Actually, I think your right, this is a stupid thread. Does anyone really worry if kids have black belts or not? Its not as if they are being sent out to do security work or being sent to war!!
Let them have their fantasies. Reality sucks and is for grown ups.

You read the part at the end of his post where it says "/sarcasm", right?

yes I did, but then the more I thought about it, the less it seemed to matter.
There are probably bigger and worse issues in the world of martial arts fraud than children having black belts?
Does anyone really take them seriously?

I think kids should be awarded junior black belts until they are of an age to compete with adults. Judo has the right idea.

In general I agree with the sentiments of this thread. Children should not really be balck belts for all the reasons already hashed out here.
I do however believe that organised and disciplined training is VERY valauble for children, and I guess that is the tradeoff.
The problem is when the instructors/schools make claims of teaching self defence/fighting

The poor kids are being ripped off as well, not getting honest training, and of course this may ruin their future training career?

I work with the consequences of disolusioned, drug addicted, depressed, violent and confused youths all the time.
At the risk of being hammered down, I wonder if apart from conscription into the military, the next best thing might be traditional martial arts with an emphasis on discipline and respect?



Must not..........dig....shallow......grave.....for.... you......

Giving a kid a BB is pointless. If it conveyed any type of meaning as to skill level then yes, but nowadays in the "everybody gets a trophy" world it doesnt mean anything.
The problem with giving kids a BB (very very few deserve them) is they have never understood what MA's are about. Therefore they are unsure what the BB truly means. All they know is that people have to call them sir/ma'am, and they get to stand in the front of class.

yeah im with oldman34.

i mean back in the 30ies they thought the hitlerjugend was a good idea for discipline and respect, next thing you know those little bastards are running around with panzerfausts and stuff.

yeah im with oldman34.

i mean back in the 30ies they thought the hitlerjugend was a good idea for discipline and respect, next thing you know those little bastards are running around with panzerfausts and stuff.

They were the kids that gave the most resistance to the Allied Troops during the last days of the Riech. Not the best example in a thread about kids not being able to fight.

their groundgame probably sucked.
they were shooting panzerfausts and lobbing genades into jeeps and stuff.

their groundgame probably sucked.
.

Standup & groundgame.

YouTube - HITLER JUGEND (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=B_uASSnVWxg&NR=1)

They were the kids that gave the most resistance to the Allied Troops during the last days of the Riech. Not the best example in a thread about kids not being able to fight.


Yeah...they did a swell job. Thats why we divided their fucking country into three or so pieces.

Yeah...they did a swell job. Thats why we divided their fucking country into three or so pieces.

That's hardly the point. They're kids, it's not about winning or losing, it' the taking part that counts:laughing7

Does anyone really worry if kids have black belts or not? Its not as if they are being sent out to do security work or being sent to war!!

Why can't life actually be that awesome?

That's hardly the point. They're kids, it's not about winning or losing, it' the taking part that counts:laughing7


If it wasnt about winning or losing, they wouldnt keep score. In ANY competition there MUST be a winner and a loser. Kids grow up today not knowing how to be a gracious winner or loser. Why? Because everybody gets a trophy just for showing up.
What they do means nothing if everybody gets rewarded the same, wether they suck or wether they are awesome.
Same with BB's. Kids get it simply because they have put in their time in class. Its not the indicator of skill that teachers would lead you to believe.

Here is a true story.

I coached my 10 year old boys soccer team. Now on this team there were some really shitty players who stared at the sky or would give it 50% at practice and 35% during a game.
Out of 12 games we won 6. There were 14 teams and we finished 10th. Our last game we got beaten 9-0.
After the game the parents of some of the kids (not suprisingly, the same parents whose kids were lazy, whiny crybabies) and said to me "Are we going to have some kind of party where we pass out trophies to the kids for this season?"

Well, MOM34 couldnt get there fast enough to stop me and I told them "The kids just got beat 9-0, the had a 50% winning season, what did they accomplish to deserve a trophy? If you want to do that then go ahead."

All I got was blank stares. They couldnt believe it.

I teach my kids to grapple. Do I let them tap me out? Hell no. All they learn then is how to pass a half ass guard and put on sloppy holds. If they dont do it right, they know it and learn from it.

If it wasnt about winning or losing, they wouldnt keep score. In ANY competition there MUST be a winner and a loser. Kids grow up today not knowing how to be a gracious winner or loser. Why? Because everybody gets a trophy just for showing up.
What they do means nothing if everybody gets rewarded the same, wether they suck or wether they are awesome.
Same with BB's. Kids get it simply because they have put in their time in class. Its not the indicator of skill that teachers would lead you to believe.

Here is a true story.

I coached my 10 year old boys soccer team. Now on this team there were some really shitty players who stared at the sky or would give it 50% at practice and 35% during a game.
Out of 12 games we won 6. There were 14 teams and we finished 10th. Our last game we got beaten 9-0.
After the game the parents of some of the kids (not suprisingly, the same parents whose kids were lazy, whiny crybabies) and said to me "Are we going to have some kind of party where we pass out trophies to the kids for this season?"

Well, MOM34 couldnt get there fast enough to stop me and I told them "The kids just got beat 9-0, the had a 50% winning season, what did they accomplish to deserve a trophy? If you want to do that then go ahead."

All I got was blank stares. They couldnt believe it.

I teach my kids to grapple. Do I let them tap me out? Hell no. All they learn then is how to pass a half ass guard and put on sloppy holds. If they dont do it right, they know it and learn from it.

I'm going to have to disagree, ever so slightly on this one. The kids should get a momento of some kind. After all, there are tons of preening fat asses who got a "letter" jacket in high school, even though they were 1. on a losing team 2. not responsible for helping the team win, 3. Played a bunch of even suckier teams.

Most people still walk around thinking they were "all-that" while they hold this whole trophy thing in low regard, meanwhile, they're just as delusional. I see plenty of these fat-asses coaching kids soccer. Remember 25% of men believe they are in the top 1% athletically. Basically, the head of our kids league said that a collegiate player was a level 5 out of 10, 10 being a first class pro player such as Zidane or Beckham. There are too many Americans walking around thinking they were 8's when they were 3's.

All I'm saying is take it easy on the kids. They don't need trophies or Black Belts, but some momento is nice.

I'm going to have to disagree, ever so slightly on this one. The kids should get a momento of some kind. After all, there are tons of preening fat asses who got a "letter" jacket in high school, even though they were 1. on a losing team 2. not responsible for helping the team win, 3. Played a bunch of even suckier teams.

Most people still walk around thinking they were "all-that" while they hold this whole trophy thing in low regard, meanwhile, they're just as delusional. I see plenty of these fat-asses coaching kids soccer. Remember 25% of men believe they are in the top 1% athletically. Basically, the head of our kids league said that a collegiate player was a level 5 out of 10, 10 being a first class pro player such as Zidane or Beckham. There are too many Americans walking around thinking they were 8's when they were 3's.

All I'm saying is take it easy on the kids. They don't need trophies or Black Belts, but some momento is nice.



A momento is nice I agree. Like a medal/certificate or something. Just dont hand out trophies to the first place kids with a ribbon on it and then give the same trophies to the kids who finished 4th or worse.
It sends the wrong message.

Were Im from "lettering" meant that you played a certain amount of the time on first string.
Of course it goes along with my theory that people get given **** for no reason and it cheapens it for the people that actually earned it.

Im not rough on my kids, but I teach them to grapple and punch to defend themselves, not for tourneys, so I want them to be good at it.

BTW Im not anywhere near the top 40% athletically. I know everybody here thinks Im some kind of MA God or something, but please let down off that pedestal. Its embarassing.

:)

I was joking, it was the Hitler Youth during the fall of Germany.

To be honest my own son succeeds when he's got someone to compete against. If he's the best at something within his own little click he stops working for it. Give him someone to beat and he'll work to win. Schoolwork, martial arts, video games. Needs that sort of motivation, has done since he started school.

I was joking, it was the Hitler Youth during the fall of Germany.

To be honest my own son succeeds when he's got someone to compete against. If he's the best at something within his own little click he stops working for it. Give him someone to beat and he'll work to win. Schoolwork, martial arts, video games. Needs that sort of motivation, has done since he started school.


Same with my kids.

I knew what you were getting at, I was just doing my usual over typing/over analysing thing again.