Black Belts for Sale: What Happened to Earning It?

 

Posted by ADAM CARTER on SEP 17, 2025

Black Belts for Sale: What Happened to Earning It?

(Approx 2 minute 35 second read)

When I took my shodan (a long time ago) I had no idea it was happening. I turned up for class as normal, always early, the first to arrive, as I helped teach the children class.

My instructor then informed me, “you’re taking shodan tonight.” Wait, what? There was no fee, no ceremony, no buildup, just the expectation that I step up and prove myself.

It seemed everyone else knew except me, the juniors stayed on with their parents, the adult class all arrived and lined the dojo walls waiting to be called to ‘show me what for’.

I was the only one taking my grading that night, and it was tough, really tough. Being honest, even though I was not expecting it, I think I earned it that night. The bruises, aches, pains and stiffness over the next few days confirmed it so.

Imagine though a shiny black-belt, dangling around someone’s waist except, what if they got it by just paying their fee and making friends with the sensei’s dog? Kinda sad, don’t you think?

That’s the thing about black-belts. They’re supposed to be more. They’re badges of honor, earned through blood, sweat, and possibly a few bruised egos. They’re proof you walked the walk, endured the endless drills, and faced your inner demons on the mat.

A black-belt bought and not fought for, will never give you that.

I’ve seen black belts 1st, 2nd, 3rd dans, and higher, that are extremely overweight, rigid, who move in such a way as can only be described as a stuffed whale…. and some of these guys are in their 30’s and early 40’s….. and they really should not be teaching.

Just paying the fee because you think it’s your time to grade, well, in short, if you didn’t work for it, then it’s meaningless! And you know that. But they don’t care. They got it that’s all that matters.

The bottom line is that if a grade did not take years of blood, sweat and tears to attain then it’s not worth anything.

The color of the belt, and the gold embroidered bars, isn’t a great clue to the proficiency of these people…. And yes, I’ve witnessed it, all too often unfortunately.

What has karate become? It’s really sad. It certainly isn’t the karate I knew back in the day and I continue to teach. Yes, I’m getting old. Perhaps that’s the problem.

A black-belt should be earned the hard way. That’s a badge of honor you can wear with pride, both on the mat and in the real world.

It isn’t about having a fancy belt, it’s about becoming the best person….. who earned it. It’s a reminder that anything worth having is worth working for, and that the journey is just as important as the destination.

Recently I saw that an instructor I know, I use the term very loosely, has been graded to Godan. I choked on my coffee and almost fell out of my chair. What the heck? The speed at which he climbed the dan ranks is staggering, and the reality is his skill level is painfully low. To call it shocking would be an understatement, I was genuinely flabbergasted. To put it in perspective, moving from shodan to godan in less than five years is almost unheard of, a pace that normally takes over a decade of training, testing, and real skill development.

A McDojo (or McAssociation) will basically sell you a black-belt while you pretend to go through the motions…. they want your money.

The black-belt should be earned, and its value commensurate with the amount of effort you put in to achieve it, not paid for because you think you deserve the next grade.

A black belt without effort is nothing more than a lie tied around your waist.

Written by Adam Carter – Shuri Dojo