Terrell Freeman-EL: I appreciate you my brother. As a fellow black belt that has been through the whole process, you understand what it meant to walk that path and even walking that now that you are a 1st Degree Black Belt. We have all heard “the stories” and “the facts” of what we think we know versus what the facts are and what we have learned in our seasoned position. I just hope that this article will open the minds of everyone about the rank we earned, which is that black belt is truly the beginning!!
Peace and Love to you my brother and remember. Fall off the horse 9 times and get back up 10! Never give up!!
Kim amei suas palavras, sou faixa preta em taekwondo aqui no Brasil e concordo totalmente com tudo que disse. Amei ler esse artigo parabéns! Você escreve de uma forma divertida e leve!
Natália Gorges: Obrigado pelos seus pensamentos e opiniões. Do ponto de vista do colunista, minha responsabilidade é ensinar aos indivíduos que são artistas marciais ou iniciantes a realidade do nosso mundo das artes marciais.
Como colega faixa preta de Taekwondo, tenho certeza que você entende que o poder que temos traz consigo muita responsabilidade. Portanto, a responsabilidade que temos é dar as informações corretas e explicar porque essas informações funcionam!
Desejo a você nada além do mais alto nível de sucesso!!