Belts are just a scam !!!!!

kicker · Black Belt

Well I think some of the prices that you have to pay for to get belts are a lot. At the club that I go to it was $35 and now it is $40 and If you don't pass you have to pay the same amount again. I think that it should be lower but the club is just doing it to get money and pay for the place.

ramymensa · Black Belt

Hmm Paying another tax for retesting? In our dojo, if you fail, you are allowed to retest in 2-3 months WITHOUT paying again. Sensei told us he thinks it's fair to give a second chance. Thus he won't be interested in failing us just to doublu his money

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World Shotokan Karate

fungku · Orange Belt

The kung fu school I went to throughout Highschool had 5 levels:
Gray, Green, Blue, Brown, Black.

Each testing cost $13 Canadian (the price of a new sash).
Classes cost $25 CAN per month. And for $5 extra you could also learn Kickboxing (which had no specific levels).

Our instructor, taught in his free time, and was not out to make a profit, he just wanted enough money to pay for the space (rent, heat, and power), and sometimes came up short. That's when we'd do a show or something for a fundraiser.

I personally think teaching for a profit is stupid. Unless you honestly need the money. Then I'd say you should offer a lot. Like training 5 days/week.

When I have my own school, I am not going to teach for profit.
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Visit Shaolin, Chinese Martial Arts
- I don't fear the 10,000 techniques you've practised once, I fear the one technique you've practiced 10,000 times. -

guarddog · Yellow Belt

I think belts are a great idea if given when earned.

They give you goals to push for and show your progress. Also gives you a personal status to your achievment. Some club do charge a lot so I have been told, some include the price for color belts (not black) and $30 seems to be common.
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J.

BlueDragon1981 · Red Belt

I believe in some ways they are and is some other ways they are not. It gives some people something to work and strive for. Some people do need that goal to try to achieve. For those who do not care about the belt and just want to learn it can be. In some Japanese style they only have two belts. (at least in the old times they did) White and Black. White was the student. Black ment you mastered the system or could become an instructor. So I can see this argument both ways.

ramymensa · Black Belt

The 2 belt system WAS ok, but nowadays I don't think it would make somebody too happy. We want to spend our time in a pleasant way and in am effective way too. We start MA training hoping someday we'll become very good, perhaps BBs. BUT ... till then it's good to know we've progressed. If we were single in the class it would be relatively OK. Uchideshi are few and we train with many others at the same time. The absolute beginners are not like those who came to have blue belt or brown belt, so why put them in the same "cathegory".
And knowing you'll be a BB in 4-8 years (depending on the style) it's OK, but we need to know how we are doing in this quest. Belts are kind of check points. Can't live with them, can't live without them

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World Shotokan Karate

DeeLovesKarate · Orange Belt

I personally like the belt system. It gives higher ranks a quicker way to get an idea of what point you are at in your training. Although I don't agree with very young ADULT blackbelts ( such as elementary school children

), I agree with the system of the a few types of blackbelts. We have tiger blackbelts, and then they advance to a young adult lower color, and then when young adults get blackbelts, they become, say, adult greenbelts. It's really not as complex as it looks.

Dee
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Dee C.
Normal ( 'nor-m&l)-
an adj. used by humans to stereotype

Freestyle · White Belt

Our school charges no fee for belt tests.

I agree entirely with Tessone's post a couple pages ago...

Freestyler · Yellow Belt

I don't really like belts, but their man purpose I believe is to show what you do know of the curiculum.

Any belts in my dojo are earned, you can 'buy' your first belt, but after that you only get awarded the next tip/belt when the instructor thinks you're ready.

My pet peeve has to be non-martial artists asking 'what belt are you?', hehe. I always tell people I don't grade, I only train to learn how to fight, which I do.. so I have a nice 'white' belt.

taebot · Yellow Belt

It is both.

On one hand, you must hide some of the cost of instruction as not to offend the frugal. At the same time, it provides structure and hierarchy. I am told that the ranking system is mainly for goal-oriented Westerners, yet look at the history of the Okinawan Ranking Societies and one sees rank being used before the Americans arrived on Okinawa.

Any system can be abused. I know guys who think ALL commercial schools are rip-offs. They and their three students meeting twice a week in the basement...
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"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." George Orwell

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