Black Belt Responsibilities: Are There Any?

July 25th, 2009 · Comments · Martial Musings

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I came across this very question in a forum recently and I was more than a little surprised at some of the answers that were left in response to it. What surprised me most was the apathy towards such a question, like it didn’t matter if someone in that position within the martial arts had responsibilities or not. The worst answer that came up was someone who said a black belt had no responsibilities at all, a reply that I found to be short-sighted and ,quite frankly, bordering on stupid.

Like it or not, if someone spends years attaining the coveted martial arts black belt and thinks there are no responsibilities that come along with it then they don’t deserve to have one. Thinking otherwise is, in my opinion, showing a total disregard for the art they practice and the many traditions on which it is built.

If you have spent all that time reaching that level then why not take it seriously when you get there?

Even pushing the traditions to one side for a moment, there are still responsibilities that must be upheld if one is to hold the rank of black belt.

Below are some of the responsibilities that I think go along with being a black belt in any style. No doubt you will disagree with some of them or feel that I have neglected to mention some things. In that case leave your comments below. I’d be interested to hear some of your opinions on this one anyway.

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1. Responsibility to Your Art. First and foremost I believe that if you attain a black belt or sash in any art then you have a responsibility to uphold and maintain the traditions of that art, whatever they may be. In general, this means staying true to the style you have been taught by continuing to learn and perform the techniques within that style as they have been taught to you, not as you think they should be performed or taught.

This also holds true for any other traditions that are held within your style like etiquette and dress code, both of which you have a responsibility to maintain. I am not of course saying that you cannot try to affect positive change, and indeed doing so is another responsibility that I think you should take on at black belt level, but we’ll get to that in a minute. For now, realise that the art you are training in made it possible for you to get to were you are today and so you owe it to your art to maintain its integrity as much as possible so that other people may benefit from it in the same way that you have.

2. Responsibilities to Your Students. Reaching this stage in the martial arts will inevitably mean that you are required to take on teaching responsibilities. In effect, you become an apprentice instructor and it should be your duty to learn as much as possible of your head instructor/s about how to teach a class and how to deal with students. This does not mean that you should strive to become a carbon copy of your Sensei but that you should learn all there is to learn from them and then try to forge your own style of teaching from that knowledge, which you will inevitably do anyway, for all of us are different.

Fundamentally, black belt training is about building relationships, with your students, with yourself, with your art, and the deeper you can make these relationships the better and more fulfilling your career as a martial artist will be.

3. Responsibility to Yourself. I believe the biggest responsibility you have as a black belt is the one you have to yourself. At this point in your martial arts career you now have the tools and relative experience you need in order to take yourself to the next level, so to speak. After so many years of hard training and learning the basics of your art it would seem foolish to just rest on your laurels and dupe yourself into believing that you have made it to the pinnacle of your career and you don’t have to do anything more except maintain what you already have.

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It is tempting to believe that when you reach black belt stage that you have nothing left to learn and that the only thing you have to do now is grow a long beard to stroke contemplatively while dishing out sage advice to your adoring students. As ridiculous a notion as that sounds, some people actually believe that. The reality of the situation however, is that when you get to black belt stage the real learning begins in earnest.

The responsibility you have as a black belt, at least towards yourself, is to strive for a deeper and more profound understanding of the art you are involved with. This means not only getting a better grasp of technique, but also beginning to personalize those techniques to some extent so that they are entirely suited to you as an individual. I don’t mean you have to start dismantling things to create your own style, I just mean you have to find the techniques that are best suited to you and make them your own by studying and practicing them hard. There are so many techniques available to you that it would seem to me silly to think that you are able to expertly grasp them all. I think it’s better to try and master the techniques you are comfortable with since your ease with them will make it easier to do so.

That’s not to say you should shun those techniques you are not comfortable with or don’t like doing. I still believe you should have a good grasp of such techniques, to the point were you can at least perform them correctly for teaching purposes. Don’t forget your duty to your students. Teach them everything but let them choose which ones they want to make their own.

By personalizing things in this way you are very much forging your own path in the martial arts and taking some responsibility for your own progress and understanding of your art. To me, this is what being a black belt is all about, finding your own voice and discovering things for yourself.

It’s obvious then that there is more to being a black belt than power-tripping round the dojo and lording it over your students. Fundamentally, black belt training is about building relationships, with your students, with yourself, with your art, and the deeper you can make these relationships the better and more fulfilling your career as a martial artist will be.

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Harvey

Since reaching the level of black belt I have had to be as correct as possible. When you have a black belt, people tend to listen to what you say and take it as gospel. This forces you to sit down and think about what you are doing and saying instead of just sprouting the first thing that comes to mind. I have found a lot of mistakes in my previous techniques and trained at correcting these so if I demonstrate something I am not passing on any bad habits.
No one expects a black belt to be perfect, but I feel the stress of making sure what I'm teaching is of great value to my students.
I don't consider my black belt to have given me super powers or made me better than anyone else. My class is just a group of people who like to train together. I am in charge only to keep focus and direction. But I see the effect seeing a black belt has on others. Whether we like it or not, others will immitate us and try to be like us. My responsability is to be the best example I can be.

To sum up, it doesn't matter what I think of my black belt. It only matters that as a black belt I have to make a good example.

Neal Martin

Well said and I totally agree with you. I think being a good example to students is one of the most important things you can do as a black belt. People usually take you at your word so you have to be careful how and what you teach them. My club is like yours, just a bunch of people who enjoy training together. No one lords it over anyone else as we are all in it together, so to speak, which is the way it should be.

John W. Zimmer

Hi Neal,

I would say offhand to not dishonor yourself, you instructor or your school. Quoting from the responsibilities of my first belt (orange) certificate,

"Any dishonor to this Society and Association or to any of its members can bring immediate and automatic revocation of rank and honor.

Honor your belt, associates, fellow belt holders, and yourself. May your belts forever uphold the standards set forth by the Kenpo creed as we continue to strive for unity and proficiency in the art."

Of course this creed is only as good as the school's owner/master and instructors enforce but I have always lived by this.

Yes a black belt that is also an instructor has extra obligations by setting a good example and helping the next generation of fighters along so they can uphold the honor of the school.

My guess that kick-boxing or MMA schools use less formalized methods of injecting ethics, honor and good will into their students. Sometimes these important principals might get lost in the translation while learning that sport (depending on the teacher).

I do not remember any warnings while learning boxing or wrestling as I did in the martial arts.

Neal Martin

I agree that the creed is only as good as the instructors enforce. Providing everything is passed along as it should be there shouldn't be any problems in this regard, though I have seen cases were people have suddenly decided to go in the opposite direction and embrace the more commercial aspects over the traditional ones.

blackbeltmama

As an extremely new black belt, I'm having a severe case of "I'm not worthy" business going on. Personally, I think you hit the nail on the head here. There is a HUGE responsibility as a black belt that can feel very overwhelming to a newby. Responsibility to know your stuff so that you can teach it to others, the responsibility to teach people things as they were taught to you, and a responsibility to continue with your training. After all, black belt is only the beginning. I feel a great sense of accomplishment, especially coming back from a bad injury and two surgeries and having been promoted to black belt, but there's nothing like a good karate class to let you know that you're just another karate-ka striving to learn something and continue to improve. As I wrote on my blog, the black belt doesn't have any special powers. It's simply represents that you're ready to take your training to the next level. Personally, I think that getting your black belt and then dropping off the face of the Earth at the dojo is selfish. You continue to train because you love it, but you also continue to train out of a responsiblity to yourself, other students, and your teachers who've put a ton of time in teaching you all that you know.

Neal Martin

I still get the "I'm not worthy" business going on even today. I don't think that ever goes away. You get more competent at what you do but there is so much to learn and assimilate that it can get quite overwhelming at times, to the point were you wonder why you even began this torturous journey in the first place. Fortunately you get over yourself and manage to carry on most of the time. No one said it was going to be easy, after all!

tgace

Hmmm...I'm a little split on this issue. At its root, belts were developed by Dr Kano solely as an indicator of skill, not as some form of status, power or authority. In our western culture I believe that people easily confuse the idea of "rank" in martial arts and "rank" in military terms. In the martial arts "rank" should simply be a way of telling who knows what by sight IMO. The rest of it should be expected of EVERYBODY in equal measure. In the military, "rank" has to do with authority over subordinates (and responsibility for mission accomplishment) for the accomplishment of military goals. It is limited in terms of span and scope. In the dojo rank should be a mutually accepted system that helps in instruction..it should NOT be a system of "authority" or "command".

I think there is a real "danger" when people invest too much in the concept of "belt responsibility". Belts having "responsibility" within the walls of a dojo or the political responsibilities of an Art as you describe here are perfectly reasonable, as they have much to do with Kanos initial concept..the transfer of skill and knowledge. When it comes to "morals/honor/duty/warriorship/etc", I have a few issues with the idea that a belt confers any more or less responsibility than what would be expected of anybody else within a dojo or outside of one. Sure, a black belt who has been around the schools "honor code" longer than a white belt would be expected to "know better" when they behave in a manner that conflicts with it. But when it comes to behavior and personal traits like honor, does anybody think that coming to a dojo a few times a week to move your limbs around confers some sort of moral authority that is superior to any other physical activity? I know..I know.. the "yes except in the martial arts we teach people how to injure others and with that comes responsibility..." explanation will invariably arise. Except for the fact that there are many activities like boxing, shooting, wrestling..etc. that do the same thing. They just dont have the benefit of exotic origins, nifty uniforms and philosophic associations.

It's my .02 that the idea a belt means that someone is "superior" in anything except physical skill within the art is all mystical "mumbo jumbo". Yeah you can "kick my ass", but you are in no way proven to be more honorable, courageous, dutiful, or more of a "warrior" than I am. That sort of "ranking" comes from a lifetime of influences and many many more sources than the martial arts...from upbringing, to the influences of teachers, friends, employment and other "life experiences". I think that the "mystical awe" some people seem to ascribe to high rank comes from watching too many movies. I can list a veritable "rouges gallery" of high ranking martial artists who have been involved in nefarious criminal activity.

I have a longstanding criticism of people who walk around living fantasies of "warriorship" based solely on martial arts training. The types who like to spice up an otherwise "ordinary" existence by believing themselves "warriors" because they drive down to the dojo for a few hours every week. There are many more authentic "warriors" out there who have ZERO martial arts experience. Unless you are out in the world putting your ass on the line for "something" you are a warrior in thought rather than deed. In my environment I look at people who spend a fortune in weapons, weapon schools, tactical gear and training in much the same way. You may be able to purchase all the stuff and train in all the skills of an SAS trooper on your own time. But to say "Im as good as..therefore I am equal to" is a warning that this is about ones Ego..nothing else.

Whew...enough of my opinionated rambling...dont let that lead you to believe that I find ANYTHING objectionable with this post though. When it comes to the issue of "belt responsibilities" as they SHOULD apply I think you are dead on. The belt should represent a standard to live up to for YOU. An.."as a black belt I expect myself to live up to a standard"....vs a "Im a black belt and THEY are not" mindset. It's about what you expect from YOURSELF, not what you expect from others.

Neal Martin

Excellent comments there! Thank you. I agree with you on the fact that belts should simply be a way of telling by site who knows what. I personally don't invest too much stock in the belt system. Indeed after my black belt I became somewhat disillusioned with the whole concept of belts and ranking and I refused to do any more gradings for a long time. I just wanted to train for the sake of it. Eventually I realised that gradings give you a certain focus and give you something to work towards so I took my 2nd Dan grading a few years after I was supposed to. Whatever its merits the grading system does provide a bit of much needed structure to training.

I definitely don't think a belt confers any moral or ethical traits on a person. That would be unrealistic, not to say naive. I also believe you are living in a fantasy if you think a black belt makes you special outside the dojo, except for the fact that you can fight better than most (and even that's debatable in many cases). There is a lot of mumbo jumbo surrounding martial arts because of its origins and slightly esoteric nature. Ideas of warriorship in any real sense are ridiculous. Warriorship is displayed on a battle field that few martial artists ever set foot on. From my perspective, when I refer to warriorship on this site I refer purely to it in a metaphorical sense. Warriorship to me is about doing battle with yourself, of whom many would say is the toughest enemy of all. It's about conquering yourself and your fears and martial arts help a lot in this respect. When your interest in something goes that deep you occasionally loose perspective and this is why I believe many people end entertaining these notions of actual warriorship and mystical traits. It's fantasy gone unchecked and taken as fact because it has existed for so long. No one questions it. It's all just an accepted part of the martial arts subculture. Reality is rarely enough for people so myths are invented to keep things interesting.

Really it is up to the individual to have the sense to see past all the bullshit and not be swayed by it if at all possible. It takes integrity for that, something no amount of black belts can unfortunately give you.

tgace

Thank you, and an excellent reply there yourself. I have always been of the opinion that you can tell the true quality of a person (in LE/Military"martial arts at least) when you see how they act in relation to rank. Especially when they achieve rank "over" someone else.

Your approach to "warriorship" is also in close alignment to mine. I call it "living the warrior lifestyle" which is different from living the fantasy of "being a warrior". Living your life in alignment with principles associated with warriors and having an interest in reading, collecting, discussing, etc. is absolutely fine.

John W. Zimmer

Hey Tgace,

I guess it would depend on the conferring organization as to what responsibilities were expected of its belt holders.

I'm not sure what the history of the belt system has to do with an expected honor code.

My belt holders are expected to understand the trade off when they sign up. I'll teach them a martial art (kenpo in my case) I will in turn expect them to use it in self-defense only for real... I don't really care how they use it as a sport.

I would be the first one to say karate is not any better or worse than any other martial art including Western martial arts. Holding a black belt in my system assumes a person should be able to take care of him/herself in most self-defense situations. No superman status or godlike status here.

Speaking for myself - I do not look at black belt as even being a better fighter than practioners of another martial art (Eastern or Western). Back in the day If I found a boisterous fighter - I'd invite him to spar because in the final analysis - talk is cheap.

I cannot speak for any other style of karate but I assume most of the Eastern origin marital arts do have some sort of code of honor.

Michele

My karate background is traditional Okinawa Kenpo. The preservation of the art from teacher to student has always been an important component of my training. When I received my black belt, I wanted to be included in the process.

I have a responsibility to the tradition…to pass on information as my instructor has taught me. I have a responsibility to my instructor…I want him to be proud to call me a student. I have a responsibility to the students…to guide and to encourage. I have a responsibility to myself…to train, to improve and to explore.

Neal Martin

I think the responsibilities weigh heavier in traditional arts. I think there is more pressure to carry things on as they are, which is why they are traditional I suppose. Most of these responsibilities are unstated though. Practitioner's like yourself don't need to be told, which is the way it should be.

darkjunsah

While I understand the point you are trying to get across, I feel that i disagree with some of them. We each have a path we choose to take while training for an art. Because of alterations and different methodology, the result often becomes a new style of martial arts branching from the original. But often, it seems like when someone alters the art, its by petty means to look cool at demonstrations or in forms. Particularly referring to the forms, students or even teachers alike ruin the grace and beauty of forms by altering time, speed, stance, and other various factors.
The idea that black belt training is about relationships doesn't sit well with me. I also don't think that a martial arts career is so greatly affected by relationships. While relationships allow you to ask for help and further your education in the art, I believe that black belt training is about martial skill and your philosophy surrounding it.

Neal Martin

I don't think a style should be altered for the sake of it. To do so would be for egotistical reasons. What I was saying was you should personalize your style, which is different from making radical changes to it. You keep the techniques the same but choose the ones that are best suited to you personally and make them your own by understanding them fully.

Black belt training is about martial skill and your efforts to further that, but like or not most don't train in a vacuum or alone on top of a mountain. You will have an existing relationship with a sensei and you will have relationships with your students. There is also the relationship you have to the art itself. All these things affect how you train at the end of the day.

Matt__A

I would say a black belt in a traditional art definitely comes with inherent responsibility. It's important for people in the modern world to remember that TMA's are not a commodity or a straight-forward teaching service like getting your licensing in plumbing. There are hundreds of years of culture and tradition intertwined in everything that is done and with that comes a certain "giri" to uphold tradition.

Even though colored belts and rank have only been around for a relatively short while, the idea of "Bushi", or gentleman warrior has been around much longer (for karateka, investigate Sokon Bushi Matsumura). A gentleman warrior is expected to improve his/her character through training because he is the possessor of deadly techniques and must have a mature spirit in order to use them properly.

Even though we cannot become warriors of antiquity, running around clanging swords and challenging people to duels, we can uphold ourselves with the same conviction that they did. Black belt is an invitation to become a gentleman warrior.

Neal Martin

Nicely put, Matt. Training in martial arts is as much about the perfection of character as it is about anything else.

Bob

All good points on representing yourself and your art technically and as a representative of the Ryu.

I will add to continue with the mindset of a student. Attaining a Black Belt can be like becoming an adult. You have enough skills to survive; but, you still have a lot to learn.

Neal Martin

Agreed. I think it is important to maintain your "beginners mindset" as Ikigai put it in his book. There is so much to learn in martial arts it would be foolish to do otherwise.

wimde

Hi Neal,

Good post, well done.
I can only speak for myself here but I view things a little different. That's probably because I mainly did/do Chinese and S.E.-Asian arts where belts don't really exist. So the notion of a black belt means very little to me.

I do hold rank in a Chinese system, sort of an "equivalent" to the black belt but it never meant much to me. Like somebody else here said, belts are a relatively new "invention" in the martial arts. So linking them to tradition is perhaps a bit iffy.

That said, in the arts I do, bai shi ("ritual initiation") is often present. It sounds weird but basically it's a ceremony you do after a while, when your teacher thinks you're ready. It allows you to become an official student of a teacher and has both perks and responsibilities.

The perks are that you get to learn the so called secret or advanced stuff. It's not really secret but that's how people usually see it.
The responsibilities differ from one system to another but they're usually similar: You won't rip off other people, you won't rip off your teacher, you won't abuse what you know, etc.

The thing is this: you take an oath. You enter a pact with your teacher and both swear to uphold your end. And if you don't, the teacher tells you to get lost and never return. So it's in your best interest to stick to your word.

I prefer this system over any other. It's very clear what is expected of both teacher and student.

Just my 2 cents,

Wim

Neal Martin

Hey Wim. In hindsight, perhaps linking black belts to tradtion is a bit iffy, given the relatively short time they have been about. They have evolved into a kind of tradition though, so I guess they are now, regardless.

I actually really like the idea of bai shi in your art. It seems to hold a lot more meaning than just wrapping a belt around your waist and it's certainly less pretentious. I'd bin the belt in favour of that if I had the choice, but unfortunatedly I don't due to the system I train in. Thanks for that.

SueC

This is a really interesting discussion. I think we have to be careful though not to confuse responsibility with power. Even a white belt has some responsibility - to themselves, their sensei and their fellow students- but they hold no power in their dojo. As you work up the grading system you clearly acquire more status and greater 'power' or 'standing' - and your responsibilities grow in both number and significance. I expect black belt is when you really start to feel the pressure of those responsibilities ( I am still a brown belt). But if you don't think you have responsibilities until you get to black belt - maybe you've missed the boat!

Neal Martin

Hi SueC. I see what your saying. Of course you have responsibilities even as a white belt, but when you get to black belt the sense of responsibility tends to become more pronounced and it weighs heavier on your shoulders. You become more aware of what is expected of you, I guess.

Adam @ Low Tech Combat

Interesting post as well as comments!

I think it all depends. How much of a fence sitter am I??? hehe

Are there any? I think when u first get it, there is a massive feeling u get, at least when in class with everyone looking at you, from the junior belts to the parents of the children to the other black belts. A black belt is what a style proposes that a student can become. Therefore, everyone looks at the black belt and says, is that something I want to become? A black belt feels that. I think there is a sense of responsibility to others from within that system.

But outside of the particular style or school? As a personal thing, it is an achievement one should be happy with. In todays day and age, not many people stick to one thing for years and years and reach a goal. But really, it is no big deal. A black belt is not a super human. Many people can reach black belt with one hour study for five days a week for around four or five years. Some do it the hard way and get injured, have a long time off and still return to training which requires more self discipline (like BBM).

Should someone feel a foreboding sense of responsibility for reaching black belt? Probably not. I think as a person, black belt qualities are only a good thing. Like tgace was indicating. There are other pursuits out there that demand MUCH more commitment and demand a very high level of responsibility due to the skill sets they acquire.

I dont think a black belt has responsibilities so much, but become a much better person by putting themselves through the training and study. With being a better person, one automatically carries themselves in a much more responsible way.

Neal Martin

I agree with what you're saying, Adam. Having a black belt usually means more to the person holding it than anyone else. I guess it's just symbolic in the end, an indication of were you stand within your club and style. As you say, you become a better person for having got that far and as a result you become more responsible anyway. Thanks for commenting.

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