Essays for Black Belt

**Eddie Hardon** · Posted On: 5/21/2012 3:02pm

No. I had to do an Anatomy Exam and if I had failed that, I'd have been shunted into the BB revision group.

Once I'd passed, I had to demonstrate the Kyu Syllabus from White to Brown. After that, they effed us around with another 60 Throws just to completely wear us out.

To qualify as a Coach, I had to write some 11 or 15 essays: Child Protection + Vulnerable Adults, Motivation, Coaching Principles, Menstruation and much more. They need to know if you're a nutcase....

**slamdunc** · Posted On: 5/21/2012 3:12pm

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

I think its probably not a bad idea if its a research paper.

I'm concerned that the OP is suggesting its a "why I deserve to be a BB" thing.

I had to do one for Shodan which generalized martial arts and theories of origin; nothing about deserving a BB. For Godan it was more specific; that paper was based on the writer's reasons for taking martial arts and more important, why they continued to train.
After Sandan, there is no demonstration, anatomy or pressure-point identification test for advancement. Post Sandan, it is based on what you give back as a martial artist (teaching, hosting tournaments, promoting the martial arts, etc.).

**cualltaigh** · Posted On: 5/21/2012 6:02pm

Not that I've got there yet but part of doing your shodan at our club is gaining your national coaching accreditation, for which you need to submit a technical paper (I think). But no, "why I should be a bb' wouldn't cut it as a technical topic.

**Jujutsuka desu** · Posted On: 5/21/2012 6:40pm

We do something similar but its a verbal essay of our arts history and purpose etc etc.

**daishi** · Posted On: 5/21/2012 8:58pm

We start off with multiple choice tests, then short answer/fill in the blank tests, then essays in the yudansha levels. There's no "why I wanna be a black belt" questions though...which I find a little odd. More of explaining a certain traditional budo philosophy and how it applies to your life and training. Basically the teachers want to see that senior students are actually applying their training to more than just throwing, rolling, and trading punches with your friends.

***battlefields*** · Posted On: 5/21/2012 9:54pm

WTF TKD, my old school used to do it, IIRC.

**Devil** · Posted On: 5/22/2012 1:05pm

I've seen this at one school before. It was a school where the female instructor's background was in Shotokan and TKD. I was only a teenager so I can't remember exactly, but I believe the subject of the essay was "What the martial arts mean to me." or "What black belt means to me." Something along those lines.

I don't really see any problem with it. It was a family oriented school. Take that to mean what you will. No, they weren't turning out fighters or serious competitors but they also weren't lying and fucking people out of money. It was a fun place to train.

I think the essay was really just a part of a bigger set of things the students had to do in addition to their normal testing before being awarded their black belt. It was as much of a way to celebrate the milestone as anything else. A couple of the other requirements were to sit in a quiet dark room and meditate for an hour without moving and to eat kimchee with the instructor. It is what it is.

**traversnz** · Posted On: 5/22/2012 7:03pm

I've had to do essays for kendo - way it was explained to me was the concept of "bubunryodo" - throwback to the times when a warrior was also a scholar. These are mainly cut and paste jobs and aren't really checked (and sometimes not even read).
Don't see the relevance in gendai budo though...

**WorldWarCheese** · Posted On: 5/23/2012 7:41am

I had to do one for my Nidan in Goju (I'm not sure about shodan, maybe not?) but it was merely a breakdown of one of the katas. No research just writing down the different movements involved and then the techniques that you could do off of them or something. It was kind of weird.

An essay might or might not have been required for my Shodan in Hakko-ryu and Yoshitsune JJ, I don't remember any topics, but I remember there was a lot more paperwork in general than I was used to.

Was only a yellow in Judo and there wasn't any writing or terminology involved for that.

**DarkPhoenix** · Posted On: 5/23/2012 1:43pm

I have a written test, practical test, and an essay for my Shodan in judo. The written is for USJA and the essay is a requirement from my sensei.

TKD I needed to do an essay when I tested for my chodan and for my eedan.