Martial Art in a Year

direct

Hi Everyone,
I've done some research on this alone but was wondering aloud what everyone's views are on the possibility of achieving a black belt in Aikido(or chose another if it helps your response) IN ONE YEAR??!!

cowzerp

Depends on the instructor and how he values black belts, if its earned in a year then i would not have much respect for it, it took me 3 years to get to blue in BJJ and to me thats the way it should be, earned and respected.

YamaMotoYama

direct wrote: »

Hi Everyone,
I've done some research on this alone but was wondering aloud what everyone's views are on the possibility of achieving a black belt in Aikido(or chose another if it helps your response) IN ONE YEAR??!!

Even if you already have a very good martial arts backround... I don't think its possible. If you are total beginner then 100% no way.

Its not a quick fix type of thing - and if someone says that they can train you to that standard in that time... then they are kidding you.

vasch_ro

read angry white pajama's
deatils one mans journey on the road to blackbelt in a year with trainees for the Tokyo riot police and its really funny

Ug Lee

direct wrote: »

Hi Everyone,
I've done some research on this alone but was wondering aloud what everyone's views are on the possibility of achieving a black belt in Aikido(or chose another if it helps your response) IN ONE YEAR??!!

A Blackbelt in Asia seems to mean something different from what we in the West percieve a Blackbelt to be and takes a shorter time to achieve.

Killme00

vasch_ro wrote: »

read angry white pajama's
deatils one mans journey on the road to blackbelt in a year with trainees for the Tokyo riot police and its really funny

poorly written but good story.

I value my BJJ white belt more than my kung fu black sash

Charlie3dan

Any excuse to bang out an old corny story:

A new student walks into the dojo on his first night and asks the Sensei:

Student: "How Long does it take to get a Black belt?"
Sensei: "Minimum 4 years"
Student: "What if I do double the amount of training in normally takes?"
Sensei: "8 years"
Student: "No, I mean, What if I trained every single day and got double gradings and went to every course and competition I possibly could, how long then?
Sensei: "Maybe 20 years"
Student: "What!? Why does it keep taking more time even though I'm working harder?"
Sensei: "Because if you focus too much on your destination you will never complete the journey".


It depends on a lot of things, the art, the club, the value you place in the grade yourself. But IMO you shouldn't be able to earn a BB in any martial art in 1 year.

FruitLover

There are a lot of silly attitudes and opinions floating around regarding the mystical 'black belt'.

In Japan, it's quite common for university students who train in a martial art to get a black belt in one or two years. Before anyone comes out with any nonsense about how that's too short (why should someone's skill be judged by calendar time in the first place? It's about skill, not time served), bear in mind that these guys train for a number of hours a day, every single day. In one week they would spend as much time in the dojo as your average Irish student would in 4 months. In Japan, if an adult takes more than 2 years to get a black belt, they're either handicapped or foreign

Having said that, I'd be surprised if you'd find a club in Ireland that trains with that kind of intensity. If you're planning on 'achieving a black belt' (why only a black belt? Are you going to suddenly stop training as soon as you get the basics down?) in Aikido quickly, you'll probably need to go to Japan.

direct

Of course it has to be earned and respected! i did not mean doing it on a whim. I meant really applying myself as a test. Practicing a lot every day. immersing myself in it. I'm quite aware of the training, and the essence cannot be rushed of course. In my opinion you only REALLY start learning when a black belt is achieved.

I'm really lookin for some positive outlook on this. Thanks to those who answered. Any more contributions?

Nothingcompares

IF you immersed yourself in BJJ you might get a blue belt in a year. You can a course in Judo in Japan and get a blackbelt at the end (assuming you pass). However in ireland, there is a limit on how many gradings you can do in a year (there are 6 gradings before the black belt test) so i think it would be impossible.

direct

thanks fruitlover great reply. the points you raised are what i'm trying to get at. it's not about calendar time its about the amount of quality time you put in. I wanted to get to that quickly because intense learning works for me rather than here and there!

Gorman

direct wrote: »

Hi Everyone,
I've done some research on this alone but was wondering aloud what everyone's views are on the possibility of achieving a black belt in Aikido(or chose another if it helps your response) IN ONE YEAR??!!

sure, you can get a blackbelt in a day if you found the right instructor ($$$$)

but getting a belt and getting good at something are two different things

O'Leprosy

Gorman wrote: »

sure, you can get a blackbelt in a day if you found the right instructor ($$$$)

but getting a belt and getting good at something are two different things

Agree 100%. The biggest mistake you can make when taking up ANY martial art is to be a belt chaser. Belt chaser's are only deluding themselves, or they just want to tell people in the office that " Hey, I'm a balck belt you know ":rolleyes:

FruitLover

direct wrote: »

it's not about calendar time its about the amount of quality time you put in

While training time is a major factor, there are more variables than that. Individual drive, individual rate of learning, physical condition, quality of instruction, possibly diversity of instruction, quality of partner training (i.e. sparring etc) all play a part in any MA.

I find a lot of people who have spent years chasing a black belt have a bit of a chip on their shoulder about the time required to get it, as if slogging away without improvement is a rite of passage. In Japan, a black belt is part of the standard MA uniform. Even the phrase for the first black-belt grade, shodan (初段), means beginning grade. You're not even considered a beginner until you have a black belt.

I would, however, be quite wary of any Western dojo that promised a black belt in a year. Not that it's impossible, but using that promise as a marketing tool would play havoc with my BS detector.

joepenguin

Its not impossible for someone to achieve. You would need a lot of natural talent, time, money, dedication, quality tuition, sparring partners / club mates. Youd probably want to be logging 3-4 hours a day.

If you dont have the time, money etc etc you could always say "how good can i get in a year" set out training / nutrition etc around your committments and stick to it, fit in morning sessions or whatever.

Do you have a style in mind or have you ever done martial arts before?

zenboy

why do you want a black belt in the first place,its not related to ability in most styles.In the few that it is bjj for example the shortest time I think is bj penn is less than 4 years and that was daily training with lots of private lessons.In Ireland no way,lots of arts have minimum time in grade.It could be done in theory if you trained hard enough,were gifted athletically and were allowed grade often enough.I know that there were 1 year black belts in ITF tkd in north korea when it was introduced there in the early 80s.

pma-ire

gradings is the east are not as long as in the west.

over there you can reach 1st dan in a year or two at the most.

a year for 2nd dan and 2 years for 3rd dan etc.

but this will often involve training for 4, 5 or 6 hours per day for 6 days a week.

if you take it that in the west most people train a min of two or 3 hours a week on two nights a week. then the hours put in would take longer to make up the time required.

but then, what does rank and belts mean anyway :P

Roper

If you really immerse yourself in Roper Do Kratty you could easily get your black belt in a year. It has a comprehensive accelerated grading system, but it's not for the faint hearted or the light walleted.

O'Leprosy

Anyone who thinks they could take up a martial art and get a black belt in one year and be competent to defend themselves - shouldn't take up a martial art, no matter what Sensi says about his 'great' art.

WTKDNo1

My Instructor moved back here to Ireland 16 years ago, and was the highest black belt rank in North Tipperary, Now there are other black belts from different Clubs than our own, who are same rank our higher than our Instructor,
When we ask him about this he just laughs and says time will tell the truth.

M
www.worldtaekwondo.com.au

YamaMotoYama

BJ Penn is called "the Prodigy" because he got his BJJ black belt in *3* years...

JohnMc1

direct wrote: »

Hi Everyone,
I've done some research on this alone but was wondering aloud what everyone's views are on the possibility of achieving a black belt in Aikido(or chose another if it helps your response) IN ONE YEAR??!!

You would have to completely immerse yourself in it. It would be your 9-5 job. You would more than likely reach Black Belt level skill but more than likely not the rank [due to Belt testing limitations]

Black Swan

direct wrote: »

I've done some research on this alone but was wondering aloud what everyone's views are on the possibility of achieving a black belt in Aikido(or chose another if it helps your response) IN ONE YEAR??!!

Why train for years and years to master an MA and become highly skillful? I know of a few dojos and dojangs that will sell you a black belt in a very short time. I also know of some web links where you can buy a doctorate degree from a non-accredited academic institution online. If you like, you can have them state on your diploma that you have a doctorate in martial arts, in addition to a black belt.

Recommendation: Rethink your priorities. Do you wish to have a black belt to tie about your waist to impress your friends, or do you wish to master an MA?

pma-ire

hang on a second!

what does black belt mean in most martial arts?

1st Dan, that's what i means! now i know to the general public once your a "black belt" you are mean't to be leathal. but this is not the meaning most styles put on 1st Dan.

1st Dan means that you have completed the basics of a styles to a required level or to a level that is greatly improved from your original ability. (this means that people with phyisical and learning difficulties can also achive black belt)

2nd & 3rd Dan is starting to learn the more complex aspects of the style and 4th Dan is the level that is usually thought of as being the stage you are ready to start teaching as you should be able to perform much of the art to a high level. but many people start up clubs from 1st dan due (as i did myself back in the day).

this is how i have come to see the belt rankings in anycase and is what i have heard from some very experienced martial artists over the years.

we as martial artists should not follow the general public view on what a black belt is but instead see it for what it is. this has lead to many people training in a martial art up to 1st dan and then leave the art because that was all they wanted to get to the "black belt".

i know in some styles getting to black belt is an almost impossible journey that very few will ever get to. but in those cases they have just put different values on the colour system and people at blue or brown belt would be classed as being a black belt if they were tested in the way other arts would see it.

when i was younger, i would have had a view that some black belts were given away far too easy. but now i don't see them all in that light.

Niall Keane

A slave bows to those he believes are better than him, and expects those he believes to be inferior to bow to him. A warrior bows to no man, and expects no man to bow to him.
Rank is good for soldiers; you can order them to their certain death and play the game of sacrifice a few to save many. Warriors / Heroes are useless in an army because they will have a thorough understanding of strategy and will question or refuse to follow orders, and worse still may act on their own impulses.
To teach a large number of the general public a martial art, I can see some advantage to belts and ranks, beyond the obvious financial one, that is to keep order. To train fighters, one cannot expect them to mentally bow to those who do not deserve it, which would be training them to fear, and expect to lose to those longer in the tooth regarding experience. A fighter should never expect to lose, such a mental outlook is preparing for defeat.
The only belts worthy of any respect are championship belts earned in the ring!

I have trained fighters to win at minor international amateur level competitions in less than 6 months. However to win an amateur European or World takes mature competence and ring experience, to step up into international pro level and to be a champion, not a journeyman, where everyone has ring craft (here I refer not to using the ropes etc., but to fluency in timing, angle and range, skills only gained through full contact competition) takes years of serious training and a generally a three figure fight record, every champion I ever met had over 100 fights!
Granted I refer to sanshou, where some international competitions run for 2 - 3 days, and you can expect up to 6 fights a day. Take 4-5 comps a year and the experience starts to add up. Other arts may allow participation in only one fight per event, so I expect fighters might have a slightly lower number of amateur fights before they turn pro. And pro means mastery!
So a martial art in a year, perhaps you could learn the general form of the drills and training methods, and have learned the associated jargon, if you really apply yourself maybe you might mentally understand the philosophy and strategies, but being able to actually perform such in the immediacy of combat, that takes a lot more time and effort.

Zen65

My two cents:

In Japan it is normal to achieve Shodan in karate in 1 - 2 years. This is because in most cases the students will continue to train, and move up the ranks. Achieving Shodan is therefore not a commercial threat to the club / instructor, as the student will not run out the door. In Japan, shouting "I'm a Shodan" earns you no respect.

However in Europe and the USA this is not the case. Because most people don't distinguish between Dan grades, you can achieve "respect" by waving a black belt around, even if it's only a lousy Shodan. All too often (outside of Japan) a person achieving black belt stops training shortly after they've got it.

This being the case, instructors rightly fear that students achieving Shodan are getting ready to leave (and worst case.. set up a rival club). For this reason there is usually a requirement to wait 3 months or more between gradings, so BB in one year is not possible.

To be fair of course, most Europeans/Americans don't train 6 days a week, so comparison with Japan isn't as straightforward as my earlier comments suggest.

So in any respectable club or organisation OUTSIDE Japan, you will not be allowed reach Black Belt in one year.

I hope this does not sound cynical, the reasons for the enforced 3 months between gradings is actually very practical and based on years of experience.

Regards,

Z

104494431

I think that minimum times at a certain grade in order to progress to the next grade are a poor way to work it. I'm not saying that you should be able to rush through it either though.

In my limited experience of MA I would have to say that I think if you show the ability to get be the next grade then you should be given the next grade, spending a few years at a grade just because it's the done thing doesn't really benefit those that learn at a faster rate than others or have a better ability for a given discipline (I'm not one of those people by the way :P).

iceage

The question is Direct (the original poster), if you find an Art that you live,breathe,eat,sleep,sweat,bleed and spend all your time thinking about for one year.....will you ever be able to give it up?



Personally I doubt it. Its an addiction and like every junkie you'll need your fix friend.