Tag Info

Interesting question! The first ranking system in Japanese arts was a merit system based on menkyo or licenses. Essentially, you trained until you learned enough to earn a license recognizing your ability in that set of techniques or lessons. You may have a menkyo for each section of the syllabus (mokuroku), or you might have menkyo shoden, menkyo chuden, ...

This is an interesting question, there isn't really any one right answer. Asking them questions regarding their character is not really appropriate. They should have been training at a particular dojo for some time, and a lot should already be known about their character before they are invited to grade. Therefore asking character oriented questions at the ...

Jigoro Kano first came up with the kyu/dan ranks in 1883 for Judo. The original belts were blue (6th kyu), white (5 and 4 kyu), brown (3, 2, and 1 kyu), and black for dan grades (10 ranks). The idea behind the system was to promote a quick reward/progression system and a way to identify your opponent's average skill in randori. After that, a myriad of ...

With Japanese forms, you'll find a greater emphasis placed on even the small things. That said, the method demonstrated to tie the aikido belt in that video is the same way I've been instructed to tie my belt in karate. The benefits of that method are: Presentation: the belt lays flat and looks neat Lack of distraction: because the belt stays tight, you ...

"What does a black belt mean to you?" "What would it mean if you did not receive your black belt today?" "Are you ready to wear a black belt?" "What is the difference between you wearing a white belt and you wearing a black belt?" "Imagine you are in a fist fight - the other person has just started throwing the first strike, and you haven't started ...

For Aikido I was taught the same method as in the video, except that I start with the end hanging to the left instead of the right. I was told this is so rolling is more comfortable. The X tying version (starting with the middle of the belt on your stomach and wrapping around both directions simotaneously) is supposedly used by martial arts that don't do a ...

The most common question I've heard asked at my school is "what does being a black belt mean to you?" This question is very broad and open ended. It provides insight into how a person has evaluated oneself up to that point in time, and potentially what a person will do upon receiving one.

Some good suggestions here. I would like to add: What are your thoughts about why we have these tests in general, and black belt test in particular? What would you like to improve? You are away/travelling/on vacation: Can you mention (and show?) some good exercises to do?

Many of the other answers are good. At my test I was asked questions about the lineage of my style - who the founder of the style was, who my teacher learned from, basic stuff like that. You might also want to ask questions about what techniques, forms, etc. the student feels are his or her best - it'll give you an idea of what to look for during the ...