In the martial art you train in how important to belt promotion is performance in sparring or competition?

I've noticed that promotions don't necessarily relate to ability to beat people in competitions or sparring. For example I still have not yet earned my brown belt although in practice I compete with black belts and brown and usually do well. I've also finished 1st in tournaments.


Belt promotion seems to depend more on the particular sensei and his attitude toward whether promotion wheter it is based on skill level or knowledge.





So just was wondering what you all have experienced? If someone does well in the competitive side shouldn't that transfer to belt rank?

In the martial art you train in how important to belt promotion is performance in sparring or competition?
we don't have belts or sashs or any real ranking system.





The closest thing we have is that the other students kind of start to recognize you as a "senior student" when you have been there long enough to become a fixture.





I don't think the teacher acknowledges this, I could be wrong, but I don't think I've ever heard him refer to someone as a senior student.





IMO- I don't think a school should give out ranks. I don't see boxing gyms doling out "purple gloves" or wrestling programs giving out "brown headgear" and "white headgear".





I think it takes away too much focus from actually just improving yourself no matter what skill level you are at now.





I think the good of a ranking system (people get small sense of accomplisment each "rank") is far far outweighed by the potential bad of a top ranking student becoming complacent and not seeking to improve. The emphasis is on "getting the next rank" and what do you need to do, not how to improve yourself in general. And I think it allows a lot of lesser skilled martial artists and charlatans to hide out in the "system" by opening a school and making the focus on belts rather than actually personalizing the teaching to each student's current level of skill and what they need to do to improve it.





If you must have a belt system- the bjj way is the best then where you keep promotions tightly controlled and based on performance and ability to use the techniques you know.


In short- yes, fighting SHOULD be a necessary thing to improve in those schools that chose to rank thier students, but I wouldn't say it has to be outsie competition fighting. Especially since that isn't going to encourage the student to try something new like in class sparring might.
Reply:In traditional martial arts... rank advancement meant more than just fighting.... there is a ton of knowledge that follows each belt. The sad thing is that most get a belt every 3 months regardless.
Reply:Competitions mean absolutely nothing when it comes to your testing for ranks. Martial arts is not about competition, but the pursuit of knowledge. You need a combination of skill and knowledge and dedication.
Reply:In my discipline, belt promotion in the lower ranks is based on how well you grasp the concepts and master the Katas.





Once you reach the highest belt in the lower ranks, for my discipline this is a purple belt, then your promotions depend on mastering the concepts, Katas, your ability to spar %26amp; compete and your knowledge of the discipline and its history.





In the upper ranks, your promotions are also based on your ability to teach.
Reply:I practice muay thai, and sparring is important, but since there are no belts this question would not really apply. The other martial art i follow is jiu-jutsu, and in order to be promoted you need to show proficiency during sparring and/or competitions.
Reply:I'm proud of the fact that you have committed yourself in taking karate it is a physical and financial obligation. my son took karate and to my understanding belt promotions are based on the amount of time and classes taken in order to receive your next belt. if you are competing in tournaments and doing very well they just don't advance you to the next degree. this is due to the fact that you need the class time hours to advance. Also you will find that if you continue to participate in the martial arts after your first degree the time to get your consecutive belts is extended. good luck to you i honor your commitment.
Reply:Rank does not matter. Do not try to spend too much energy on it. Rank is just a method of organizing students within a school. It means nothing outside of your school.





Fighting ability is not a measure. usually it depends on one's mastery of basics and forms.


A good example of this would be a physically challenged student. They may achieve rank but they may not be a superb fighter. Or if a student is advanced in age, similar situation.





Focus on improving yourself, not on getting a colored piece of fabric.


Good luck, train hard.
Reply:I've been taking Moo Duk Kwan for 6 yrs now.





For about the 1st year, it was just me and another guy my age with three sensei's to teach us. There were a couple of people who'd come, but left after a month usually.





Because of the situation, and it was either, spar with the other white belt, or spar with black belts, we progressed very fast.





Belt rank has to do with skill for the most part, and the knowledge on how to use that skill. Fighting, kata, and one steps.





Depending on how big the class is, I've noticed things. Like the bigger the class, the harder it is for the sensei's to catch everything they caught with me, so little habits sometimes slip thru the cracks to be caught later hopefully.





And depending upon the age of most of the people, its either more strict or less strict. But having to find the right balance of easy going and strictness.
Reply:Belt promotion is to used as a form of rank and knowledge . Though alot of schools hand belts out to easily in my opinion, you can be assured that any one of my students have earned the belt and are required to know the self defense and sparring level even to that amount of training required to obtain that belt. I don`t hand out belts and dont charge much to test but do praise all that can make the grade.


Master Hunter
Reply:The martial art I train in doesn't have ranks.





When I was in Taekwondo with a Korean Master,


free sparring didn't even enter into the picture until


a person had a blue belt.


(White, Yellow, Green, Blue, Red, Black)





Before that it was, AT MOST, 3 move sparring.


.
Reply:sparring and competitions have no impact at all on belt rankings.rank goes on knowledge of the tecniques and whether or not your adept at using them.any sensei who ranks or judges his students on how they compete shouldn't and doesn't deserve to be called sensei.it's against the spirit of competition and against the whole idea of martial arts.getting in a lucky punch in a competition in no way means you can defend yourself in a real situation,there a lot more to martial arts than just being able to kick or punch well enough to win a competion.
Reply:I've always believed that rank isn't what matters; it's knowledge, skill, wisdom, and how you use the three. I remember a tournament I went to as a yellow belt where I beat a few black belts in sparring, but in the end, it was a white belt that beat me for first place. (He had studied different martial arts but, whatever.) In our martial arts group, belt promotion is based is based on if you have an understanding of the requirements for that belt, not how long you've been in the art. It's taken some of our black belts ten years to get their black belt, while it has taken other's only two. I don't believe that you should earn a higher rank just because you do well in competitions, I think you should be able to do what is required of that rank in your school. My advice is never underestimate ANYONE, even the old blind man with a bad hip that sleeps on the bench outside of your neighborhood grocery store. ;)
Reply:I study mostly systems that have no belt systems. Point sparring and tag have nothing to do with our progression. I have exper. in cage fighting but I never needed a belt for that. If a system uses compettions and sparring I think that it should play a part in the belt system but I have never seen a school, Karate, TKD, traditional that is, ever openly say that this sort of thing plays in the belt system. Every traditional style I have ever come in contact with use kata as their main stay for belt ranking. I would agree competition should have something to do with it . But who am I, no one.
Reply:Not as important as the growth of your moral character as you advance in your martial arts walk or as important has how well you're learning other things, like kicks, hand techniques, and kata. Attitude is everything.