Belts Too Easy to Get!!

[DannyB]

My son has started taking Karate---if that is what they can call it at this particular school. They are the clumsiest instructors I have ever seen.

About thirty years ago when I briefly took Karate anybody with a green belt or better had very good form, was very skilled, fast, accurate, just plain good. I am seeing black belts with very poor form and who are slow and clumsy. What is the deal now days?

My son has been going for about two months now and hasn't been told to stretch even once. These people come in cold and start kicking and punching. Thirty years ago we stretched before each class starting from day one.

From what I have been told the belts are very easy to get with little skill required. I am afraid that these kids are getting a false sense of ability and are going to get their butts kicked some day.

 

[aevans410]

They are...

The popular martial arts (karate, tae kwon do) have been bastardized. You're son is in what some of us like to call "belt factories". His instructor is in it for the money, not the art.

I'm about to test for my brown belt, and in my school, if you're a green belt or higher, you are good. If you're not, you don't make it that high. If you're not locked into a contract, I suggest you take your son out asap and find a respectable school.

Read my thread on martial arts : whats what for some signs of good and bad schools.

 

[evolution]

Check out Thomas Kurz if you want some good stretching stuff. There has been a pop up of "mcdojos".

haha...I got quoted by Aevans.

 

[R.Lewis]

Know what you mean.

Some classes find it hard to keep younger students so they keep grading them to give them a sense of achievement. Some schools will set time to grade and will have a grading every 3 months, then when they are half way through the belts its 6 months then a year to black.

It's a shame. I also don’t like schools that don’t fail students at grading.
We usually give red belts away like candy to start them off. But after that they have to work for it.

We always advise if a student should or should not go in for a grading, but if there are not good enough we will fail them. We fail around 30% of students, This works well, normally when a student fails he will make more effort next time.

Most kids will only do as much as they have to, and no more.

Interestingly, in kung fu we have belts for kids but not adults. So when a kid is old enough to start in the adult class we have a little ceremony where the student gives up his/her belt. This helps them to understand that the belt is not important.

 

[aevans410]

Check out Thomas Kurz if you want some good stretching stuff. There has been a pop up of "mcdojos".

haha...I got quoted by Aevans.

Aint nuthin but a g thang dawg