Can You Skip Karate Belt Ranks?

Is it ok to skip a belt rank? In what situations is it acceptable and what are the potential consequences of skipping rank? I also share my personal experience with accelerating a rank and why it haunts me today.

#karate
#karatebelts
#blackbelt

[Kyle-vbfz]

You, sir, have integrity, which is seldom seen anymore. Good on you and much respect and honor to you and your Sensei.

[bookworm]

I think it really depends on the teacher. I've been in some more informal classes where the teacher cares less about rank than progression so he'll rank people where they're at. If someone is very gifted and athletic and has previous experience AND can explain the ideas and theories then they'll be ranked to a high level pretty quick. In the same vein if you get kind of stuck ideologically you can get stuck at a rank for quite a while. I've seen some people do well and then get stuck at orange belt for like 3 years and they really are just moving at that level and then something will click and they move on. Alternatively some people come in and they get it immediately and they get brown within like 5 months. It's about whatever the end goal is of the system you're in. If it's about tradition ending in total mastery of a strict curriculum then absolutely you wouldn't skip rank because that's important. If it's about showing basic competency in certain areas then that's a different story for a different system.

[Jafar-drto]

I’ve heard of a school skipping a black belt from another school from white to yellow but not beyond that

[dannewstead]

My karate journey started in the 80s. If a student or their parents requested to skip a grading they would have been laughed out of the dojo.
A traditional martial art that holds its roots deep in the philosophy of the development character, through discipline, hard work and patience, has no room for ego and entitlement. We were kids doing push ups on our knuckles on hard wooden floors, sweating for our next grades. These days it seems like people are given a belt just for showing up. It’s sad…

[FrDiver]

It depends. I’m a 3rd degree black belt in Tang Soo Do and competed heavily. When I started Taekwondo the instructor gave me the opportunity to jump up to Brown Belt from White. The two styles are very similar and for me to be in an entry level classes didn’t make sense considering I was knocking around his Black Belts.

[mizukarate]

I had a class in a private school. There were issues like this occasionally. The fact is never skip ranks. Only be fair when ranking.

[blockmasterscott]

It’s pretty much up to the teacher. I say that because there is no law, meaning that the fuzz isn’t gonna come crashing through your front door.

This reminds me of my Choy Li Fut master. He told me that when he started training in the 50s, students started out with the black sash and got the white at instructor level as a sign of purity. But when he started his own school in the 60s he switched it to starting at white and ending at black to avoid confusion with the Japanese and Korean arts.

[dabossbabie]

I trained in Tang Soo Do / SBD for about 6 years (2nd Gup) [I still practice though!], so now going into Taekwondo, the master just put me at same belt rank and told me to catch up since the skills are already there.
I'm the only case where I've heard such a thing, but granted the styles are similar and the forms are pretty much the same so makes sense.

[ronnieteulon]

Totally agree with you. You have to put in the time and training. There is no substitute

[camiloiribarren]

I have seen students been skipped a rank and I myself was skipped ranks because we were either previously trained in other styles for a long period which made it easier to pick up the Goju material or have done Goju for a number of years (my case), and we accepted it because our teachers realized that we have a deeper understanding of the material.

Thanks for your input on this. And what can be an acceptable reason to skip over ranks and what are not

[TrentMantis]

Mr Miyagi stole a black belt from someone else so that Daniel-San could compete in a tournament for black belts only. Let that sink in.

[highchamp]

The Journey
Don't short change yourself (or others) of the full experience.
Do things properly (Experimenting and being too creative can be a big time waster) gain experience first.
Your seniors should have done these things already and can warn you.

The Path Ahead (The Good Instructor)
Someone who is experienced and you trust.
Knows your level and teaches what you need but also gives you a clear path to the future. (Sets an example and shows what's possible)
You can then work towards your goal with confidence.

The Research Stage (University Thesis and PhD)
As a senior this will happen and takes up a lot of (a life) time, effort and money.

Star Trek Future (...now to the short cut in life)
Gain what you can from seniors.
It's decades of work.
People will be far more capable thanks to those ahead of us.
(Newton Quote “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”)

[fourscorpio]

Such good points, Dan! I try to instill in my students the goal should be to become better, not collecting rank belts. A lot of parents don't get it, unless they are martial artists too.

For myself, I actually technically skipped brown belt 2 and 1 after making brown belt and tested for my Shodan. But that wasn't really skipping as I learned the material for Brown 2 and 1 and held my brown belt the same amount of time as I would have if I had done those extra tests. Our dojo didn't do anything like stripes to indicate rank, so it really didn't matter. I saved money which helped go to the more expensive Shodan test which included the traditional kanji/katakana embroidered Shureido obi.

[drumsticknuggets]

One thing that may be an issue is the perception that rank is something earned like money - that you can keep it as long as want it.

The rank is earned, but it's a snapshot into the skills represented at that time.

A black belt who hasn't been practicing for 20 years isn't representative of those who practice currently.

I can relate as I was a tkd practitioner for years... in the 80's! Did a couple years in early 2000's (tkd and judo).

This week I started at a shotokan school and though I knew, in my memory, a lot of what was being taught in class... my old body wasn't there. I have no issue starting as a white belt again. My body has to be trained again. It'll be a fun journey.

I don't train to impress- I train for me. For health and for fun. I don't represent black belt skill today... but I'll get there.

[UniversalJudoAcademies]

@artofonedojo
I had the same thing with promotion. I had fought like a dog and went above and beyond to earn a legit and fairly ridiculous 3rd Dan in Judo. Last year, one of my old sensei developed cancer, he was 98 and promoted me to 4th Dan. He said it was for dedication, teaching etc. I believe it was due to his health and years and not knowing what the future might hold.

I accepted it knowing the above, with the hope that I would eventually grow into it. Similarly to yourself, I told myself that it's one man's subjective opinion. I can't out right say he's wrong. Its an opinion, nothing more or less.

At some point though I will feel the need to do a few trials and tribulations to ratify the rank to myself though.

In short. I can relate.

[sird]

They look pissed off. Like, " how's he gonna come in a white two weeks ago, and skip over me".

[kickingitwiththekerofskys]

O' Sensei Dan, you made some good points in your video. You know my karate journey and all my struggles. And I recently was honored as a Grandmaster. However, during my karate journey in 1985 while in the Navy (before getting into American Kenpo in 1987), I did skip a rank in Shuri Ryu Karate instead of going for my Purple belt I went straight for my 1st Brown. I did not make it home after my Lebanon tour return in 1984 and when I finally came home on leave for Christmas1985, I skipped a rank. It was the only rank I ever skipped though. And after that I had gaps in my promotions due to my Naval Career and many ailments and injuries I overcame. But I never quit and now made it to Grandmaster. Hai. Grandmaster K, MA

[jakmak]

I was fortunate to train under John Graden, Bill Wallace, Joe Lewis, & Michael Anderson of WAKO. Earning my 1st Dan from Anderson in 2004 in American TKD. Then 2nd, 3rd, & 5th throughout the years following. My under-belts were white, yellow, orange, green, blue, red, & brown belt every 3 – 4 months. I not only attended my regular classes but the underbelt classes as well to keep sharp with all the materials. Keep in mind that I was 41 when I started. All the while competing in both the NASKA but ISKA as well to hone my skills. I adamantly oppose skipping belts. You know just as well that the McDojo’s give rank as if they were candy. And then there are the websites you buy a black belt for 150.00. I call them “paper black belts”. Thanks Mr. Dan, spot on.

[globalproductandgamingreview]

The value is in what you learned, and what you can apply, not the belt!

[Sithikus]

To me, the belt system has always been a symbol of "status and rank in a particular school" but not necessarily a practitioner's skill level in their particular field.
In the FMA (Filipino martial arts), which is my preferred fighting system, Instead of belts, titles such as "Guro" (teacher), "Punong Guro" (head teacher), "Lakan" (a title for advanced practitioners, often translated as "knight" or "warrior"), and "Datu" (chief) were used to signify rank and status within the system. These titles indicated a practitioner's level of expertise and their role within the FMA community.

From what I understand of karate, judo, taekwondo and other "traditional" martial arts.
The color belt system, as commonly known in modern martial arts was introduced by Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo, in the late 19th century. Kano's system used colored belts to signify different ranks and levels of proficiency.

In Okinawan martial arts, particularly Karate, the color belt system was adopted later, largely due to the influence of Judo and its ranking system. Gichin Funakoshi, who is credited with popularizing Karate in Japan, adopted the colored belt system in the 1920s to help standardize the ranking process. Before this, Okinawan martial arts typically used a more informal ranking system based on the instructor's judgment and the student's skill level.