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The information in this topic is based on logic and reason, not capitalism and sentimentality. If you believe the martial arts are sports in which everyone, regardless of age, gender, or physical, mental, or emotional capabilities, may participate and earn a black belt, then you should not read this topic since it will probably upset you. However, if you believe the martial arts are fighting, combat “martial” arts, not sports, and that the black belt, which once held a position of prestige as a symbol of a warrior, has been degraded to the point that the black belt is just another rank by commercial schools giving it to the undeserving in an effort to retain more students, then read on.

High times

In the past, the black belt was the elusive, ultimate goal of all martial art practitioners. It marked a person as a warrior who had endured years of arduous training and hours of tough testing by martial art masters to earn the coveted belt. Black belts used to be rare; partially because there were not many martial art schools around, but mainly because the requirements for black belt were so high that most people did not want to put in the time, effort, and pain it took to earn one (in the past, money was not a limitation since instructors charged little to nothing).

The black belt once held a position of high prestige. Everyone wanted one, but few had one. However, times have changed!

Low times

Now, in most martial art schools, anyone, no matter their age, gender, or physical, mental, or emotional capabilities, may become a black belt. The philosophy is that, if the person comes to class and tries, then the person should be promoted, even to the black belt level. Go to any grade school and you will find numerous children with black belts. At any large gathering of adults, you will find numerous current black belts (not ones earned in better times), even among the unfit or physically or mentally challenged. Nowadays, the black belt no longer holds a position of high prestige. Its position is not necessarily one of low prestige; it is more one of no prestige. No one cares any more, one way or the other.

In the past, when you said you were black belt, people would say, “Wow!” Now they say, “Oh, that’s nice.” A black belt used to be considered the consummate warrior who could, and would, fight for the right, no matter the consequences. The reason this was expected of them was that—this was what black belts did. They were hand-to-hand combat experts who fought for the right. Now black belts are just athletes who play the sport of “martial art.”

If you are a doctor or a nurse and a person on the street falls unconscious, the public expects you to spring forward and take control. Most will, and most will be able to handle the situation since that is what they do. If you a black belt and a person on the street is being attacked, the public expects you to spring forward and take control. A few will and, of the few, only a few will be able to handle the situation since most black belts have no idea of what to do since they are sportspersons, and of the ones who do know what to do, few are not capable of actually doing it.

What happened?

Once prestige has been lost, it is difficult, if not impossible, to regain. Some of us in the martial arts community believe that the giving away of black belts has irreparably damaged the prestige of the black belt. The black belt is now considered just a reward for attendance and perseverance. It has little prestige.

Some of us believe that the “martial” part of the martial arts has been forgotten, or it has just been eliminated to make the martial arts more palatable and profitable. A martial art involves all aspects of hand-to-hand combat, including being able to physically fight, mentally compete against others, deal with the emotions that arise during life or death confrontations, doing anything that is necessary in a confrontation, dealing with the aftermath; and being able to do all these things while living a seemingly normal life. This is the life of a black belt. Black belts do not go to class to socialize and “work out;” they go to hone their fighting skills.

Some of us believe that before being awarded a black belt, all testers must meet a single set requirements and high standards, and that all testers must be capable of doing, and emotionally able to do, what may be required of black belt in a self-defense or combat situation. To us, the black belt is a goal that must attained, not a reward for trying to attain it. In a self-defense situation, black belts, either in their own defense or in defense of another, are legally held to a greater standard than ordinary citizens and, as such, they may be more morally, criminally, or civilly liable. A black belt better be a true black belt or his or actions on the street may end up with him or her being dead, in jail, or bankrupt.

One of the side effects of lowering the requirements and standards for attaining a black belt is that the prestige and meaning of the black belt has also been lowered. To compensate for this, more levels of black belts, other belt colors (such as red/white sectioned belts and extra wide belts), and other titles (such as supreme master and ethereal master) have been created. When it reached the point where there was a soke (founder of a martial art) on every corner, the sokes began claiming high ranks and master status in numerous other martial arts. When it reached the point that all masters were “super sokes,” the masters began claiming PhD’s in the martial arts (from bogus universities). What will come next?

Another reason for the black belt’s loss of prestige was the degrading of the belt by giving of “honorary” black belts to celebrities, politicians, and people in positions of power. This was supposedly done to publicize the martial arts and help them gain more legitimacy. It may have done that, but at what cost. We do not give “honorary” Purple Hearts, Silver Stars, or Medals of Honor. To do so would degrade their positions of honor.

In the navy, chief (E-7) used to be the highest enlisted rank, and chiefs ruled the navy. Then, to keep more sailors in the navy, more of them were promoted to chief, until there were too many chiefs. To fix the problem, they created the senior chief (E-8) and then the master chief (E-9) and congressional limits were place on the number of senior and masters chief that could serve in any one year. These extra ranks gave the chiefs an opportunity to increase their rank, but the extra ranks lessened the status of the chief. The same thing has happened to black belts. To compensate for creating so many black belts and provide the better ones with a way to increase their prestige, more ranks and titles have been added, which has reduced the prestige of the black belt. The black belt is now just another rank.

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