There has been some questions regarding belt testing and rank
advancement. Since the student manuals are not done yet I will try
to clear up the questions for now.
First of all you can be a good martial artist without being a
black belt. That is the nice thing about kenpo. It was designed to
be usable right away and not require years or decades of practice
and mastery before you can use the techniques to defend yourself.
Kenpo is actually one of the oldest martial art systems out there.
It has lasted because it works.
Another common question is how long will it take to master kenpo.
There really is no answer to be given. Mastery requires life long
practice and dedication to the art. Don't plan on only coming to
class thee times a week and only working out for one hour during
class and becoming a master. This ties in with the next question
which is...
How long does it take to become a black belt? This depends ont he
person. On average two years is about the soonest one can expect to
become a black belt. It can take a lot longer. It all depends on
how much you practice and how hard your work. I practice for
several hours a day everyday and I've been waiting for about five
years to test for my 3rd Dan (3rd degree balck belt).
What are the ranks/what comes after black belt? Black belt does
not mean mastery of the art. This is a myth as the use of black
belts and the colored belt ranking system hasn't even been around
100 years yet. Black belt is just the begining. At black belt rank
the real training starts. In our style there are 5 black belt
degrees. After the five degree you are awarded a red belt which
symobolizes basic mastery. There are five degrees in red belt as
well. The first red belt degree is still refered to as 6th degree
black belt. 9th degree is the highest one can go in a life time.
10th degree is fro the most part an honorary title presented to
founders of a system or awarded to high ranking black belt students
when they die after life long training. In short to reach 9th
degree it takes close to 40 years of daily practice to reach that
level.
A second part of this question is what doe balck belts study.
Well here it comes...the basics. Yes more basics but this time
black belts are not learning the basics but mastering them. By the
time you reach the Dan (black belt) ranks you start developing your
own style of kenpo. You use the techniques but adopt them to your
way of doing them. I refer to this in class by saying that we as
your instructors provide you with the tools for your toolbox but it
is ultimately up to you which tools you use. What this mean is that
we provide you with the knowledge but you have to be the one to put
it into practical application. By the time you reach about your 2nd
Dan you will realize that we did not teach you anything, you have
taught yourself.
I feel and have seen first hand too many students that reach black
belt and are disappointed and quit martial arts. I think that too
many have the wrong impression that when you become a Shodan (black
belt) you also receive special magical powers that turn you into
Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee. Having a black belt does not mean that
you will be able to fly through the air, walk on water or bend steel
bars with your bar hands. Hollywood has damaged the martial arts
with all this movie magic and hype. Have realistic expectations and
you'll do just fine.