A 4 year old black belt?

I was scanning some local online reports related to Taekwondo and martial arts when I stumbled upon an amazing article.

A black martial arts belt was awarded to the youngest practitioner of all time! And the practitioner was only four years old.

Four years old? A black belt?

I was trying to imagine it. The only thing I could conjure in my mind was a rather whimsical image of an attacker trying to elope with this little boy, and as the bad boy did, somehow the boy became a super boy and was able to grab the boy by his Throw it in the air, then toss it into the nearby trash that’s already littered with the previous discarded conquests of the black-belted super kid.

As I reflected on this vision, it struck me that this event was more reminiscent of a video game than a real-life setting.

I own a martial arts school located in central Florida. And I have students between the ages of 5 and 75. The arts my school offers are WTF style Taekwondo, Bo staff and nunchakus, and the Korean style of fencing, Haedong Kumdo.

I have students who have received black belts at various ages, but never under the age of 9.

Reading the article about this 4-year-old boy who received the most prestigious martial arts belt, I found myself analyzing the criteria of my own school that allowed a student to receive the black belt.

And I also remembered the history of the belt and what it symbolizes.

Years ago, groups of young warriors gathered and trained to fight. More particularly, these men would train empty handed in combat, using their entire bodies to subdue and conquer their opponent through training exercises that would emphasize fast reflective blocking, powerful attacks, and unique focus.

They trained for hours, honing their special secret techniques and developing their physical fitness and dexterity.

As these elite warriors trained together, it was common for their loose clothing to fly as they fought, so they would anchor their blouses with belts made of fabric. The more years they fought, the dirtier their belts would become. It then became clear to everyone who attended the practice bouts that those wearing the dirtiest (and sometimes bloodiest) belts had been training the longest and longest.

The ‘blackest’ belt indicated the most experienced warrior, who became the basis of the martial arts tradition of awarding the formal black belt to whoever passed the school’s demanding and qualifying criteria.

In our current school, the general guidelines for a student to obtain their black belt include a minimum of 3 and a half years of constant training, hours after hours gaining specific knowledge on how to perform the necessary self defense techniques, many training bouts, hundreds of sessions of fitness routines culminating in the final student assessment event. In this event, the student must demonstrate all their learned knowledge, as well as run a 2-mile course, perform 300 squats, 300 push-ups, 500 kicks, and so on.

Although we have promoted a nine-year-old boy (almost ten) to this coveted belt, he had to demonstrate all the same criteria that we require of a 30-year-old boy. In our Korean WTF Taekwondo style, this black belt is also claimed to be considered a junior black belt. A junior black belt is awarded to those who test under the age of 15, acknowledging that they have met all the same requirements as those over the age of 15, but realize that their physical power and maturity are still limited by age.

Physical limitations are one thing, the mental aspect is another. As we promote our younger members through the ranks of a junior black belt, we look to see if they exhibit the right mental focus, seriousness, and confidence in their art that demonstrates their real knowledge and commitment to their art.

In fact, I would say that younger ones are under more scrutiny than older ones because of their age.

But back to the four-year-old boy and his black belt.

How can anyone take this designation seriously?

And does the presentation of such a high honor for a four-year-old boy pollute all the effort of those who worked years and put so much sweat, blood and tears in the acquisition of his belt?

Does granting this belt reduce the level of what the black belt is supposed to symbolize?

What you think?

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