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In martial arts, belts are to be earned, not bought.


The market in general in any industry or line of work will always cater to what we ask from it. Like we want bigger fruits and that ends up use of excessive fertilizers etc to grow bigger fruits. Similarly if parents or students keep wanting new belts then not all but many will bend to that demand and over time the belts will have no value in general. Belts are not a measure of how many months or years you have been training but a measure of how much you have grown. So just because you have been going to a class for a few years doesn't mean you should be a certain belt. 

With our fast paced lives today, students are not able to dedicate the same amount of time that students a few generations before did. So that obviously slows down the growth, this itself is enough to actually slow down the belt grading process. 

We are all different, we learn at different speeds, we have different preferences etc. Some may love cardio based drills, some may love sparing or some may love to focus on basics and forms or flows. Irrespective of what we prefer, we need to develop in all, this takes time. Trying to rush through training just to tell the world that - I have this belt, may get you a belt but no knowledge or ability to show for it. 

Some students may take 5 years to earn their black belt, some may take 8 years or more. It is actually after earning your black belt that the deeper dive into the martial art world begins. Sadly many stop once they get a black belt. This is why they say that martial arts is a way of life. Because you dedicate your life to it. It is not just some course you do for few years and talk about it for the rest of your life. 

Especially once students reach mid level in the hierarchy of belts, the time between belt gradations should be increased to give the students more time to grow and get better. For example at the moment we have a few students who are just a belt before earning their black belt and these students are at that same belt for more than 2 years now. No new belt, just training regularly. No asking when they will have their black belt exam. Just surrendering to the process and being dedicated to their training. 

It is a conscious decision that every parent and student has to make. Do they just want to buy belts or do they want to earn it with sweat and blood? 

If you just want belts then we surely feel sorry for you, and we are not the place for that. If you wish to train hard, to grow physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, if you wish to defeat your demons and weaknesses then Jukaado is the place for you. 

Train like a warrior to be a warrior!!!


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