Too Young? Too Old?

How young or old may a person be and still be able to train in a martial art and possibly even earn a black belt? Nowadays, there is apparently no age limit. Very young children are awarded black belts and senior citizens are awarded black belts.

Does this mean that more people are rising to the challenge of the high standards and requirements of a black belt, or does it mean that the standards and requirements have been lowered so more people may earn a black belt? This is a controversial subject that I discuss in more depth in the black belt topic.

Many martial art schools will accept children as young as four or five years old and some may even accept even younger children. Usually younger children are taught a watered-down version of the martial art and earn belts separate from the regular ranking system until they reach a specific age at which time they transition into the regular training program.