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 What
is a black belt?
The first person that comes to most peoples’ minds is the legendary
King of Kung-Fu, Bruce Lee. Wouldn’t he be the perfect candidate for
an example of the coveted black belt?
He was fit and leaped, spun, jumped, kicked, punched
and twirled those nunchukas with perfect grace and harmony. You’ll
be surprised when I tell you that Bruce Lee never received his Black
Belt or Black Sash as it is called in Chinese Martial Arts (Kung-Fu),
yet Lee was the best martial artist of his time and later developed
his own style without a belt system.
Yes, I know what your next question might be. Well, if
Bruce never attained his black belt, then how can that cute
eight-year-old, next door be a black belt? Is an eight-year-old mature
enough to be a black belt, an instructor? Could he even defend against
the school yard bully or has a black belt been watered down into a
status symbol?
The Japanese who started the belt system at the turn
of the last century, take the black belt very seriously and will not
promote children to black belt until they have reached their 16th
birthday. The traditional Japanese style instructor’s, jokingly will
say that the eight-year-old black belt is a product of a McDojo (Dojo
means school in Japanese) which gives away black belts as fast as
McDonald’s flips hamburgers. As you can see, all black belts are not
created equal.
There are numerous martial arts from every corner of
the world and numerous styles within each country. There isn’t a
governing body or a set standard for black belts. Today, a black belt
could be earned in as little as one or two years to eight years
depending on the complexity of the style and the demands of the
instructor.
The present belt system, which varies from style to style and uses
numerous colors, was originated in America. It was implemented to keep
westerners motivated and accomplishing short term goals. This is a
great tool in developing a child’s self esteem. Just as the old
Chinese proverb says a journey of 10,000 miles starts with one step,
the belt system documents each step.
So what is a black belt? I can only speak for our
school. In our school we do not have the philosophy of the Japanese,
yet we do not consider ourselves a McDojo. A black belt is given to
students over 12. Students 12 and under can attain a junior black
belt, which takes approximately four-and-a-half- years of study. A
junior black belt should be proficient in child safety, be able to
defend against the neighborhood bully, be at least an A or B student,
a role model, posses leadership skills, in addition to having crisp
and sharp techniques and accomplished in traditional weapons.
A black belt has just completed the journey of 10,000
miles and is on course to begin a new and challenging journey. A black
belt is a person who finishes things, A black belt is fit, strong, yet
humble. A black belt is a white belt that never gave up, but remember
a black belt just holds your pants up.
Julio Anta is a certified black belt Kung-Fu
instructor, personal trainer, fitness kickboxing instructor at Doral
Park County Club and Doral Academy Charter School. If you have any
questions, contact Anta at 305-599-3649 or at <fitdef@aol.com>.
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